The Challenges of Open... While there was some interesting Symbian news from this week's CES one item of largely non-Symbian news got us thinking. It was the comment by Yahoo's Marco Boerries that their latest mobile offering would be ported to any devices running Android.

One of the challenges for service providers like Google and Yahoo is how to capture business in the mobile space. In the PC world neither Google nor Yahoo are vertically integrated; they don't own the OS that runs the browser or software that runs their services. Should the mobile space be any different?

We don't think so and clearly neither does Yahoo. The challenge is always in the numbers and capturing those numbers on mobiles is about getting software onto handsets. Yahoo's approach is therefore about maximizing opportunity, while Google's is more about controlling opportunity, by effectively owning the handset as well as the service.

For Google the specter has now been raised that their platform could open the route for the competition to play, not so much in their back yard but to come and join them in the living room for a cup of tea and biscuits. And there is nothing they can do about it - at least not without a serious volte-face on the "open" promise.

Google however is not putting all its eggs in one basket and still continues to offer its services through software designed for other platforms. So Google clearly does not see Android as the "be all", at least in the short term.

The issue this raises really revolves around the now overused term "open." Exactly what does it mean, as everyone finds some way to apply it to their particular technology? One thing does seem clear, open is not vertical integration. This approach held back Apple from truly competing with Microsoft. If Apple simply built their OS and allowed OEMs to complete on the hardware, what a different place the PC market might be today.

While Google is not trying to control the hardware around Android, they will need to exert control elsewhere if the goal of generating mobile advertising revenue is to be met. The question is: Will that control take Android down the Apple path to limited, if any, success?

PS: Have you been to the new and improved Forum Nokia Developer Community website lately??. And don't forget, Submission deadline for mobile applications in the Mobile Rules! Competition is January 25th. For more information, visit www.mobilerules.org.

Red Five Labs releases Net60 Beta 2 for S60 - Net60 enables managed Windows Mobile applications to run unchanged on S60 devices. Using C# and Visual Basic .NET in Visual Studio, developers can now use the .NET Compact Framework environment to build applications for Symbian devices.

USA gets formal news of the N95 8GB at CES - New Nokia N95 8GB brings the best in portable entertainment to US consumers. Powerful new Nokia Nseries device offers high-speed access to a wide range of Internet content

Symbian News updates

• Mobile website builder, mobiSiteGalore launches version 3.0


• EQO's Symbian Beta Program - compatible with all major IM services


• New Wapple Advert Package means anyone can benefit from mobile advertising


• SanDisk Announces the 12-Gigabyte microSDHC Card the World's Largest Capacity Card for Mobile Phones


• Groundbreaking Samsung Phones Make U.S. Debut at CES 2008


• New Motorola Z10 Delivers Filmmaking on the Fly


• A look at cell phone driving laws in the USA and around the Globe


• Monitoring The Environment, S60 Style


• stoeger it GmbH launches beta S60TickerSDK


• Free Mobile Application Tip... A Free Symbian OS Application... CallFilter

LBS News updates

• Former NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge(R) Semi-Finalist Launches Product


• GPS Tip - Take your Nokia GPS Tracker and N95 on the slopes for some GPS sledding fun!


• Alltel Wireless Launches AAA Mobile Navigation and Search Tool


• Bell Mobility Selects FusionOne to Provide Mobile Phone Address Book Backup and Restore Services


• Yahoo!'s Unwavering Focus on Delivering Relevant Experiences Across All Platforms & Devices


• MSN Direct Expands Navigation Offering With Leading Partners

Interested in more LBS news and resources? Visit our friends at LBSzone.com

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Announcing the 2008 NAVTEQ LBS Challenge Eight previous NAVTEQ Global LBS ChallengeR participants have received venture capital funding and nine past LBS Challenge winners have launched commercial applications on major wireless carriers. Register your non-commercial LBS application in the 2008 NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge in one of three regions: Americas, Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) or Asia-Pacific(APAC). This could be your year. Dream. Develop. Win.

COMMUNITY / DEVZONE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mobile Rules! deadline approaching
Do you have a mobile application that you think will shake up the mobile world? Then we encourage you to participate in the Mobile Rules! Competition, the leading annual competition for mobile innovation.

