Mobile Camp London: S60 Web Widgets -- Petro Soininen, Nokia

See the whole presentation here.

• Nokia providing open source Browser Control so can access web content easily from within Symbian apps
• Now providing Widget Runtime on top of the Browser Control
• Widgets run and feel like a native app — appear as application icons in interface
• Not necessarily dependent on network access
• Load their own instance of the WebKit engine (though some parts may be shared)
• One widget displayed at a time (full screen)
• Widgets can work in landscape or portrait
• Can be assigned to soft keys or shortcuts on the idle screen
• No means to save persistent information beyond reboot at the moment
• Customisable standby screen coming some time next year — and so widgets at idle

Plans for the future:

• Want to use platform capabilities
• Location, PIM, media, standby screen, etc
• Security model is the sticking point at the moment
• Plans will be communicated next year

Widget internals:

• Recommended icon for app is 88x88 PNG
• Folder for widget UI: private/10282822/${Identifier}
• Info.plist — XML properties file but different properties to a dashboard widget…

How do you update widgets automatically?

• Can launch normal browser from within a widget and download a new package to install (just like J2ME)

Javascript API

• setPreferenceForKey / preferenceForKey
• openApplication(Uid, param)
• setDisplayLandscape/Portrait
• setNavigationEnabled — hides/shows cursor
• onhide / onshow callbacks
• menu object available to manipulate, with menuItems — allows access to standard S60 device menu
• system info service API provides access to memory, network, lights, vibration, etc, available as a browser plugin
  • Not supported in standard browser context, only in widget runtime
  • Does provide events — e.g. onchargelevel (don’t know if they fire in the background…)
  • system info API needs to be first embedded object in HTML
  • javascript to access local info needs to be included in widget (not remote)

development process:

• general development in web browser
• testing in S60 3rd Edition FP2 emulator (beta ETA first half of October)
• testing on a real device, need custom firmware for the moment… (Nokia 6292)

installation & packaging:

• zip package with extension .wgz
• mime-type: x-nokia-widgets (isn't that missing something?)

misc

• Nokia use Phone Screen over Bluetooth to demonstrate phone on laptop screen
  • appears different from Devlex PhoneScreen (app on laptop appears to be Java) — has resolution doubler
  • Not available outside of Nokia... :-(
• Developer Workshop in Finland October 30th (details to be published on forum.nokia.com)