Symbian Group Targets Open Source with Mobile Development Platform

Symbian Foundation reportedly says that in order to encourage open source innovation among developers in the Symbian (News - Alert) world, it’s designed a new Zoom OMAP34x-II mobile development platform (MDP) built on Texas Instruments OMAP technology.

 

The Symbian Foundation, together with its ecosystem, says it’s creating the most proven, open and complete mobile software platform, based on Symbian OS and contributed software assets from S60 and MOAP. The Symbian OS is an open mobile operating system. Texas Instruments (News - Alert) says it is helping customers solve problems and develop new electronics that make the world smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun.

 

According to Texas Instruments, The Zoom OMAP34x-II Mobile Development Platform (MDP) is a full-featured evaluation platform built around Texas Instruments’ OMAP3430 processor. The MDP addresses the essential needs of the open-source community and high-level operating system (HLOS) developers. The platform is built on the OMAP technology which makes it as a product that unites the low-power requirements of embedded applications with the multimedia-rich expectations of smartphones and MIDs.

 

The new Zoom OMAP34x-II MDP is supposed to be the first reference platform for the Symbian Foundation. This is a test device, capable of running various mobile operating systems, which can be used, to test code, by those wishing to contribute to the open source platform. Developers can also make use of the MDP to familiarize themselves with any new and upcoming Symbian platform releases.

 

“TI has a long history of supporting Symbian OS and we’re excited about our continuing partnership with the Symbian Foundation,” said Pierre Garnier, vice president and general manager in TI’s wireless business.

 

Garnier added that the OMAP 3 software development platform and the Zoom OMAP34x-II MDP make it easy for the Symbian developer community to take advantage of TI’s fully featured, affordable hardware platform, sparking innovation and helping developers mastermind the next generation of technologies that shape future mobile consumer experiences. The Zoom OMAP34x-II MDP utilizes the capabilities of the OMAP3430 processor to drive technology integration for next-generation applications.

 

Key features of the OMAP34x-II MDP include a 4.1” WVGA capacitive multi-touch screen and full QWERTY keypad which allows easy interfacing; Wireless 802.11, Bluetooth, and FM networks to create numerous opportunities for connectivity; Expansion slots for MMC/SD cards, SIM cards, HDMI, and 3G modem modules to provide access to additional storage and features; and an external debug board that puts full development control within reach.

 

The Symbian foundation plans to move the platform to open source over the next two years, with the intent to use the Eclipse Public License. This will make the platform code to be available for free to everyone thereby offering broader engagement for developers. As part of the development of the platform, the foundation is fostering a community of developers, hardware manufacturers and other partners.