Mobile-Review posted a multi-screenshot article introducing the UIQ 3.0 user interface for the Symbian OS. Even more screenshots here. The same web site also discusses the foot Nokia tries to put in enterprise communications with its new E series smartphones using Symbian kernel 9.1 and as its user interface the ‘Nokia Series 60 v3’.
Introduction of UIQ 3.0 for Symbian
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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I wish the best of luck to Symbian OS, since it really seems that the battle for pda’s is lost to microsoft, maybe the battle for smartphones will work out better (i.e. with a balanced market, not with a monopoly…).
As for the gui, the UI seems a bit too colorful and cluttered, or is it just me? Maybe i’me too used to palmOS and simpler phones.
Interesting Sony still uses symbian, because since, AFAIK nokia bought almost all of symbian’s assets I haven’t seen too many phones using symbian.
What are you talking about? SymbianOS is in the majority of smartphones sold. Nokia AFAIK owns something like 46% of Symbian with the rest shared between Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Panasonic, Samsung, Motorola and some other companies that I forget.
As for the gui, the UI seems a bit too colorful and cluttered, or is it just me? Maybe i’me too used to palmOS and simpler phones.
You can use the lighter theme if you wish, UIQ and Series60 are perfectly skinnable.
Interesting Sony still uses symbian, because since, AFAIK nokia bought almost all of symbian’s assets I haven’t seen too many phones using symbian.
Because there is no alternative to Symbian if you want powerful modular smartphone os.
>Because there is no alternative to Symbian if
> you want powerful modular smartphone os.
The new Windows Mobile 5 is way more powerful. And it has better dev tools than Symbian would ever dream of. Be aware, I am talking about the new WM5-based QVGA PocketPC phones, *not* the WM5-phone edition that usually have resolutions of 176×220. The small phone edition smartphones from MS *suck* UI-wise (but they are stable).
The new Windows Mobile 5 is way more powerful.
No. For smartphone-like devices (not PDA, but device that must be running on for days) Symbian has more efficient design with resources (cpu/memory/power) saving paradigms such as event-based programming approach, cleanup stack, active objects and so on.
And it has better dev tools than Symbian would ever dream of.
That’s the other point and I have to agree here. However, things are getting better for Symbian in this area.
Be aware, I am talking about the new WM5-based QVGA PocketPC phones, *not* the WM5-phone edition that usually have resolutions of 176×220. The small phone edition smartphones from MS *suck* UI-wise (but they are stable).
When I said about Symbian power I meant OS architecture and API design, not UI usability issues (they are subjective). Both OS’es are stable, but Symbian is far more suited for smartphone appliance.
These forked smartphone platforms are quite out of hand though. series 40, 60, 80, uiq 2.0, 2.1, 3.0. IThere are so many compatibility issues to deal with in developing phones – it’s getting to be not worth it. Even with Symbian commanding 60% of the market, it’s segmented such that at best, any software that I write will only be fully compatible with a small percentage of that.
Very well said.
I don’t think it’s entirely fair, especially on the Nokia side of things. Series 40 and Series 60 aren’t different just for the hell of it. They’re aimed at rather different devices. Series 40 is for midrange feature phones – basically phones with knobs for the easily amused. Series 60 is aimed at much more serious devices that you can call smartphones with a straight face. I’m not sure it’s ever going to be a realistic idea to try and develop for both platforms at once…
Adam, Series 40 CAN NOT be compatible with the rest of the series, because these don’t run Symbian. S40 is not the issue here. But all the other ones, UIQ, S60/80/90, are.
that is
They really need a new translator. I couldn’t understand this at all.
“The phonebook is realized qualitatively” ???
” However, this disadvantage will be significant for those who used P-series smartphones before; they will have to leave off the gained jerks.”
What’s a “gained jerk”?
It’s garbage. Nice pictures. though.
I like the P990 design better than the E-series (I own a P800 now) but wonder if the P990 will support ActiveSync. For me this would be a decisive factor. Has anybody an idea
ActiveSync is for Windows-based PocketPCs, not for Symbian.
ActiveSync is a protocol for ‘Exchange-push’ geared at mobile devices. There is no technical reason why it shouldn’t be able to run SymbianOS. Both Nokia and Symbian has licensed the ActiveSync protocol from Microsoft and presumably it will make it’s appearance in the future.
Or if you don’t want to wait you can get your ActiveSync fix here:
http://www.dataviz.com/products/roadsync/uiq/index.html
there’s also a Series80 version.
What exactly is the definition of smartphone? My W800i can have 3rd party applications installed on it, it has some PDA functionality (calendar, notes, PC sync, alarms etc) …. what line is crossed to become a smartphone?
There is not a straight cut definition on smartphones, but the general rule is, except of the high-end hardware features is the ability to write applications in NATIVE code (not just java).
Therefore, W800/K750/W900 are NOT smartphones. They are “high-end feature phones”. SonyEricsson does not give away the native SDK (like Palm, Windows, Linux and Symbian do), but only Java guidelines.