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Nokia N8, Symbian ^3 and Qt Helps Nokia Developers
By Phil Barker on September 17,
 2010 at 00:00,

Nokia-N8-06One of the great things about Nokia World – aside from being able to play with the latest hardware – was the fact we got to hear from some of the biggest software and app developers around, getting a feel for the future of Nokia and the Ovi Store. Join us after the break to find out more...

One thing we love about Nokia is that its operating systems - such as Symbian S60 5th Edition and Symbian ^3 - are completely open source. Because of this, you're not just restricted to the Ovi Store when you want to download the latest apps.

It looks like things are set to get a lot better for Nokia as well, with the cutting-edge devices such as the new Nokia N8 sporting the Symbian ^3 operating system. With apps for Symbian ^3 based on the Qt platform, we're told that development is a lot easier, with Purnima Kochikar – the Vice President of the Forum Nokia & Development Community – pointing out that up to 70 per cent less code is required.

At Nokia World, Purnima also pointed out that Qt is built for cross platform use, so porting brand new apps from Symbian ^3 to future MeeGo-based Nokias should be a doddle. This means we should see thousands of great apps, available for all of Nokia's new smartphones, irrespective of whether they run on Symbian ^3 or MeeGo. If nothing else, it should mean we'll see a lot more quality content on the Ovi Store.

We were also told about ways that developers would like to interact with the people that download their apps. A spokesman for Pixelpipe – one of Nokia's largest developers – pointed out that they'd love a way to communicate with the user. Even if they could just send a note when required – pointing out that particular bugs have been fixed, for instance. Sounds good to us.

Tags: Meego Nokia Nokia N8 Symbian ^3
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  • Stoli89

    Open source should not necessarily mean the consumer can go to a variety of different stores to buy apps. More importantly, it should mean that developers/suppliers have a deeper understanding of the OS in order to develop better, higher quality apps…faster. In any event, I do not want to shop at multiple stores to save pennies. I want OVi to be the best location to shop for Symbian/Meego apps, period. In terms of scale…it ought to be the cheapest place to shop. It must have superior search capabilities and should tailor itself to individual consumer preferences, which may evolve over time.

  • Phil B

    A very good point Stoli.

    However, with Ovi Store still in relative infancy, it does come in handy to have additional outlets to source apps from.

    As you mention, however, it would be nice to see all the best ones in one place. I know that Nokia are also working on different payment methods – with the idea of operator billing becoming increasingly popular – so perhaps this will also help to drive down costs of apps.