HTC has said that it is considering buying a mobile operating system. HTC have noted that the company has discussed this internally but will not act “on impulse”.

Now that HP’s WebOS device production has been discontinued, HP have been seeking licensees to purchase the OS and use it on their own hardware. It is speculated that HTC and Samsung are concerned about Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility and may wish to seek over operating systems to keep their competitive edge.

HTC’s Cher Wang told reporters: “We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform,” Wang said. “Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS.”

At this current time, the only available OS that HTC could purchase is HP’s WebOS, as HP are open to offers. Who knows, maybe HTC will buy Symbian?

Source: TheNextWeb

Nokia 700 (Image: Supplied)

Despite plans for Windows Phone 7, Nokia isn’t saying farewell to Symbian just yet. The company has announced three new phones, the Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 600 – all featuring NFC technology and all running the upcoming Symbian Belle OS.

The three phones appear to be similar, but all have slight differences. The Nokia 700, above, is one of the thinnest phones Nokia has ever produced. It features a 3.2-inch display, 1GHz processor, 2GB of internal memory (with microSD card slot), 5MP camera with full HD video recording and LED flash, and of course the NFC technology. Nokia is touting this to be one of its more eco-friendly smartphone, and also long battery life.

Nokia 701 (Image: Supplied)

The Nokia 701 also is a clamshell but with more of a rounded shape. It has a 3.5-inch display, noise cancellation technology, 1GHz processor, 8MP rear camera with dual LED flash, a 2MP front-facing camera and 8GB of internal memory with microSD card slot.

Nokia 600 (Image: Supplied)

The Nokia 600 appears to be a successor to its music-centric phone lineup. The phone will feature integrated FM radio tuner without the need for headphones, and an in-built FM transmitter to broadcast music without the need of hooking up wires. In addition, it also has a loud internal loudspeaker. Hardware-wise, it will have a 1GHz processor, a 5MP rear camera with LED flash and HD video support, and 2GB of memory that is expandable with a microSD card.

Following Symbian Anna, Belle is the next major version for the formerly known Symbian^3 OS line. The company is touting several improvements, including adding more home screens and different sizes to live widgets. In addition, notifications will now appear on the home screen and improvements on its much derided web browser.

Also, the OS features support of NFC sharing and pairing with a single tap. This feature is also present in the Nokia N9, and basically uses NFC to establish a Bluetooth connection without the need of PIN codes. All communication between the two still is through Bluetooth.

Belle isn’t out yet, and these phones won’t be out before Belle. Nokia has not also confirmed release dates (possibly fearing the iPhone 5). However, all we know is that the Nokia 600 will be cheaper than the 700 and 701.

Nokia has finally released its newest update to the Symbian OS, Symbian Anna. Featuring a revamped user interface and brand new features, it hopes to rectify some of the reasons on why many in the tech community really hate it.

The user interface features a brand new set of icons, similar to those found on the MeeGo operating system, and will feature tweaks to improve its usability. In addition, the virtual QWERTY keyboard will now be present in both portrait and in landscape modes, rather than simply being in landscape mode only.

Nokia Maps gets an update, and also the ability to check in to services such as Facebook Places and FourSquare. Plus, it also brings in a new browser that will quickly load pages and has a redesigned user interface.

This will also activate Near-Field Communications (NFC) support for the Nokia C7, so that devices can be simply tapped together to establish a connection – a similar method is present on its upcoming Nokia N9 smartphone.

Nokia will be pushing the update via its Ovi Suite, or over-the-air, but it does suggest you use a Wi-Fi connection. Only the Nokia N8, Nokia C8, Nokia C6-01 and Nokia E7 will be able to get the update, as they run the Symbian^3 OS.

In addition, Nokia will be supporting the OS until 2016, so it’s not going anywhere (if it happens to be a success), and 10 more phones are set to come out within the next 12 months that will run Symbian Anna.

However, since we don’t have a phone that has Symbian^3 with us, we can’t really tell if this a big improvement. So, if you have downloaded the update, do tell us on the comments below!

Nokia has announced the Australian availability for its all-in-one business smartphone designed for the BlackBerry’s target market – the corporate worker. Featuring a 4-inch display and a full QWERTY keyboard, it allows the use of both a touchscreen interface or using the keyboard.

The phone will also have an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and geotagging, Ovi integration with its maps and app store, 16GB of internal memory, HDMI connectivity and support for multi-party conference calling, so you can have more than two people on the same call.

