Nokia Qt SDK 1.0 released
Nokia's Qt SDK - previously released as a cross-platform, multi-device integrated development environment - has now been properly released at v1.0: The Nokia Qt SDK 1.0 is available starting today, and it offers a true cross-platform development environment allowing developers to create applications for both Symbian and Maemo devices. Installation is easy, as it only requires one installation package that downloads all of the Qt and Symbian/Maemo components that developers need using the same Qt Creator 2.0 as standard Qt SDKs for use on Windows, Linux and Mac (beta). The Nokia Qt SDK 1.0 includes the Qt 4.6 libraries plus additional APIs for mobile development. With a fast, new simulator along with on-device debugging and the ability to compile to both .sis (Symbian) or .deb (Maemo) packages, it provides developers with a great opportunity to start creating amazing apps right away. This release, combined with the acceptance of Qt applications into Ovi, marks the point Nokia have been aiming at since buying Trolltech. Unfortunately, that's been a very long time; a time notable for confusion and conflicting messages (especially for Maemo developers).
Hopefully, with this milestone, Nokia will be presenting a consistent message for MeeGo development and that a consistent message now; exciting hardware and an open platform will allow them to make inroads against iOS and Android.
Wayfinder - N810's "Map" app - open sourced by Vodafone
When the N810 was released, its bundled map application was widely slated. It was too slow, too expensive, too inaccurate. However, then we saw Ovi Maps which came with the N900. "Come back Wayfinder" was a common refrain, with its features such as voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation; speed display; speed camera warnings; search and maps which didn't require an Internet connection. Unforunately, it was never updated and released for Maemo 5, and Wayfinder itself started shutting up shop after being bought by Vodafone, and the inability to compete with bundled, free services like Google Maps.
Now, however, much of the code behind the server, and some of the clients, has been open sourced: We are proud to announce the Vodafone Wayfinder Open Source Software project. The majority of all the location and navigation related software developed at Wayfinder Systems, a fully owned Vodafone subsidiary, is made available publicly under a BSD licence. This includes the distributed back-end server, tools to manage the server cluster and map conversion as well as client software for e.g. Android, iPhone and Symbian S60. Technical documentation is available in the wiki and discussions around the software are hosted in the forum. If nothing else, hopefully this will allow the running of community licence servers, to ensure that the full features continue to be available to N810 users.