I have written earlier on new Finnish mobile phone company Jolla at my Two new mobile phone companies from Finland and Mobile trends and predictions for 2013 articles. Jolla announces its first Sailfish OS smartphone which will be available in Europe by the end of 2013. The first Jolla phone: 4.5-inch display, Android app compliant, 399 euros
Jolla smartphone is the first handset to run Jolla’s Sailfish OS, which is essentially a reworked version of Nokia’s now defunct Meego OS. The Sailfish OS is compatible with Android apps.
In the there is request for bloggers to write about this, so this is my contribution to this Finnish company.
66 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Russia To Pay Local Devs To Migrate Apps To Tizen, Sailfish
http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/09/from-russia-with-love-for-open-source/
The U.S. mobile ecosystem duopoly has been the big story of tech for the past six-plus years. And continues to be mobile’s unshakeable reality — with Android and iOS collectively cutting themselves a 96 per cent share of the device market (per Gartner figures for Q3 2014).
Not everyone is happy about this lack of geopolitical diversity in the mobile space, though. Russia for one wants to see less U.S.-centricity, at least domestically — and is apparently willing to dip into its pockets to encourage developers to migrate apps to other mobile platforms.
Specifically Russia wants to support the Samsung-led Tizen open source effort, and also Jolla’s Sailfish OS — which has been developed in Europe (Finland), and is an extension of the open source MeeGo project (although notably Sailfish is not (yet) itself open sourced).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jolla’s Sailfish trip around the world with the support of Russia to Africa
Russia is said to be interested Jolla Sailfish operating system. Now, sailfish and its ecosystem is being taken in Africa.
Jolla tells the person who undertakes to build the ecosystem-based Sailfish OS, Africa’s needs. Decide opened in South Africa, which created Sailfish Africa business alliances.
The aim is to bring together African investors to create a basis for open Sailfish mobile ecosystem.
tells the person who undertakes to build the ecosystem-based Sailfish OS, Africa’s needs. Decide opened in South Africa, which created Sailfish Africa business alliances.
The aim is to bring together African investors to create a basis for open Sailfish mobile ecosystem.
“This is a logical extension of Russia’s recent announcement Sailfish cooperation. Africa deserves its own mobile ecosystem.”
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/2015-05-28/Jollan-Sailfish-matkaa-maailmalla-Ven%C3%A4j%C3%A4n-tuella-Afrikkaan-3321241.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jolla cleaved the equipment manufacture to the new company – Pienimäki change Vincit Group’s new CEO
Jolla on Tuesday announced the launch of the reform of the structure of the company and announcement of changes to leadership.
According to press release, the Jolla company focuses on the Sailfish OS development and licensing of operating. Antti Saarnio Chairman of the Board of Directors takes the current Jolla’s the lead.
For the further development of the Equipment Division set up a new company that invests in information security, in particular a bold equipped with mobile devices. On the device side the company is currently working with Tablet product finishing.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/jolla-lohkaisi-laitevalmistuksen-uuteen-yhtioon-pienimaki-vaihtaa-vincit-groupin-toimitusjohtajaksi-3325373
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile Maker Jolla Splits In Two, With Sailfish OS Its First Order Of Business
http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/07/mobile-maker-jolla-splits-in-two-with-sailfish-os-its-first-order-of-business/
Software or hardware? Finnish mobile device and Sailfish OS maker Jolla has always intended doing both. But that could be changing. Today the company announced it’s forking itself, splitting its business into two. One of those businesses will be fully focused on pushing its Sailfish software platform forward.
“Every young company has to find its clear focus at some time, and for Jolla that time is now,” said Jolla board chairman, Dr. Antti Saarnio, commenting on the changes in a statement. “We have huge opportunities in the Sailfish OS licensing business… After three years of intensive Sailfish OS research development we are now moving full speed to new bigger waters, which requires full focus on software from the team.”
The split follows a strategic push by the company towards forming regional partnerships to develop locally flavored versions of its Sailfish OS in the BRICS emerging markets. The opportunity it sees being to offer an OS that supports more localization than Google’s dominant Android OS affords
The new Jolla Ltd will concern itself entirely with the development and licensing of its Sailfish mobile OS, Jolla said today.