Yahoo! Mobile Developer Platform - Open Platform Expected to Accelerate Adoption of Mobile Services Yahoo! Mobile Developer Platform to Enable Developers and Publishers to Build Applications with Instant Reach Across Hundreds of Devices

Lost and Found - Wanted... N-Gage Online Game Service... - The much anticipated N-Gage Platform was reported previously to have a planned launch date of Dec 18, 2007 although the service is still MIA... any ideas? If you find it please let us know.

A tip for Widset Developers - Mobile reminder - Nokia Beta Labs, AT&T devcenter newsletter

CAREERS

The SymbianOne Career Center - Browse the current opportunities available for wireless developers and symbian programmers. Don't see a job you like? Looking for a developer? Send details to us at SymbianOne and we'll list your announcement right here in the newsletter... best of all this is a FREE service.

• Mobile Applications Specialist - C++ or JAVA - Cambridge Start Up to 50k - Mobile handset Applications / UI developer is required for this exciting Cambridge start up. We are very keen to hear from engineers who have previously developed applications using C++ or JAVA for mobile OS's such as Symbian.
• C++ and Audio / Video 3G Application - to 55k - We are looking for a solid C++ software engineer who also has strong development abilities using video and audio codec technology. Ideally you will have previously worked in C++ on the Symbian OS, however this is not essential, although an appreciation for mobile communications is. Further technical skills we will need to see include OO (Object Orientated) design, Real time and debugging.

Link to SymbianOne.com - have you added a link to SymbianOne from your web site yet? To make things a bit easier for you, we've included a small graphic [below] that you are welcome to use.

Symbian OS Software Applications for the Nokia N73

Suggested Application... IM+ All-in-One Messenger AIM/iChat, MSN/Live Messenger, Yahoo!, ICQ, Jabber and Google Talk for S60 - IM+r All-in-One Mobile Messenger is a complete messaging solution that allows users to exchange instant messages within the most popular IM systems (MSNr /Windows LiveT Messenger, Yahoo!r , AIMr/iChatT, ICQr , Jabberr and Google TalkT) between mobile devices and PCs in real-time.

• Quickoffice Premier 4.5 for S60 (Upgrade)
• WorldMate Professional for Series 60
• Handy Tools Pack for S60
• ProfiMail (Symbian)
• Handy Calendar for S60

GSMA Mobile World Congress
GSMA Mobile World Congress is the largest, most significant and most successful global mobile event in the world. An estimated 52,000 visitors gathered last year in Barcelona to do business, to discuss the hottest trends in the mobile communications industry, and to participate in its future.
February 11-14, 2008, Barcelona

Cortado Summit 2008
The Cortado Online Platform gives businesses a quick and easy opportunity to learn about technologies and provides our partners optimal entry to this market. With its hardware and software partners, the Cortado Ecosystem can offer businesses fully-fledged total solutions and our worldwide branch offices guarantee 24/7 support. January 14-15, 2008, Mallorca, Spain

Attendee Choice Awards at CES 2008
Three consumer LBS application developers will be chosen to showcase their solution in the Tele Atlas booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2008, with live SMS voting on which applications the attendees like best.

The NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge - Europe
This global program challenges application developers around the world to build innovative location-based services (LBS) that work with mobile phones and/or wireless handheld devices using dynamic positioning technology and NAVTEQ maps.

Reach thousands of wireless developers and mobile industry architects by placing your message within the bi-weekly SymbianOne Monitor AND the weekly LBSzone Alert -- 2X MORE EXPOSURE, 10x MORE VALUE!!

Request the 2008 SymbianOne Rate Card & Media Kit - Promote your application, device, or services using online banner ads, newsletter sponsorship, or direct email to thousands of mobile technology professionals. Reach thousands of developers and mobile industry architects... Interested in reaching a large, targeted audience of mobile developers, enthusiasts, and wireless technology professionals? Contact us for more information and sponsorship information - info[at]symbianone.com. We can offer you a very competitive, focused campaign. Interested in email a targeted list rental? Contact us for more info.

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