Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2010/07/06/microsoft_silverlight_symbian/

Microsoft's Flash challenger Silverlight hits Symbian

Windows phones still waiting

By Gavin Clarke

Posted in Software, 6th July 2010 18:53 GMT

Microsoft's Flash challenger Silverlight has landed on Symbian handsets from Nokia ahead of full Silverlight on Windows phones.

The company's browser-based media player is now available from Nokia's Ovi store for fifth-edition Nokia S60 devices such as Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and N97. Nokia claims there are more than 20 million users of the fifth-generation S60 devices.

Silverlight on Nokia's handsets potentially lets you view video and listen to music inside the browser.

Nokia called the port a "challenge" but said it: "Lays the foundation for bringing Silverlight to any other mobile platforms in future."

The release comes four months after the Silverlight for Symbian beta was released and puts Nokia devices ahead of Windows phones in terms of running the full Silverlight.

Microsoft has released a version of Silverlight Mobile for handsets running CE, but not Windows Phone 6.5. Silverlight for Windows Embedded lets you build applications using just C++ instead of the full option of using managed code, among other differences. Full Silverlight is expected with Windows Phone 7.0 in October.

Silveright, meanwhile, is currently available on Windows server and desktop operating systems, PowerPC and Intel versions of Mac, and — thanks to Miguel de Icaza's Moonlight project — Linux and Unix.

Separately, meanwhile, erstwhile DRM hacker Jon Lech Johansen — AKA DVD Jon — has turned his fire on Google's Android marketplace that challenges Ovi along with Apple's AppStore.

DVD Jon criticized Google for exercising too little curation of content in the Android Marketplace, permitting things like spam ringtones to crowd out genuine apps, and applications promoting illegal music downloads of music that are damaging companies such as Spotify, MOG, and Amazon's MP3 service which are trying to build legitimate businesses.

DVD Jon is behind doubleTwist, building a universal music player for Android, Blackberry, Palm, Sony PSP, Mac, and other platforms. ®