America Online (AOL) has joined a development and
partner programme for the Symbian mobile device operating system
(OS), allowing it to more easily deliver media and entertainment to
Symbian licensees who manufacture 75% of the mobile phones
currently sold.
The open Symbian OS is licensed by mobile device makers such as
Nokia, Motorola, Samsung Electronics and Sony Ericsson Mobile
Communications, and AOL hopes that by joining the Symbian platinum
partner programme it will be able to better access mobile
users.
The internet and media company said that the partnership
programme will allow users of its AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and
ICQ instant messaging products to access contact lists and chat
over their mobile phones.
AOL also plans to develop its T9 Text Input software, which
enables short messaging service (SMS), wireless IM and e-mail
communications, for Symbian OS mobile phones, as well as other
content and applications.
"This makes it a lot easier to implement AIM, ICQ and T9 across
those [Symbian OS-based] handsets," said AOL spokesman Derick
Mains.
Beforehand, the company had to spend a lot of time and effort to
embed an application running off of each separate OS, Mains said.
Now, however, AOL can develop a core application to run across all
Symbian-based systems. The company will still have to negotiate
with each handset maker to embed applications in their
products.
The Symbian partner programme gives members privileged access to
Symbian OS source code, as well as support and commercial
services.
While Mains said that it is too early to say what other
applications and content AOL would develop for Symbian, offerings
such as mapping and movie information and ticketing tools were a
possibility.