Symbian has released the latest version of its Series 60 (S60) mobile phone
operating system, and has added features to make it more competitive with
Apple's iPhone and Google's Android.
The fifth edition of the S60 will integrate touch screen control to new
handsets, support for higher screen resolutions and a widescreen mode for
viewing.
Mobile internet use has also been improved, with touch scrolling of web pages
and support for Adobe's Flash Lite 3 built in.
Motion control has been added, so that users can silence an incoming call by
simply turning the handset upside down.
"S60 5th Edition's new features and added functionality significantly
enhances the products that intend to provide rich multimedia and internet
experiences for consumers," said Lee Williams, senior vice president of S60
Software at Nokia.
"With this release we will now see manufacturers create and extend their
portfolio of products with new types of devices addressing a broader range of
consumer needs."
The new operating system also comes with a new software developer kit which
includes full support for Open C and Open C++, including the Standard Template
Library.
"The versatile developer support offered by S60 5th Edition enables
developers to write applications in a range of languages that they are already
very familiar with," said Tom Libretto, vice president of Forum Nokia.
"That familiarity, and being able to arm developers with the tools and
technologies that best suit their needs, will allow for further new applications
and services, not only for S60 5th Edition, but for S60 3rd Edition Feature
Packs 1 and 2."
Unsurprisingly Nokia, which has a majority stake in Symbian, has announced a
new handset using the operating system, the
Nokia
5800 XpressMusic.
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