David Meyer, writing for ZDNet UK, wrote this on November 09, 2010: “At the Symbian Exchange & Exposition (SEE2010) in Amsterdam, the handset manufacturer — which said on Monday that it was bringing development of Symbian back in-house — said the first updates would include the addition of split-screen text entry, a QWERTY keyboard that works when the phone is in portrait mode, integrated Swype input and a new browser.”
Ian Delaney, writing for Nokia’s official corporate blog Nokia Conversations, wrote this today (August 18, 2011): “The promised Symbian Anna software update is ready and downloads will begin to be available today. The update includes new icons, a portrait QWERTY keyboard, faster web browsing and better maps.”
It took them 9 months, but Nokia finally did what they said they’d do. Users of the Nokia N8, C7, C6-01, and E7 should initiate a check for software updates on their devices; it weighs in at less than 30 MB. Owners of the C7 should especially take notice because they’ll find that the near field communications (NFC) chip inside their smartphone that has laid dormant for months is now fully functional. While there presently a limited number of situations where NFC will actually be useful … it’s still nice to have. Nokia N8 owners should also look forward to an additional software update coming out next Monday that will bring … well, we don’t know yet. Damian Dinning, known as Nokia’s resident imaging expert tweeted this: “Got #Anna for your #N8? More N8 love coming. Keep an eye on Nokia Conversations on Monday for all the details :)”
We’re more interested to see what Symbian Belle has to offer. It was recently leaked and from the few screenshots we’ve seen floating around the internet, it looks like it brings even more usability enhancements to Symbian. That being said, will anyone care about Symbian after Nokia World in 2 months, where it’s widely believed we’ll get the first details on Nokia’s Windows Phones?
We don’t think so.