The first version of Symbian OS was released back in 1997, but, as it turned out, it was not functional. Only in 1999 was the operating room released Symbian system 5.0, which was usable. Then versions 6.0, 6.1 and 7.0 were released.

The company that was one of the first to decide to install this OS on its phones was the company Nokia. It has developed three software platforms: Series 60, Series 80 and Series 90.

Symbian 6.1

The very first version of S60, using Symbian 6.1 as the base OS, was used to make the first Nokia smartphones: 7650, 3650, 3660, 3600, 3620, N-Gage, N-Gage QD. These phones featured such “shocking” things at the time as “hot” swapping of memory cards, stereo headset output, and installation of MP3 ringtones.

• Devices: Nokia 7650, 3650, 3660, 3600, 3620, N-Gage, N-Gage QD
• Camera: VGA
• Memory card: MMC
• Best phone:

S60 2nd Edition

Symbian OS 7.0

The next stage in the evolution of S60-based smartphones was the appearance of the S60 Second Edition, which is based on the new Symbian OS 7.0s. The first smartphone was . The main differences were support for themes (can be found on our website), Java Midp2.0 (without 3D), support for HTTP1.1 and a new interface. Later company Nokia decided to release three add-ons for the S60 Second Edition - Feature Pack 1, 2 and 3. These add-ons became, as it were, updates for an older OS.

• Devices: Nokia 6600
• Standard screen resolution: 176x208 pixels
• Camera: VGA
• Memory card: MMC
• Best phone: Nokia 6600

Symbian OS 7.0s

The base OS for the S60 Second Edition remains Symbian 7.0s, and its main differences from the old one are support for megapixel cameras, EDGE, Push-to-Talk, frames in HTML pages, support for MP3 and AAC files, as well as presence and location services. The most iconic of all devices was the one, which did not stay on store shelves for very long. This model was popular among young people; businessmen chose it.

• Devices: Nokia 3230, 6670, 7610, 6260
• Standard screen resolution: 176x208 pixels
• Camera: VGA, 1 Mpx and 1.3 Mpx
• Memory card: RS-MMC
• Best phone: Nokia 3230.

Symbian OS 8.0a

Next it's time for the S60 Second Feature Pack 2. This version Series 60 includes a thoroughly redesigned OS - Symbian 8.0a. The main differences from S60 Second Feature Pack 1 are work in WCDMA networks with support for video calls, a redesigned interface, Java MIDP2.0 with 3D support. The first device built on the new OS was . This was followed by, moreover, the ergonomics and interface of this model were slightly modernized - there was support for an active slider covering the camera, and the Active Standby program - 5 icons for quickly launching desktop elements. Next model became (essentially the same 6680, but without 3G support).

• Devices: Nokia 6630, 6680, 6681
• Standard screen resolution: 176x208 pixels
• Camera: 1.3Mpx
• Memory card: RS-MMC
• Best phone: Nokia 6680.

Symbian OS 8.1a

In 2005, two new smartphones were released Nokia on the S60 Second Edition Feature Pack 3 platform - and .They were the first phones in the new Nokia Nseries line. Nokia N70 was an example of a youth super-functional device, but Nokia N90 was a camera phone unprecedented before that time. Their only drawback was the very high price of about $700-1000, but they still flew off the store shelves with a bang! The main difference of the S60 Second Edition Feature Pack 3 is: support for 2-megapixel cameras, a new interface and high screen resolution (in Nokia N90 - 416x352 pixels). A little later, another one came out, which is very similar to the N70, only the design has changed and 3G support has disappeared.

• Devices: Nokia N70, N72, N90
• Standard screen resolution: 176x208, 416x352 pixels
• Camera: 2 Mpx
• Memory card: RS-MMC
• Best phone: Nokia N90.

Symbian OS 9.1

The main difference S60 Third Edition from previous versions is Symbian OS 9.1 Moreover, the core of the system has been completely redesigned and is now executed in real time. A new line of business devices from Nokia Eseries has emerged on this platform. Under the leadership of this OS, an entire army of smartphones was created with hitherto unprecedented functionality. The security of Symbian OS 9.1 is ensured by a signature system. Any product must be tested by Symbian itself (if the application is system-based and requires a high level of access to smartphone resources). If this is a regular program, then the developer himself can sign it. Applications created for earlier operating systems will not work with Symbian OS 9.1. can be found in the corresponding section of the site.

