Symbian rolls out Quartz design for communicator

In Hanover today Symbian unveiled Quartz, the first of its EPOC-based reference designs for what it calls Wireless Information Devices (WIDs). Quartz is a Communicator-footprint design, effectively a Psion-like device based on EPOC 6, ready and waiting to be be produced and shipped by Symbian licensees. Symbian had Ericsson and Motorola at the rollout as supporting acts, but only Motorola is committed to a ship date for a Quartz-based platform - Q2 2001, and according to Psion CEO David Levin, Motorola is going to be the first out of the traps. We'd doubt this, particularly as Symbian waved a Communicator concept product around in the company of NTT DoCoMo last year, but Levin, who recently got into a co-development deal with Motorola, surely ought to know. But you can spot the gag, can't you? Quartz is a pen-based device, and Symbian also has Crystal and Pearl designs on the stocks. So Motorola's firstness is only going to be in one area. Other Symbian licensees can therefore be expected to major on the smartphone and larger-format keyboarded communicator designs. Quartz is quarter VGA format, and includes jotter, contacts, PIM, email, fax, SMS, telephony, and Web and WAP browsing. It also integrates Bluetooth, and EPOC 6 adds integrated Java and IMAP support. ®