Nokia's N9 smartphone -- the first to run the company's MeeGo operating system -- is now available through Telstra after the telco detailed pricing and plans on its Web site.

Nokia has lifted the curtains on the new N9, the successor to the Symbian^3 operated N8 released last year.

Chip giant, Intel, says the Atom platform, previously known as Oak Trail, will ship in devices from May.

Intel has been investing heavily in the development of Meego, which is a lightweight Linux OS for tablets, smartphones and embedded devices. Thus far, Meego has not been offered by any tablet or netbook vendor.

In an effort to expand software compatibility for its upcoming Fusion chips, Advanced Micro Devices on Monday joined rival Intel's efforts to develop the open-source MeeGo OS.

Nokia will start shipping its first product based on the MeeGo operating system in 2011, new CEO Stephen Elop confirmed during a conference call on Thursday.

MeeGo, a Linux Foundation effort to provide a mobile version of Linux, moves on Wednesday to "Day 1" of the MeeGo Handset User Experience project, with developers able to access handset baseline source code and leverage touch capabilities, MeeGo representatives said.

Intel has posted a demonstration of its Linux-based Meego OS for tablet computers via a YouTube video that shows the OS's multitouch support, multitasking and integrated social networking.

Nokia has launched its N9 smartphone in Australia, the first and likely the last Nokia phone to run the MeeGo operating system. Although the Nokia N9 is slick and easy to use, the timing of its launch sets it up to compete directly with the Apple iPhone 4S.

Earlier this week, Nokia lifted the lid on its latest smartphone, the Nokia N9. It is the struggling company's first smartphone to run the open sourced MeeGo operating system, a joint collaboration between Nokia's Maemo project and Intel's Moblin software. It's also the first smartphone from Nokia in at least three years that we've genuinely been excited about getting our hands on.