Device Platforms

Contents

Introduction Series 40 platform Symbian platform Maemo platform

Introduction

The mobile devices that Nokia produces are perfectly balanced for all price points. To reach every market segment with these devices, Nokia uses three main device platforms: the Series 40 platform, the Symbian platform, and the Maemo™ platform.

The Series 40 platform is found in the entry-level and midrange feature phones. With many hundreds of millions of Series 40 devices shipped, it is by far the world’s most widely used mobile phone platform. The Symbian platform covers the feature-phone and smartphone market segments. Shipped volumes of Nokia Symbian devices, while lower than those of Series 40 devices, are also in the hundreds of millions. This platform is under continual refinement, and the latest version of the Symbian platform, Symbian OS, S60 5th Edition, offers touchscreen functionality, a WebKit browser, Adobe Flash, and fantastic multimedia capabilities. The Maemo platform, based on Linux technology, has been used in Nokia’s Internet Tablets. Now, Maemo 5 marks the platform’s transformation into a top-end mobile computer platform.

Series 40 platform

The Series 40 platform, used in Nokia’s midrange line of feature phones, is the world’s most popular mobile-phone operating system by a clear margin. Many new Series 40 devices are now shipping with a full WebKit browser, which is based on the same browser engine used in many smartphone and desktop browsers.

The Series 40 platform enables development of Java™ and Adobe Flash Lite applications and content, as well as offering access to web-based services via the browser.

The Series 40 platform delivers to mobile developers the largest uniform market of users of Java devices. The platform includes Java APIs, an open browsing environment, and support for MMS and Flash Lite. The latest Series 40 5th Edition and 6th Edition devices have great multimedia capabilities. In addition, the platform’s announced support for the Ovi Store will ensure that developers will have access to mass-market volumes for the first time.

• Overview — Learn more about the Series 40 platform.
• Getting started — Discover the basics of this mass-market platform.
• Tools and SDKs — Download the right tools and get to work.

Symbian platform

Symbian is the leading mobile software platform, powering state-of-the-art smartphones that provide industry-leading features to consumers and enterprise users alike.

For developers, the Symbian platform offers the widest choice of runtime technologies. This advantage supports innovation by offering developers flexibility in their choice of programming language. The platform offers technology solutions that match developers' skills with their requirements for features, portability, and user experience.

The Symbian platform brings open standards, multivendor support, and true volume to the smartphone market. According to Canalys, as of August 2009 more than 200 million Nokia Symbian devices had been shipped. These numbers offer developers tremendous opportunity to profit from their smartphone applications and content.

The Symbian platform offers application developers Symbian C++, Open C, Java™ APIs, the Ajax-capable Web Browser for S60, Web Runtime, Adobe Flash Lite, and Python. With these technologies, developers can create applications that consumers will rely on every day to make their lives more efficient, to connect them with friends, family, and colleagues, and even to entertain them.

Support for a wide range of audio and video codecs, along with support for MMS, Flash Lite, web widgets, and true web browsing with the Web Browser for S60, enable multimedia artists and web designers to offer users rich and compelling content, entertaining games, and exciting video and music experiences.

Through Symbian OS, S60 5.0 — with its touch UI and several new APIs, such as Homescreen Publishing and Sensor Framework — the Symbian platform continues to set the benchmark for smartphone functionality and security.

• Overview — Learn more about the Symbian platform.
• Getting started — Discover the basics of this smartphone platform.
• Tools and SDKs — Download the right tools and get to work.
• Documents — Get in-depth information on Symbian platform technologies.
• Support — Understand issues related to specific platform technologies and devices.
• Devices — Find technical specifications of Nokia Symbian devices.

Maemo platform

The Maemo platform is one of Nokia’s core device platforms, used to create devices characterised by high performance, exciting new UI principles, and an internet philosophy.

The platform is based on familiar open-source desktop Linux components, which are well known to programmers globally. The programming options, rich set of software and hardware features, and powerful software distribution channels makes the Maemo platform an enjoyable and rewarding platform on which to create innovative applications.

First introduced in 2005 on Nokia Internet Tablet devices, the Maemo platform originated from a vision to bring PC-like features — multitasking, browsing, and communications — to mobile devices.

The Maemo platform is created by an open-source community project. The project receives contributions from a large number of individuals, communities, and companies from around the world. Nokia’s vision for the Maemo platform is to extend the definition of a mobile device beyond the product categories known today.

• Overview — Learn more about the Maemo platform.
• Tools and SDKs — Download the right tools and get to work.
• Documents — Get in-depth information on Maemo platform technologies.
• Technical Support — Get professional support for your Maemo projects.

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