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Nokia And Apple Collaborate On Open Source Browser

Posted by Zonk on from the phone-browsing dept.

Michael writes "Nokia's ambitious bid to make the mobile phone as important a client device for business and leisure as the notebook PC took another important turn last week with news that it has created a browser in collaboration with Apple, which will be managed under the open source process. This starts to address awkward web browsing, a key weakness of the phone's bid to be the 'new notebook', and it raises interesting questions about how much further Nokia and Apple could go in cooperating on the anti- Microsoft ecosystem, and how far Nokia is committing its future to Linux."

9 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. How about... by KC7GR · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Just for once, I'd like to see a phone manufacturer make a product that's really good at one thing, and one thing only: Being a PHONE!

    Keep the peace(es).

    --

    Bruce Lane, KC7GR,

    Blue Feather Technologies

    1. Re:How about... by ShadeEagle · · Score: 4, Informative

      Problem is, things like "market research" gets in the way of things like that.

      "People" want a phone that checks their e-mail, checks their websites, checks their blood pressure and checks their oil, all at a touch of a button.

      Oh, and full polyphonic and mp3 ringtones.

    2. Re:How about... by Alef · · Score: 5, Insightful
      What I would like to have is a modularized system, where the phone/PDA/MP3-player etc is replaced by several independent units that connect using for instance bluetooth.

      It could be, for example, an uplink-unit, screen, earpiece and memory-unit. When the technology used to communicate changes, I'll just replace my uplink-unit and so on.

      But needless to say, this will never happen, since all those gadget manufacturers (Nokia, Apple or whatever) benefit from me having to buy a new phone+screen+camera+memory+earpiece+mp3-decoder every time I like/have to upgrade one of these technologies.

  2. and that's surprising because... by nightcrawler.36 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Like it or not, Apple is a stylsitic trend-setter. Nokia has the market share for the affluent techno-yuppies, which is where Apple's been. Sounds like a natural relationship.

    --
    - nightcrawler "Reality is an illusion, albeit a ver persistent one..." -A.Einstein
  3. Is the same browser.. by brainnolo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is it the same browser of few days ago or they are starting a brand new one?

    Slashdot. Dupe for Nerds.

  4. Why should new/better be 'anti-microsoft'? by ScentCone · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If Apple and Nokia are going to put together something that fills a niche, and does it well/better than anything else out there, why must that be considered part of some "anti-Microsoft ecosystem?" How about it's just "better," and people will use it or not?

    This morning, I found a new, better way to butter my toast. It's so revolutionary that it may be part of the anti-margerine ecosystem.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  5. Re:Smart Move by daniil · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Naah. It's not because Apple is failing. It's because desktops themselves are failing. Already, laptops are outselling desktop computers. Other mobile computing devices are becoming increasingly popular as well.

    --
    Man is a slave because freedom is difficult, whereas slavery is easy.
  6. Register: WTF by smittyoneeach · · Score: 4, Funny
    TFA Headline:
    Nokia shifting to Linux as it joins with Apple to challenge Windows 2
    I recall 'Doze 3.0, back in the days of the square wheel, and I'm pretty sure that there wasn't much web browsing going on then.
    If MS has tricked Nokia and Apple into somehow competing against Windows 2, I'm calling that the IT Judo Throw of the Year.
    --
    Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
  7. Bad news for Opera? by rduke15 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This sounds like very bad news for Opera. As I understand it, Opera's business was mainly to sell a browser to manufacturers of Internet enabled devices, of which the most important one seems phones, of which the most important manufacturer is probably Nokia.

    Sure, they also sell the browser to regular users (and I have happily paid for it 2 or 3 times), and they also have an advertisement-supported version, but I guess the main revenue was expected to come from companies like Nokia.

    Even though I now mostly use Firefox, I would be very sad if Opera eventually disappeared.