• Devices: Nokia N71, N73, N77, N80, N80 Internet Edition, N91, N93, N93i, 3250, 5500, E60, E70, E61, E50
• Standard screen resolution: 176x208, 416x352, 208X208, 240X320, 320X240 pixels
• Camera: 1.3Mpx, 2 Mpx, 3.2Mpx
• Memory card: RS-MMC, MiniSD, MicroSD
• Best phone:

Symbian OS 9.2

New OS on S60 Third Edition Feature Pack 1 - Symbian 9.2, is an improved version of Symbian 9.1. As a result of “working on bugs”, smartphones running Symbian OS 9.2 have improved functionality and are more stable. This OS ensures the operation of 5-megapixel cameras; new smartphones already come with 128 Mb of RAM and built-in memory up to 8Gb. The corporate multimedia menu has also been updated (it is made in 3D style). The highlight of the new OS is that most new smartphones support gaming platform N-Gage (on our website), as well as the Nokia Music Store music service and Nokia Maps - a navigation service. GPS receivers are increasingly appearing on phones. It is also worth noting that all programs released for Symbian OS 9.1 will also work on Symbian OS 9.2.

The functionality of smartphones is gradually reaching the level of PCs. WITH new version OS devices are designed for everyday use, for work (Eseries) and for entertainment (Nseries).

• Devices: Nokia N81, N81 8Gb, N82, N95, N95 8Gb, N76, 6110 Navigator, 6120 Classic, 5700, 6290, E65, E90, E61i, E51, E66, E71
• Standard screen resolution: 240X320, 320X240, 800x352 pixels
• Camera: 2 Mpx, 3.2Mpx, 5 Mpx
• Memory card: MicroSD
• Best phone: .

Symbian OS 9.3

At WMC 2008, the first Nokia phones running on the S60 3rd Feature Pack 2 platform were presented. The new OS was almost completely redesigned user interface:

1) the control has become “three-button” (previously only two soft keys had a purpose);
2) the window of running applications has changed, it has become horizontal and is launched not only when you hold down the “Menu” key, but also in standby mode using the left soft key;
3) in standby mode, the quick access menu has been redesigned - Active Standby, now you can arrange shortcuts both horizontally and vertically, in the latter case additional information about the selected menu item will be displayed on the screen (live broadcast of RSS feeds);
4) the main menu is now available in four options: Grid, List, Horseshoe, V-shaped; the menu also contains various animation effects;
5) Navi Wheel – the navigation wheel is now available in all menu items.

• Devices: Nokia: N78, N79, N85, N96, 6210 Navigator, 6220 Classic, 5320;
• Standard screen resolution: 240X320 pixels,
• Camera: 3.2Mpx, 5Mpx
• Memory card: MicroSD
• Best phone: Nokia N85

Symbian OS 9.4

The new platform was initially developed for smartphones with touch screens, which already says a lot. The new platform greatly simplifies navigation both on the phone and on the Internet, and also demonstrates new capabilities in the field of multimedia.

The fifth edition of the platform includes the ability to record video in widescreen mode (16:9), in addition, the user will be able to adjust many camera settings. The platform includes photo and video editors; in order to upload files to the Internet directly from your phone, you use the OVI service.

The touch UI interface with haptic feedback makes working with your phone much easier. For maximum convenience in standby mode, a Contacts Panel has appeared, as well as a Multimedia Panel, which provides quick access to music, videos, photos and direct access to the Internet. The new OS will allow you to view Flash animation in the browser using Adobe Flash Lite 3. The S60 5th platform also supports Open C++, which opens up wide opportunities for developers software and games.

• Devices: ,
• Standard screen resolution: 640X360 (nHD) pixels
• Camera: 3.2Mpx
• Memory card: MicroSD
• Best phone:

The future of Nokia and Symbian

Company Nokia decided to make Symbian OS an open platform. To implement this idea, the company intends to acquire a 52% stake in Symbian Limited, which will cost it EUR264 million. In addition, the Finnish company has agreed to purchase shares in the following companies: Ericsson (15.6%), Sony Ericsson(13.1%), Panasonic (10.5%), Siemens (8.4%). This means that Nokia will have a total of 91% stake in Symbian Limited.

Together with AT&T, LG Electronics, Motorola, NTT DoCoMo, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone, Nokia creates an organization Symbian Foundation, in order to make Symbian OS an open platform. To use the open OS, the user must be a member of the Symbian Foundation and pay $1,500 every year.

Besides, Nokia plans to release new smartphones running on the new S60 5th Edition platform.
Seryoga_91 The history of the joint development of Nokia S60 and Symbian OS

Today we will talk about the Nokia company, whose name is familiar to most modern people around the world; for many it has become synonymous with the term “ mobile phone" Like any major player in this field, it has millions of fans and no less opposition. Let's try to figure out what helped her reach the forefront in her business.

According to Nokia's official website, its history dates back to 1865. Since that time, the company has gone from a wood processing enterprise to a leader in the field of telecommunications. In the 60s of the last century, the main area of ​​activity was the production of rubber, in the 80s - monitors (it must be admitted that they were of very high quality for their time). At the same time, the first telephones began to appear (for the NMT network), although transporting them required a small (and sometimes large) cart. Difficult and interesting story We will omit the company from 1987 (considered the year of release of the first mobile phone from Nokia) until the beginning of the 21st century; materials about this period are widely available on the Internet, the reader can easily find the information he is interested in.

