History of Symbian OS. Smartphones: Symbian and BlackBerry operating systems

The first version of Symbian OS was released back in 1997, but, as it turned out, it was not functional. It was not until 1999 that the Symbian 5.0 operating system was released and was suitable for use. 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. She 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 Definition screen: 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

Then it's time for S60 Second Feature Pack 2. This version of 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 - support for an active slider covering the camera appeared, and Active program Standby - 5 icons for quick launch desktop elements. The next model was (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 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 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 mistakes", smartphones are under Symbian control OS 9.2 has improved functionality and is 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 the N-Gage gaming platform (on our website), as well as music service Nokia Music Store and Nokia Maps- navigation service. More and more often they began to appear on phones GPS receivers. 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. Devices 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 user interface was almost completely redesigned in the new OS:

1) the control has become “three-button” (previously only two soft keys had a purpose);
2) the window has changed running applications, it has become horizontal and is launched not only when you hold down the “Menu” key, but also in standby mode through 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 the screen will display Additional Information about the selected menu item (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

New platform was originally 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.

Touch UI interface with feedback tactile communication makes working with your phone much easier. For maximum convenience in standby mode, a Contacts Panel has appeared, as well as a Multimedia panel, thanks to which it is possible to fast access to music, video, photos and direct Internet access. The new OS will allow you to view Flash animation in the browser using Adobe Flash Lite 3. Also, the S60 5th platform supports Open C++, which opens up ample opportunities to software and game developers.

• 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 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 in total Nokia company will have a 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

Formerly one of the leaders among mobile operating systems on this moment Symbian is dying out. The project itself is closed. This operating system has a complex and outdated interface and few features. But! She is one of the pioneers.

Interface of modern Symbian OS.

In 1989, Psion introduced EPOC designed for 8086 processors. Its name is similar to the word Epoch and means “the opening of a new era in the world of mobile technology.” However, some users deciphered this abbreviation as “Electronic Piece of Cheese” (“electronic piece of cheese”).

PsionMC 400 is the first device to run this operating system. The next OS was SIBO, which was later renamed to EPOC, and after that to EPOC16 (due to the discovery of a series of 32-bit EPOCs). Then it was renamed again to SIBO. This system was easy to operate and had the following capabilities:

• Graphical interface;
• Built-in OPL language translator to ROM;
• A mechanism that separates applications and kernels into separate threads;
• Multitasking;
• Functionality;
• Reliability;
• Stability.

The main disadvantage of SIBO was that it was targeted only at x86 processors. But the developers were unable to predict the rapid emergence of new hardware architectures. The Psion Series 3mx computer “signed the doom” for this operating system, since the limit of interface and application development had been reached. But thanks to SIBO, a whole direction of keyboard PDAs opened up.

Psion Series 3 (left) and Psion Series 3a (right).

EPOC16 (SIBO) was replaced by EPOC32 (32-bit version). This system was aimed at ARM processors and appeared on the Psion Series 5 device in April 1997. With the advent of updates, errors were eliminated and the following features were added:

• TCP/IP stack support;
• Support for color screens;
• Java support;
• Email.

EPOC32 was multitasking and did not require many resources during operation. It is divided into a graphical shell and a core. Control was carried out both using the keyboard and using touch screen.

Psion Series 5mx and system overview.

EPOC licensing for other manufacturers

In fact, the system was very good for its time, but business, as we know, often ruins good things. At that time (it was 1997), financial problems forced Psion to transfer the development of EPOC to a “daughter” called Psion Software, and in 1998, the latter, together with Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia, formed new company Symbian Ltd., and all subsequent versions began to be released under the name Symbian OS. This is how the EPOC system came to mobile phones.

Ericsson became interested in the system. The Ericsson MC218 device was a copy of the Psion Series 5mx, and the Ericsson R280s device with EPOC System Release 5, and even more so with EPOC System Release 5u (adding UNICODE support and with changes in the interface) became a new product. R280s is the first Symbian smartphone that combines an organizer and a mobile phone.

