Symbian^3 officially announced, previewed on video
By Vlad Savov 
posted February 15th 2010 4:29AM
posted February 15th 2010 4:29AM
posted February 15th 2010 4:29AM
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Looks good. Still not loving the font, but that's just me.
@espentan not just you
@espentan I concur, I dunno why, but I just dont like the font Nokia uses!
@espentan
Completely agree. I've always customised my Nokia phones in the past to try and get away from the horrid fonts and menu styles...
@espentan Yup; I used to hate everything about Nokia phones, but these days they've improved enough that the font they use is one of the only things putting me off buying one of their phones.
@espentan
seriously, what the hell guys ?
this ain't iPhone OS , you are allowed to change whatever font you like !
@espentan
this is tits....!!!!! hell ya. i dont care who they copy of of. if it works it works. Plus nokia make much much much higher quality cell phone hardware than Apple. either way its a win win situation for us peeps on the market for a handset.
damn the 600 dollars and below gadget market is chalk full of goodies. me likey a lot. ^_^
@espentan
Font is the least thing Nokia has to worry about. Copying Apple's Cover Flow UI is a serious issue giving there is a lawsuit pending. How much Nokia has to pay if Apple wins the lawsuit?
@espentan Really.. its not just you.
@Nokia N900
+1 for you
first time i see consumers that their purchase preference is dependant on the font !!!!
I mean these guys go to the super market and say "i won't buy this product because i don't like the font!!"
@fokka Hint: FontRouter.
Wonder if N97 and similar devices will be updateable to Symbian^3?
@Almo Kinda doubt it, based on past experience. There were so many "feature packs" for all the S60 phones, yet the packs cannot be retrofitted or updated.
Case in point: E71 with Feature Pack 1 and E71x with Feature Pack 2.
@phoenix004
Yeah, well you can't make a proper comment with an unproper brain!! :D :D
Back on topic, this looks pretty sweet. Not that I'm all that picky. S60v5, though not perfect, suits my needs well enough.
Nokia's biggest asset just became competitive and attractive at the same time
@camroncake
Looks rocking, bring it on Nokia!
@camroncake:
TBH, I the only thing important I saw from the video as a face-lift... How you actually interact with the UI seems eerily similar to that on S60 5th: it takes too many clicks to do simple tasks.
@Butler yeah.. no big changes, looks too much similar as 5th edition.. disappointment..
@Butler - actually, the Symbian Foundation explicitly states that they've streamlined the UI with Symbian^3...so there's some hope that things got better.
And yeah, I absolutely agree. The most annoying thing about S60 v5 is that is full of unnecessary steps to get things done, be it installing stuff, creating a data connection or plugging in headphones...that a simple info-dialogue that requires no user interaction at all practically freezes the device for 2 seconds is just unbelievable (like that stupid "Packet data connection on hold" message whenever you call somebody)...
@camroncake yeah... until you read the release date.. 2011
still, should just change to android, wholistically support it and put a custom UI over it like HTC does, that way theres full compatibility throughout 50% of the market
@fatjoe i sense the sarcasm but its not immediately evident
@pander Whats so good about android everyone wants every phone maker just switch to it? I don't get it.
@pander There is no sarcasm. Symbian has a HUGE marketshare lead and an equally big developer base. Nokia has no need or intention to support Android.
@Herr Synnberg @fatjoe Its silly not to try and embrace a more widely spread OS, i understand that the Symbian OS is all about Nokia and is now open source, but thats its problem, currently its completely dependant on the Success of Nokia. I've been running on Symbian for years but i would predict that Android is going to get alot more support than it. Mainly because many companies arent willing to side with the current powerhouse of the market. Google, if it manages a large share of the market with Android will surely overtake Symbian, if not for anything else other than Branding.
@pander Android a "More widespread OS" than Symbian? Like seriously?
Even if we're talking eventual marketshare, do look up the Q4 results. Symbian GAINED marketshare.
What you WANT and what IS are two different things. Enlighten yourself.
@Herr Synnberg more widespread meaning over a greater area (more companies) this will lead to it becoming a more popular OS.
@fatjoe nah, been a nokia boy all my life....
@fatjoe In all fairness, the "Put Android in it and it instantly becomes 4649474 times more awesome!" advocates are getting far more annoying than Apple fanboys at an alarming pace.
I happen to LIKE Android, but jeez!
@pander
You belief that Android will get more market share due to being on more handsets is just plain silly and I'm sure you know it. Nokia outsells everyone else. There could be 20 different companies...Nokia still outsells them. They've been doing it for years.
I recently had problems with the screen my almost-a-year-old 5800 XM, a problem that apparently it's been reported as frequent, so I took it to my carrie's tech service. They told me I need the original invoice (which i didn't have) and that i would take 15 days to repair the phone. I then tried a Nokia service point at a CarphoneWarehouse (Phonehose in Spain) and in 15 minutes, with nothing else needed, they replaced my screen at no cost, confirming that i was still covered my my warranty by just looking at the IMEI number. That's waht customer service is all about. I highly doubt Google or Apple can match that, at least here in Europe.
Add to that some great things to step up their game like free maps and the Ovi suite (that it's getting better and more useful everytime) and you get a loyal customer base that will actually give them a chance to develop a better OS (updates to S60 5th have been constant and in the right direction, they are now in the v41).