Also included are the social networking features, document editing on the go and corporate security features, such as VPN support. It will also include support for instant messaging services Yahoo, AIM, Windows Live, Gtalk and MySpace (depending on carrier and region) and its own Ovi Chat.

It will not run on Windows Phone 7. Nokia is pushing out its standard phones as usual before the end of the year as it still continues the process of switching to the new OS from Symbian.

The phone is slated to be on Optus and Vodafone’s network from April. Gallery is below, after the jump.

“We would have loved that they had chosen Android. They chose the other guys, that other competitor, Microsoft. I think we are pretty straightforward,” he told the conference.

“We would like them to adopt Android at some point in the future and that offer remains open. We think Android was a good choice for Nokia. We are sorry they made a different choice.”

Some saw the tie-up between Microsoft and Nokia as the only way Nokia could continue to be relevant after Symbian was lauded to be an unusable operating system for a generation that is dominated by touchscreens rather than keypads.

The tie-up between Microsoft and Nokia hasn’t got its fans. It’s share price has fallen 20 percent since the announcement was made, and negative reactions within the company have seen the unions getting involved after the deal could result in some 5,000 of the 20,000 strong workforce being axed after it will ditch Symbian as a main operating system.

The first Nokia phone with Windows Phone 7 is expected to be out this year, with many more phones coming out in 2012. The tie-up may have also been the reason why Nokia has opted not to release any new phones at the conference.

Source: Independent Ireland

Nokia and Microsoft have announced that it will be partnering up with each other, seeing Nokia finally ditching its Symbian platform as its primary OS for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 – a huge move for both companies as both try to compete with Google and Apple.

The news will also see Nokia assist Microsoft to drive the growth of Windows Phone 7, bringing to the partnership “its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.”

Nokia is known for having a lot of good hardware on its phones, and with Windows Phone 7, it could be a huge boost for the mobile OS, which recently was launched in November.

Also in this partnership will see Bing powering search across Nokia devices and services, along with the company running the advertising services for those devices; Nokia Maps to be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services; and Nokia’s app store will be integrated with the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.

The deal was long expected as Stephen Elop, the President and CEO of Nokia, was a former Microsoft executive.

Symbian is expected to still be used as an OS for its non-smartphones and phones targeted in developing markets. While it is a good OS for those phones, in the smartphone world, it was known for being clunky or too unfriendly for consumer usage. The change in OS will allow Nokia to predominantly focus on the hardware section of its mobile phones, while also giving Microsoft a big name to promote Windows Phone 7.

The letter from both Steve Ballmer and Stephen Elop is below:

Today in London, our two companies announced plans for a broad strategic partnership that combines the respective strengths of our companies and builds a new global mobile ecosystem. The partnership increases our scale, which will result in significant benefits for consumers, developers, mobile operators and businesses around the world. We both are incredibly excited about the journey we are on together.While the specific details of the deal are being worked out, here’s a quick summary of what we are working towards:

• Nokia will adopt Windows Phone as its primary smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.

• Nokia will help drive and define the future of Windows Phone. Nokia will contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.

• Nokia and Microsoft will closely collaborate on development, joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.

• Bing will power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter will provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.

• Nokia Maps will be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience.

• Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements will make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.

• Microsoft development tools will be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.

• Microsoft will continue to invest in the development of Windows Phone and cloud services so customers can do more with their phone, across their work and personal lives.

• Nokia’s content and application store will be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.

We each bring incredible assets to the table. Nokia’s history of innovation in the hardware space, global hardware scale, strong history of intellectual property creation and navigation assets are second to none. Microsoft is a leader in software and services; the company’s incredible expertise in platform creation forms the opportunity for its billions of customers and millions of partners to get more out of their devices.

Together, we have some of the world’s most admired brands, including Windows, Office, Bing, Xbox Live, NAVTEQ and Nokia. We also have a shared understanding of what it takes to build and sustain a mobile ecosystem, which includes the entire experience from the device to the software to the applications, services and the marketplace.

Today, the battle is moving from one of mobile devices to one of mobile ecosystems, and our strengths here are complementary. Ecosystems thrive when they reach scale, when they are fueled by energy and innovation and when they provide benefits and value to each person or company who participates. This is what we are creating; this is our vision; this is the work we are driving from this day forward.

There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them.

