We’ve got some breaking news, folks: Intel and Nokia have just announced a partnership in which they will merge Maemo and Moblin into a new product called “MeeGo“, aimed at just about any type of device you can imagine. This is one of the rare (but very welcome!) moments of convergence in the mobile Linux space.

MeeGo will build upon the Moblin core operating system, with Qt being the application development environment. It will be hosted in a completely open fashion by the Linux Foundation, so everybody can join in on the fun. It will run on pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs, in-vehicle infotainment systems, and more.

MeeGo using Qt has a major advantage: Qt now also runs on Symbian S60 and Symbian^3, and Nokia stressed that applications written for MeeGo only have to be recompiled in order to run on Symbian. The power of Qt at work, people.

“Our vision for seamlessly communicating between computing devices from the home, auto, office or your pocket is taking a big step forward today with the introduction of MeeGo,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini, “This is a foundational step in our evolving relationship with Nokia. The merging of these two important assets into an open source platform is critical toward providing a terrific experience across a variety of devices and gaining cross- industry support.”

“MeeGo will drive an even wider range of Internet computing and communication experiences for consumers, on new types of mobile devices,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO, Nokia, “Through open innovation, MeeGo will create an ecosystem that is second to none, drawing in players from different industries. It will support a range of business models across the value chain, building on the experience and expertise of Nokia, Intel and all those who will join us. Simply put, MeeGo heralds a new era of mobile computing.”

The first release is expected in the second quarter of 2010, with the first devices shipping later this year.