Seeking to lay a definitive claim on the market for advanced phones with
multimedia capabilities, London-based Symbian this week debuted the latest
version of its mobile phone operating system.
Symbian also upgraded its Java implementation to include Java MIDP2.0
Symbian ushered in Symbian OS v7.0s Tuesday at its Exposium03 developer
conference, boasting new features including a lightweight multi-threaded
multimedia framework, support for W-CDMA
Java Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) 2.0, support for multiple
primary/secondary PDP contexts and bi-directional text (like Thai, Arabic
and Hebrew).
Symbian said the multi-threaded multimedia framework (MMF) provides
enhanced audio recording, playback, audio streaming and imaging
capabilities for Symbian OS applications. It includes a generic multimedia
plug-in system which allows developers to write plug-ins using abstract and
concrete classes representing actual resources and abstract components.
Symbian said concrete classes include files, descriptors, sockets, audio
I/O and video I/O. The MMF supports formats including WAV, AU, RAW (in
various formats), PCM, uLaw, aLaw, and GSM6.10. It also includes a codec
API, an audio Controller plug-in, support for sound device abstraction and
arbitration, a video playback/recording/telephony framework, a MIDI client
API and support for concurrent processing of multiple multimedia data
streams.
By adding support for 3GPP W-CDMA, Symbian is striving to round out its
telephony stack, which already supports GSM
cdma2000 1x (Release A)
its clients, Symbian is trying to make it easier for handset manufacturers
to port the Symbian OS from one mobile phone standard to another.
and Bluetooth. Symbian has also included Sun’s new Java Virtual Machine
(JVM), which it said provides sleeker performance and will encourage
over-the-air download of Java applications.
The support for multiple primary/secondary PDP (Packet Data Protocol)
contexts allows users to access more than one network service at the same
time — for instance surfing the Web while also accessing email or
downloading an application. Symbian said this allows operators to create
multiple, simultaneous revenue streams from a single handset, each with a
different quality of service and charging model.
“The enhancements deployed in Symbian OS v7.0s will enable application
developers and network operators to offer more advanced, entertaining and
productivity-enhancing applications, content and services, making Symbian
OS phones even more attractive to users,” said Morten Grauballe, vice
president of product line management at Symbian.
The Symbian OS is licensed by many mobile phone manufacturers, including
Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Siemens and Sony Ericsson