There will be challenges. We will overcome them.

Success requires speed. We will be swift.

Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed.

Here’s what we are watching:

• Motorola is said to be showing off a new tablet at CES, according to a new teaser video released by the company. It’s said to be competing against the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
• The UK is debating a way to regulate online content with a new Communications Bill; with the Guardian having an article defending the right of non-censorship on the Internet.
• Google’s venture into television set-top boxes may have been affected with Google asking makers to delay the release of new Google TV products because of of its “lukewarm reception”, according to the New York Times. Google plans to tweak Google TV to make improvements.
• Microsoft and Nokia are said to be in discussions of a possible tie-up with Nokia using Windows Phone 7, rather than its Symbian OS, after a Russia-based site reported that the two were in secret negotiations.
• The controversial author who wrote “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover’s Code of Conduct” has been arrested after trying to sell it to undercover police officers. The man tried to sell it on Amazon’s Kindle store.
• Office Genuine Advantage is no more, with Neowin (via ZDNet) saying that Microsoft has silently shut down the service with a new update. This does not affect the other, Windows Genuine Advantage.
• Assange has hit back over accusations that he is a “hi-tech terrorist” to a Spanish newspaper, after comments made by US Vice President Joe Biden. As well, his lawyers are angry when confidential police files detailing the rape allegations against him were leaked to The Guardian. (ironic, isn’t it?)

Nokia’s attempt to beat the iPhone in its own game of slim, touchscreen mobile devices continues with the latest incarnation of its attempt to stay relevant – the Nokia N8. With better features such as a 12 megapixel camera with flash, 3.5-inch screen and expandable memory, does it succeed in attempting to better the competition?

However, will Symbian make it fall flat on its knees compared to the iOS?

Find out, after the jump.

Design

The phone is one of Nokia’s first slim candybar phones, and it shows that Nokia is starting to take style seriously – as HTC and Apple have managed to make their phones on Android and the iOS platforms seem sleek. Nokia has previously dabbled in style before, but usually their phones are big and clunky, though they can still fit in your pocket.

The Nokia N8 is the reverse – its slim and thin. Could be because of the removal of having an external battery (which we seriously mark as a low point, as it means that you can’t simply get a new battery if this one happens to die out). Because of the internal battery, it means that the SIM card is now on the left side of the device, and it does provide easy access to swap in and out SIM cards, especially when travelling overseas.

It has a metal casing, and the phone feels sturdy. The camera makes the phone slant a bit when placing it on its back as it extrudes, but it does act of like a pseudo-stand, except it on a slight angle. The phone also features a mechanical screen lock, so your butt doesn’t accidentally touch the screen and do something weird, and has the traditional volume rocker. The phone does take some elements of the iPhone by having a home button, but the “home button” isn’t on the center, but is on the left-bottom corner of the front. It does get a bit annoying as you assume that the button is on the center, but isn’t a detriment.

The placement of the recharger port at the bottom is a huge plus, as it means that you can still use the phone without having the cable on the side and making it feel awkward to use when on a call. It also features a miniUSB port (which is uncovered) and a HDMI port at the side and top respectively.

Hardware and Features

Nokia seems to pack a lot in its phones, and the N8 is no exception. Nokia has been generous with this phone, giving it 16GB of on board storage, plus giving you the option to add your own microSD card (up to 32GB) in order to expand on that. That effectively means that it can hold 48GB of storage. Can the iPhone hold that? No. The phone also features a FM radio and transmitter.

The camera is brilliant at capturing memories, both still and video. It can record up to 720p HD video, and with a Carl Zeiss optic lens, it takes stunning 12 megapixel photos. Of course, the photos would be large, but they look like something taken from a DSLR. Digital zoom is brilliant, despite the fact that I usually hate it for its jittery photos (and the phone doesn’t jitter), and can take pictures at low light really well. If I was to point out a downside, colours seems natural, but that can be fixed if you are seeking vibrant and bright colours with a photo editor – one is included on the device. It also has a front-facing camera, which takes alright pictures when compared to the 12 megapixel camera.

The phone features a large 3.5-inch widescreen display which looks absolutely brilliant. Colours stand out, especially when watching videos and viewing photos. Audio-wise, the sound is excellent, especially from the speakers. The phone has Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound, one in a few phones that happen to use the technology. The audio quality from the speakers sounds better than what comes out of my iPod touch. Shame about the fact that it doesn’t have a kickstand, because it would be perfect to watch movies and television shows on the go and share them with your friends.

