Nokia Unveils Multimedia Phones With Open-Source Browsing

Technology News reports on Nokia's launch of three multimedia smartphones -- the N71, N80 and N92 -- and a new version of its open-source browser.

Jupiter Research Analyst Michael Gartenberg said, "We are seeing increased interest in advanced functionality on mobile devices, particularly mobile video. What it comes down to is making sure that these secondary functions don't interfere with the primary function of the phone, namely voice communication."

The three new smartphones will use "the third edition of the S60 Web browser, based on WebCore and JavaScriptCore components of Apple's Safari Web kit, an open-source full Web rendering engine for mobile devices."

Gartenberg added, "Browsing is a secondary feature that is very important on today's modern devices, but no one wants to spend the time and effort to reinvent the browsing experience when there are already great solutions on the market. Nokia is using a best-of-breed browser without the expense of having to build it all themselves."