Skip to main content

Nokia fails to quietly drop the Symbian name, tries to explain its actions

Symbian Nokia Belle UpdateOn Wednesday, Nokia announced the next update of their Symbian^3 operating system, named Belle, would be coming out in February for select devices. Except they didn’t call it Symbian Belle, but Nokia Belle instead.

The subtle name swap was explained with a throwaway quote in parenthesis saying “previously Symbian Belle,” which did little to shed any light on the situation. Since joining forces with Microsoft, Nokia has steadily streamlined its branding, often simply replacing the word Ovi with Nokia. For example, Ovi Maps and the Ovi Store became Nokia Maps and Nokia App Store instead.

But dropping the internationally recognized Symbian name would prove to be considerably more difficult, as according to a post on Nokia’s official Conversations blog, they received “heaps” of questions concerning it. Feeling the need to explain themselves, the drafted in their Symbian Marketing Head to give it a try.

Here’s why it’s now Nokia Belle: “We are still using Symbian Belle with some audiences like developers but now we also have the flexibility of using Nokia Belle when referring to our greatest and latest Symbian software update.” 

But questions still continued, to which Nokia responded again in a further blog post, citing the move from Ovi to Nokia and adding that “If nothing else … If you have a new Nokia phone, the intuitive search would be for Nokia Maps rather than Ovi Maps, for example.” This indicates the quiet distancing from the Symbian brand is, as with Ovi, all a question of branding.

It’s still surprising they thought it could be phased out so quietly, though.

The Symbian, sorry, Nokia Belle update will begin its rollout in February 2012 on a wide variety of devices, including the N8, E7, E6, X7, 500, Oro and the C7. Brand new N8, C6-01 and C7 phones will have the software already installed. Nokia calls Belle a major update and says it’ll be “well worth the wait.”

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Today’s Galaxy Tab S9 deal: $100 off and free Buds 2 Pro
Samsung Galaxy Tab s9 back and front visible

If you've had your eyes on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 for a while, now's the perfect time to buy the tablet. The 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD model is available from Samsung tablet deals for $700, following a $100 discount on its original price of $800, and you'll get the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, worth $230, for free. That's a total of $330 in savings if you proceed with the purchase right away, so what are you waiting for? Complete the transaction right now, because the bargain may be gone as soon as tomorrow.

Why you should buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra are featured in our roundup of the best tablets, but don't ignore the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9. The base model of the tablet is an excellent tool for all-around usage with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and 8GB of RAM, which combine for dependable performance in handling everyday functions. The device comes with internal storage of 128GB, but if that's not enough for you, there's an option for extra space of up to 1TB by inserting a microSD card.

Read more
Best Apple deals: Save on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook
Apple MacBook Air M1 open, on a table.

Apple has been a big player in the tech space for a long time, and it has pioneered some of the technology we use today, such as best wireless earbuds and the best smartwatches. If that wasn't enough, it even makes some of the best best laptops and best tablets on the market, so pretty much whatever tech you're looking for, Apple has an excellent version of it. Not only that, but Apple's ecosystem is also easily one of the best available, with only Samsung really competing in that space, and if you're already in the Apple ecosystem, then it makes sense to continue buying stuff from Apple.

Of course, Apple tech can be quite pricey, which is why we've gone out and searched through various big retailers to find you some of the best deals we can find. That includes everything from the MacBook deals, AirPods deals, Apple TV deals and Apple Watch deals to the AirTag, so hopefully, you can find the perfect deal that fits your needs and budget.
Apple AirTag (4-Pack) -- $80, was $99

Read more
This is the iPhone concept of my dreams
iPhone concept mimicking iPad Pro desgn.

It’s an odd day to be talking about iPhone design. Yesterday, Apple delivered what can be called the pinnacle of tablet aesthetics with the 2024 iPad Pro, which is even slimmer than the iPod Nano. Today, Bloomberg reports that Duncan Kerr -- a design executive from the legendary Jony Ive group and was a key figure behind the iPhone, iPad, and Mac products since 1999 -- is leaving the company.

It’s a great loss for Apple and disheartening news for iPhone enthusiasts. Apple almost seems obsessed with the design language it introduced with the iPhone 11 series. And if recent leaks are any indication, we are going back to the iPhone X days with the non-Pro iPhone 16 models later this year.

Read more