Multimedia playback isn’t limited either. It can play H.264, WMV, MPEG-4, Real Video and Flash Video – even those encoded under DivX or Xvid. Audio files that can be played include MP3, AAC and WMA – including its DRM variants.

It has also been given an HDMI port so you can share your multimedia files on your phone to your HD-capable television, meaning that any HD recorded videos can be played directly from the device, rather than connecting it to your computer then using your laptop to play it out to the TV. And trust me, it does look stunning.

Symbian^3

However, while companies tend to focus on the software rather than hardware, Nokia seems to be on a different playing field – it focus on the hardware than the software. The operating system, Symbian^3, makes the phone a bit unbearable to use. It feels that the operating system was rushed to development in order to match the features of the iOS and Android with little consideration to the user interface. The OS sometimes lags, and we are guessing the phone is running a processor with less than 1GHz as we have noticed that in phones that use such a processor. (And the fact that Nokia doesn’t describe their processing speeds makes it hard to differentiate between hardware and software).

Another issue is that of the damn keyboard. In order to get the QWERTY keyboard, you have to flip the screen to landscape, or you will be using the traditional keypad you see on phones. Despite the fact that Apple can manage to fit a QWERTY keyboard on portrait, there is no option to do so. As well, in order to type something, you are taken to a new screen.

As well, the user interface seems to be cluttered and hard to use, especially with someone who is tech-literate, despite the fact appears simple with three buttons. Some of the buttons are meaningless – like the one with three bars. That represents other options, but it took a while to get to that point. The fact that you cannot have the applications in the first menu you see is a bit annoying, especially when using the iPhone or an Android phone, and instead have to look in the Applications folder.

The home screen also feels cluttered, with some of the space dedicated to carrier applications. With our phone, which is running on Optus, we see that the screens are cluttered with Web TV application windows. As well, you are defined to six blocks per page – and only three pages. Compared to Android, where you have some sort of freedom to place your applications, and iOS’ simpliscity – this is not a really good home screen. However, that being said, it is at least better than Nokia Series 60′s home screen where changing the home screen was a pain.

The phone’s social networking applications require Ovi, also an annoyance. This means that you will have to go onto your desktop to create an application (well, for me anyway, I couldn’t register on the mobile) before you can actually add an account. As well, you are only limited to Twitter and Facebook – though, many others do that. The interface is a bit clean, but the text is small.

Overall

Our testing (which simply just calling people in real life, and asking them the quality of the phone call) shows that the call quality of the phone is excellent. It is clear and has no interference. However, since we were on the Optus network when testing this, network performance may influence quality and may have an impact.

The phone is a feature-rich phone, with a brilliant camera, excellent screen and powerful speakers – a perfect phone for those on the go. However, the phone is let down by the operating system, Symbian^3, as the OS makes the phone lag and even in some instances unusable. Nokia’s balance of hardware rather than software requires some work in order to find a perfect harmony for the phone. Desirably, the phone would be excellent if it was on Android, but we know that will never happen.

Nokia N8 is available on Optus and Telstra, and will soon be on (as the time of writing) Vodafone and 3.

Nokia has today announced that it will bring out a new music phone that will use its now-rebranded Ovi Music Store, the Nokia 5250. Like previous attempts, this will feature a touchscreen and no slide-out keyboard, and also features a sleek body.

It has 51MB of on-board memory, but that is expandable with a microSD card slot; has FM Radio, a 2.8-inch TFT screen, a 2-megapixel camera and has 18 hours of battery life in standby. It also features a free copy of Guitar Hero 5 Mobile, while also having a free subscription to Ovi Music Unlimited – similar to its Comes with Music plans – in selected countries where the phone is being sold.

It runs on the Symbian^1 OS, and will only cost EUR 115. Expect this to ship in the fourth quarter, with Australia listed as one of the countries to get the phone. Pricing for Australia have not been revealed.

Gallery is below, while the press release is after the jump.

New Nokia 5250 is music to the ears of Australian mobile market

Today Nokia launched its new mass market Nokia 5250 smartphone, which gives Australians impressive music capabilities, high quality audio and an intuitive touchscreen technology, at an affordable price.

