Nokia readies Symbian 2 to beat Android

Symbian on the up with new platform
Symbian on the up with new platform

The Symbian Foundation, owned by Nokia, is readying the release of an open source version of its mobile OS, as well as an application store framework for its customers.

The new service, apparently dubbed Symbian ^2, is due in the coming weeks as a beta release, and will be used in an attempt to slow the acceleration of Google's Android.

The SF has been quietly working on the open source platform and when it launches, it will come with a framework that will allow users to formulate their own application stores called Horizon.

One for all

The reason behind the framework is the Foundation doesn't want to have a unilateral app store, rather an easy way for others to create their own (in the same way Nokia has done with the Ovi Store).

This means that the portals may look different, but someone would be able to easily develop an application that would work on a number of different Symbian ^2-based phones.

Horizon will be the app publishing program with multiple language and marketing support and will allow developers access to payment processing and payment aggregation from a number of sources.

With Symbian plugged onto nearly half the smartphones in the world, making them all interoperable is a clear goal for organisations like the SF, so Horizon could be the key to making someone like Nokia into a big player in the mobile application world.

Via Rethink Wireless

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grew with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.

Latest in Nokia Phones
Composite of three new Nokia phones
3 new retro-inspired Nokia phones will have you rocking out like it’s the 2000s
Nokia G42 in So Purple color
Nokia G42 combines repairability and 5G connectivity in a handsome purple package
Nokia 5710 Xpress Audio with earbuds pictured on the screen
Nokia’s new phone is like a 3310 with earbuds built into the back – and I love it
A Nokia G60 5G from the front and back
A trio of cheap phones from Nokia have landed, with eco-friendly credentials
The Nokia G11 from the back, in someone's hand
Nokia G11 review
A Nokia G21 from the front, showing the home screen
Nokia G21 review
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con up-close from app store
Nintendo's new app gave us another look at the Switch 2, and there's something different with the Joy-Con
cheap Nintendo Switch game deals sales
Nintendo didn't anticipate that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was 'going to be the juggernaut' for the Nintendo Switch when it was ported to the console, according to former employees
Three angles of the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 laptop above a desk
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review roundup – should you buy Apple's new lightweight laptop?
Witchbrook
Witchbrook, the life-sim I've been waiting years for, finally has a release window and it's sooner than you think
Amazon Echo Smart Speaker
Amazon is experimenting with renaming Echo speakers to Alexa speakers, and it's about time
Shigeru Miyamoto presents Nintendo Today app
Nintendo Today smartphone app is out now on iOS and Android devices – and here's what it does