14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software giant Microsoft and Finnish handset vendor Nokia announced two years ago plans to work together on delivering Silverlight to Nokia handsets powered by the Symbian operating system, and it seems that the solution is almost here. A beta version of Silverlight for Symbian is expected to soon be delivered to the world, based on the fact that Microsoft has recently published the code, though it pulled it soon after.
According to a recent article on ZDNet, Microsoft has posted the download of the Silverlight for Symbian beta on March 11, which was accompanied by all the necessary tools for developers. According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft is expected to make the solution available for download this week, especially since the Mix Web developer conference is set to kick off in only a couple of days.
The description of the Silverlight for Symbian beta reportedly reads, “The installable executable enables users to run Silverlight applications on the Nokia S60 5th Edition platform.” The developer tools are described as follows: “The installable executable file enables users to run Silverlight applications on the Nokia S60 5th Edition platform. The executable file includes the Silverlight runtime for Nokia S60 5th Edition devices, the Silverlight runtime for Nokia S60 5th Edition emulator, sample applications, and developer documentation.”
Microsoft seems set to bet a lot on its Silverlight technology in the mobile space. Most of you might already know that the company included it in its newly unveiled Windows Phone 7 OS, and it seems that it also intends to soon deliver a port of Silverlight to Android. Silverlight for Symbian was expected to arrive since 2008, it seems, but Microsoft and Nokia are a little late with the release. However, they might make the final code available before the end of the year, it seems, and there are chances that a few more details on the matter will be unveiled at the MIX10 conference.