First look at Symbian^3 concept screenshots
Published by Rafe Blandford at 22:27 GMT, December 3rd 2009
During Nokia's Capital Markets Day event, held yesterday, a few screenshots showing Symbian^3 were shown off as part of Kai Öistämö's (Nokia EVP, Devices) presentation. While the big Symbian UI rewrite will not happen until Symbian^4, there are still some significant changes in Symbian^3. Read on for further details and commentary.
These are the first public visuals / screenshots we've seen of Symbian^3 (see note below). However it is worth noting that these are mockups - the exact detailing may be a little different by the time this appears on shipping devices. Devices using Symbian^3 will be announced in the first half of the year and should start shipping in the second half of the year.
The presentation referred to the screenshots as from a future UI, rather than Symbian^3, so it is possible than some of the concepts will not appear until Symbian^4 (this applies especially to the last two screenshots).
It appears that Nokia will be skipping the Symbian^2 release, which is a relatively minor release (especially when compared to Symbian^3). However many of the features of Symbian^2 have already been backported (e.g. the N97's widget based home screen) or are currently in testing for release on Symbian^1 (e.g. location triggering).
Symbian^3 screenshots
This image shows the multiple homescreen support. Note the three small circle indicators on the bottom toolbar area; these suggest that at least three home screens will be supported (the exact number may depend on the hardware configuration). The widgets use the same WRT based 'mini view' as found on the N97 and N97 mini. In the screenshot above there are room for up to 6 of these on each page.
Developers would do well to consider adding 'mini view' to their applications or future development plans. The importance of the home screen and widget interaction will grow even more important in future versions of Symbian.
The Videoplayer screenshot demonstrates the added support for layering graphic / screen elements in Symbian^3 thanks to the addition of NGA (Next Generation graphics Architecture, which has previously referred to this as ScreenPlay). It allows for the 'see-through / layering' effect on the video seeker / toolbar area of the screen. Symbian^3 also supports HD video playback (and capture), HDMI output and enables file sizes over 2GB, allowing for large video files (such as the 97 minute one shown in the screenshot above).
Also notable is the rearrangement of the status bar indicators (both battery and signal strength together), which is done to optimise screen real estate and allow for a clearer (and explicit) back button on the top right of the screen.
This screen from the Photos application again shows off potential uses of NGA (layering of graphics and picture-in-picture like effects). Further the application has been changed in order to improve the user experience (addition of recent photo bar along the bottom of the screen).
Again the status bar has been modified to maximise the use of the screen space.
Although not apparent from the screenshot Symbian^3 will remove the use of the double tap in list view from the platforms (e.g. when browsing through a list of tracks). This is thanks to a contribution to the Symbian platform, which initiated from a company called Ixonos.
A second screen from Photos demonstrates the continued support for portrait mode and suggests that there will be further refinements in screen layout.
Note that the bottom toolbar has four shortcut buttons. This ties in with some of the concepts that were demonstrated in a recent Symbian concept UI video. This represent a move away from having all commands 'hang-off' an Options menu. Additionally there is a down arrow (top right, next to back button), which suggest additional commands are available via a drop down menu. Context specific commands will also likely be available via contextual menus accessed via a long press on the screen.
Symbian^3 also provides support for multi-touch gestures (e.g. pinch to zoom), but this will be dependent on hardware support. Initially the number of gestures will be relatively limited, although developers should be able to add their own through a plug-in architecture. More comprehensive gesture support will become available in Symbian^4.
Additional home screen concepts
These final two screenshots show an alternative mock up of the homescreen. Of note is the support for widgets of any size (rather than being standardised into a rectangular shape), the down arrow (drop down menu) and application button (top right). The widgets also appear to support better transparency effect that the current widget implementation. As noted above these screenshots may, in fact, be concept ideas from a later version of Symbian than those above.
Symbian^3
We've only touch on a limited number of the features introduced by Symbian^3 in this news piece. We'll be taker a more in depth look in due course.
