<s>
The	O
Nokia	B-Operating_System
Asha	I-Operating_System
platform	I-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
mobile	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
(	O
OS	O
)	O
and	O
computing	B-Device
platform	I-Device
designed	O
for	O
low-end	O
borderline	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
based	O
on	O
software	O
from	O
Smarterphone	O
which	O
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
Nokia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
inherits	O
UI	O
similarities	O
mostly	O
from	O
MeeGo	B-Operating_System
"	O
Harmattan	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
replaces	O
Series	B-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
on	O
Nokia	O
's	O
low-end	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user	O
interface	O
design	O
team	O
was	O
headed	O
by	O
Peter	O
Skillman	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
worked	O
previously	O
on	O
webOS	B-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
MeeGo	B-Operating_System
for	O
the	O
Nokia	B-Operating_System
N9	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
Meltemi	O
project	O
which	O
Nokia	O
was	O
developing	O
as	O
a	O
Linux	B-Application
platform	O
to	O
replace	O
Series	B-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
was	O
cancelled	O
in	O
July	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
phone	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
is	O
the	O
Nokia	B-Operating_System
Asha	I-Operating_System
501	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
were	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
Asha	O
500	O
,	O
Asha	B-Device
502	I-Device
Dual	I-Device
SIM	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Asha	B-Device
503	I-Device
,	O
all	O
announced	O
at	O
Nokia	O
World	O
in	O
October	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
phone	O
,	O
the	O
Nokia	B-Device
Asha	I-Device
230	I-Device
was	O
announced	O
on	O
24	O
February	O
2014	O
,	O
comes	O
pre-installed	O
with	O
Asha	B-Operating_System
platform	I-Operating_System
1.4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apps	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
are	O
either	O
made	O
using	O
Java	B-Language
ME	I-Language
,	O
or	O
as	O
web	B-Application
apps	I-Application
,	O
which	O
are	O
rendered	O
by	O
the	O
Nokia	B-Application
Xpress	I-Application
browser	I-Application
which	O
uses	O
the	O
Gecko	B-Language
rendering	I-Language
engine	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mobile	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
lacks	O
true	O
multitasking	O
but	O
the	O
radio	O
and	O
music	O
app	O
can	O
run	O
in	O
background	O
mode	O
(	O
which	O
is	O
advertised	O
as	O
multitasking	O
)	O
,	O
while	O
swiping	O
to	O
fastlane	O
apps	O
will	O
actually	O
close	O
down	O
previously	O
opened	O
applications	O
instead	O
of	O
minimising	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
features	O
a	O
notification	B-Operating_System
centre	I-Operating_System
,	O
named	O
Fastlane	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
accessible	O
by	O
swiping	O
to	O
the	O
left	O
of	O
the	O
home	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
is	O
supplemented	O
by	O
the	O
Nokia	B-Application
X	I-Application
software	I-Application
platform	I-Application
,	O
Nokia	O
's	O
customised	O
version	O
of	O
Android	O
,	O
seen	O
on	O
the	O
Nokia	B-Application
X	I-Application
,	O
which	O
draws	O
cues	O
from	O
the	O
Asha	B-Operating_System
platform	I-Operating_System
,	O
including	O
the	O
Fastlane	O
notification	B-Operating_System
centre	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
company	O
memo	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2014	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
cutbacks	O
,	O
they	O
would	O
cease	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Asha	O
,	O
Series	B-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
X	O
range	O
entirely	O
,	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
solely	O
producing	O
and	O
encouraging	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
Lumia	B-Device
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
much	O
rumoured	O
project	O
,	O
"	O
Meltemi	O
"	O
was	O
the	O
codename	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
Linux-based	O
operating	O
system	O
for	O
low-end	O
handsets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
first	O
reported	O
in	O
June	O
2011	O
,	O
during	O
the	O
N9	O
's	O
announcement	O
and	O
before	O
the	O
Lumia	B-Device
's	O
debut	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reasons	O
have	O
been	O
variously	O
reported	O
due	O
to	O
restructuring	O
efforts	O
,	O
focusing	O
on	O
Series	B-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
Asha	O
devices	O
,	O
fundings	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
project	O
that	O
would	O
become	O
the	O
Asha	B-Operating_System
platform	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
interface	O
is	O
clearly	O
based	O
on	O
that	O
of	O
MeeGo	B-Operating_System
Harmattan	O
on	O
the	O
N9	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
authors	O
further	O
explain	O
that	O
Meltemi	O
originated	O
as	O
a	O
research	O
project	O
in	O
2010	O
under	O
then-CEO	O
Olli-Pekka	O
Kallasvuo	O
;	O
that	O
"	O
Clipper	O
"	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
device	O
sibling	O
to	O
the	O
Nokia	B-Application
Lumia	I-Application
610	I-Application
;	O
that	O
a	O
tablet	B-Device
device	I-Device
for	O
developing	O
markets	O
was	O
planned	O
;	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
"	O
Next	O
Billion	O
"	O
programme	O
,	O
much	O
like	O
what	O
the	O
Asha	B-Operating_System
platform	I-Operating_System
would	O
become	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Verge	O
commented	O
that	O
the	O
platform	O
may	O
be	O
a	O
recognition	O
on	O
the	O
part	O
of	O
Nokia	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
unable	O
to	O
move	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
into	O
the	O
bottom	O
end	O
of	O
smartphone	B-Application
devices	O
and	O
may	O
be	O
"	O
hedging	O
their	O
commitment	O
"	O
to	O
the	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Asha	B-Operating_System
Platform	I-Operating_System
's	O
main	O
competition	O
is	O
Firefox	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Samsung	O
's	O
Java-based	O
REX	O
platform	O
;	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
also	O
optimised	O
for	O
low-end	O
handsets	O
.	O
</s>
