Having been dealing deeply in this myself, have to agree. There's
nothing inherently bad with Symbian , just the horrid business
management for value added applications on Nokia vis a vis
Softbank/Yodafone. You really have to wonder at times if they are simply
following the 'hundred monkeys' method of business development.
Take China for example, it's fairly painless to get both CMCC and Nokia
China behind the ball on value added applications. They have a real team
in place, talk to each other, and support the developers with referrals
to regional operators ready and willing to test market. In contrast, you
have Nokia Japan which doesn't seem to know its head from tail, waiting
for <someone> who always seems to be absent at Softbank for approval,
then passing the whole thing over to Singapore, who are mainly
disinterested and couldn't be bothered from their table at the Raffles.
Personally I'm a big fan of Symbian, lots of great apps can be built,
deployed and revenues earned. However, until the operator AND handset
vendor realize that having value added apps on the phone actually
increases their brand loyalty and improves ARPU , we'll be stuck in the
same old humdrum.
JAVA simply doesn't crack the nut. Far too high level and pitiful access
to the lower , highly needed , functions on the phone. Great for games
and simple apps -- but really a far cry from the depth of applications
you can build out of Symbian.
For example - we have a 2D (QRCODE) reading application in Symbian that
is fully approved by both CMCC and Nokia in CHina. It's the ONLY
micro-focus AND fixed-focus app that actually works worth a damn. Look
around you - at Softbank, EVERY released keitai with a camera has a 2D
reader EXCEPT NOKIA!! Trying to get them or Softbank off the mark is
impossible. A perfect example of their total unknowingness of the market
state around them. Bizarre.
Nick May wrote:
> Weeelllll
>
> I hold no candles for Symbian - but my lord - if Microsoft is the
> answer, it is a pretty f***ed up question....
>
> Microsoft and I go back to the DRDOS fiasco days - so if you are one
> of those people who decry Microsoft haters - well pardon my French
> and all - but screw you - I have good reason to loath, despise and
> mistrust Microsoft which I would be happy to outline for you in
> glorious technicolour quadrophonic stereo sound, smellothonic 3D
> detail - but alas, keitai-l is not the place for it....
>
> Symbian isn't the immediate problem - softbank - or possibly vodafone
> - is the problem.
>
> Case in point - putting isync on my shiny new N73 being "temporarily
> chotto muzu-***ing-kashii" - I decide to sync the 702NK with the
> 705NK using the built in bluetooth sync data function....
>
> So - the 73NK sends the 702NK a small sis to install to allow the
> sync to take place. Everything should be fine and dandy, one would
> think.
>
> But hell no - the sis file (a Nokia sis file, from a Nokia app, sent
> to a Nokia phone), has not been ******* well ******* signed - so it
> won't ******** well ******* instal on the 702NK...
>
> So one fires up ******** (sorry - * is ****ing habit forming)
> Fexplorer and grabs the .sis from the mail folders, throws it to the
> E drive, pulls the card, unsises it - then manually installs it to
> the **oody E drive...
>
> Where it does not ******** work.
>
> So - FExplorer again - to install it to the C drive....
>
> Where it finally works - and one can sync the two phones....
>
> But .... why? Why all this fuss? One is almost tempted to buy
> Richard Stallman a cup of tea. The future CANNOT be like this.
>
> But the future isn't Microsoft. The solution to disorganised, inept,
> incompetence isn't organised, svelte totalitarianism, a la Microsoft....
>
> Softbank is rotten - but not rotten because they are bad - just
> rotten because they are clueless - and desperate - and don't care....
> And don't know.
>
> But the above problem is - ultimately - a Voda sourced problem - a
> British company - shame on them!
>
> Nick (****ing) May
>
> Kyushu Fixers
> Facilitation Support in Fukuoka, Kyushu and South West Japan
> http://kyushu-fixers.com
>
>
> On 26 Jan 2007, at 22:12, Greg Conquest (home) wrote:
>
>
>> So, based on the uncertainty about being able to run unsigned Symbian
>> apps on the Symbian phones from SoftBank . . .
>>
>> and the discussions here in June 2006 "(keitai-l) How to demo Symbian
>> and MIDP in Tokyo?" 'A smart man has worked hard to not let us install
>> what we want' . . .
>>
>> and seemingly reasonable views predicting an end to freeware and small
>> apps, the whole community, due to licensing restrictions for
>> "SignedSymbian":
>> http://snipurl.com/SymbianSignedDRM
>> . . .
>>
>> leaves me seeing Symbian is rotten on both ends. Even if we can get
>> around the particular locks on SoftBank phones for now, the long term
>> viability of the platform in general is in great doubt. The present
>> hotbed of community programming will be "Signed by Symbian" right
>> out of
>> existence. "S60 9.1 v.3" will be Symbian's epitaph except as a cute,
>> shadow of what it once was.
>>
>> If I want a user-configurable phone/pda for Japan, with a community of
>> small developers and open projects, Windows Mobile is currently the
>> only
>> choice. Right? Please tell me I'm wrong here if I'm overlooking
>> something . . . OpenMoko PDA soon? The real new Palm OS finally?
>> Everybody is tired on the platform changes and is just going to
>> JAVA . .
>> . Anything?
>>
>>
>> Greg Conquest
>>
>> Ref:
>> http://snipurl.com/SymbianSignedDRM
>> http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/
>> Hands_off_our_smartphones.php
>>
>> This mail was sent to address nick@kyushu.com
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>>
>
>
> This mail was sent to address tim@freeverse.jp
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>
>
>
>
Received on Sat Jan 27 03:37:21 2007