Borland Software Corp. on Tuesday unveiled its C++ development tool for 2.5G and 3G mobile phones and PDAs that run on the Symbian OS and said a test version would be available by the end of this year.

Scotts Valley, Calif.-based Borland, which is known for its Jbuilder application development software, said the release of the C++ technology would enable developers to produce applications for mobile apps that run on the Symbian OS, which powers advanced, data-enabled cell phones.

"As currently planned the solution will also support the development of C++ applications for Nokia's Series 60 platform, which runs on the Symbian OS, the company said in a statement.

Interestingly, the move means Borland, which is partly owned by Microsoft , is canoodling in the corner of rival Nokia.

As if on cue, Nokia publicly applauded Tuesday's announcement. "We welcome Borland's support for C++ and Java," said Jouko Hayrynen, VP of Forum Nokia, the Finnish company's global developer program.

"The market for advanced, data-enabled mobile handsets is growing quickly, and Borland's C++ technology for mobile devices will enable millions of developers to bring new applications to market and capitalize on this great opportunity," Hayrynen added.

Symbian, which licenses an open-standard OS for data-enabled mobile phones, is co-owned by Psion, Nokia, Motorola and Ericcson, and is seen as the chief rival to Microsoft's mobile phone OS.