Another LBSZone Alert has been released... enjoy this edition for the latest developments in Location-based services. 

Interesting updates this week; most noteworthy to the LBS space, the creation of the Symbian Foundation, Nokia's purchase of Plazes, the TopMobile20 competition (too bad they never responded to my emails though!), 10 years for Symbian OS, and OMTP and NGMN collaboration plans.

I knew something must be up when I received an email from a Symbian contact of mine requesting that I sit in on an American Press event (Webinar) that would take place in 30 minutes. This very well kept secret involved word of the Nokia purchase of Symbian ($264M Euros) and the creation of the Symbian Foundation... no doubt you've heard about it unless you were in the back country! A press call served to help clarify some of the details of the proposed foundation and provide some isights on the direction the mobile OS will take moving forward. At the heart of the project, the evolution of an open OS will serve to help define the next wave of the Internet and the mobile web. This is particularly important as the number of mobile device users grows from 3 to 4 billion, the last billion added largely being made up of consumers who's first web experience is on a mobile. The press call ended by reiterating that this move fulfills Symbian's initial mission and that more than 40 million lines of code will be opened up for access via the foundation. Developers are being told that S60 3 apps will be supported but one does have to wonder what lies ahead for the developers of popular UIQ applications after a 6 month period when UIQ will no longer continue to develop. See more in this recap from a US PR event. Please keep in mind, The foundation is expected to start operating during the first half of 2009 and this move is not a done deal at this time and is subject to regulatory approval. Have a nice week all. 

FEATURE... The Nokia / Symbian Deal and Demand For Converged Devices Soars - Nokia's Buyout of Symbian and movement to open source... I knew something must be up when I received an email from a Symbian contact of mine requesting that I sit in on an American Press event (Webinar) that would take place in 30 minutes. This very well kept secret involved word of the Nokia purchase of Symbian and the creation of the Symbian Foundation... read on for more on this deal.

Read More in this weekly update at http://www.lbszone.com/newsletter/jun112008.html

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