Recent News Headlines - Developer
NS Basic drops in price to attract new developers
NS-Basic, the Palm OS-sourced BASIC language toolkit which has recently been ported to work under StyleTap on S60 and UIQ, has been significantly reduced in price, apparently to attract hobbyist developers rather than just corporates. The new entry price is $99 (about £50) and the 'Pro' version (which includes things like proper application signing) is down from $700 to $300 (£150). Still quite a lot of money, but hopefully now practical for a lot more people. For examples of what a StyleTap-hosted NS Basic application looks like, see RMR Software's S60 catalog.
S60 5th Edition - touch and sensor enablers, enriched Internet and multimedia
Today sees the formal unveiling on S60 5th Edition. The new version of S60, built on Symbian OS 9.4, adds touch enablers to the platform, which means it is possible for licensees to create devices that use finger touch and/or stylus interaction. Other additions and improvements include the new sensor framework (adds easy integration of sensors, such as accelerometers into the platform) updated web technologies (WebKit version updated, Flash Lite 3 as standard) and enhanced multimedia functionality (support for widescreen displays, image and video editors as standard). Read on for more details.
EMCC Annouce VoIP Engine for Developers
Some news for the developers this morning from EMCC. They've released a VoIP engine solution that can be used in their own applications. The engine is available for S60, Windows Mobile and 'other platforms.' While VoIP is available on some handsets (and in a few cases it depends on the network you buy the handset for), EMCC's “all in one” solution is geared towards developers looking to have consistency over devices and platforms.
Nokia to ship jQuery with WRT
Nokia is to ship jQuery with the next version of Web Runtime (WRT), according to the jQuery blog. jQuery is a light weight Javascript library that simplifies 'HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for rapid web development'. In other words it helps developers make funkier S60 widgets.
Insight 40: SMP on Symbian OS, N79 and Gaming
In All About Symbian Insight #40 (AAS Podcast #93) Rafe, and Steve discuss SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessing) on Symbian OS and what some of the key benefits might be. Steve gives us his first impressions of the Nokia N79 and finally there's some chat about gaming on the N-Gage versus the iPhone.
Forum Nokia's 'Calling All Innovators' developer contest
Forum Nokia has launched a new developer contest, Calling All Innovators, which aims to encourage developers to create applications that will 'better society'. The competition takes place across three categories: ECO-challenge, Emerging Markets and Technology Showcase. There's a total prize fund of $150,000 with category winners each winning $25,000.
For 2008, the AAS Pub Meet makes way for 'Evening with S60'
Nokia will be holding an Evening with S60 in London the night before the Symbian Smartphone Show. It is a chance to see the newest S60 devices, get one-one-one demos and meet other S60 enthusiasts. The event will be held at Nokia's Flagship Store in Regent Street on October 20th between 7:30 and 10:00 pm. You need to register here if you want to attend the event.
Why you should choose Python
We've covered Python in passing before, but any wannabe on-device or RAD programmers might like to look at Daniel Rocha's latest piece, pointing out the good and bad points of Python (for S60), along with useful pointers and links.
'Ecosystem expired'?
Following on from Ewan's thoughts yesterday on the freedom in the Symbian/S60 developer world, I have to say that I take a slightly different view. Over and over, I'm finding that applications I download (from developer sites, from AAS, from Handango, etc) can't easily be installed, each coming up with 'Expired certificate'. Read on for a Steve rant....
One AppStore to rule them all... is a bad idea
When your application is blacklisted because it duplicates the functions on the phone, something has gone wrong, thinks Ewan Spence, who considers the issue of a single monolithic app store, and tells why he thinks the Symbian way is better.
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