(http://i28.tinypic.com/30szfol.jpg) (http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Build_the_Symbian%5E4_Homescreen#Gallery)
The Symbian^3 (http://www.symbian.org/symbian-feature-set/symbian-releases/symbian3) operating system may be less than a month old at this point, but developers are already working on Symbian^4. And some of the first screen shots have shown up on the Symbian developer wiki (http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Build_the_Symbian%5E4_Homescreen#Gallery).
It looks like the new user interface will feature a persistent bar at the top of the screen with the time, wireless signal, and battery information, as well as a menu bar below it for launching applications and performing other tasks.
The images show that you’ll be able to use multiple home screens, much the way you can with iOS and Android phones, and it looks like youll be able to place widgets on those home screens. Tapping and pressing brings up context menus, allowing you to do things like change the background wallpaper.
Will any of this be enough to help Symbian compete with modern smartphone operating systems such as Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7? Honestly I don’t see too much here that hasn’t already been done by someone else. But at least Symbian^4 doesn’t look horribly outdated.
Symbian ^3 - Video Preview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkvRE_Eh9PM&feature=player_embedded#normal)
(http://i28.tinypic.com/2ce2qes.jpg) (http://i29.tinypic.com/2wm4ept.jpg) (http://i27.tinypic.com/24b9jso.jpg)
(http://i29.tinypic.com/2dm5c81.jpg)