Nokia to Buy Symbian, Free Platform

By Geoff Duncan June 24, 2008

Nokia to Buy Symbian, Free Platform

Finland’s Nokia—still the world’s largest maker of mobile handsets—announced today it plans to acquire remaining outstanding shares of UK-based Symbian for €264 million (about $410 million). But the move isn’t intended to bring the Symbian operating system, which Nokia uses in its smartphones, fully in-house and give the mobile giant even greater control. Instead, Nokia plans to set Symbian up as a royalty-free platform, via the new Symbian Foundation, so other manufacturers and developers can use in their mobile devices. Industry watchers are viewing the move as a savvy response to Google’s open source Android platform and the LiMo Foundation’s efforts to build a Linux-based mobile platform…and, of course, to make Symbian more competitive with Windows Mobile counter mobile developers’ eagerness to build for the Apple iPhone.

“Ten years ago, Symbian was established by far sighted players to offer an advanced open operating system and software skills to the whole mobile industry”, said Symbian CEO Nigel Clifford, in a statement. “Our vision is to become the most widely used software platform on the planet.”

Recommended Videos

Prior to this deal, Nokia owned about 48 percent of Symbian. Symbian software is used in about two thirds of all smartphones sold worldwide; it’s closest rival is currently Windows Mobile, which is occupies about 13 percent of the smartphone market. Nokia is by far the largest developer of Symbian devices.

“Establishing the Foundation is one of the biggest contributions to an open community ever made,” said Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, in a statement. “Nokia is a strong supporter of open platforms and technologies as they give the freedom to build, maintain and evolve applications and services across device segments and offer by far the largest ecosystem, enabling rapid innovation.”

Nokia already has a broad range of device developers and mobile operators onboard with teh Symbian Foundation, including Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, AT&T, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, Docomo, and Vodafone. Sony Ericsson and Motorola have also announced they intend to contribute technology from UIQ to the foundation, and Docomo plans to contribute its MOAP software.

The joint Symbian platform is expected to begin reaching consumers in 2009.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Mobile

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): Which iPad to buy?

Proportional comparison of blue iPad mini 2024 beside yellow iPad 2022.

After a three-year wait, Apple has finally breathed some new life into its smaller iPad mini. While fans of the new 8.3-inch tablet may be disappointed by the lack of changes on the outside, it’s what’s under the hood that counts, and the 2024 iPad mini packs plenty of power into a tiny frame.

It’s an update that leapfrogs Apple’s entry-level full-sized iPad (2022) in every way except for its price tag. This part raises the most important question: Is the two-year-old iPad a worthwhile purchase for its larger screen, or is it worth paying $150 more to work on a smaller canvas? Let’s dive in and see if the trade-offs are worth it.
Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): specs

Mobile

Best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 deals: Get the foldable for free

YouTube Flex mode features on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Folding phones are pretty popular, and their unique design often makes them pretty expensive. Still, you can find some folding phones among the day’s best phone deals, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is one that always stands out. It’s been on the market for a little while now so some Galaxy Z Flip 5 deals are available. They’re stretched across retailers and carriers, so we’ve done the heavy lifting of organizing them all in one place. Reading onward you can find all of the best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 deals, and if you’d like to see some other foldable phone deals check out the current Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 deals and Google Pixel Fold deals. You can also find some savings among more traditional smartphone designs by shopping iPhone deals, Samsung Galaxy S24 deals, and Google Pixel 8 deals.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 deals at Samsung

Samsung doesn't have any Galaxy Z Flip 5 phones in stock at the time of this writing, and we aren't sure if they'll reload at some point. Be sure to click through and see if that's the case if you prefer to buy directly from Samsung, as there's a good chance they may have restocked, and Samsung can be a great place to find Galaxy Z Flip 5 deals.

Mobile

Amazon Kindle vs. Kindle Paperwhite: don’t buy the wrong e-reader

Renders of the Amazon Kindle (2022) and Kindle Paperwhite (2021).

The Amazon Kindle is probably the first name that comes to mind when you think of the best e-readers, but what you may not realize is that the Kindle name represents an entire lineup of devices, from the humble, newly-redesigned Kindle (2024) that defines the brand to the all-new Kindle Colorsoft, Amazon's first-ever all-color e-reader.

While other models like the Kindle Scribe and Kindle Oasis are pricey flagship e-book readers that are each distinctive in their own way, there's also the new Kindle Paperwhite (2024), which is more visually comparable to the entry-level Kindle. It's so similar, in fact, that you may have a hard time deciding which one to go with if you don't look past their surface-level similarities.