From Nokia has now release an APIBridge component for WRT developers. This component was once internal and only available to our selected partners (e.g. facebook, netflix, project). FN has now approval from internal teams to release to general developers. You can find the download here: http://www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/d697a64f-ddae-4937-8151-be157b542d26/ApiBridge.html

Description ApiBridge enables developers to extend the features of Web Runtime widgets by using various capabilities of Symbian OS. The capabilities available include:

• Uploading files.
• Capturing video, image, and audio.
• Reading files.
• Resizing images.
• Creating image thumbnail.
• Using the logging service.
• Using the location service.
• Using the media management Service

Supported platforms ApiBridge can be used to access Symbian OS capabilities from WRT widgets on the following platforms: S60 5th Edition. S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2. S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1. Wiki doc is here with a list of features: http://wiki.forum.nokia.com/index.php/APIBridge_Web_Runtime_API

 -Wai Seto

Oct is a busy month for industry events and so does Ovi. You find the Ovi evangelists at Nokia booth @ CTIA in San Diego (7-9 Oct), Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco (oct 20-22) and Symbian Exchange in London (Oct 27-28). At the Ovi APIs/SDK demo pod, we will show you the latest Ovi APIs/SDK offering and demostrate the Ovi apps from the Calling All Innovators, Apps on Maps winners, websites with Ovi Maps embedded (e.g. www.earthcomber.com, www.tunewiki.com/nokia and etc). If you want to see/touch the Ovi for developer offering, please come by Nokia booth and say hi.

We have been working closely with selected beta developers since Sept 3 announcement at Nokia World. Many of the beta participants provided us great inputs and suggestions on the APIs/SDK. This is a great collaboration between Nokia and developers to work together to improve Ovi developer offering. if you want to be part of the fun, join the beta program here. We are constantly look for innovative Ovi apps and websites so we can work with you to enhance/complete the apps/websites. For those innovative apps/websites, you may get a chance to work with us to demostrate your apps to the industry audience, developers at events or conferences.

Few of us will be going to Adobe MAX 09. There will be developer sessions also

Check out the Forum Nokia Learning & Events for Mobile Developer page for details
http://www.forum.nokia.com/Learning_and_Events/

You can also look at Forum Nokia Twitter account for latest news
http://twitter.com/forumnokia

I will be @ MAX also, come visit... Bring me some food at the booth...

Wai Seto
http://twitter.com/waiseto

I would like to share some of our developers’ websites with Ovi Maps embedded and their quotes. These developers have joined the Ovi for developer Beta Program and gained access to the Ovi Maps Player API which allows them to embed Ovi Maps within their websites.

    * www.earthcomber.com
          o Quote from James Brady, Founder and President of Earthcomber LLC: Not only is the environment is better, and Ovi maps produce amazing visual perspectivies, it’s ultimately control and flexibility that count. We can see immediately that Ovi supports openness and is built, frankly, for orchestrating technologies into the unique experience  you’re always aiming for

    * www.tunewiki.com/nokia
          o Quote from Amon Sarig, President, TuneWiki Inc: Ovi is so cool and powerful we decided to swap our existing maps solution to Ovi Maps. The Nokia team is second to none in their entrepreneurial spirit and the way they go out their way to help us

    * www.nstreet.it/map/esperiene
          o Quote from Stefeno Guerra. IT Manager, The BlogTV : The integration of Ovi Maps Player in Nstreet was easier than expected. Meaning the code is strong and has been developed and tested by a top quality team.

We continue to work with them to enhance the website experience with Ovi Maps. They have provided lots of good feedback to us to continue improving the Maps Player API. Take a look of the above websites and your comment/feedback is welcome.

For more details of the Ovi Maps Player API for web, check it out here, http://www.forum.nokia.com/Ovi/Ovi_Maps_Player_API.xhtml

Nokia is inviting developers to preview this new developer offering by joining its Ovi for developers Beta programme, and it will make the Ovi SDK Beta and Ovi APIs available to all developers who are approved to join the programme. Applications created with Ovi SDK Beta and Ovi APIs will be distributed through Ovi Store in early 2010, bringing the applications to the hands of millions of consumers around the world.

Developers that register for the programme will have access to the following:  

• Ovi SDK Beta - An easy-to-use, web-based tool which provides resources to create applications for the web, and Symbian and maemo platforms, with integrated Ovi features and a distinct user interface. The Ovi SDK contains the Ovi APIs and all-new Ovi User Interface (UI) libraries, which enable effortless creation of rich applications. The Ovi SDK Beta uses standard web technologies – such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript – that are familiar to the world’s developer community.

