Another other iPhone challenger launches this month: Will widgets be enough for the N97?

June 8, 2009 | Matt Marshall | Comments |

N97 widgets
Who is the sexiest of them all?

The iPhone wows with its dynamic App store. The Android boasts multi-tasking on applications. The Palm Pre lures with its integration of things like address book. So what does Nokia have to offer?

Well, Nokia, the biggest handset maker of them all, is about to release its N97 this month (June 19 in the UK, and expected around that time in the US, at Nokia’s stories in New York and Chicago), and it wants to woo us with a bit of all the above. But it’s main pitch is its beautiful “widgets.” I saw them working on an early version of the N97 demonstrated to me several months ago, and they’re pretty. You click on them from the home screen of your phone, and they zoom to the app (and yes, these apps multitask, with the widgets changing dynamically on your screen when the apps behind them get new information — unlike the iPhone, where they remain static). A couple of screenshots are below. Here’s an explanation of the widget experience, the technology behind them, and why they represent a boon for developers. In short, there are the two reasons, including not having to sign (the tedious process of inserting a digital certificate into an application to identify origin and gain access to the important APIs offered by Nokia’s operating system, Symbian):

Language coding: …Widgets are usually coded in HTML, CSS, Java which makes their development a much easier process for newbies and experts, unlike Symbian C++ which is a dedicated and new language that developers must learn in order to code for native apps.

Signing: this reason is HUGE. Widgets don’t need to be signed so they don’t involve nor the costs nor the tedious process of Symbian Signing. For developers, this is a boon, especially for independent developers who want to access the Ovi Store and list their apps as freeware: Widgets are the way to go. They can easily develop them, and they are free to list on the Ovi Store, with one less step in the approval process.

We’ll be having Nokia and Symbian executives on hand at MobileBeat 2009, our mobile conference on July 16 for entrepreneurs, developers, carriers, OS players and other industry leaders. These execs will argue how the N97 and Symbian are better than rival platforms. The conference is turning out to be perfect timing, because the N97, Pre and more Android phones are all being released this summer and the developer ecosystem at MobileBeat will be able to ask the big questions about what it all means. Are you an entrepreneur or executive active in mobile? Join us, but sign up quickly — by June 9 to get the earlybird saving of $145!

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