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Symbian OS v9.5 announced
The world's most popular smartphone platform, Symbian, is taking a step forward this week with the announcement of version 9.5. Nine and a half versions sounds like a lot, and, well, it is -- but when you consider that Symbian has its roots in Psion's ages-old EPOC, it's pretty darned plausible to think that they've come this far. New features are very multimedia-centric, reflecting the reality that modern phones are becoming true multimedia convergence devices; the camera subsystem alone accounts for 35 new goodies including orientation tilt sensor support, autofocus spots, and red-eye reduction. No word on when Symbian's largest clients -- Nokia's S60 and Sony Ericsson's UIQ -- will integrate the latest version, but we think it's pretty safe to say that they will.
SavaJe struggles to survive
It seems that one of the prerequisites to the survival of a mobile software platform is... well, hardware to match. Imagine that? Apart from an LG special and a self-branded testbed that was never meant for the general public's consumption, SavaJe has blown through an alleged $71 million in venture capital with very little success to show for it. Its Java-based operating system has won the hearts and minds of the developer community, but thanks perhaps to a glut of platforms infecting the featurephone and smartphone markets these days, SavaJe simply hasn't caught on en masse. The lack of success appears to be taking a toll on the Massachusetts-based company, which is said to be desperately seeking a cash infusion while asking its developers to take a little unpaid time off. Call us morbid, but we reckon we're going to go ahead and write up that obit now.[Via MobHappy]
Nokia offering firmware upgrades direct to users
Anyone keeping a pulse on the S60 scene knows that for Nokia's complex little pieces of smartphone machinery, firmware updates tend to come fast and furious. Normally, getting in on the updates requires a trip to your friendly local service center -- or, for the 95 percent of us outside driving distance, saying goodbye to your mobile buddy for a couple days. Over-the-air firmware updates (FOTA) are all well and good, but manufacturers and carriers have been a little slow on the uptake, and even plain ol' PC-delivered upgrades are oddly difficult for the average user to come by. Thankfully, it looks like Nokia's started to roll out user-initiated updates for reals with the N70, N72, 6131, 6630, 6680, 6681, and 6682 all currently supported; more promised in the not-too-distant future. Only 6131 users can opt for FOTA right now -- the remainder require a PC and cable -- but we're guessing we won't be hearing many complaints from Nseries owners now happily humming along on the latest cuts.[Via MobileBurn]