We will begin our story in 2000, and specifically with the release of the model. The choice is not accidental; moreover, I would divide the history of the manufacturer - before and after the 3310. The phone became extremely popular in the world of GSM devices; neither before nor after it the company has known such success. In our country, the phrase “Nokia 3310” has become a household word, and people with it are still easy to meet on the street. What brought such fame? There can be many answers and none will be completely correct. The company did not fail in anything: compact dimensions (especially compared to the “bricks” of the late 90s), high-quality rough plastic, contrast screen, extremely high level of ergonomics, high resistance to falls, replaceable panels, etc. The list can be continued, but the fact remains that the model has become a cult and, if the ideal phone had a name, then in 2000 it would have sounded “Nokia 3310”.

But time passed and it became clear that the budget 3310 and its clones could not maintain sales. Competitors gradually made their presence felt; many manufacturers, including Korean ones, wanted to grab a tasty morsel from the exponentially growing sales of GSM phones. Moreover, in 2001, the mobile division of the Japanese electronic monster Sony merged with the Swedish company Ericsson, which by that time already had a number of strong solutions.

In 2001, Nokia was noted for its successful model in the business segment - both the original one, which had a full keyboard, and was designed for those who like to send SMS messages.

At the same time, a device of the highest price segment is entering the market -. It has a good set of functions and a titanium case. This is one of the first successful models of the Finnish manufacturer in the segment of fashion phones.

In 2002, solutions with color displays were launched on the market en masse, Nokia had a clearly segmented the lineup. Many models saw the light of day, which later became bestsellers - (late 2002-early 2003). The absence of real competitors (except, perhaps), the simplicity and accessibility of built-in functions and excellent ergonomics combined well with the small size of the case (6100, for example, can easily be attributed to one of the first thin monoblocks).

The above-mentioned models were built on the Series 40 platform and occupied a price niche of $350-400. In the segment of budget devices, the Nokia 3310 was a new one, which already had java support and polyphony.

Meanwhile, in the same year 2002, an event occurred whose significance is difficult to overestimate. Nokia launches the first Symbian smartphone on the market - a slider with an index. And although the product turned out to be quite crude (short operating time, problems with Bluetooth, small amount of built-in memory and lack of support for expansion cards), it was able to offer a new level of capabilities that exceeded those of Java phones. Together with the devices, they began to dominate in the segment from $700. Subsequently, the S60 platform received a start in life, and the company devoted great effort to it. By the way, it should be noted that until recently, the 7650 remained the only “smart” slider in the company’s line, and only very recently it appeared with a similar form factor.

Thus, the beginning was laid for the Finnish manufacturer’s two main platforms – S40 and S60. At the beginning of next year they received a logical development. Updates have appeared for models 3510 and 7210 - and. And if the first differed from its predecessor in fact only by the presence of a color display, then the second, in addition to the new index, received a built-in digital camera and 4 MB of internal memory, becoming the top device of the S40 line.

Another strong move was the release - it was created primarily for people leading an active lifestyle, and had a rubberized body. The device turned out to be really successful; the author had to be present during a kind of crash test, when a person out of anger threw this phone into the concrete floor. The device did not receive any visible malfunctions or external damage.

The last model based on the S40 that I would like to mention is. Being a kind of transformer with digital and qwerty keyboards, it had a number of serious shortcomings and did not become popular.

In the budget segment, a nice-looking update of the 3*** series with the index has appeared.

Looking back at the 7650, one would assume that the company's next smartphone will be an improved business model, where the flaws of its predecessor will be corrected. But it happened differently and a youth decision was released. In my opinion, at that moment the market needed a good, functional smartphone, and if it had been successful, the company would have become the author of a new bestseller. Unfortunately, the 3650 didn't live up to those expectations. The hardware of the device was very good - there was a large display, a good VGA camera and the long-awaited support for memory cards (MMC). Nokia's main and only serious mistake was its controversial design - the circular arrangement of keys looked attractive only in the picture, but in reality it turned out to be extremely inconvenient and scared off a very large percentage of potential buyers. If this solution had been presented in more strict forms and with a classic keyboard, it would undoubtedly have become a bestseller. This model was released a little later, but the moment had already been missed.

Results

To summarize, we can say that the beginning of the 21st century was very successful for the Finnish manufacturer. Until mid-2003, the company was on top; most competitors were seriously lagging behind Nokia both in technology and in terms of advertising and sales. During this period, ties with major suppliers and operators throughout Europe were strengthened.

But everything comes to an end, and in the second part of the material we will see how and why Nokia’s position has been shaken, what difficulties it had to go through trying to maintain the title of number one company in the GSM terminal market.