Perhaps Nokia fans will argue, I will only say that the first smartphone was released by Nokia (model Nokia 9000 in 1996), but it was on GEOS OS. Therefore, the Ericsson device, which was released in 2000, can still be considered the first smartphone. It is also the first device to feature a flip and touch screen. Lack of installation option third party software was its main drawback. On the other hand, the R320s was presented as an organizer, so it wasn't that important. R380s (left) and MC218 (right).

The smartphone was a success, which gave mobile device manufacturers reason to think seriously. In 2001, several platforms were formed, namely:

• Series 80 (the basis of Nokia 9xxx smartphones);
• Series 60 (in Russia called S60, which was installed in almost all Symbian smartphones: Lenovo, LG, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung, Sendo, Siemens, SonyEricsson);
• UIQ (Motorola, Sony Ericsson Amira, Benq);
• MOAP (Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Sharp, Sony Ericsson).

There was also the Series 90, which ran the Nokia 7700 and Nokia 7710. We'll get to that later.

Symbian remained confident in the mobile device market. In 2004, Psion sold its stake in Symbian Ltd, as it was clear that the operating system would no longer be available on PDAs.

Series 80

This is Nokia's first Symbian system. Peculiarities:

• Resolution support 640x200;
• Similarity in terms of interface with EPOC;
• Ability to install applications;
• MMC card support;
• Stereo output;
• SSL/TLS;
• Availability of Opera browser;
• Possibility of sending a fax.

Nokia 9210 appeared in 2001. IN closed the device looked like a telephone, but when opened it looked like a PDA. If you compare it with SonyEricsson, they were not much different, except that Nokia had a different form factor (“clamshell” that opened from the side), devoid of a touch screen.

Nokia 9210.

Series 80 2nd Edition received, among other things, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth support, a slightly modified interface and the Symbian 7.0 kernel.

Nokia 9300.

A little later, Nokia abandoned the S80 due to incompatibility with another platform – the S60. And it was unprofitable to support several identical products. As they say, you're chasing two birds with one stone...

Series 60/S60

This is the most famous Symbian platform of all presented. It turned out that some users, not knowing about the existence of Psion, about previous releases, about other platforms, considered the OS version to be S60. For example, Symbian 3.2 means S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2.

This platform has finally finally combined the phone and the PDA on one screen. The first phone on it was the Nokia 7650. The slider looked not much different from a regular mobile phone (progress, however). Nokia 7650 (left), first N-Gage (right).

1st Edition received support for Bluetooth and GPRS. Although the revolutionary change in the system was the interface, which now turned out to be closer to the interface of a mobile phone (yes, this is why some modern owners of devices with S60 do not even suspect that they are calling, sending messages and using Jimm from a smartphone). Behind it were hidden wide possibilities, including - powerful organizer and address book, the ability to install applications, multitasking and much more.

We must not forget about the first game Nokia smartphone, which received a more advanced API for games than in Java.

Series 60/S60 interface.

In 2003, Nokia 6600 was released with S60 2nd Edition (from this version the name S60 stuck instead of Series 60) on board.

The second edition was again not without changes. Firstly, Symbian 7.0 brings support for built-in cameras, languages ​​(Arabic and Hebrew), IPv4/IPv6, HTTP/1.1 and MIDP 2.0. Secondly, changes in 2nd Edition: now native apps sis and MIDlet (jar) are installed into the system with one installer, CLDC 1.0 support, automatic settings WAP via air (you send OpSoSu an SMS, you receive Internet settings), SIM App Toolkit (a menu that is stored in the SIM card), a media player and media gallery, changeable themes and much more appeared.

Series 60/S60 2nd Edition interface.

Things seemed to be going well. The number of smartphones sold using this system grew literally before our eyes. This is where things like viruses creep in. After all, at that time there was not much thought about security, especially in the mobile device sector. Microsoft Company recognized the threat of viruses for mobile devices, but no movements were noticed from Symbian.

Someone under the pseudonym Vallez from the virusmaker group 29A created the first virus for the Symbian platform in 2004. True, it did not cause much harm, since its task was to display the word “Caribe” on the device’s screen, and also distribute it to other devices using Bluetooth.

Later, S60 2nd Edition Feature Pack (FP) 1, 2 and 3 appears. FP1 included:

• HTML 4.01 support;
• EDGE;
• Changes in the interface.

