Nokia's Browser Based on Safari

[MacRumors]

Nokia has announced that they are using Apple's WebCore and JavaScriptCore which is at the heart of Apple's Safari Internet browser as the basis for a new mobile browser for their Series 60 smartphone platform.

By adapting WebCore and JavaScriptCore components for its smartphone platform, Nokia and other Series 60 licensees will be able provide a rich Web browsing experience that takes full advantage of today's fast wireless networks and advanced mobile devices.

The Series 60 browser will become available in the first half of 2006.

 

[wwooden]

I've never really used a Nokia phone but that sounds interesting. I'm sure it will have a lot of possibilities.

 

[Diatribe]

More market share means more compatible sites. I think this is a good thing.

 

[munkle]

Does this mean that Nokia phones will finally become fully compatible with Macs? About time!

 

[Stike]

Didn´t Nokia also make a pact with Microsoft about their Windows for cell phones? Or some media player stuff? How does that fit?

 

[mvc]

Isn't webcore at the heart of iTunes?

 

[mkrishnan]

Does this mean that Nokia phones will finally become fully compatible with Macs? About time!

Most of the Series 60 phones already are fully compatible, aren't they? My 3650 and iBook get along like ducks.

Mmmm...if this is a series 60 browser, I hope it can work on existing hardware!

 

[polyesterlester]

Isn't webcore at the heart of iTunes?

Yes, webcore is what's used to display the music store.

EDIT: I stand corrected, sorry.

 

[mvc]

Yes, webcore is what's used to display the music store.

Then I suspect Apple is putting iTunes on more than Motorola phones

 

[dr_lha]

Lets not forget here that Apple's Webcore and Javascript core are themselves derived from KDE, the free desktop used frequently on Linux and other Unixes. So congratulations to all the guys at KDE who worked on this excellent software for free!

 

[mum]

Didn´t Nokia also make a pact with Microsoft about their Windows for cell phones? Or some media player stuff? How does that fit?

No, they're rivals in that field. Nokia partly owns Symbian.

 

[dicklacara]

Yes, webcore is what's used to display the music store.

Do you have a reference?

Others suggest webcore is not being used to display the iTMS... some say QuickTime.


Dick

See the discussion at this link:

http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/hyatt/archives/2004_06.html

iTunes and WebKit

Posted at 10:40 PM

Just to clear up a common misconception, iTunes does not use WebKit to render the music store. What you see when you visit the iTunes music store may look "web-like", but it isn't HTML, and it isn't rendered by WebKit.

 

[50548]

I wonder why someone voted "negative" for these news...there is nothing bad about it, just further adoption of Apple technologies...

 

[Warbrain]

I don't know why anyone would want to use Apple's WebCore for their own browser. Even though it's based off of KDE, Apple has bastardized it and never updates it, therefore making it outdated in a month's time. There have been so many times where I've tried to use a website but couldn't because the Safari WebCore wasn't up-to-date.

 

[superleccy]

Most of the Series 60 phones already are fully compatible, aren't they? My 3650 and iBook get along like ducks.

Not entirely, although I'm much happier now Apple finally decided to include support for SyncML (and therefore the 7610) in Tiger.

Nokia doesn't do a version of PC Suite for OSX. On the PC version, that lets you do complete phone backups, ringtone editing, and so on.

 

[Matrix9180]

AHEM! http://webkit.opendarwin.org/ Next time, make sure you know what you're talking about before you start trolling. Have a nice day.

I don't know why anyone would want to use Apple's WebCore for their own browser. Even though it's based off of KDE, Apple has bastardized it and never updates it, therefore making it outdated in a month's time. There have been so many times where I've tried to use a website but couldn't because the Safari WebCore wasn't up-to-date.

 

[The Truth]

This is great news. I would love to see more Apple technology in mobile phones. Hopefully we will eventually have a 100% Apple mobile.

 

[JFreak]

Nokia doesn't do a version of PC Suite for OSX

yes. nokia made a stupid decision after losing so much r&d time when the y2k problem was at its worst; they decided to stick with windows - and windows alone - at least as long as windows is defacto system for average joe. they have no intent in supporting multiple platforms even if many nokia businesses run on linux internally.

(you can only guess who was one of those that worked at nokia r&d at that time...)

 

[mj_1903]

Yes, webcore is what's used to display the music store.

Incorrect, the iTMS uses a subset of a Quicktime markup language.

 

[mkrishnan]

AHEM! http://webkit.opendarwin.org/ Next time, make sure you know what you're talking about before you start trolling. Have a nice day.

Plus, erm, if sites require engine changes on a monthly basis, they're just not following standards.... No browser I'm aware of, standards-based or otherwise, has feature-oriented upgrades to their engine on that timeframe. FF/Moz barely has bug-fixes or security updates on that timeframe. And when was the last time MSIE was updated for features?

And why should they? That's insanity... it isn't a *good* thing for web standards to be such a moving target, more than 10 years since WWW bowed.

 

[jsw]

I was hoping this would be announced soon.

I also hope that maybe, just maybe, this means that my shall-remain-nameless employer, based in Finland, will start buying us Macs.

 

[mkrishnan]

yes. nokia made a stupid decision after losing so much r&d time when the y2k problem was at its worst; they decided to stick with windows - and windows alone - at least as long as windows is defacto system for average joe. they have no intent in supporting multiple platforms even if many nokia businesses run on linux internally.

I knew the phone suite wasn't available, but I just didn't remember much it did for which there was no overlapping capability in OS X. Backup is a good point. As for ringtones, you can upload MIDI ringtones using Bluetooth in OS X without difficulty, so it isn't something I notice. AFAIAC, not needing third-party (well, second party, in this case?) software is well worth that level of trade-off....

 

[Stella]

Symbian Sync has always been windows only ( I believe).. starting with Psion ( EPOC at that time). There were third party sync tools but Psion wasn't big enough company to bother to do a Good Mac Client.

yes. nokia made a stupid decision after losing so much r&d time when the y2k problem was at its worst; they decided to stick with windows - and windows alone - at least as long as windows is defacto system for average joe. they have no intent in supporting multiple platforms even if many nokia businesses run on linux internally.

(you can only guess who was one of those that worked at nokia r&d at that time...)

 

[Stella]

About 6 months ago, Nokia said they were going to port Mozilla over to Series 60.. so I'm surprised by this announcement - perhaps Moz ended up too much..?

Anyway, I think this is absolutely excellent.. hope Apple and Nokia do other stuff too. I'd love Apple do more things to integrate OSX with Symbian - including some sort of backup, with Nokia's help.

I'd love to see iTunes as well.. but whether that will happen I'm not sure.

Symbian the Worlds #1 smartphone OS.. by well over 50% ( And An Excellent OS it is too ).

 

[macapple]

Does that mean the n61 imaging phone will also be fully compatible?
Also does any one know about the 8800 compatibility with a mac?