Arhlone Live!The launch of Symbian’s Zoom OMAP34x-II MDP development platform signals that the open source OS will power some high-end smartphones.
By Marin Perez, InformationWeek
April 15, 2009
URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216500914
The Symbian Foundation is looking to bring in more developers for the upcoming open source Symbian, and it has created a new development platform based on Texas Instrument’s OMAP technology.
The new platform, dubbed Zoom OMAP34x-II MDP, will enable Symbian developers to make mobile programs that take advantage of TI’s powerful OMAP processor architecture. This processor will power many high-end smartphones like Palm’s upcoming Pre, and it offers near-laptop-like speeds, capacitive touch capabilities, 3-D graphics, and video encoding up to 720p. The new platform will be able to validate handsets that run Symbian^3, which is targeted to be in development by the second half of this year.
“The OMAP 3 software development platform and the Zoom OMAP34x-II MDP make it easy for the Symbian developer community to take advantage of TI’s fully featured, affordable hardware platform, sparking innovation and helping developers mastermind the next generation of technologies that shape future mobile consumer experiences,” said Pierre Garnier, VP of TI’s wireless business, in a statement.
The move is a clear signal that the open source Symbian will power some smartphones with a lot of horsepower, but as these handsets become more of a mainstream product, it’s apparent that technical specs alone aren’t enough to differentiate devices. With Apple’s App Store leading the charge, there’s a growing emphasis on the software platform and what type of apps can be used on a smartphone.
This focus on software is one of the reasons Nokia decided to buy out Symbian last year and spin it into an open source operating system. Developers will likely be able to utilize Nokia’s upcoming Ovi Store to distribute Symbian apps, and this over-the-air store will help users find new programs by utilizing social networking and location information.
