Carbide.c++ v1.3 is now available from the Forum Nokia site. This C++ development tool, aimed at developers of Symbian OS applications, has been improved based on developer feedback obtained by Nokia engineers, who flew to several customer sites. The result: a greatly improved version with a high level of usability. New features in v1.3 include:

• Support for Eclipse 3.3/CDT 4.0 Europa from the Eclipse Foundation: improves stability with navigation tools, such as the new Quick Search utility
• Support for Microsoft’s Vista OS
• Code Scanner: scans code to detect potential problems, such as memory cleanup, excessive code, etc.; finds defects and coding deviations, improves the quality of code, and shortens debug time with early problem-detection
• Platform Security Suite: scans APIs in the active project and lists the capabilities required. Helps developers manage security tradeoffs and aids in getting applications signed

Learn more and download Carbide.c++ for Symbian OS, v1.3.

Silverlight browser plug-in ( Adobe’s Flash replacement by Microsoft) will be bringing his multimedia power to Nokia mobile devices. Microsoft Silverlight will be available for Series 40, Series 60 and Nokia Internet tablet devices.  Silverlight support will extend the opportunities for developers to create rich, interactive applications that run on multiple platforms in a consistent, reliable way. Silverlight will also expand the range of development environments that mobile developers can use. The strategy, which Microsoft detailed at last year’s Mix conference, hinges on creating tools that let traditional Microsoft developers write Silverlight Web applications with familiar products like Visual Studio and ASP.Net.

Java™ ME Developer’s Library, a new aggregation site within the Forum Nokia community, is a complete resource package for developers. It includes introductory, getting started, tutorial, and API-level information for developers wishing to use the S60 or the Series 40 platforms for developing mobile Java applications or services. This library is available in three formats: HTML online, stand-alone, and Eclipse plug-in.

Forum Nokia has launched Problem of the Month, a competition for S60 developers. This month’s problem: Design and implement a framework that unifies S60 runtimes. The goal is the intercommunication of runtimes, such as Symbian C++, Java, Flash, Python, and Web Runtimes. With this kind of runtime interaction, it is possible to access new features and reuse existing solutions in new and exciting ways.

To enter, provide your framework implementation and at least one working example of the runtime’s internetworking. If you don’t have time to implement all the necessary parts, at least present your ideas and planned design to score more points in the contest.

Solve the S60 problem of the month; the deadline is February 15.

Good news for developers, who use to work with open-source IDEs NetBeans and Eclipse. The latest Nokia Series 40 and S60 SDKs now supports integrations with both of IDEs. Combined with Nokia PC Suite and a Series 40 or S60 SDK, NetBeans offers an easy route to mobilizing your Java skills.

Download NetBeans and the NetBeans Mobility Pack here (http://www.forum.nokia.com/main/resources/technologies/java/netbeans.html?cp-1207A&entry=NetBeansArticle3CTA).