The wording of Jolla’s press release is a little vague, so it’s possible Jolla is leaving itself some wiggle room to retreat from hardware entirely.
The scope of the new Jolla devices company may also be broader than the first wave Jolla, which has brought one smartphone to market and is in the midst of building a tablet. “This new company will have quite a lot of freedom to do all kinds of handsets.”
He said the forthcoming Jolla devices business could even consider using alternative software platforms in addition to Sailfish — by offering multi-OS devices.
Jolla has previously said it plans to offer a security hardened version of Sailfish, called Sailfish Secure. Differentiating mobile hardware on privacy and security grounds is something other startups are doing, such as Silent Circle’s Blackphone initiative.
Saarnio will be taking charge of the new software-focused Jolla Ltd. Former CEO Tomi Pienimäki, has been appointed to a new position “outside the company”
Saarnio said it’s not yet decided who else (if anyone) will be leaving to join the devices business.
“This is not about dividing Jolla into two businesses; this is about focusing current Jolla into Sailfish OS development as it has — basically — 90 per cent of the investment and resources have been going there already.”
it’s a question of manageability, and the different needs of two very different types of businesses stretching limited startup resources.
“It’s very difficult to manage two such different businesses in one young company,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jolla Splits from Hardware
Establishing a New Platform Is Hard
http://www.ccsinsight.com/blog/jolla-splits-from-hardware
Jolla — the Finland-based independent developer of mobile platform Sailfish and related hardware — has announced that it will spin off its hardware unit to focus on its mobile platform. Jolla was founded by members of a former Nokia team that developed the Linux-based mobile operating system (OS) Maemo.
The company’s decision to stop hardware development will be a disappointment to its loyal fans after more than 20,000 supporters backed a Sailfish OS tablet via an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign. The device was scheduled to ship to backers in May 2015, but the company says component supply issues have caused delays.
Jolla’s decision to move away from developing its own hardware highlights the difficulties of establishing something different in the current mobile milieu. The company has a world-class pedigree and a solid fan base, but it’s made little traction in a market dominated by two players.
The smartphone platforms segment is among the most concentrated, with Apple and Google leading in shipments and the installed user base. Android and iOS are so firmly established that companies with much larger resources struggle to make a dent. Microsoft, for example, has seen limited success in making its Windows Phone platform the third major operating system. This led Microsoft to provide the OS free of charge to hardware markers, creating an even less favourable environment for companies like Jolla.
Establishing a niche in today’s highly homogenous environment is tough despite global sales of 1.5 billion smartphones per year. Jolla describes itself as “unlike” everything else on the market, an accurate term to distinguish itself from a crowd of standardised devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sailfish Update Seeks To Simplify Jolla’s Alternative Mobile OS
http://techcrunch.com/2015/09/09/simpler-sailfish/
It’s been a long time coming but Finnish mobile startup Jolla has pushed the release button for early users to get their hands on an overhauled version of its mobile interface, Sailfish.
The forthcoming full 2.0 release was offered to OEMs for licensing back at the start of March, and previewed to the media, but has not yet filtered down to users.
Today Jolla said current Jolla smartphone users with early access can now get the UI updates of v2.0 (although it’s not technically the full v2.0 release yet; but rather v1.1.9) — which revamps the interface to simplify the navigation and UI flow, responding to criticism that Jolla’s alternative mobile UI had a too steep learning curve.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jolla Tablet: important news from the helm
https://blog.jolla.com/jolla-tablet-important-news-helm/
Dear Jolla followers and especially Jolla Tablet contributors and pre-order customers,
It has been a while since I, as the captain of the Jolla boat, have written anything here on the Jolla Blog. Now I’d like to share some news from our start-up’s helm.
As you all know, Jolla is a small boat (= start-up in layman’s terms), which is fighting through the stormy waters carrying a huge cargo: Sailfish OS – one of the few independent mobile operating systems – and, of course, the Jolla smartphone and Jolla Tablet. To an outsider it may appear as if we are “just” carrying devices and tablets, but it is actually the operating system that is taking up the most space and requires a lot of development and effort.
Typically only huge “cargo ships” like Google (Android) and Apple (iOS) carry operating systems as cargo. No wonder our sailors (Jolla employees) sometimes feel that this is “mission impossible”, yet they keep on delivering.