Designed for music lovers who want an easy way to stay in touch with friends while on the move, the Nokia 5250 is packed with great features including:

- Intuitive touch screen music player with high quality audio plus speedy access to Ovi Music for quick music downloads and your entire music collection

- Instant access to social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace using the virtual QWERTY keyboard

- The ability to share photos and videos via Ovi Share

- Up to 51MB internal memory plus expandable 16GB memory card

- Access to thousands of apps on the Ovi Store

- Easy access to your favourite contacts via the home screen

- Compatibility with multiple email accounts such as Ovi Mail, Yahoo!® Mail, Gmail™ and Windows Live™ Hotmail

The Nokia 5250 comes in a range of colours including dark grey, blue, red, purple and will be available in Australia from all leading retailers in Q4.  RRP is still to be confirmed but it will be comparable with the low-cost global pricing of €115.

The switch means that Nokia is betting on MeeGo to be a challenger to Apple, after Symbian failed to catch up to the iPhone’s dominance when it went out in 2007. Plus, with Google Android and Palm/HP’s WebOS, MeeGo will have some tough competition.

MeeGo is a Linux-based platform that was created after a merger between Nokia’s Maemo platform and Intel’s Mobiln platform. It’s expected that Symbian will still be used in other Nokia phones.

Nokia has brought out a new phone announcement, with the Nokia C6. Using Symbian, the phone has a 3.2-inch touchscreen with a slide-out keyboard, and features a five megapixel camera with flash and autofocus. It also comes preloaded with Ovi Maps – which was made free by Nokia in order to compete with Google Maps and the iPhone – and has access to social networking site Facebook, with your feed popping up on the home screen.

Internally, it comes with 200MB of internal storage, but also comes with a microSD card slot, capable of holding cards up to 16GB (2GB card is included). It also supports Wi-Fi and 3G, has Bluetooth connectivity, a micro USB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

It’s expected to come out in the second quarter in Europe for EUR 220, before taxes and carrier subsidies.

Q. The Qt UI framework makes it easier for applications to be built for both mobile and desktop computers. What do you see are the benefits of this, and do you think or see applications for desktops using Qt porting their products for mobile devices?

As Qt on top of MeeGo will run on multiple device types, people can keep their favorite apps whenever they change device or upgrade; they are not locked in to one kind of device or manufacturer.For developers, they not only get the cross-platform benefit with Qt across Symbian and Maemo, but in the future also to wide range of devices built using this new merged software platform.

Q. Speaking on the MeeGo, both Nokia and Intel says that you will provide Ovi and AppUp on the OS. Is there any plans for Qt apps for desktops to be added to the AppUp “app store”, or will Qt on the MeeGo be limited to mobile devices and not netbooks?

Qt will be the primary application framework for MeeGo and both Intel and Nokia are committing their investment in it. MeeGo will continue to support multiple toolkits API’s and technologies in an inclusive manner in order to provide maximum market opportunity for everybody in the ecosystem.

Q: Will MeeGo applications be supported in the Intel AppUp Centre?

Yes. Validated MeeGo applications will be available through the Intel AppUp Centre.

Q: Will MeeGo applications be available from Ovi Store?

Yes. MeeGo applications for Nokia MeeGo based devices will be available from the Ovi Store.

Q. What was the reasoning behind the merger between Moblin and Maemo?

MeeGo offers a united developer experience for a variety of devices. For developers, this merger creates the best open source Linux ecosystem for computing devices and yet still maintains the freedom for manufacturer and developer innovation. MeeGo will help reduce market fragmentation and complexity, and accelerate time-to-market for a wealth of new Internet-based applications and services

Q. Does Nokia have plans to continue supporting Symbian?

We have multiple platforms to serve different purposes and address different markets. Symbian is more successful than ever in bringing smartphones to the masses: it has more than 40 per cent of the global smartphone market. Symbian is our choice for smartphones and we in fact see it deploying even more widely as the technology required to run it trickles down through the portfolio.

Q. Will an Ovi apps store will be added to Symbian^3?

Yes. Q: The merged software platforms has two apps APIs, Qt and GTK+,. Aren’t you creating more fragmentation for developers with this approach for the next years?

Qt will be the primary application framework for MeeGo and both Intel and Nokia are committing their investment in it. MeeGo will continue to support multiple toolkits API’s and technologies in an inclusive manner in order to provide maximum market opportunity for everybody in the ecosystem. Open Source is about inclusion, not about exclusion.

