Nokia releases new mobile development tools

Nokia today introduced three time-saving mobile development tools for desktop developers.

This will enable faster conversion of standard web code and scripting while working within several popular development environments.

The Nokia Web Runtime Extension for Adobe Dreamweaver, Nokia WRT plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio and the newly updated WRT plug-in 2.0 for Aptana Studio allow web developers and designers using HTML, CSS, JavaScript(TM), Ajax code and other standards-based technologies extend existing web content to the mobile channel.

Nokia’s WRT is built on the same open-source WebKit project environment used by Web Browser for S60, Nokia’s full-HTML browser for the devices running on Nokia’s S60 platform.

Nokia’s WRT widget plug-ins let web developers working within Dreamweaver, Visual Studio and Eclipse-based Aptana Studio rapidly deliver widget-based content to users of supported Nokia devices. No previous experience with Nokia software development tools or mobile platform technologies is needed.

“These new Nokia WRT tools open up the mobile market to web developers and creative professionals worldwide who work every day in these widely used development environments to create web applications and content,” said Craig Cumberland, Director of WRT Tools and Technologies, Nokia. “WRT plug-ins enable the easy creation of feature-rich widget applications for the enjoyment of mobile consumers around the globe.”

Additionally, within the next 30 days, Nokia will localize the WRT Extension for Adobe Dreamweaver and the Nokia WRT plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio, offering multi-language support for developer tools. The tools will be available in traditional and simplified Chinese, English, Germany, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish.

All three of the new Nokia WRT plug-ins can be used to create widgets projects for all S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 devices and onward, as well as all S60 5th Edition devices. WRT plug-ins also support select S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 devices, with a firmware upgrade via a Nokia software updater necessary to install WRT on some devices.

Nokia’s updated WRT plug-in for Aptana Studio 2 immediately supports Nokia platform services 1.0 and provides access to select device functionality for two Nokia touch-screen devices, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and the Nokia N97, while also supporting the “Home screen” publishing functionality on the Nokia N97 and future Nokia devices.