CANNES, France-Nokia Corp. today released the third version of its Series 60 software platform for mobile phones. The platform, based on the Symbian operating system, features Nokia’s user interface and software technologies.
The updated software platform includes a variety of new technologies, including a music player, support for both single and dual-chip setups, additional customization options for carriers, support for additional screen sizes and form factors, and a new security system to protect users against viruses and faulty applications. The platform will be available to Nokia’s current Series 60 licensees-like Panasonic, Sendo and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.-as well as other customers by the middle of this year. Thus, commercial devices won’t be available until next year at the earliest.
Nokia’s new Series 60 3rd Edition highlights a number of interesting areas for the world’s No. 1 handset maker. Most notably, Nokia must convince its Series 60 customers that its licensing effort can exist alongside competition from the company’s phone-manufacturing business. The company must also balance its needs against those of its carrier partners. Indeed, the issue came to the fore recently when a carrier requested that Nokia remove a warning in its Series 60 platform that alerted users when they were going to connect to the carrier’s data network-and rack up data access charges. Mauri Metsaranta, director of Nokia’s Series 60 software platforms marketing, said Nokia refused; the company wanted to protect its image with consumers by keeping their interests in focus.
Metsaranta also offered a glimpse into Nokia’s Series 60 plans. The company is working on a CDMA version of its Series 60 platform but Nokia must first meet the technical specifications of CDMA carriers-which Metsaranta said can be more intricate than those of GSM carriers. Nokia is also in discussions for a version of the Series 60 platform for Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc., but Metsaranta declined to provide additional details.
Metsaranta also admitted to some of Nokia’s early stumblings in its Series 60 efforts. When asked why Samsung has delayed the release of a Series 60 device, Metsaranta said Nokia did not initially provide reference designs for the software platform. Thus, its Series 60 licensees had to integrate the platform with the rest of a phone’s components themselves-a potentially extensive process. Metsaranta said Nokia now offers reference platforms for components from a number of suppliers, including Intel Corp. and Texas Instruments.
Nokia forecasts that 200 million Series 60 devices will be sold by 2008.