Q: What benefits will be presented by this new software platform? Why should customers care?

For consumers, MeeGo, running on high performance devices, will deliver a wealth of Internet, computing and communication experiences, with rich graphics, multitasking and multimedia capabilities and the best application performance. MeeGo increases consumer choice. As it will run on multiple device types, people can keep their favorite apps whenever they change device or upgrade; they are not locked in to one kind of device or manufacturer.

For developers, MeeGo unites Maemo and Moblin and will significantly expand the market opportunities for developers. MeeGo will be deployed across many computing device types – including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment devices, and so will be a leading choice for application and services innovation. Developers do not only get the cross-platform benefit with Qt across Symbian and Maemo, but in the future also to wide range of devices built using this new merged software platform.

Q. Does Nokia foresee further smartphone growth as a result of this new platform offering?

Nokia’s platform for smartphones continues to be Symbian. In addition to driving smartphones to lower price points, which should broaden their appeal, we believe mobile computing devices based on MeeGo offer further opportunities beyond today’s smartphones.

So, hope you enjoy this little interview.

Editor’s Note: The questions were sent before MeeGo’s announcement; the answers, however, arrived after the announcement.

Q: Nokia is currently embracing the open source community – like contributing to Linux in terms of Bluetooth. What does Nokia see in open source in helping its development?

Nokia is making significant use of open source software, as well as contributing to the open source community. Our open source approach is key to engaging a broad community – developers, operators, chipset vendors, OEMs etc. We believe that the larger the ecosystem, the greater the innovation and thus the richer the user experience. We also see that the greater the scale, the greater the opportunity for value creation.

Q: After open-sourcing Symbian, what effect – good and bad – have you seen towards the development of the platform?

I think it’s a little early to tell, but the Symbian Foundation may have some evidence of interest to share.

As background, Nokia supported this move. The following quote from Peter Ropke, SVP, Devices Research and Development, nicely summarises our positive support for the effort:

“Nokia congratulates the Symbian Foundation on the completion of its platform migration to full open source well ahead of schedule – a significant milestone for the Symbian platform, the Foundation and the entire mobile industry. With this achievement, the world’s most popular smartphone platform is available in its entirety for developers around the world to innovate on and contribute to, enabling new opportunities for engagement and monetisation. For Nokia, this truly open platform environment brings the promise of exciting new user experiences for our Symbian-based smartphones.”

Q: Because of the variety of operating systems found on mobile devices, especially when the iPhone OS has already over a million applications, how hard is it to convince developers to produce applications for Symbian and Maemo?

Forum Nokia has well over four million registered developers and tens of thousands actively developing for our devices on Symbian, Maemo and S40. The Ovi Store now has over one million downloads a day.

Further Ovi Store statistics include:

• Australia is in the top 15 countries in terms of the number of downloads
• New users are up more than 100% month-on-month
• Downloads are up more than 100% month-on-month
• Successful local developers include LookOutMobile, DOJO Media and Oz Mobi, with downloads into the thousands

Q: How many applications does the Ovi Store have, and where do you see it in a year’s time?

The total number is not really relevant. What’s relevant is the number of items available for each device in each market. There are well over 5K content items for each of our lead devices.

Q: Currently, Maemo OS 5 is currently on the Nokia N900. Do you expect developers to build more applications and any other devices to use Maemo/MeeGo?

Yes, we have developers creating content now for Ovi Store for the N900. We have previously announced that our next device will launch later this year on MeeGo.

By using Qt, developers can write applications for a wide range of devices and easily deploy them on Maemo today, MeeGo in the future and even other platforms, like Symbian. This saves them time and increases the reach for their applications.

Q: Other touchscreen devices use Windows Mobile, Google Android or the iPhone OS. What does Maemo/MeeGo offer for Nokia, consumers and developers?

The Nokia N900, based on Maemo 5, is aimed at tech­nology enthusiasts and offers the full Internet with no comprise, the ability to multitask and a new user interface including the panorama desktop. In all areas we want to provide the industry leading experience, to this end, we are including market leading experiences, such as a Mozilla based browser, Microsoft Exchange email integration, and our own OVI services.

Maemo is an advanced Linux based computing plat­form. It uses the standard Linux Kernel 2.6 – not a proprietary mobile Linux kernel – and other standard upstream open source components. In developing Maemo, we have worked in and with leading open source projects; in fact, over 80% of Maemo code is comprised of upstream open source software. What we add is our expertise in user experience, user interface, hardware and services integration.

