I 'm making c++ apps for nearly all mobile platforms for 5 years. All I can say is, that Nokia's developer tools are very very archaic, poor and slow. It takes 4-5 times longer to code something for symbian, comparing to iphone. iPhone has great sdk with great apis and fast emulator. With that archaic toolchain that nokia uses (4-5 years old?) it's pain to do bigger projects. Nokia's emulator - totally slow and unusable. IDE - again the worst i've ever seen. Symbian apis - very complicated, sometimes one has to code 100 lines of code comparing to 1 in iphone... Without good tools and sdk, nokia will never attract developers. And I feel they didn't do anything with that for years. I'm very disappointed with their approach.
Once Upon A Time, There Was A Store Called Ovi
Here is an interesting link. The article proposes a pretty uncommon solution to the "Ovi Store problem". http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2009/07/nokias_ovi_lets_the_market_decide_the_market_says_no_and_how_to_fix_it.html
For me personally it's too late: I've bought a 5800 the other day for I wanted to have device that I I'm able to code my own apps for. I always find things that I miss on my phones and then I want to be able to fix that with a little effort. The last thing I needed was a podcast downloading app that supports sites with authentication.
So I tried to code a eSWT app using Java and the Nokia SDK for S60 5th Ed. And I tell you what: I didn't get the f*cking SDK work. And I've been trying for weeks! No answers to my mails to nokia, no way out.
Now my 5800 is on ebay and I'm going for a Samsung Galaxy because I believe in the idea behind Android. Nokia loses a good customer. My first phone was a 3210, after that I've had 10 or so Nokia handsets. But now in the times of app stores and custom apps, Nokia isn't the right choice for me anymore.
just like i wanted MAC to put in billions of $ to compete with MICROSOFT i wish NOKIA and its conglomerates will put in the necessary work and billions to reclaim the human resources that brought it its glory days. Please applaud and appreciate NOKIA & SYMBIAN for their approach towards open source and 3rd party access.(Take a minute of silence while iphone lovers grieve)
C-series is not the way out, X-series is not the way out, ovi store is not the way out(look forward to looking back at ovi store as a self destructive measure nokia embarked upon), using MAEMO for high end devies is not the way out. liberating "symbian" foundation (did someone see that coming)is not the way out. Just like "GM" executives knew GM's downfall was imminent so does some very wise top executives in NOKIA. NOKIA is too big to hold on to the reputation it provided itself. Sony Erricson nearly bottomed out now they're taking baby steps in the right direction. SYMBIAN is moving towards independence(wonder why). i will always be grateful for the 3610 & 3660, i will forever be thankful for those 75xx phones, n93i will always be a pioneer, n95 revolutionized "cellphone/mobile" as we know it today...but i(I sorrow for OVI & NOKIA 2 large)
I've made two purchases from Ovi, both disappointments.
The first one wiped out, the software did not download, and the Ovi Store app stopped working. I emailed the contact details at Ovi / Nokia and never got a reply.
I separately had already purchased Gravity for the 5800, and tried to contact the software company directly to ask how I could transfer this to my N97. I got no reply, and in effect was forced to purchase the software again (after only having purchased it one month previously).
This time things worked, however there is no way I will make any more purchases for my Nokia phones for the time being as I simply don't trust the setup.
The secondary issue is that apart from Gravity I haven't actually see any other app I would need or like to purchase.
On the other hand I have purchased 100 odd apps for my iPhone(s) and had no problems tranferring the apps across when I upgraded recently.
I loved s60v2 days wid great games and softwares coming every day then i updated to s60v3 and the darkness began. Initially i got pretty much ngaged bt now its plain boring and no gud softs and games r available. Ive bought a sony and m in middle of nowhere. S60v3 was such a disappointment i m afraid of upgrading to s60v3. I think ill root for apple now.
My experience with the Ovi store so far has also been quite dissapointing. Apart from the obvious lack of content, there seems to still be some serious bugs accessing it via the phone itself. The recommended apps for the N97 contains about 15 social networking apps and a couple of games and simple utilities - I could not find one truely usefull app I was prepared to spend money on.
Content obviously have to be developed for the offerings to improve, but it is difficult to understand how with so many Nokia users out there that the Ovi store is so far behind Apple's and Palm's offerings.
Let's hope Nokia throws a bit more effort and money towards its online store.