• Ovi APIs – Providing developers with a simple way to integrate features and functionality such as maps or navigation into their web applications. To start, Nokia has introduced the first two Ovi APIs:

• Ovi Maps Player API – Bringing maps to mobile and web applications effortlessly. The API is powered by NAVTEQ and features more than 180 country maps, location-based search, and detailed place information. Other features include vector-based maps that give a range of views, including: map, terrain and 3D modes for dynamic map mash-ups. The Ovi Maps Player API for the web was introduced earlier this year

• Ovi Navigation Player API - Allowing developers to bring Nokia’s industry-leading walk and drive navigation features to their applications, including: pedestrian navigation, turn-by-turn car navigation, and route planning. Developers can deliver applications that get consumers exactly where they want to go.

Request access to join the Ovi for developers Beta programme now.

Grand Prize winner in the Internet Innovation category of the 2009 Forum Nokia Calling All Innovators contest: the Tech Buzz Homescreen Widget

Link to Ovi store entry

I have it running on my N97. The developer has spent a log of time to make this widget attractive! There is a little ad box at the bottom, but it is not intrusive at all. A good example of try to bring some money in with your widget. 

I have come across this video on youtube. It is quite good timing because I have just recently switch to a job that is related to mobile web, Web Run-time, Flash, and etc. I will be talking about them more in this blog, and I really hope you will join in the discussions. This particular video is a positive re-enforcement to the mobile web/internet. Let me know what you think.  Toward the end, the "mobi" logo has just stayed there a tiny little bit too long... BTW, it still puzzles me why .mobi extension was chosen... (any one can tell me the reason(s)?)

Let me share a little secret of my own, when I first started as mobile browser engineer, the WAP time (yes almost 10 years ago, if anyone can find some WAP articles I wrote in 1999, I shall give you a small gift. Yeap they are out there in the Internet still), I realized WAP is actually 927 on your traditional phone keypad, two cool things 1) the 3 letters are all first character of the multi-tab. 2) The keys form the perfect triangle (okay this is pushing it a bit). Could it be the standard guys were so clever then to think of all these, or these are just coincidence? Was there a conspiracy? I don't know about you. When .mobi extension came out, I was a bit disappointed... The extension was very difficult to type on a multi-tab keypad. I was thinking... if you going to make a mobile web site extension, why not take a look at the keypad first? Would it nice to have something easily enter with a KEYPAD on a PHONE, for your MOBILE SITE?  I guess my comment is a few years late (well no one would cares about my comment then and now anyway); plus now, a lot of phones have QWERTY or virtual key board.... Anyway, there is the video I've wanted to shared. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. (hey don't forget to post your comments to the creator of the video too!)

-Wai Seto 

Nokia has introduced S60 Browser 7.1. This new mobile browser is based on WebKit 525, and adds features and updates contributed by Nokia and other members of the WebKit open source community. New user features in the browser include

• Enabling the user to define the function of shortcut keys.
• Providing users with the option to view a web page in the full screen, by hiding the status bar and softkey labels.

For developers the introduction of S60 Browser 7.1 delivers full support for Flash Lite 3.0. It also extends support for WRT API 1.1, which offer S60 Platform Services, to selected S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 devices. The new browser is already offered in the following S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 devices: Nokia 6710 Navigator, Nokia 6730 classic, Nokia N86 8MP device, Nokia E52 messaging device, Nokia E55 messaging device, and Nokia E72 device. Other selected S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 devices will gain S60 Browser 7.1 through firmware updates.

Early versions of S60 Browser 7.1 were released without support for onKeyPress to capture select and navigation key events. For full details, see the Knowledge Base entry in the Forum Nokia Wiki. This omission affects both web and WRT widget code. Later versions of the browser will correct this omission.

Get the latest about Full Web-Browsing Technology from Nokia here, http://www.forum.nokia.com/Technology_Topics/Web_Technologies/Browsing/Technology.xhtml]

For more information, check out the Web Developer’s Library

Ovi Store has been opened for business. It is a great channel for web developers or designers to distribute their mobile content to tens of millions of Nokia S60 device users. Developers can use their existing web technologies skill sets (HTML, CSS, Javascript, AJAX) to mobilize their content using WRT widget technologies.

Currently, the first batch of widgets available in Ovi Store are range from social media, news, sports as below:

- Facebook, Friendster, Hi5, Cricinfo Mobicast, Soccer, AP News..etc

If you have mobile websites, you can use widget as your website launchers. Mippin from UK has taken this approach and quickly distribute a list of widgets via Ovi Store.

- Mens Fitness,  Marie Clarie, Fodor's Travel Guides, Daily Star UK...etc

This could be a good starting point to distribute website content at Ovi Store and eventually migrate the mobile website to widgets to take full advantage of the widgets features, e.g. S60 Platform Services and Homescreen...

