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Symbian And Android To Team For Mobile OS Powerhouse?

Since Nokia recently acquired 100% ownership of Symbian and announced plans to turn it over to a new Symbian Foundation as part of a move to create an open source operating system for handsets, there's been speculation as to what the next move will be. The OS will be offered free to foundation members, probably sometime in the first half of 2009, but should it be a direct competitor to Android or should it join forces?

I've read a few articles that already are tearing apart what Symbian CEO Nigel Clifford said to a Tokyo newspaper recently, which is that he's open to a strategic partnership with Google and its Android OS. Though it was just a simple statement, some already are speculating that if Google's Android and Symbian join forces, it would create the ultimate open source mobile-OS powerhouse.

Symbian released a statement shortly thereafter to clear the air, emphasizing that "Google already develops applications for Symbian's system, including Google Maps, YouTube, and Gmail, but is not cooperating at the OS level." The statement also said the foundation "will welcome any organization that wishes to join and contribute toward the development of the Symbian Foundation platform. On that basis, Google will be welcome to join the Foundation, as with any organization that agrees to the Foundation's terms and conditions of membership." What sparked the news was the fact that Clifford stated that Symbian's recent open source moves dovetailed nicely with Google's Open Handset Alliance. Since the two share the same future goals and optimism on open source mobile, they might be perfect for a partnership.

Whatever the future holds for open source mobile computing, the simple fact that the industry is moving in this direction is a good sign. Since Symbian is one of the most widely used mobile operating systems, it would make perfect sense for Android to build on this fact to broaden its device compatibility and to gain instant market share. The benefits for Symbian are obvious as well, but these rumors are most likely Symbian's way of sucking up to the almighty Google.

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