Nokia rolls out refreshed browser to old Symbian phones

Nokia is to push its new browser out to older Symbian handsets, the company said on Monday.

Version 7.3 of the Symbian browser has already been released as a feature of the 'Anna' version of the dying mobile operating system. However, Nokia has now said the browser will be made available for more than 10 smartphone models that cannot be upgraded to Anna.

The browser is faster than its predecessors and also adds support for international domain names (IDNs) and non-ASCII scripts, such as Arabic or Chinese. It also has a refreshed interface, doing away with the menu bar to give more space to the displayed content.

According to a blog post on Monday, the new browser will be made available over the next few weeks for users of the E72, E52, E5, C5-00, 6700 slide, C6-00, C5-03, 5230, 5235, 5250 and N97 mini handsets.

The E72, E52, E5, C5-00 and 6700 slide models run Symbian 3.2, and these phones will also get Ovi Maps 3 SR4, which adds indoor positioning to Nokia's mapping service.

The Symbian 5.0-based C6-00, C5-03, 5230, 5235, 5250 and N97 mini models will get a different version, Ovi Maps 3 SR6, which adds "public transport lines and check-in services to social networking sites", Nokia said.

The post added that the update would also include a set of emoticons, and urged those who want their phone upgraded to make sure they have their software update autocheck switched on.