|
Newsletters
|
|
|
|
|
The WDN Symbian DevZone... The New Nokia Multimedia Smartphone - the Nokia 3650
by Richard Bloor
This week we continue our occasional series looking at the new Nokia Multimedia Smartphone 3650. Nokia, who have already set an impressive benchmark for multi-media Smartphones in the Nokia 7650, have raised the bar with the announcement of the Nokia 3650 due for release early in 2003. This week Richard looks at the Nokia 3650 and the Series 60 software platform with Randy Roberts Nokia's Americas Director for Imaging Devices.
The next generation of smartphones need to be able to deliver compelling, rich functionality that are easy to use, if they are to encourage users to take advantage of the data capabilities of 2.5 and 3G networks. For developers who want to deliver profitable applications to these phones a common, widely adopted operating system, facilitating straightforward development is needed coupled with a mass-market base.
Nokia believe they have met these requirements with the Series 60 platform, through its easy to use interface, broad acceptance amongst smartphone manufactures and compelling devices like the Nokia 7650 and the newly announced Nokia 3650.
Series 60 is a multitasking User Interface developed over Symbian OS. It employs a 176 by 208 pixel color display and the user interacts with it through a 5 way navigation rocker and 2 function buttons which can easily be operated single-handedly.
"We have put Series 60 through extensive customer trials and used focus groups to refine the interface. The single hand, seven button navigation combined with the graphical User Interface is effective and simple to operate" commented Randy Roberts, Director, Imaging Devices for the Americas "but perhaps the most pleasing aspect of Series 60 is that it encourages users to explore and find out what the phone can do".
The Series 60 platform powers the Nokia 7650, launched earlier this year for the European, Asian and African markets and is also used in their latest multimedia phone the Nokia 3650 which was announced on 6th September. The Nokia 3650 is part of Nokia's "Expression" class of phones aimed primarily at young technology savvy consumers, but expected to cross over into the business market and also appeal a more adventurous mature buyer. Unlike the Nokia 7650, which is dressed in formal black and silver the Nokia 3650 comes with Xpress-on inter-changeable faceplates in a range of fashion colors and designs. The phone is packaged in a smooth slightly pear shaped body with a retro style circular dial for the keypad.
While the Nokia 7650 broke new ground for Nokia with its built-in camera allowing the user to capture VGA still images in a wide variety of lighting conditions the Nokia 3650 takes the concept further, delivering the not only still VGA images but video capture (H.263 video inside 3GP file format) and playback. A RealOne player provides for both streaming and downloaded media files (H.263 and MPEG-4 video inside 3GP file format, RealAudio and RealVideo inside RealMedia format) delivering functionality that not too long ago was in the realms of science fiction.
The built in camera is expected to be a major selling point for these devices. "We have a tag line here 'your most valuable camera is the one you have with you'" said Randy. "One of the main reasons people have been buying digital cameras is the promise they hold for being able to exchange images with friends and family. Yet here in the US, probably the largest market for digital camera, penetration is only around 10 to 20%. This is in part because digital cameras have never quite delivered the ease of exchange, the work and time involved in hooking the camera up to a PC, getting the photo onto the PC and emailing it is such a hindrance that people just don't share pictures the way they wanted to. The beauty of imaging phones like the Nokia 3650 is that they can do this immediately right from the phone." The owners of these phones will be able to send pictures, video and sound to friends and family with internet access via email or MMS. MMS will also allow them to send this same rich content directly to another mobile phone. Equally they can use online services like Club Nokia's Photo Zone to upload photos and allow friends and family to view them on the Internet.
While Series 60 can communicate using standard Internet email Nokia believe that the MultiMedia Messaging Service will be a significant enabler for the new generation of smartphones. The penetration of mobile phones has far out paced that of PCs and MMS will open up rich messaging to this wide audience. "We believe that MMS is the key enabler for the next generation of smartphones" said Randy "and MMS is at the heart of Series 60. The Nokia 3650 delivers compelling functionality which will allow the consumer to take full advantage of MMS".
MMS also opens up a range of new opportunities for developers and network operators. Iomo the UK based games developer have already started to take advantage of these capabilities with their FotoFunPack (www.fotofunpack.com) which allows users to edit pictures directly on their Series 60 phone, adding fun elements to create humorous or seasonal version of the photo.
|
Anthropics, another UK developer has also just started trialing their animated face messaging system on the Nokia 7650. Again this uses the capabilities of MMS to carry the information for the Anthropics player to render a realistic talking head based on a text or voice message.
| 
|
These types of applications show both the raw power of the Series 60 platform to deliver complex functionality to such constrained devices and the opportunities for developers to be innovative.
Nokia are not only using Series 60 for their own product but are licensing it to other handset manufacturers. To date Samsung, Matsushita and Siemens have taken up licensees and the indications from sources within Nokia are that further licensing agreements are very likely.
The combination of desirable phones and a broad licensee base means that there will be a considerable base market into which applications can be sold. "There has not been significant revenues for wireless developers" acknowledged Randy "but Series 60 is going to make a huge difference to that."
Series 60 applications can be developed in C++, Java and content provided in XHTML. Current C++ development utilizes Microsoft Visual C++ and the Nokia Series 60 SDK, available for free download from Forum Nokia (www.forum.nokia.com). Borland have also announced support for Symbian OS C++ development and while they have not confirmed which versions of the OS will be supported the close association between Borland and Nokia makes it very likely that Series 60 development will be covered. There are also rumors, which have not been confirmed by Nokia, that Metrowerks will be creating a version of CodeWarrior for C++ development on the Series 60. The same SDK can be used to develop applications for both the Nokia 7650 and Nokia 3650. Java developers are able to create applications in any Java IDE supporting MIDP 1.0, although Borland have been working with Nokia to integrate Series 60 development with their JBuilder IDE through the MobileSet add-on. Java Developer also use the SDK to test their applications.
Content authors can also develop material using Adobe's GoLive that has been developed in association with Nokia.
The Nokia 3650 is undoubtedly a major step in realizing the rich functionality promised by the new generation smartphones. The Nokia 7650 set a high standard in usability and functionality. The Nokia 3650 raises the bar further. Consumer interest in these devices is likely to be significant and the opportunities for application developers are now far more tangible. We will take a closer look at the Series 60 interface and hopefully the Nokia 3650 in the next couple of weeks and examine why Nokia believe they have a winning formula.
I would like to thank Alchemy for supplying a copy of their Ximplify (www.ximplify.com) SeleQ application that was used to capture the Nokia 7650 screen shots used in this article.
|
|
|