FP2 was based on Symbian 8.0 with a choice between EKA2 and EKA1 (new and old kernels). The new update includes:

• Ability to quote a message;
• Expanded gallery;
• WCDMA;
• Speech recognition;
• Support for Bluetooth headsets;
• New libraries for Java;
• Additional browser features.

However, the new kernel was not used until the release of Symbian version 8.1, which was included in FP3 and corrected a number of bugs. The following changes have occurred in FP3:

• Improved camera support;
• OBEX (file transfer using Bluetooth);
• Some additional interface features have appeared.

In the same year, the Symbian system version 9.0 appeared. The updated system has made a complete transition to the EKA2 core. But this system was aimed at testing new technologies.

In 2006, S60 3rdEdition was released on Symbian 9.1. The main difference of this version was in application protection, while past errors and shortcomings were taken into account. True, not everything is as rosy as we would like: applications that use certain functions (writing/reading information, working with power) had to be signed with a certificate issued on the site. Besides, all this cost money. Each application was assigned its own UID.

Over the past decade, handheld computers (PDAs) have become one of the most striking symbols of the “information society.” And although they are now being replaced by smartphones, these devices, in fact, only combine the functionality of a PDA and a cell phone (+ GPS navigation). Moreover, many PDA functions have long been delegated to very accessible Cell Phones middle price category. It is clear that all this equipment must run under an operating system that is in many ways similar to operating systems for PCs (after all, even a relatively simple mobile phone is also a computer). Today the main operating system for mobile phones and smartphones is Symbian OS. Now, according to statistics, every third phone has this operating system, specially designed for mobile devices. According to experts, Symbian OS is good for everything, except for protection against virus attacks(this is an advantage on the side of Windows Mobile), which forces the use of special anti-virus software. Otherwise, Symbian fully justifies itself, which is why it has become widespread. However, most users of gadgets with Symbian OS have a very poor understanding of this operating system and its capabilities. Well, let's try to dispel the darkness of ignorance :-)…

general information

The market for operating systems for smartphones and communicators (let's agree to consider these terms synonymous), unlike the similar market for OSes for desktops and laptops, is quite open. However, there are also leaders here, with whom the world's leading smartphone manufacturers are associated and who, to a greater or lesser extent, strive to control the software market for wireless devices. Today the leaders of the race are:

Motorola, which produces products under its own brand for its smartphones (Linux-Java OS);
- Palm company and its Palm OS, installed on communicators Sony, Handspring, Samsung;
- Microsoft Corporation with branded “windows” - Windows Mobile;
- and, finally, very popular among users (largely thanks to Nokia) Symbian OS from the Symbian Corporation.

Also gaining strength quickly various projects based on Mobile Linux, but they do not yet seriously affect the overall balance of power in the market. For those who have had the chance to get acquainted with competitors' products, Symbian seems much easier to learn and use. The developers of this OS played on the laziness of Microsoft, which simply transferred desktop Windows onto mobile communicators, resulting in a very cumbersome system. Symbian, on the other hand, was created for smartphones and therefore adapted to their small size, low-resolution screens, while at the same time providing them with multitasking capabilities. Over the five years since the inception of Symbian, seven versions of the software have been released. Today versions 7, 8, 9 are used, which, by the way, are implemented without backward compatibility. But in any version, Symbian OS is a fully functional 32-bit operating system, created taking into account all the requirements of the telecommunications industry and supporting most modern standards and protocols - such as Bluetooth, GPRS, GSM/EGSM, HSCSD, CDMA. Starting with the sixth version, released in 2001, the OS is divided into two parts: the kernel and the graphics subsystem, which allowed mobile manufacturers to use proprietary graphical interfaces for their smartphones. Therefore, Symbian installed on devices produced by two different companies may look perfect differently. Symbian OS applications feature very attractive graphical elements that allow you to master the intricacies of the OS even inexperienced user. Symbian also has a simple and user-friendly menu. The user has at his disposal standard graphical controls implemented in the EIKON library, including a toolbar and toolbars. Control is provided both from the keyboard and using a touch pen. Back in May 2002, an agreement was signed between Symbian and Opera Software, Whereby Opera browsers are now used by default in Symbian OS. Modern communicators (starting from the seventh Symbian series) install the eighth version of the browser, the main distinctive feature which is the ability to load up to nine windows simultaneously.

