Symbian Series 60 takes on Apple and Google

Mobile operating system adds touch control

The fifth edition of the S60 will integrate touch screen control to new handsets

Symbian has released the latest version of its Series 60 (S60) mobile phone operating system, and has added features to make it more competitive with Apple's iPhone and Google's Android.

The fifth edition of the S60 will integrate touch screen control to new handsets, support for higher screen resolutions and a widescreen mode for viewing.

Mobile internet use has also been improved, with touch scrolling of web pages and support for Adobe's Flash Lite 3 built in.

Motion control has been added, so that users can silence an incoming call by simply turning the handset upside down.

"S60 5th Edition's new features and added functionality significantly enhances the products that intend to provide rich multimedia and internet experiences for consumers," said Lee Williams, senior vice president of S60 Software at Nokia.

"With this release we will now see manufacturers create and extend their portfolio of products with new types of devices addressing a broader range of consumer needs."

The new operating system also comes with a new software developer kit which includes full support for Open C and Open C++, including the Standard Template Library.

"The versatile developer support offered by S60 5th Edition enables developers to write applications in a range of languages that they are already very familiar with," said Tom Libretto, vice president of Forum Nokia.

"That familiarity, and being able to arm developers with the tools and technologies that best suit their needs, will allow for further new applications and services, not only for S60 5th Edition, but for S60 3rd Edition Feature Packs 1 and 2."

Unsurprisingly Nokia, which has a majority stake in Symbian, has announced a new handset using the operating system, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.