Symbian is a generic operating system developed for wireless
communications devices. Included is a set of common core
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Symbian makes a
distinction between the generic technology used in any
Wireless Information Device (WID) and the Graphical User
Interface (GUI) tailored for a particular design. A generic
design is the heart of Symbian. Technology is shared between
all reference designs.
The operating system includes a kernel; middleware for
communications, data management, and graphics; the lower
levels of the GUI framework; and application engines.
Products such Ericsson’s R380, Nokia’s 9210 Communicator,
and Psion’s Series 5mx were created with very little modification
to the Symbian OS. Two reference designs were created,
one for information-centric products such as the Nokia
Communicator and another for voice-centric products such as
“smart phones,” mobile handsets with built-in browsers.
Symbian’s latest version includes support for GPRS and
WAP 1.2.1.; tablet or keyboard entry; and application development
using C++, J2ME, WAP, or HTML. Support for protocols
such as TCP/IP, WAP, GSM, GPRS, Bluetooth, IrDA, or RS-
232 is built into the operating system. Many other features
such as security, font and text formatting, and a rich suite of
application engines are included.
Symbian uses a generic technology for the specific requirements
of wireless devices. The requirements are tailored to use
device resources efficiently, and to be reliable and adaptable to
device needs. The architecture is illustrated in Figure 2-13.
Manufacturers may use Symbian reference designs and
operating system to reduce time-to-market for new product
development. Support for almost every conceivable wireless
device is included, and any application development platform
can be overlaid on the operating system, such as WAP or
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