While Sailfish OS 2.0 was delivered successfully, we have not succeeded in delivering the Jolla Tablet on time to our Indiegogo contributors, and we will miss the schedule for our pre-order customers, too.
The good news is that we are shipping the first batch of the tablets now. At the same time we are preparing the second batch and aim to start shipping at the beginning of November. Finally, and assuming all goes well, we aim to start shipping the remaining of the Jolla Tablets during December 2015.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jolla seems to be in serious financial problems:
Possessing deep trouble: Debt restructuring
Mobile company Jolla announced that it filed for financial restructuring in order to ensure continuity of operations and profitability translation. The company has filed his own bankruptcy petition in the Helsinki District Court.
According Jolla ending in November funding round has been delayed, which is why it has to adjust and organize their activities.
Which will also have to lay off “a significant proportion of its people,” the company says in a statement. The layoffs will begin in phases in December. Jolla Communications Director Juhani Lassila told reporters earlier Aamulehti that more than half of the employees have to be laid off.
- Start-up typically we have been through the past four years the number of death valley and fought them through and now face is the next big challenge, Antti Saarnio Chairman of the Board Jolla says the release.
Source: http://www.itviikko.fi/uutiset/2015/11/21/jolla-pahoissa-vaikeuksissa-velkasaneeraus/201515386/7?rss=8
Tomi Engdahl says:
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Sailfish OS Lives To Fight Android Another Day As Jolla Secures Series C Funding
http://techcrunch.com/2015/12/18/sailfish-os-lives-to-fight-android-another-day-as-jolla-secures-series-c-funding/
Finnish mobile OS maker Jolla, whose Sailfish platform is one of the few remaining alternatives trying to fight the Android-iOS duopoly, has pulled out of its latest financing death valley by closing a delayed Series C financing round.
A relieved chairman, Antii Saarnio, confirmed to TechCrunch Jolla has received the “first tranche” of the investment — which he said will stabilize the company’s financial situation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Sailfish OS Lives To Fight Android Another Day As Jolla Secures Series C Funding
http://techcrunch.com/2015/12/18/sailfish-os-lives-to-fight-android-another-day-as-jolla-secures-series-c-funding/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Boyd Chan / Neowin:
Jolla announces that some of its crowdfunding backers will not receive a tablet — Jolla announces that it is unable to fulfill all Jolla Tablet crowdfunding perks — Back in November, Jolla announced that it had hit hard times after a lead investor had pulled out of its November round of financing.
Jolla announces that it is unable to fulfill all Jolla Tablet crowdfunding perks
http://www.neowin.net/news/jolla-announces-that-it-is-unable-to-fulfill-all-jolla-tablet-crowdfunding-perks
Back in November, Jolla announced that it had hit hard times after a lead investor had pulled out of its November round of financing. The situation led the Finnish company to temporarily lay off most of its staff and apply for debt restructuring in a fight for its survival. Jolla then emerged from its third death valley in December after securing much needed financing to help improvement the company’s stability.
Prior to these financial difficulties, co-founder Marc Dillon departed the company in September 2015 which fuelled speculation amongst the Jolla community as to the reasons behind his exit. Unfortunately, Jolla will not be starting off the new year on the right foot, as Jolla’s Head of Communications Juhani Lassila, has some rather disappointing news for backers of the Jolla Tablet project on Indiegogo
We don’t have all pieces of the puzzle figured out just yet, but a few things are now certain: we are happy to say that we will be shipping an additional small batch of the Jolla Tablet to early backers during early 2016, targeting to send invitations during January. The bad news here is that we are not able to complete the production to fulfill all contributions. In other words, all of our backers will not get a Jolla Tablet.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fewer than 700 Jolla Tablets will ever ship; 21,000 backers will eventually maybe get a refund
http://www.androidcentral.com/only-540-additional-jolla-tablets-are-shipping-backers-rest-get-refunds
Just 540 additional Jolla Tablets will be shipped out to backers of the original Indiegogo crowdsourced campaign, according to the Finnish manufacturer. All of the other backers will be offered refunds, but those users may not see their entire amount paid out for a year.
