Nokia releases Symbian software update 1.1

Nokia (NYSE:NOK) issued software update 1.1 for new Symbian devices the Nokia N8, C7 and C6-01, promising a smoother, more stable user experience. Highlights include maps integration in email, enabling consumers to view meeting locations when address information is included in the message--in addition, users can now accept meeting requests directly from email invitations. Nokia N8 users also will enjoy the new Quickoffice 6.4 editor version, enabling zooming in and out of Word documents, as well as three new game preloads: Need for Speed Shift, Real Golf and Galaxy on Fire. Nokia adds that the 1.1 update is a large download, especially for N8 users, and recommends that users obtain the update via free WiFi service or by using Ovi Suite.

Symbian device shipments totaled more than 31 million in the fourth quarter--however, its share of the worldwide smartphone market plummeted from 44.4 percent in Q4 2009 to 30.6 percent in Q4 2010, falling behind Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android at 32.9 percent. Symbian's fall from atop the worldwide smartphone rankings follows days after Nokia hinted it may shift its focus away from the Symbian OS in the wake of weak fourth quarter earnings; Nokia fell 21 percent in Q4--while the handset maker has maintained that Symbian will continue powering most of its smartphones, with high-end devices running its MeeGo platform slated to arrive later this year, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop last week stated the company must "build, catalyze or join a competitive ecosystem," suggesting major changes could be ahead.

Analysts have mentioned both Android and Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone 7 as potential Nokia partners. Both Sony Ericsson and Samsung Electronics halted their respective Symbian manufacturing plans last year.

For more:
- read this Nokia Conversations blog entry

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