The booklet provides developers with a concise introduction to the various development options for S60. Symbian C++, Open C, Java, Python, Flash Lite, SVGT, Browser, and Web Run-time are all covered. This is very much "everything you wanted to ask about S60 development options, but were too afraid to ask" in a compact booklet.

Mind you I would say that. Compiling this booklet provided an interesting insight into the what can best be described as the uniform diversity of S60. Multiple development option, each with its own champions, people passionate about bringing the best development tools to developers, every one of them equally passionate about S60. While it is unlikely that there will ever be the same range of development options for smartphones in general or S60 in particular, there can now be very few developers who do not have a skill that can be used to create something for S60, be it a C++ application or Nokia Web Widget.

But don't just take my word for it - check out "S60 Essentials: Developers' Guide" for yourself - or look out for the printed version at the next trade show, Symbian, or Nokia event. At the same time why not take a look at some of the other free booklets from Symbian Press.

The big news from Symbian Press at the Smartphone Show was, however, two new "full sized" publication: Mobile Python, written by Jürgen Scheible and Developing Software for Symbian OS, Second Edition, written by Steve Babin.

Mobile Python – Rapid Prototyping of Applications on the Mobile Platform is a practical hands-on book that introduces the popular open source programming language Python to the mobile space. It effectively teaches how to program your own powerful – and fun – applications easily based on the Symbian OS and S60 platforms.

Developing Software for Symbian OS, Second Edition – helps software developers new to Symbian OS to create smartphone applications. The original book has been updated for Symbian OS v9 and now includes a new chapter on application signing and platform security with updates throughout for Symbian OS v9 and changes to the development environment.