Nokia’s Orphaned Meego-Based N9 Starts Shipping (But Not in the U.S.)

There’s still no word on when Nokia will offer up its first Windows Phone models, but the company did say it is ready to ship the Meego-based N9.

For those who need a quick history lesson, Meego was to be Nokia’s platform of the future until CEO Stephen Elop changed course and hitched his wagons to Windows Phone. The company did say it would keep Meego in its back pocket and said it would bring a single Meego-based smartphone to market, later introducing the N9.

The high-end phone, with its NFC chip and polycarbonate shell, will come in both 16GB and 64GB models and start at 480 Euros ($651), before any carrier subsidies.

As it had said it would, Nokia plans to skip the U.S. when it comes to the N9.

“At this time we will not be making it available in the US,” Nokia said in a statement to AllThingsD. “Nokia takes a market by market approach to product rollout, and each country makes its own decisions about which products to introduce from those available. Decisions are based on an assessment of existing and upcoming products that make up Nokia’s extensive product portfolio and the best way in which to address local market opportunities.”