With Maemo 6 merging with Moblin 2 to create MeeGo, this new platform will drive an even wider range of Internet computing and communication experiences for consumers.

MeeGo benefits for developers:

• a large installed base of devices One set of APIs for apps

MeeGo benefits for consumers:

• More apps!
• Same apps with same user experience across a wide range of devices
• Endless innovation on all levels due to openness of software stack

Q: Finally, what do you see Nokia heading in the next five to ten years in terms of development? Does Nokia plan to open source any other technologies?

Nokia is an active participant in the open source community and we’re always evaluating opportunities that will help further innovation in the mobile industry.

Microsoft seems to be expanding outside Windows Mobile Phone, and who can blame them? A declining market share and huge rivals like RIM, Apple and Symbian taking over most of its share. Today, all the Android users will be delighted (or not) that Microsoft will be bringing its Tag application to the device.

If you have no idea what Tag is, think of the QR code – but in the Microsoft fashion, it uses a different design of barcodes. The barcodes, unlike the QR code, can also be designed in a pictorial fashion and can have colour. Also, all the data is sent back to Microsoft’s servers and it then checks it among its servers before returning a response.

Tag is already available on the iPhone, Windows Phones, Blackberry and Symbian.

Source: Tag Blog

While 2009 might not be a year to remember when consumer demand was very low – before increasing at the latter end of the year – Symbian still dominates the smartphone market, according to Gartner. However, it might need to do some more to increase its market share after it dipped from 52.4 percent in 2008 to 46.9 percent in 2009, despite an increase of units sold.

The increase could be because of the increase from Research in Motion (16.6% in 2008, 19.9% in 2009), Apple’s iPhone OS (8.2% in 2008, 14.4% in 2009) and the Android OS (0.5% in 2008, 3.9% in 2009). However, Windows Mobile continues to see a decline after having a market share of 8.7 percent in 2009, lower than its 11.8 percent share in 2008.

For mobile phones, Nokia still continues its dominance – despite a lower share of 36.4 percent, down from 38.6 percent in 2008; while Samsung and LG make some big gains – 19.5 percent and 10.1 percent respectively. Motorola and Sony Ericsson saw some losses – with Motorola shedding almost half of its 2008 market share of 8.4 percent to close at 4.8 percent in the year 2009. Sony Ericsson recorded a 4.5 percent share, down from 7.6 percent in 2008.

2010 is a big year, however, for the mobile phone industry. Samsung is expected to bring its Bada OS for its phones, and that could bring some positive increases if the public like it, while Windows Phone 7 Series replaces the Windows Mobile line, so Microsoft could benefit from its reworked OS and new features like Xbox LIVE and Zune integration. Symbian is also launching Symbian^3 and Symbian^4 OS during the year. However, we won’t see the final results until next year.

Intel and Nokia have decided to announce during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that they will be merging their not-yet-finished, Linux-based mobile OSs into one – and they have called it the MeeGo. While we don’t know which parts of Intel’s Moblin and Nokia’s Maemo will be dropped or present in MeeGo, expect this to be (according to the press release anyways) a variety of devices, “including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle information systems”.

“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,” CEO for Nokia Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said in a statement.

“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,” CEO and President of Intel Paul Otellini said.

Expect to see Nokia’s Ovi store on phones; while the AppUpSM Center from Intel won’t be disappearing – it will just be present on devices using Intel’s Atom Processor. And, if you are still worried about this no longer going to be open sourced – it still will be.

Full PR is after the jump.

Intel and Nokia merge software platforms for future computing devices
February 15, 2010

MeeGo* enables an open ecosystem for rapid development of exciting new user experiences

Espoo, Finland and Santa Clara, CA, USA – In a significant development in the convergence of communications and computing, Intel Corporation and Nokia are merging their popular Moblin and Maemo software platforms. This will create a unified Linux-based platform that will run on multiple hardware platforms across a wide range of computing devices, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems. Called MeeGo, the open software platform will accelerate industry innovation and time-to-market for a wealth of new Internet-based applications and services and exciting user experiences. MeeGo-based devices from Nokia and other manufacturers are expected to be launched later this year.

This announcement strengthens the Nokia and Intel relationship, and builds on the companies’ broad strategic collaboration announced in June 2009. Intel and Nokia now invite participation in MeeGo from existing Maemo and Moblin global communities and across the communications and computing industries.

