Matsushita Communication Industrial will license Series 60
smart-phone software from Nokia for use in multimedia phones based
on the Symbian operating system, the companies announced.
The latest Series 60 pact also comes on the heels of word from
Microsoft that it will release its Windows Powered Smartphone 2002
software "any day now".
The Microsoft smart phone software has been somewhat less than
smart. The software has had problems operating with hardware in
GPRS phones, which has caused delays and raised questions about
whether Microsoft will be able to compete effectively in the
handset software market.
Meanwhile, Symbian has garnered substantial industry backing. The
private independent software licensing company is jointly owned by
Ericsson, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, Nokia, Matsushita -
best known for its Panasonic consumer brand - Psion, Siemens and
Motorola.
The company has made a steady stream of announcements regarding
support of the open standards Symbian OS, which provides a common
software platform for the manufacturers that support it. This
decreases costs for developers that want to create applications for
multiple handset makers and helps interoperability, Symbian backers
claimed.
Series 60 is designed for Symbian OS-based multimedia handsets with
colour screens, key telephony, personal information management
applications, a browser and messaging.