Feature Articles

Operating on a Touch - The Touch OS Feature

By Seow Tein Hee & Sutlej Soin - 5 Apr 2009

Symbian - S60 V5.0

Touching the Fifth Base

For the Symbian community, touch-screen functionality is somewhat a new territory. But that doesn't mean that the base isn't there. When it comes to the operating system's key features, the newest edition of the Symbian OS still retains those that made its non-touch screen predecessor a popular choice amongst users. As usual, we take a closer, in-depth look at some of the core features and functions of the Symbian S60 V5.0:- user interface, productivity, multimedia, software aspects and finally, the web experience.

As you might have noticed from our previous preview, the Symbian S60 V5.0 does have a few tricks up its sleeves with regards to the user interface. Albeit it's not much of a departure from its earlier iteration, there are still some minute differences. Looking at the user interface, you would notice the move to include larger icons for easier navigation. As of now, the only device in the market that utilizes the Symbian S60 V5.0 OS is the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic which is equipped with a resistive touch screen. With no confirmed news of whether the S60 V5 will make the transition towards capacitive touchscreens, we can only hope.

To find out more about resistive versus capacitive touchscreen, check out our video for a brief overview.

Adequately sized icons makes it easier for the end-user to access and execute the desired applications.

Now, on the productivity front, how does the S60 V5.0 fare in this aspect? Take note that this includes the stock input methods for any device, and the S60 V5.0 fares pretty well here. Besides its T9 input roots, you also get at least three other input methods. This includes a landscape oriented full QWERTY keyboard, or its smaller mini QWERTY keyboard and the handwriting recognition method. Though it's not exactly what one would call a business-centric OS, the S60 V5.0 will still provide as much support on the business front as possible. This includes features such as Mail for Exchange.

One of the more well-liked features is the landscape oriented full-sized virtual QWERTY keyboard. But sadly, it needs to be activated, and won't be pulled up automatically when you rotate into the landscape orientation.

With regards to its multimedia handling, it's evident that the S60 V5.0 doesn't really bring out the wow factor. But it suffices in the form of an intuitive user interface for its music and video playback. In terms of practicality, you'll be able to sort tracks via artists, albums or even playlists. But like we've said, these certainly won't win any favors from us since these functions do appear on the various other mobile operating systems out there.

When it comes to the web experience, the S60 V5.0 fares much better than other mobile browsers such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Built upon it's earlier Web Browser interface, the addition of a touch factor within the browser does make for a more intuitive and speedier experience. Looking back, we definitely appreciate how one doesn't need to constantly hammer on the navigational buttons just to maneuver through a web page, or click onto a hyperlink.

The webkit borne Web Browser is sufficiently fast and easy to navigate, further enhanced by the touch nature of the new OS.

With almost all aspects covered above of the S60 V5.0 mobile operating system that brings us to the last area of concern - applications. Hot on the heels of the mature App Store and the budding Android Market, the Finnish giant will also be introducing their own application portal on their united portal front, Ovi. Named as Ovi Store, this will be a haven for developers who wish to share their love for the Symbian platform in the form of self-made applications. Truth be told, even before Ovi Store was announced, the Symbian community has been active in the application front, albeit mostly via unofficial forum channels.

The Nokia Ovi Store will be Symbian's answer to the application stores that've been popping up for the past few months. And it'll be debuting on the flagship Nokia device, the Nokia N97.

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