We've been talking about "convergence" for years. The idea that your phone, your PDA, and your pager would eventually become one device. With the release of Symbian OS v6.0 (found in the new Nokia 9210 Communicator), that day has finally arrived.
A Heritage of Efficiency
Symbian isn't a new OS; it's the evolution of Psion’s EPOC. It’s built from the ground up for mobile devices, which means it’s incredibly aggressive about power management and memory usage. It’s written in C++, but a very specific, "hardcore" version of it.
Cleanups and Leaves
Developing for Symbian is... an experience. Because early mobile devices didn't have a lot of stack space and no virtual memory, Symbian uses a unique error-handling system called "Leaves" and "Cleanups."
// Symbian C++ code looks like this:
void CMyClass::DoSomethingL() // The 'L' means it can 'Leave'
{
CExample* item = CExample::NewLC(); // New and Push to Cleanup Stack
item->ProcessL();
CleanupStack::PopAndDestroy(item);
}
If you forget to use the Cleanup Stack and a function "leaves," you’ve got a memory leak that will crash the phone in hours. It’s not for the faint of heart.
The Open OS Dream
Unlike previous phones, Symbian is designed to be "open." Nokia and others are providing SDKs so third-party developers can write native apps. We're seeing everything from SSH clients to early mobile games.
The 9210 even has a color screen and a full keyboard. It feels like a miniature laptop. It’s expensive, and it’s bulky, but it’s a clear sign that the phone is no longer just for talking. It’s for computing. We're entering the era of the smartphone, and Symbian is leading the way.
Aunimeda develops mobile applications for iOS and Android - from MVP to production-ready apps with full backend integration.
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