Categories: Software, Developer, Industry
Platforms: General, S60 5th Edition
News Discussion
look at the last two screenshots - the ones with the "might be for an even later version of the UI" disclaimer... look at the DATE.
Wednesday, February 20th, a quarter past 12..... in the year 2013.
2013 I say - on Feb 20th 2013 at 12:15, this UI will be released to the masses!
(you get that i'm just playing around, right?).
February 20th is not a wednesday in 2010, nor in 2011 - and it wasn't a wednesday this past february in 2009. That screenshot is of the calendar year 2013. is this for a reason? hey, why not just pretend it is?
Are supposed to sit and wait 6 or 8 months for this?
By then the iPhone 4G HD and Android 5.0 will be out.
Tho I like that they're going the Maemo route, and having a dedicated back key (traditionally the right softkey) and the Options menu is on the app's title (traditionally the left softkey).
Oh, also, still sad to see the S60 swirl being phased out for what looks to be a Motorola UIQ (!) style menu icon.
But i guess they need to offer a mid-range device with Symbian^3 like 5800 and not a high end device. Why? because i can pay 350-400$ for a mid-range device till Symbian^4 high end one arrive,but i cant pay +700$ then after 8 months i upgrade to Symbian^4. Who will pay when he know a greater thing is coming soon?
Same thing with Maemo 5 to 6. but the duration is longer here.
Just afraid from one thing,Symbian^4 will use QT as the base (am totally blind about applications developing) but are you sure that applications written for Maemo 6 will be compatible with Symbian^4 without tweaks?
In the camera app, select one of the widescreen formats (for example, w6M), and - lo and behold - the buttons on the sides become semi-transparent. Similar deal for the video player: play a video in landscape using the Samsung video player, tap on the video, and there it appears a row of semi-transparent (dimmed) buttons.
As for some of the other features: 3 homescreens, HD capture and playback, widgets of any size on the homescreen... it all sounds awfully familiar. What's next? A 3D task switcher? :D
Which begs the question: how many of these features are really new in Symbian^3, and how many instead are already present in Symbian^1, but disabled on Nokia handsets because they lack hardware graphic acceleration?
"Note that the bottom toolbar has four shortcut buttons. This ties in with some of the concepts that were demonstrated in a recent Symbian concept UI video. This represent a move away from having all commands 'hang-off' an Options menu."
Menu, menu, menu. That was my S60 experience. It's a distant memory on my 3GS.
I do hope it is Qt, because with Avkon going to retire with Symbian^4 in a year's time, there's too much porting to do if there's a new Avkon now and Qt next year.
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Originally Posted by svdwal
Did Nokia mention which technology will be used to actually implement this (really nice looking) UI's, was it Avkon or Qt?
I do hope it is Qt, because with Avkon going to retire with Symbian^4 in a year's time, there's too much porting to do if there's a new Avkon now and Qt next year. |
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Originally Posted by Group51
This to me is the significance of the new UI:
"Note that the bottom toolbar has four shortcut buttons. This ties in with some of the concepts that were demonstrated in a recent Symbian concept UI video. This represent a move away from having all commands 'hang-off' an Options menu." Menu, menu, menu. That was my S60 experience. It's a distant memory on my 3GS. |
And not much wrong with menus either. They do the job very well.
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Originally Posted by Unregistered
Vaporware.
Are supposed to sit and wait 6 or 8 months for this? By then the iPhone 4G HD and Android 5.0 will be out. |
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Originally Posted by mdanuz
Therese nothing new about the screen shots , Don't you think we already have what we see, one screen-shot is nokia n97 and another one is nokia n900.Wondering what they are going to improve in another 6 months .
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Symbian^3 is really a step in the right direction for us (Nokia), you will be pleased :)
Cheers,
Kevin
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Originally Posted by lekovodolaz
I cannot see anything mind blowing or special about this screenshots. I would not buy a device just because of this
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No?
Thought not.
Don't take this as an indication that Nokia is only working on this now, more that now they are confident about when it will be done. If they weren't confident then they would have been much less direct about timescales.