New in Symbian OS v7.0

Symbian OS v7.0 builds on the technologies delivered by Symbian OS v6.1. This page lists the headline new features.

ECom plug-in architecture

Symbian OS makes extensive use of extensible frameworks, for which developers can develop plug-in modules. Traditionally, each framework has defined its own DLL type and plug-in management functions. Symbian OS v7.0 improves code reuse by introducing a generic framework for specifying plug-in interfaces, and for calling and writing plug-ins.

For details, see Using the ECom Plug-in Architecture.

Kit installation and management

Kit installation is now managed through a dedicated Package Manager application. Installation and use of multiple kits is made easier through new tools.

For details, see Kit management.

HTTP and WAP

The new Transport Framework architecture provides a common interface to HTTP and WAP's HTTP-like WSP protocol. Programs should now use this framework, and the new WAP Messaging API (for WAP datagram) instead of v6.1's WAP Stack API.

For details, see HTTP Client, Transport Framework Protocol Handler, Cookies Filter, Transport Framework WSP Transport Handler Plug-In, and WAP Messaging.

IPv6

v7.0 provides a dual IPv4/v6 networking stack.

Additionally, there is a new simplified client API for using secure sockets.

Media Server and Graphics

Media support is extended with a new API to handle streaming audio, support for 2D graphics hardware accelerators, and increased window server functionality for fast, unmediated direct screen access.

For details, see Audio Streaming, 2D Graphics Hardware Acceleration, and Window Server.

Metrowerks CodeWarrior support

C++ code for a Symbian OS emulator can now be built with the Metrowerks CodeWarrior for Symbian Professional compiler.

Compilation with Microsoft Visual C++ v6 for the emulator, and with GCC for ARM targets, is still supported.

For details, see Build tools guide.

MIDP Java

Java support is updated with MIDP, a specification defined by Sun and industry leaders as part of the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME). MIDP offers a set of Java APIs that are specialised for use in mobile phones, for such things as user interfaces, persistence storage, networking, and applications.

Licensees can also choose to provide PersonalJava support, as in v6.1.

For more on programming languages and Symbian OS, see Programming languages.

Multimedia Messaging

Messaging now supports the WAP Forum's Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), which allows multimedia messages to be sent and received from a handset, in an SMS-like way.

For details, see MMS MTM Client, MMS Utilities, and SMIL Parser and Composer.

Network Adapter Framework

A Network Adapter Framework is provided to enable licensees and third parties to support various network interfaces. An Ethernet 802.3 reference implementation is also provided.

Reference boards

Base ports are now available to support ARM Integrator and Intel Assabet. Brutus and Cogent boards are no longer supported.

Resource file compression

Resource files can now be compiled into a compressed format.

For details, see Compiled resource file format.

SyncML

SyncML is an open, industry-standard, data exchange format for synchronisation. Symbian OS v7.0 provides a SyncML client API to perform synchronisation tasks with a network SyncML server.

For details, see Using SyncML Client.

Telephony

Telephony APIs are a major change in v7.0, with a new API MultiMode Packet, replacing v6.1's Advanced GSM, Basic GSM, and GPRS APIs.

The new APIs provide a common interface to multiple air interfaces. These are currently GSM and CDMA (IS-95). The APIs provide the way forward for incorporating access to 3G (WCDMA) services.

A new telephony API, the Third Party Telephony API, is also provided for clients that need simple access to making and receiving calls.

Integration between Symbian OS and the phone hardware is improved by a Phone Book Synchroniser component, which allows access to SIM-based phonebooks through the Contacts API.

For details, see Third Party Telephony.

USB, MultiMediaCard, and Hardware Accelerator support

Support for a USB slave interface, MultiMediaCard, and Hardware Accelerators has been added to the Base sub-system.

For details, see USB client, MultiMediaCard, and Hardware Accelerator.