When a company the size of Nokia decides to completely change direction, it's rare the break is an entirely clean one.

Indeed, when it dropped support for MeeGo, the joint OS it was developing with Intel, it said it would keep supporting the platform. 

Good news then for users of the N9, the only Nokia handset to use MeeGo, as a version 1.2 update is due to roll out to developers shortly.

Slowly does it

The update – dubbed the Harmattan beta – can be applied first to the N950 developer device, and includes a reported 3,000 new features, improvements and bug fixes.

The Verge speculates that could include video calling, app folders on the home screen, and updated apps for the handset's camera and gallery.

"The goal of this early access release is to enable developers to verify that their applications do not exhibit any regressions in the new platform version," said Nokia on its developer blog.

"There will be also small changes between beta and final consumer release, mostly focusing on ensuring release robustness and performance."

Bada boom

No date has been given for the update's consumer roll out, though Nokia's director of applications for MeeGo has already hinted via Twitter that a further update – version 1.3 – is also being prepped for release.

Nokia's continued MeeGo support comes after the Linux Foundation folded the original platform into new Linux-based project Tizen.

Since then Tizen's future has itself been under scrutiny, with speculation hinting at a possible merger with Samsung's bada OS, although this is now looking less clearcut.

[source: Nokia]