Nokia, Symbian and MeeGo application builders will use Qt for native and Web development

Nokia is focusing on Qt (pronounced "cute") as the sole application development framework for its Symbian and MeeGo mobile phone platforms for both native and Web application development, the company said Thursday.

Consolidating around Qt will ensure that applications will be compatible with future versions of both platforms, Nokia said. Previously, Web Runtime served as the Web development technology for Symbian and Meego. Nokia also said it will support HTML5 for development of Web content and applications for the two platforms.

Developers writing to Qt will be able to access all Symbian and MeeGo devices, said Rich Green, Nokia CTO. "From a market share play, it's huge for developers," he said.

Nokia acquired Qt when it bought TrollTech in 2008.

Symbian has been Nokia's established mobile platform, while MeeGo is intended for high-end smartphones expected to debut in 2011. Meego is based on a collaboration with Intel.

Nokia also said future releases of Symbian will not bear version numbers, such as Symbian3. Instead of offering developers major disruptive changes once or twice a year, they instead will see more frequent but less disruptive changes, a Nokia representative said.

The company also said Thursday that it plans to simplify operations in product development in its Symbian SmartPhones and Services organizations are expected to result in the loss of as many as 1,800 jobs globally.