We'd argue that the "wow" factor still isn't there quite yet, but we'll admit:
Symbian^4 is clearly going to be a bit of a departure from the versions that came before it. The Symbian Foundation has posted the first handful of home screen UI shots on its developer wiki recently showing redesigned widgets, app categories and search, pop-up menus, and a standard-issue numeric touchscreen keypad -- and unlike
Nokia's concept videos from before, these are from a real emulator running real code. While
MeeGo is still expected to dominate the high end of its range, Nokia's expecting to use Symbian^4 in at least some of its devices by
early 2011 -- and knowing how these guys like to go big with global roll-outs spanning tens or hundreds of millions of devices, this is a UI you might end up getting to know
extremely well within a year or two.
posted July 17th 2010 2:18AM
Like the new Blackberry OS: painfully derivative.
@Gibson
Sand surfers rejoice.
@Gibson
Based on what? There's nothing there?
OMG! It has a screen, apple ripoff!
OMG! it has a statusbar at the top, apple surely invented that!
OMG! It has a widget! Apple invented that! (well, they will around ios 6)
@Gibson These are not Symbian^4 screenshots. They are shots of Orbit which is the UI framework used to build the system applications in Symbian^4. Symbian^4 UI will only be ready in 2011.
@Gibson
This is NOT your girlfriend's symbian!
@Gibson at least you can make calls.
@Gibson What happened to the UI designer?
@canarsieville
Except there's no service...
@Billy
Specials need employment gives tax breaks. They were low on cash.
@corylulu
Rest easy in the fact that everyone who downranks you because of your unthoughtful statement laughed as they hit the ' - ' sign.
@LeJay
where did anyone say anything about apple?
@Gibson
Good.. I'm looking forward to it.
@McKirf What you're referring to doesn't have an "m" in it.
@LeJay lol ios 6 ads
"widgets done the right way"
@Gibson You of course don't know anything about symbian.
Btw, the screenshots look MUCH better than that video which made me think that S^4 would be horrible! And I bet the final OS would still be alot different from this. I see where nokia is heading, and they're heading the right way. Meego to dominate high end devices and symbian^3 and 4 to dominate the low and mid end (which they already rule I guess)
All Nokia has to do is make Symbian more visually appealing and touch friendly while keep it's functionality and usability the same.
@ruby
I don't see why if it's reminiscent, even passingly so (which I don't see) of another OS why that's a bad thing. Doesn't look like S^3 for sure
@Gibson
Painful Derivative? Don't talk CALCULUS with me mr.
@Gibson
Oh god, another mobile os for developers to sink their butts in. First, iOS, webos, Android, Windows phone 7, blackberry os 6 and now symbian...
man i would hate to be a developer now
@Gibson +10
@robindahoods
Qt, everyone except apple is likely to use it at some point.
Android port is on the way, Symbian is natively using it, as is MeeGo.
OEM's want it done, they ask and any Qt app will run for their OS.
@spartandre217
Well, apple and microsoft,
XNA is their thing.
@LeJay I was thinking more like Android ripoff. It looks like 1.6.
Who the hell emulates 1.6? Nice job, Nokia.
@Jesse S
ripoff how ? a widget and a task bar ? right Android invented that, hope they have the patents for it , cause microsoft , apple , and everybody else owe them alot of money.
@LeJay How was your comment "highest ranked"? Obviously the widgets were ripped from Android, and the page control looks and would presumably function exactly like the built-in page control feature in the iOS SDK.
@Gibson
Derivatives? So the derivative of Simbian^4 would be 4*Simbian^3 so no, I think you're wrong. Go back to Calculus and learn how to derive properly.
@LeJay You gotta admit, sometimes trolls bring out the best in us.
@Gibson What do expect bout the UI? Antennagate?
@furquanatique The only thing I have to say is that this looks miles better than S^3 so I look forward to it's final form and what Nokia can do with it. Hopefully they can really wow us, because I think that most people have become jaded to Nokia offerings of late.
@cmelbye
Stop spreading nonsense, Maemo and its precesessors have been using widgets for ages. Nokia does not need to copy anything, they were first with practicallty everything in the wireless space. The fact that you havent seen features until they were incorporated in Android or iOS does not mean anything.
@robindahoods
Actually it was Symbian first, then all of the others you mention.
@Gibson
So they got rid of that ugly blue options bar. Great!..And replaced it with grey bar on top. Lame!
@Gibson Not one bit if anything it looks SLIGHTLY like a mix of android and iOS4
@IMarius The first thing I thougt whn I saw his was Android 1.6. It's so obvious. I know there's only so much you can do with a UI but come on!
@LeJay
Looks like a mix between Ubuntu and iOS.
I hate to say it, but I really like the look of what we can see here.
The challenge will be for Nokia to make some compelling hardware to match.
I even like the current iteration of PC Suite, which I had to download the other day for an old Nokia n70.
@where u at
"No Service" is an Apple trademark.
Anyway, they finally changed the font, so maybe it won't look like shit now.
@LeJay Looks more like an HTC G1 screen ripoff.
@Gibson Very true and Wrongfully ranked into oblivion
@Jesse S How could you call it a ripoff of Android 1.6 when Android 2.2 still looks exactly like 1.6?
@LeJay Someone really likes apple
@engadgetcomexcludeengadget
nice.
@robindahoods
Symbian isn't just now getting here. It is the original smartphone OS, and is in its 11th year. No other OS has ever led the market, was once 70% of the market just a few years ago, and its never been below 37% of the market.
If developers have to worry about OSes to focus on, this should be the first just because of its reach. That it is based on cross platform technologies makes it even more attractive.
Its taken Americans so long to catch on, but now you seem to be getting it. It takes more than a three year run from Apple and a wave ride from Android to erase the guy with the biggest lead and the most money.
Also, remember that Nokia no longer runs Symbian. There are many Symbian code contributors, only one of which is Nokia.
@LeJay
Congratulations sir!. You just managed to be the first idiot who just HAD to mention Apple in a non Apple article. Please Engadget, can i have a LeJay filter?
@Gibson Who'd have thought Nokia would bring out the trolls.
IMO, these screenies don't tell us much, but it does look rather outdated. Android a year ago sort of look. Not really fresh at all, I was expecting more from Symbian, but seeing as there's not much to it, I'll reserve judgement till they actually give us a good look at the OS.
@LeJay gay
@LeJay He said nothing about Apple. Take your visceral hate elsewhere. I hope you die in an accident.
@where u at
Seriously? Dude, it's all over his post. Read it again.
@JojoMojo
"I hope you die in an accident"
A sound argument.
@LeJay
Actually, LeJay, I wasn't even thinking about Apple. I thought the lifts off of Android and even some webOS features were extremely obvious, I can't believe there is even debate about it.
I wonder why they don't just adopt Android. Could they possibly lose anything by doing so? From the looks of it, this system will offer nothing more, they'll really have to build an app catalogue with just touch apps nearly from scratch.
@TinWard
Because android is simply not as good.