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.