Despite the fact that the company has a newly adopted OS in the works with Windows Phone 7, Nokia has always promised to continue supporting Symbian, its first OS. That said, owners of the Nokia N8, C7, C6-01 and E7 will get to download the Symbian Anna software update starting today. The update includes improvements to the browser and maps, along with new icons.
The update will also bring with it a portrait QWERTY keyboard, and split-screen viewing during text input so you can check out web pages, forms and threads as you type. As far as the map improvements go, Ovi Maps will now have a better search function as well as public transportation routes. The update also includes check-ins for social networks, along with email and SMS sharing of your location.
Nokia included new business features in the Anna update as well, bringing meeting request support to email, hardware-accelerated encryption of data, and secure intranet access for users who need IPSEC and SSL VPN enablers. The best part of the update is unfortunately only for owners of the C7, but it’s a pretty sweet improvement. Once C7 owners download the Symbian Anna update, the NFC hardware in the handset will be activated.
Nokia recommends going through the Ovi Suite on PC to get the download, as it’s pretty large and could fail through OTA unless your Wi-Fi connection is super reliable. Oh, and one little bummer before I go: the update is not available in the U.S. right now, and since Nokia wants to halt its Symbian business in North America, it may never be. Currently, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, UAE, and the UK will be the first to get the update, with other countries to follow within the next three weeks.