First Batch Of Jolla Sailfish Smartphones Sell Out

Finnish smartphone manufacturer Jolla has revealed the first wave of its Sailfish-powered eponymous handset has sold out, with orders placed in 136 countries.

The smartphone and subsequent pre-order campaign were launched in May, and reached its first batch limit in mid-July.

Jolla has not revealed how many smartphones were available to order in the first batch, but says it is working hard to make more ready in the near future.

Jolla smartphones

Shipments are expected to start in Europe by the end of 2013, including Finland, where FNA is the first, and so far only, operator in the world to stock the device.

“We are delighted to see this great worldwide interest towards our very first device,” said Tomi Pienimäki, CEO of Jolla. “For those who missed the first opportunity, we are now doing our best to offer a second chance, a new batch of Jolla smartphones later in the autumn.

“I encourage everyone interested in Jolla to sign up at jolla.com and be the first to know about any new developments, such as the opening of the next pre-sales campaign.”

The Jolla smartphone is the first device to run Sailfish, a Linux-based operating system formed from the ashes of MeeGo, which was abandoned by Nokia for Windows Phone in 2011. Jolla was formed by many members of the team behind MeeGo who were distraught by Nokia’s decision and were keen to continue their work.

Sailfish is just one of a number of open source mobile operating systems to emerge in the last few years, with Sailfish, Tizen and Ubuntu Mobile all looking to position themselves as genuine alternatives to iOS and Android. Earlier this year, TechWeekEurope readers voted Sailfish as the alternative mobile operating system they would most like to try.

The ZTE Open, the first Firefox OS-powered smartphone to be made available in the UK, also claims to have sold out its initial stock, although it too, has neglected to reveal exact sales figures.

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