Nokia drops MeeGo phone before launch (Reuters)

I don't buy into the argument that Nokia is being "played" by US investors so as to be completely unable to pursue any sensible objectives, if only because you can read stuff from years ago about internal rivalries which were probably a large factor in why, for example, the Nxxx tablets were kept sidelined as niche, non-phone products (as someone else pointed out). All you need is someone with a vested interest in Symbian-related engineering whispering into the ear of some executive about Linux not being ready for phones (which Nokia's competitors have demonstrated to be laughably untrue), and you can park the radical projects that the company needs to get out to market for several years.

I was more pointing out the whole expectations rollercoaster: get superficial analyst and media people excited about yet another alliance of the big names, watch stock prices rise (for no really good reason, if you consider the strategic and logistical issues), and then wait for the eventual news. Depending on how you think the stocks will react afterwards ("elation" or "disappointment"), you'll have one kind or other financial instrument at the ready to cash in. This kind of media-priming is all about guaranteeing an exaggerated reaction.