Korean technology conglomerate LG Electronics is launching a bid to provide developers with a route to programming for the MeeGo operating system on smartphones. The company's moves follow in the wake of Nokia turning its back on open source MeeGo in favor of Microsoft earlier this year.

"It (LG) is opening opportunities for the others to come in. Discussions are taking place. You'll see things coming out this year, pretty soon," said Valtteri Halla, a member of the MeeGo technical steering group at a developer conference last Friday.

Halla, who himself has worked for years on Nokia's Linux software, said he had swapped to Intel following Nokia's departure from the platform. Suggesting that Nokia's dominant role in the project has held back other phone makers from adopting the technology, analysts argue that real developer opportunities with MeeGo may lie elsewhere.

"Nokia's change of strategy helps MeeGo's prospects, but greater traction is likely to come from tablets, netbooks, and embedded devices rather than smartphones," said analyst Geoff Blaber from CCS Insight.

In line with this news, LG Electronics has joined a working group to develop a handset version of the software, joining companies like ZTE and China Mobile.