History of Symbian OS

Experienced users probably remember Psion handheld computers - the forerunners of modern PDAs. They were created by Psion and worked under the Epoc operating system developed in 1991. Over time, Psion's were forced out of the PDA market by competitors, and Psion, in collaboration with Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola, developed the EPOC 32 operating system, later renamed Symbian OS.

Chronology:
- June 1998 - Symbian LTD company. is created as an independent private company, company-owned Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola and Psion. - 1999 - the company is recognized as the most promising in the mobile device market. Its co-owners include the Japanese corporation Matsushita (Panasonic).
- 2000 - Symbian receives an award from the UMTS Forum in Barcelona for the successful development of UMTS solutions as a component of the global information space. Sony and Sanyo license the Symbian OS operating system. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Symbian receives an award for technical innovation. The first smartphone launches on the market Symbian-based OS - Ericsson R380.
- 2001 - a new version of the Symbian OS 6.1 operating system for GPRS devices appears. Siemens licenses Symbian OS. Symbian becomes a sponsor of the SyncML project. The first communicator Nokia 9210 appears. The first 2.5G mobile phone based on Symbian OS is announced - Nokia 7650. Fujitsu licenses Symbian OS.
- 2002 - Sony Ericsson becomes a co-owner of Symbian. The company will present a new version of the operating system - Symbian OS 7.0 - at the 3GSM world forum, and in February Symbian will announce the UIQ user interface. Sony Ericsson announces the Sony Ericsson P800 smartphone. Samsung licenses Symbian OS.
- 2003 - Samsung is one of the co-owners of Symbian. Symbian OS 7.0 is released in April and will be presented at Exposium03 in London. In October, Nokia announces the first phone with TV reception capability - Nokia 7700.
- 2004. Symbian OS 8.0 was announced in February. In March, Symbian becomes the leader in the smartphone market.
- 2005 - Symbian OS 9.0 was announced in February.
- 2006. The 100th commercial phone model was released in May. In November - the 100 millionth smartphone based on Symbian OS.

Although the birth of the Symbian brand occurred in June 1998, Psion, drawing on its extensive experience in the field of portable mobile devices, released the first release of the EPOC 32 operating system in April 1997, thereby marking the birth of a new generation of operating systems for mobile devices. Initially, the C++ language was chosen to write this OS as the most powerful and most functional object-oriented programming language at that time. Time has shown that the choice was quite successful and justified.

Symbian OS device

Without going into details, we can simply say that the system kernel, file server, the memory manager and device drivers are located in the base layer of the operating system (Base). The Kernel manages system resources such as memory and is responsible for time slicing for applications and system tasks. Device drivers provide access to and control of various parts of the hardware platform - keyboard, screen, infrared port, etc. For more high level the system supports various communication capabilities- such as TCP/IP, IMAP4, SMS and database management. Using Symbian OS components, you can access all the necessary functionality - such as multimedia, security, personal information, graphics and other elements modern gadgets. Symbian OS components support data synchronization and internationalization.

Symbian OS versions

Developers have to release more and more new versions of Symbian OS for several reasons. Firstly, the hardware components of portable devices are rapidly improving. New communication protocols are also emerging and the performance of previously developed technologies is improving - all of which requires support at the system level. The second reason is the prevalence of viruses, of which there are currently more than one and a half hundred under Symbian. Let's consider all versions in order.

Symbian OS 5.0-7.0

The first officially released version of Symbian was 5.0. Such devices as Psion Revo, Psion Netbook, netPad, Ericsson MC218 worked under her control. IN next version(Symbian OS 5.1) Unicode appeared. The Ericsson R380 worked under this version. Devices running Symbian OS 6.0 and 6.1 became the first generation of so-called open phones, that is, having the ability to install software by the user himself - this was the Nokia 9210. Also, it was from these versions that the division of devices into families was introduced. Now there are three families of devices: keyboardless PDAs reminiscent of Palm and Pocket PC (Sony Ericsson P800), Pearl smartphones (Nokia 7650) and Crystal keyboard communicators (Nokia 9200 Series). Symbian OS 7.0 and 7.0s is a release of Symbian that came with all modern user interfaces including UIQ (Sony Ericsson P800, P900, P910, Motorola A925, A1000), Series 80 (Nokia 9300, 9500), Series 90 (Nokia 7710) , Series 60 (Nokia 6600, 7310). In the same year, the first self-replicating virus for mobile phones using Symbian OS, called Cabir, was discovered. It used Bluetooth devices to distribute itself.