Bottom line, I was not a nokia lover, but they have won me over with a great support ecosystem and by making me feel there's a huge company supporting and working to improve what i have in my hands. Can the OS be better? yes, but they certainly don't have the need to turn over to off-the-shelf OS's like android, (Motorolla, Acer or SonyE, etc) to stay afloat. They can rely solely on themselves to stay on top of the new mobile era that's been cooking since the iphone broke in...
@Tes well, im yet to upgrade from my hardworking N82, i tend to go off hardware specs, so we'll see how we go if this version comes out in time...
@Eclectico69 Apple's done that just from looking at my iPod's serial number before. Dunno about how they look at phones but if it's quick and easy like that… Nokia knows how to do it right.
@Eclectico69 I had a similar experience to you, and I completely agree; Nokia really does have excellent customer support, at least in Europe, anyway.
@Eclectico69
Hi there!!
It is a totally different story here in China and Hong Kong!!
I am asked by the Care Center to bring the invoice too, but I lost it, and they told me that if I don't have it I will have to pay it for 60 USD!!
But my phone is still under warranty!!
Why there are such big difference for customer service between countries??????!!!!!!
Man I hate Nokia Care Center in China and Hong Kong.......
@giggig you could have that though, you could have an android system, with a UI overlay. Nokia could easily integrate Symbian into an android platform, and make a greater number of apps available for all. Equally, Google could do the same and integrate android into Symbian now that it is open source. But you could still have the overall feel and design of the symbian interface, with all the gadgets and apps of an android.
I never deal with Nokia here in Australia (they're crap) i fix all my phones myself, as well as other peoples.
@pander google, nokia, apple are all HUGE in their own ways and this is the time of all the giants trying to push their weight around. pick your camps now, but sit tight and wait for VMWare to come along and level the playing field with multibooting mobile devices.
@Herr Synnberg: Agreed. Android is good, but it's not the be all and end all. There's only an estimated 25% market saturation at this point in the smart phone market, and Nokia has a good install base.
Why give up now? It's the same with Microsoft. LOTS of time time to grow, so why not build the platform for moving forward?
Nokia's biggest problem is splitting their customer base between Maemo (MeeGo? Really?) and Symbian. Their strategy is a little splintered right now.
but Nokia bought QTC and their tool development chain should bring Symbian up to speed... All they got to do is make it usable and intuitive. As for the applications if Symbian apps were easy to program for maybe a lot of developers would be on to it but with QTC the odds are better.
@Eclectico69 Are you serious? having used Nokia products in the US for many years I know what shit service they give us. First they used a company called Palco to handle their repairs. Now I don't know what they use, its better but nowhere near the same as Apple which will change out the phone immediately. I don't know about HTC though.
Nokia service is good if you buy from one of the 2 (to be closed) Nokia flagship stores only. If you bought your phone there and nowhere else they will do an immediate replacement otherwise be prepared to be without your phone for 2 weeks.
Nokia is also the company that after replacing my phone under warranty would not reissue my software licenses for software I paid for and bought. This was all FIRST PARTY software through N-gage and through the Nokia Maps application. They told me to rebuy the software.
I know the rabid fanboys will downrate the truth again. They are so possessive over a company.
Looks good. Makes iphone UI seam dated.
but ... just to many OS choices. This is one thing that MS use to be good at!
@Nidan Exactly how does this make any current phone ui look dated but Symbian itself?
There is nothing in this promotional video that Apple or Google hasn't shown us for over 2 years now. It looks pretty much like it should, but to say that it makes the competition looks dated is a huge overstatement.
Thats a huge ass phone!
@KGB Bleh, THATS a huge ass phone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLKwzYHU0vc
this looks not bad! i like the open applications view like in webOS! the whole UI looks much better! hope to see some nice hardware especially the nice N98 i've been seeing lately would definatly make a killer device!
It still looks like S60 v5, just with better transitions
the pros:
Hardware accelerated graphics
multitasking
Pinch to zoom
Android style homescreen
The cons:
Still very similar UI
Not that visually appealing compared to Maemo
However it does show improvement
@Acey the UI is expected to look similar for a reason, they don't want to completely lose their identity. its a Symbian after all.
they don't want to lose what they got by risking everything.
that's also why they have Maemo on the side where they can experiment more on.
@Acey When you put this up to the current s60 situation this is very very attractive. the usability is where the focus was. not flare.
but i can imagine many peeps around the world will love this.
Not every one has Maemo cash laying around. i fell guilty for buying my N900.
wow hopefully they reveal a maemo device that is large and in charge today @ MWC.
but that unlikely..... a guy can wish though right.
most likely it will be a nokia booklet 2. (please have ION) please. :'(
@Acey The UI on the video looks okay and the homescreen is great. But really, as the saying goes, the devil's in the details. It's the menus that they need to make sure to simplify and make consistent; make extra sure that the things users do most are only a click or two away. I own a 5800 XM -- just setting up and activating a timed profile takes way way to many clicks. (And please remove the "invisible touchable" areas.)
Hope Nokia can execute because they make great functional phones.
looks pretty solid, but is it just me that i can't really see any "innovation" here???
it looks like a combination of the existing symbian touch interface + iphone gestures + webos tabs...
c'mon nokia where're the innovations?