Symbian^3 released
Symbian^3 has been unveiled today by the Symbian Foundation. The Symbian^3 platform is the first fully open source release since their switch to open source earlier this month.
Simpler: Some notable improvements are coming that benefit all applications. Consistent roll-out of a “single tap” paradigm throughout the touch UI means no more “tap to select, tap again to action”. Navigating the UI just got easier. One-click connectivity benefits all network-aware applications, greatly simplifying the process of connecting to the Internet. New global settings allow you to configure platform-wide behaviour, for example managing transition between cellular and WLAN networks.
Faster: A new 2D / 3D graphics architecture takes full advantage of hardware acceleration to deliver a faster and more responsive user interface. This framework also opens the door to a whole host of new effects and transitions in the UI. In parallel the core data-networking architecture has evolved to accommodate the differing needs of network-aware applications. This improves the experience of using web-based services, whether uploading large videos fast or listening to internet radio on a jitter-free stream.
Better: Well, this list could go on for a while so I’ll just pick a couple of examples…
The Homescreen, starting point for all user interaction, picks up a few new tricks. Find that you can’t squeeze all the widgets you need onto one page, or want separate pages for personal and work widgets? No problem, in Symbian^3 the Homescreen will support multiple pages of widgets and a simple flick gesture to move between them. Want to show multiple email accounts or weather forecasts for more than one city? No problem, in Symbian^3 the Homescreen supports multiple instances of a widget. Widgets themselves gain the ability to extend their UI, popping up a larger window when selected.