Symbian OS 8.0

Symbian OS 8.0 was a version of the operating system with two different kernels - 8.0.a and 8.0.b, respectively. Version 8.0.a was selected by some manufacturers to maintain compatibility with older device drivers. Symbian OS 8.1 is a redesigned and remastered version of 8.0.b, which was also available in two versions: with 8.1a and 8.1b kernels respectively. The 8.1b version - with single-chip telephone support, but without any additional level of security - was popular among Japanese telephone companies. The following features have been added to Symbian OS 8.0:

Support for cheaper memory chips (set at the discretion of the manufacturer);
- the ability to create interfaces for voice recognition, encryption of streaming data, for working with three-dimensional applications and sounds; - support for WCDMA communication standard;
- ability to work with different protocols for video calls;
- ability to highlight e-mail, links, etc. for preservation and further work;
- files with rights from third parties cannot be sent to other devices - they can only be used on the device on which they were received or pre-installed (DRM);
- to achieve greater compatibility of devices with different screens it became possible to edit the parameters of pictures before sending them, for example, via Bluetooth;
- Headset profile for Bluetooth.

Symbian OS 9.0

This version was released solely for internal use by Symbian. It improves the security and compatibility of versions 6 to 8. Symbian OS 9.1 version improved security - this was its main focus. Support for Bluetooth 1.2 and OMA 1.1.2 control devices has also been introduced. Symbian OS 9.2 - support for Bluetooth 2.0 and OMA 1.2 control devices. Symbian OS 9.3 brings increased boot speeds and built-in support for communications hardware Wi-Fi networks. Implemented support for the HSDPA standard, the UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) specification, which provides the ability to receive IP calls over Wi-Fi and automatically transfer the call to cellular network when leaving the Wi-Fi access area. Version 9.0 improves system performance, data access speed, and memory efficiency, but this requires sacrificing compatibility with previously created programs. Users at the time of release new version and, accordingly, they were faced with the lack of a new smartphone necessary programs and applications, the old ones did not run on the new devices at all. There is also a new security platform - the so-called signature framework. All applications now had to be signed with a special numerical signature, and limited access was set for directories and folders.

Symbian OS for manufacturers and developers

Manufacturers are attracted by the fact that Symbian OS was developed from the very beginning with the aim of licensing for a wide range of telecommunications equipment manufacturers. At the very beginning of the creation of an operating system for mobile devices, the task was set to freely transfer it to different types processors. The Symbian developers failed to cope with this task, but found an alternative option - they chose ARM processors as the main platform, which have an optimal performance/power consumption/price ratio and are licensed by companies such as Intel and Nokia. Another advantage of Symbian OS is its built-in multilingual capabilities. For mobile devices there are still no standards for screen size, keyboard structure, etc. Symbian has a clear separation between graphical interface and other software components, which makes it possible to easily adapt the system to any screen size and resolution, absence/presence of a touch screen, and create devices with a “branded” appearance and hardware. For mobile software developers, the appeal of Symbian OS lies in the wide range of development tools it provides. Programs in standard C++ language are created on a PC using a development environment Microsoft Visual Studio and emulator. The main advantage of Symbian OS is that it is an open system, which means that the entire set of programming tools, as well as all necessary information available completely free of charge. It is not surprising that under such conditions the number of programs for the Symbian platform is simply enormous. back side medals - an abundance of malware for Symbian OS.

Denis Lavnikevich

Once upon a time, in ancient times, there were Psion computers (someone may remember them, and someone worked on them). They were created by Psion and ran on the Epoc operating system. It was this company, in collaboration with Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola, that developed the EPOC 32 (Symbian OS) operating system.