The original campaign in November 2014 generated over $2.5 million from 21,637 backers. However, Jolla later got his with financial issues that caused delays for the tablet. It uses the company’s Sailfish OS 2.0, which can run both Android apps as well as ones made specifically for Sailfish.
Jolla said that in the fall of 2015 it shipped 121 units of the tablet, but continuing financial issues combined with supplier problems affected their plans. It stated this week:
We have been analyzing different alternatives regarding the Jolla Tablet project situation. But no matter how you come at it, the tight financial situation remains a major constraint and therefore a main driver of the solution. Furthermore, due to the delays in the latest financing round it has simply become too late to produce all the tablets for the project. The supplier no longer has the needed components and many of them are no longer available. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done now to change this.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jolla Tablet: project update, how do we move from here
https://blog.jolla.com/jolla-tablet-project-update/
Hi all Jolla Tablet backers and other Jolla followers
We have been pursuing all three avenues of the Tablet project’s closure in parallel: shipping the remaining batch of tablets, refunding Indiegogo contributors, and refunding our pre-order customers. The team is small and there’s a lot to do, but we are making progress all the time.
The Indiegogo refund process is a bit complex due to the sheer number of contributions and contributors (22,000 and 10,000, respectively), and differing refund practices for the different payment providers used during the campaign.
We have just recently shipped a batch of 77 devices to backers who earlier confirmed their order in the Jolla Shop.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jolla funded in shape: “Away from the valley of death”
Sailfish OS and mobile devices Jolla developer, today announced that it has secured new funding to continue its operations. Which tells the recruit for software developers to accelerate product development in existing and future projects.
The company has also agreed to early voluntary arrangement with the largest creditors and canceled his debt restructuring application in March.
After last year’s financial problems, which now has acquired a new round of financing totaling $ 12 million, which is enough to secure the company’s operations at least until the end of 2016, the release states.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/jolla-sai-rahoituksensa-kuntoon-pois-kuolemanlaaksosta-6547166
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jolla surprise: released a new phone
Mobile Jolla company has released a phone called C Jolla.
The new phone is not coming general sale, but He who sells it only through the community program.
Jolla C is produced in only 1000 copies Edition, and the company expects deliveries to begin in July. The unit price will be 169 euros in Finland.
The device is supplied with Sailfish OS
Source: http://www.digitoday.fi/mobiili/2016/05/26/jolla-paasi-yllattamaan-julkaisi-uuden-puhelimen/20165702/66
Tomi Engdahl says:
Russia’s bid for mobile self-sufficiency may be the saviour of Sailfish
Comrades: We present your official alternative to Android
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/12/07/russia_bid_mobile_self_sufficiency_sailfish/
The quest for freedom from US technologies and patent fees has been a persistent theme in China and has helped shape the new mobile landscape, in which Baidu and Alibaba, not Google and Amazon, dominate the user experience. Less is heard about another massive market, Russia, but here too, the push for technology self-sufficiency is gathering momentum, creating opportunities for alternatives to Android and iOS.
The Russian government has chosen Sailfish – a Finnish Linux-based mobile operating system created by start-up Jolla – as the basis of its own mobile software platform, which will be developed by new venture Open Mobile Platform (OMP) and will be adopted by government agencies and state-owned corporations.
Russia chooses Jolla over homegrown effort
Russia’s Ministry of Communications assessed various alternatives, according to local reports, and in particular, chose Sailfish over Tizen OS for its greater openness and security. Jolla chairman Antti Saarnio told TechCrunch that the selection process had started back in spring 2015. He added: “It started with the IT Ministry of Russia long-listing available alternative mobile operating systems. They ended up doing a technical analysis of two OSs: one was Tizen, the other was us, Sailfish OS.”
He explained: “After a couple of months very thorough technical evaluation they selected our OS for further collaboration. What we then started was a joint R&D project with a local Russian organization to build an OS version of Sailfish into Russia so that government will have an independent OS but it’s supported by our overall code base. The Russian government has a list of software which can be seen as a national software and which are audited and certified, and in this list of software, our software is the only mobile OS software — currently.”
It seems that there were no credible Russian-developed alternatives to Android, though Jolla is working with Open Mobile to integrate Sailfish code with a Russian services platform.