At Where 2.0 event at San Jose, Nokia announced the releaes of the Ovi Maps Player API to developers. With this, developers can embed the rich Ovi Maps features into their web sites. Some of the key features of the Ovi Maps are the 3D view, satellite and terrain views and customizable visuals. Developers can also mashed up the Ovi Maps with content from other services, for example latest breaking news from Associated Press. These are done using the familiar standard based technologies such as Javascript. Find out more details at www.forum.nokia.com/ovi

See the videos where Associated Press and Lonely Planet that about their experience with Ovi Maps.

As part of our effort to provide functionalities / features that work for you, we are inviting developers to work with us for the next few months by participating a invitation only beta program. Your experience and inputs during the beta will help us to build a better set of APIs. Do submit your interest via the beta programme registration link and we look forward to hearing from you. if you have any questions / feedback, feel free to post it at the Ovi for developer discussion forum

Last year I experimented how to write Facebook apps, I created two. One of them was created to show Forum Nokia news/feeds. How many of you know about it? If you are interested, you can add it into your Facebook profile. The home page of this app has a link to the source code. You are welcome to reuse it.

Forum Nokia News
App link: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=22623363472

Just a reminder, you can do the same with iGoogle. Here is my previous post on this topic .

- Wai Seto

It's possible... Not perfect yet.

(Disclaimer: I am only writing this to demonstrate the advantage of using standard web technologies to achieve cross (mobile) platforms programming. This is not to promote one or the other platform.)

What I have done

(You do need the SDK and the compilers, etc...)

Step 1) There is a new sample code (dated 2009.04.12) in IPhone Developer web site named "TransWeb" (registered users only). It pretty much gives me everything I need. The sample use a module called "UIWebView" (a webkit based UI control). It loads a HTML page into the view. The control also allows JavaScript to be run, so it is almost like a widget engine.

Step 2) Uncompress the sample code, and you will find an html file named webViewContent.html. I simply cut and pasted the my Google Translator code I had into this html file.

Step 3) Rebuild the sample code and there you have a S60 WTR widget turns iPhone app!

Some findings and limitations

1) I cannot store data, such as user name and password., via JavaScript, since there is no direct file access from UIWebView. Nokia S60 WRT allows you to save data in the preference list and (soon) in file system, so that is handy. A work around for now is (actually, my widget don't need any data to be store, but just for the sake of investigation) I can use the native UI to store username and password. In my JavaScript code, I place something like 'var = "_VAR_";' statement. At the time I load the HTML content, I just substitute the variable to what I need.

NSString *finalHtmlString = [htmlString stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString:@"_VAR_" withString:@"username"];

Therefore when the time of the JavaScript is loaded the right content is set in the variable. (if you know of a better way, let me know!)

2) I have found UIWebView zoom out quite a bit by default. I believe the UI control has a property to set autosize or fit to screen. I have not try the property myself. In stead, I put this tag in the HTML <meta name = "viewport" content = "width = device-width, height = device-height">in the <head></head> section. And the zooming works nicely for me.

3) Graphics... I am not able to load any local graphics. For example, <img src="something.jpg"> don't show anything. I am still looking into it. May be I have missed something

3) JavaScript and HTML are in a single file. Related to above, I cannot reference any local file yet. However, external JavaScript is okay; for example, the Google Translate API works perfectly.

Finally, some screen shorts

It would be really nice if there is some local storage... Then graphics can be loaded from the phones and all kinds of interesting can happen. Can someone tell me it is possible and I have just missed it? :-) I am still playing around with this, and hopefully I will have some updates here again soon. It is almost the same as my S60 version. :-)

- Wai Seto

During the Nokia Developer Summit, we have lots of activities around Web Runtime. You can listen to Day 1 Technical Stream on Mobilising the Internet, hands-on lab modules on Web Runtime, If you want to see the latest N97 homescreen widgets, WRT plug-in for Aptana Studio and Joomla plug-in, drop by the Experience Lounge...

Also, there is a N97 homescreen widgets 24 hours Hackathon at the summit. Our Top developers showcasing their skills in completing widget ideas submitted by consumers (http://2009.nseries.com/competition/about.aspx). The widgets will be demo at the day 2 of the Summit and the winning ones will be uploaded to Ovi Store for distribution.

As a Forum Nokia Web Technology Marketing Manager, I will be at the summit working on the above activities and love to 'connect' with you to hear your views / feedback on web runtime technologies.

cheers!
Ung-Ping

In case you couldn't make it...

http://www.web2expo.com/webexsf2009/public/schedule/proceedings

- Wai Seto