History of Symbian OS development

The attractiveness of Symbian OS for manufacturers and developers

The attractiveness of Symbian OS for users

If Symbian is so good, why do they keep releasing newer and newer versions?
Largely due to the prevalence of viruses, there are currently more than a hundred of them under Symbian. Also, new communication protocols are appearing, phone characteristics are improving, and you need to work with all this.
Let's look at all versions in order.

Symbian OS versions 5.0 – 7.0

Symbian OS version 8.0

• There is now support for cheaper memory chips (installed at the discretion of the manufacturer).
• Opportunities have emerged for creating interfaces for voice recognition, encryption of streaming data, and for working with three-dimensional applications and sounds.
• Support for the WCDMA communication standard has appeared.
• It is now possible to work with different protocols for video calls.
• It becomes possible to highlight e-mails, links, etc. for saving and further work.
• Files with third-party rights cannot be transferred to other devices and can only be used on the device where they were received or pre-installed.
• To achieve greater compatibility for devices with different screens, it is now possible to edit the parameters of pictures before sending them, for example via Bluetooth.
• Headset profile for bluetooth.

Symbian OS version 9.0

• A new system core has been introduced that supports real-time operation.
• v 9.0 improves system performance, data access speed, and memory efficiency, but at the expense of this it was necessary to sacrifice compatibility with previously created programs. At the time of the release of a new version and, accordingly, a new smartphone, users were faced with a lack of necessary programs and applications, while the old ones did not run on the new devices at all.
• The new security platform is the so-called “signature” structure. All applications must now be signed with a special numeric signature, directories and folders must have restricted access, etc.
• Implemented support for the HSDPA communication standard.
• Increased speed downloads and built-in support for communication equipment with Wi-Fi networks.
• Bluetooth 2.0 support.

Today, the smartphone market is developing at an unprecedented speed, slowly displacing the market for regular mobile phones. If previously only wealthy people could afford such high-performance devices, now they have become available to everyone. Their price category comparable to the prices of regular phones. Manufacturers are trying to provide smartphones with the most advanced technologies and at the same time reduce their cost.

In the near future, smartphones, like their older “brothers” - communicators, will conquer the mobile device market, completely displacing conventional handsets. After all, when buying such a device, we get a multifunctional device that combines both multimedia and an unlimited set of business functions, and is also equipped with an operating system and processor, which distinguishes it from a mobile phone.

Today there are several types of operating systems, such as, and. Each of these operating systems has its own characteristics, types, advantages and disadvantages.

The most common is. Mainly due to the fact that most smartphones are produced by everyone’s favorite manufacturer – Nokia. Although such manufacturers as Samsung, Motorola, Siemens and Sony Ericsson have mobile devices running this OS in their arsenal. And most importantly, devices different manufacturers, but with the same operating system, have many differences.

The Symbian operating system was developed in order to satisfy the desire of consumers to have multifunctional mobile devices and perform various high-tech operations on them.

And thanks to the efforts of such large corporations as Ericsson, Nokia, Matsushita, Kenwood, Fujitsu, Siemens, the first version of Symbian OS was released in 1997. And in 2002, the sixth version of this OS was released, and with it the first smartphone.

Today the most common are 7,8 and 9 versions of Symbian. In general, Symbian is full set office, organizational and communication applications, and to control the device itself and application programs, a beautifully drawn graphical shell is used.

In general, Symbian OS has several versions, namely 3 and several add-on packages:

- S60 2nd Edition, Feature Pack 1 - Symbian OS v7.0s( , Panasonic X700, Panasonic X800, Samsung D720, Samsung D730);

- S60 2nd Edition, Feature Pack 2 - Symbian OS v8.0a( , Lenovo P930);

So, let's look at the most latest version, namely S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 - Symbian OS v9.1, namely its main advantages and disadvantages.

Main advantages and differences from previous versions:

Implemented improvements in system performance and data access speed, memory efficiency;

New security platform;

No viruses at the moment;

Supports high color rendering displays;

Main disadvantages:

Complete incompatibility with programs and applications of previous OS versions.

Conclusion: Today Symbian is the most optimal and most powerful operating system used in mobile devices. which will certainly be the leader in the smartphone market yet for a long time. Updates (Feature Pack) for Symbian 9, which will expand its capabilities, will not be long in coming. And let's hope that software manufacturers will not make you wait long and will release the same amount of software as for previous versions.