TDG Research in this report claim that Symbian will lose market share over the next four years so that 2010 it will be behind both Microsoft (29%) and Linux (25%) with just a 22% market share. While the future is not yet written this particular prediction seems to be a little unlikely. TDG's figures for current market share are also seem mistaken. Read on for more.
Symbian have now provided confirmation of yesterday's news of the Freescale reference design and reduced license fees. The new license fee introduces a new model of either a fraction of the trade price of devices shipping (i.e. a proportion or revenue) or scalable pricing that reduces the cost as more devices are shipped over a one year period (i.e. a more complex version of the current model). The new prices apply to Symbian OS 9 shipments from July.
Steve's been using TimeTrack for Series 60 for months now - here's his short review. Summary: super-small and super-cheap, although perhaps too limited for power users.
According to this Reuters story Symbian is planning to develop a reference design using a single chip solution with US chip maker Freescale. This follows similar reference design in partnership with Intel and Texas Instruments. Reference designs are aimed at lowering development times and cost for Symbian phones. Additionally the reports states that Symbian, as expected, will be lowering its licensee fees. The official details of these announcements will likely be made at 3GSM. Read on for more.
Symbian have announced a mobile email validation program to promote best practice for push email solutions. In practise this means Symbian will be working with vendors to insure their solutions have the best possible user experience and functionality on Symbian OS.
It's not often that Symbian OS and Nokia's Series 60 makes an impression on the hacks over on US sites like Engadget, but here's a tips roundup with some nicely positive comments and suggestions.
Programme 4 of the Smartphones Show is now live. A free TV programme all about smartphones, available online, programme 4 features AAS's very own Thomas Boys reviewing the Nokia N90, while I do a batch of Treo and Series 60 tips and look at the i-Mate SP5.
Merkitys is an open source upload tool for Series 60 Flickr users. It allows you to add custom tags that are automatically added to the photo, and currently allows GPS, GSM Cell, Country and City location information, Calendar information, or any user generated tags and descriptions. And why the name Merkitys? It's Finnish for "Meaning."
Neatly transplanted from 3-Lib and enhanced significantly, AllAboutSymbian is proud to present its new Support Knowledgebase (click the link or use the menu tab above).
To go with the M600i announcement, Sony Ericsson has revealed some more details on the software that will come bundled with the P990 at launch. Read on for the new applications and some thoughts…
More P990 news, as Sony Ericsson provide details on the two variants of the P990. Both will support the 900/1800/1900 GSM frequencies, with the P990i aimed at Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. The P990c will be launched in mainland China as and when 3G services are available. Which may lead to the P990c (UIQ3) going head to head with Nokia's 6708 (UIQ2.1) when the respective devices appear.
Sony Ericsson are delaying the launch of the P990 to focus more resources on the M600i due to 'operator interest' in the M600i announced today. Read on...
Ewan takes a closer look at the M600i and tries to work out Sony Ericsson's strategy in releasing this capable but occasionally confusing device. There's oodles of business power here and some (but not all) consumer features as well. What do you think?
The second UIQ3 powered smartphone has been announced from Sony Ericsson. The M600i has a 240x320 touchscreen and 80Mb of memory. Key features include a slim 112g design, support for corporate email services and a dual function keyboard. The main differences, compared to the P990, are the lack of Wi-Fi, flip keypad and camera. The phone is expected in Q2 2006 in both black and white (Sony Ericsson M600i Homepage).
The second UIQ3 powered smartphone has been announced from Sony Ericsson. The M600i has a 240x320 touchscreen and 80Mb of memory. Key features include a slim 112g design, support for corporate email services and a dual function keyboard. The main differences, compared to the P990, are the lack of Wi-Fi, flip keypad and camera. The phone is expected in Q2 2006 in both black and white (Sony Ericsson M600i Homepage).
