Symbian

Symbian was a mobile operating system for smartphones. It was created in 1997 by several companies and was based on software from Psion. Many well-known phone brands like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson used Symbian in their phones, especially in Japan.

Symbian worked on special processors called ARM and had different styles of user interfaces. Nokia used S60, while Motorola and Sony Ericsson used UIQ. These interfaces were different, so apps made for one did not work on the others. In 2008, Nokia took full control and created a non-profit group called the Symbian Foundation to make the software free for everyone.

Even though Symbian was once the most popular smartphone operating system in the world, it was later replaced by iOS and Android. By 2011, Nokia began using Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 instead. The last Symbian phone made by Nokia was the Nokia 808 PureView in 2012, though some phones in Japan continued to use a version of Symbian after that.

History

Main articles: EPOC (operating system), S60 (software platform), MOAP, and UIQ

Symbian began as an operating system called EPOC32 made by Psion in the 1990s. In 1998, Psion worked with phone makers Ericsson, Motorola, and Nokia to form Symbian Ltd..

Later, different groups of phone makers made their own versions of Symbian, like S60 by Nokia, Samsung, and LG, and UIQ by Sony Ericsson and Motorola.

Symbian was very popular, holding 67% of the global smartphone market in 2006. But it was hard for developers to make apps for Symbian because of its complexity and high costs. Other operating systems like iOS and Android became easier for developers, which helped them grow faster.

In 2008, Nokia took control of Symbian and created the Symbian Foundation to make the software free and open for everyone. But even with these changes, Symbian lost popularity to iOS and Android. By 2011, Nokia began moving away from Symbian to work with Microsoft on Windows Phone. Nokia stopped supporting Symbian in 2014.

Features

Symbian had tools that let people make programs for it. Early versions used a special kind of C++ programming language and special tools. Later, Symbian used a toolkit called Qt. This made it easier to create programs that could work on many devices.

The system also had a web browser that could show websites. It was one of the first mobile systems to use WebKit for browsing. Users could pick from many languages when setting up their device. Developers could also make programs using tools like Python or Adobe Flash Lite.

Application development

Symbian let developers create programs using many tools. By 2010, developers could use C++ and a tool called Qt. They could test their programs on a phone simulator, which made things easier.

Developers could also use Symbian C++, a special version of C++ just for Symbian. Before Qt, this was the main way to make programs for Symbian phones. Phone makers gave out special kits to help developers.

Other languages like Python, Java ME, and Flash Lite could be used too. When finished, apps were saved in special files called SIS files. These files could be sent to phones in many ways, like over the internet, through a computer, or using Bluetooth.

Architecture

Symbian's design is split into different areas, each with its own software tools. This helps organize the system.

The Symbian kernel (EKA2) works fast, making it good for phones with one processor. It uses a small design for reliability and speed. It includes tools for planning, memory, and devices, but places networking, phone calls, and file tools in other layers.

Symbian supports many tasks at once and protects memory, like computer operating systems. It was built with three main ideas: keeping user data safe, saving time, and using limited resources well. Later versions added real-time features and security improvements.

The system has several layers, from user tools down to the basic kernel. The kernel includes basic tools like a planner and memory handling, but places other services in higher layers. Symbian works well with different devices and file systems. It includes tools for networking, phone calls, and user interfaces, with many parts added by phone makers.

Symbian UI variants, platforms

As Symbian got better, it created different ways for users to use the phone. These are called "platforms" because they are very different from just changing the look of an existing system. This made it hard because apps made for one platform would not work on another.

Some of the user interface platforms that worked with Symbian include:

• S60, also known as Symbian or Series 60. This was mostly supported by Nokia. It started with S60 (1st Edition) on the Nokia 7650 and later had versions like S60 2nd Edition (for example, Nokia N70), S60 3rd Edition (like Nokia N73), and S60 5th Edition, which added touch screen features (such as on the Nokia N97). The name changed to Symbian after the Symbian Foundation formed, and it was later called Symbian^1, 2 and 3.
• Series 80 used in Nokia Communicators like the Nokia 9300i.
• Series 90 which worked with both touch screens and buttons. The only phone using this was the Nokia 7710.
• UIQ supported mainly by Sony Ericsson and later Motorola. It worked with both buttons and touch or stylus inputs. The last major version was UIQ3.1 in 2008, used on the Sony Ericsson G900. It stopped being developed after the Symbian Foundation decided to focus on S60.
• MOAP (Mobile Oriented Applications Platform) [Japan Only] used by Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, Sony Ericsson and Sharp phones for NTT DoCoMo. It was made for DoCoMo’s FOMA network and did not let users add new apps. (Japan Only)
• OPP [Japan Only], which came after MOAP and was used on NTT DoCoMo’s FOMA phones.

Version comparison

Manufactured by Fujitsu
† Manufactured by Sharp
▲ Software update service for Nokia Belle and Symbian (S60) phones ended in December 2015

Market share and competition

In early 2004, 2.4 million phones using Symbian were sold. This was twice as many as the year before. By late 2004, sales grew to 3.7 million. In the United States, Symbian was not very popular, with only a 6% share, behind Palm OS and Windows Mobile.

By November 2006, the 100 millionth smartphone using Symbian was sold. By July 2009, over 250 million devices had been made. In 2006, Symbian led the smartphone market with 73% share, but by mid-2011, this dropped to 22.1%.

Even though Symbian lost some of its market share over the years because new competitors like Android appeared, the number of devices sold still went up. From 2008 to 2009, Symbian's market share fell, but the number of devices sold grew. By 2010, Symbian was still the leader in smartphone sales. However, by mid-2012, its market share had fallen to just 4.4%.

Criticism

Users in countries with languages using letters beyond the usual Latin alphabet, like Russia and Ukraine, found it hard to switch between languages while typing. They needed many steps to change languages, making typing slower. Other mobile systems made this much easier.

Early software for the Nokia N97 had many problems and did not work well because the phone did not have enough memory.

In 2010, a blog said that the web browser that came with Symbian did not work very well and suggested using another browser called Opera Mobile. Nokia promised to improve the browser soon after.

Symbian had many different versions, which sometimes caused problems because some programs would not work on all versions.

Malware

Main article: Mobile virus

See also: Mobile security

Symbian was the first mobile system targeted by a virus that spread through Bluetooth. Later versions of Symbian tried to keep things safe by requiring special approval for programs that could do certain things. This helped stop some harmful actions, but users still had to agree to run some programs.

Some harmful programs were created, but they needed the user to install them first. For example, one program would stop certain safety programs from working.

Bypassing platform security

It became possible to change Symbian so that programs without special approval could do more things, which Nokia said could make the phone more vulnerable to harmful programs.

Version history

List of devices

Main article: Comparison of Symbian devices

This section lists the devices that used the Symbian operating system. These were early smartphones and handheld computers that ran on this special software. The list includes many models from different companies that helped shape the early days of mobile technology.