“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.”

MeeGo blends the best of Maemo with the best of Moblin to create an open platform for multiple processor architectures. MeeGo builds on the capabilities of the Moblin core OS and its support for a wide range of device types and reference user experiences, combined with the momentum of Maemo in the mobile industry and the broadly adopted Qt application and UI framework for software developers.

MeeGo also unites the robust worldwide Maemo and Moblin applications ecosystems and open source communities. For developers, MeeGo extends the range of target device segments for their applications. Using Qt for application development means that they can write applications once and easily deploy them on MeeGo and across other platforms, for example, on Symbian.

The Ovi Store will be the channel to market for apps and content for all Nokia devices, including MeeGo and Symbian-based, with Forum Nokia providing developer support across all Nokia device platforms. The Intel AppUpSM Center will be the path to market for Intel-based MeeGo devices from other device manufacturers, with the Intel® Atom(TM) Developer Program providing support for applications targeting devices in a variety of categories.

The MeeGo software platform, running on high-performance devices, will deliver a range of Internet, computing and communication experiences, with visually rich graphics, multitasking and multimedia capabilities and the best application performance. Since MeeGo runs on multiple device types, people can keep their favorite applications when they change devices, so they are not locked into one kind of device or those from any individual manufacturer.

MeeGo Hosted by the Linux Foundation

The MeeGo software platform will be hosted by the Linux Foundation as a fully open source project, encouraging community participation in line with the best practices of the open source development model. Intel and Nokia invite the respective members of Maemo.org and Moblin.org to join the combined community at MeeGo.com, as well as encouraging wider participation from the communications, computing and related industries. Developers can begin writing applications for MeeGo in Qt immediately. The first release of MeeGo is targeted for the second quarter of this year.

RUMOUR MILL: Nokia might be ditching the recently open-sourced Symbian OS to its new Linux-based Maemo OS for all of its future N-Series phones, the high end and feature-packed phones in its entire phone line-up; according to one little slip up by its marketing team at an official meet-up for the N900. Turns out, this might be a smart move by the Finnish mobile maker, as the current OS, Symbian S60 5th Edition, pretty much is crap in terms of user interface when compared to the Maemo.

From: The Reality Mobile Project

Adobe will announce tomorrow at this year’s MAX conference, Adobe’s worldwide developers conference, that it has secured partnerships with Research in Motion (RIM), Windows Mobile, Palm and Google to roll out full Flash capabilities, similar to what you can see on your desktop, to various products and their respective platforms.

The technology will be rolled out to Windows Mobile phones and Palm’s webOS devices later in the year, with public betas for Symbian OS (Nokia) and Google Android sometime early next year. Adobe has not announced when the Flash Player will be coming to RIM’s BlackBerry devices.

Updates are most likely to be “over the air”, meaning that you will just download a simple upgrade to your phone’s operating system via your phone’s wireless network; meaning that you don’t need to access Adobe’s website on your phone to find the player, or have to buy a new phone – but that depends if your phone is listed as one that will support it.

Also as part of the announcement, RIM and Google will now join the Open Screen Project, which attempts to promote better user interfaces on applications for desktops, mobile devices and on televisions. The new Flash Player 10.1 was designed to follow in that vision, as it will be one piece of software that has been designed to work on PCs, smartphones, netbooks and other devices.

Flash 10.1 will also introduce Flash-based web apps and HD video streaming to smartphones and other mobile devices.

Previously, Adobe has offered for mobile devices a scaled back version of Flash, titled “Flash Lite” because phones, back at those days, didn’t have faster processors and their screens were not able to render the Flash like the desktops.

Flash 10.1 is expected to be out to the public in the first half of 2010.

But while the news is pretty big for Adobe, as it means that Flash’s popularity can spread from desktop to mobile devices, it also leaves out a notable manufacturer – the Apple iPhone, which still refuses to allow Adobe to provide Flash support on their phone. Both parties, however, are working to resolve that issue.

Also, it will create a “Symbian Foundation”, which will allow mobile vendors and manufacturers to join and will oversee the company’s plan for an open source mobile architecure and its trademarks.

According to TechCrunch IT, the approximate shares of all operating systems are: Symbian with 60%, Windows Mobile with 15%, RIM with 10% and the iPhone has 7%. The 8% is for all the other mobile operating systems.