Symbian-based phones feature multitasking functions similar to those of conventional computers.
The Symbian platform is a mobile computing platform and operating system used by many Nokia smartphones. It provides a wide range of features, including gesture interaction, multiple home screens and conversation threading, and is designed to respond to both keypad and mini-QUERTY keyboards. As of February 2011 new phones use Windows Phone 7, but many older models still operate on Symbian.
History
Symbian was originally designed by Symbian Ltd., a company created by Nokia, Motorola and other cell phone manufacturers. The company was meant to set a standard for all operating systems on mobile wireless devices and eventually was maintained primarily by Nokia. The first Symbian mobile phones became available in late 2000, and the operating system went through 10 major versions, the latest of which, Symbian OS 10.1 or Belle, was officially renamed Nokia Belle in late 2011.
Structure
This operating system is based on the EPOC architecture originally developed by Psion, which combines object-oriented C++ and the particular requirements of mobile devices, such as built-in power management. Symbian is built to adapt to different hardware configurations and uses a WebKit browser on all versions prior to version 9.5, also known as Anna. Symbian-based devices can be programmed using a range of languages, including standard C and C++, .NET, Ruby, Flash Lite, Python and Java ME.
Feature Set
As of January 2011, Symbian offers a range of smartphone-specific features, such as gesture interaction and single-touch menus. Versions since Anna have offered a new, proprietary Web browser that works more quickly, as well as split-screen text input and a portrait QWERTY keyboard. Nokia Belle adds freeform resizable widgets on the home screen, six possible home screens and a pull-down status bar.
Support
Nokia announced its intention to move away from Symbian for new devices in February 2011, and released several devices based on Windows Phone 7 later that year. As of September 2011, Symbian is no longer maintained by Nokia. The company has instead outsourced Symbian platform maintenance to Accenture, a technology services company based in Ireland. As of January 2012, Nokia has not yet discontinued Symbian support; it released three new Belle-based phones in November 2011 and plans updates for other devices in January and February 2012.
Tags: operating system, 2011 Symbian, February 2011, gesture interaction, home screens, Nokia Belle