I absolutely agree, except for maybe the GPE/Abiword specifics.

In order for the IT's go to mainstream, they're going to need:

1) a word processor that can at least read, and probably write, word documents. Needs to be native; online google apps is nice, but only when you're connected. People will need this even when not connected.

2) probably something for excel docs as well.

3) calendar and to-do list.

4) sync service for documents, calendar, to-do list, contacts, bookmarks. I'd suggest google, except: no API for the contacts, and the bookmarks service is insufficient. And, whatever is chosen, that sync service needs to be able to sync with Mac native apps, Windows native apps, and Thunderbird/Sunbird/Firefox (mac, linux, or windows).

5) if they ever add video-out, then they probably should add a presentation (powerpoint) type app to #1 and #2.

6) a nice bonus would be a project management app, but not a general necessity.


The general business world, and even many students, wont get behind this without 1-3. And I bet the general populace wont get behind it as long as they keep hearing there's no built-in way of handling #4. If you do 1-5, then I bet you'll get a lot of business people drooling over it.


3rd party developers might get 1-3, and 5&6 done for you, Nokia, but you can't wait for it to happen. You need a basic, usable, solid solution for those right in the box. Let people do add-on replacements (the way you can add-on GPE Contacts to replace the built-in Contacts), but Nokia needs to include these as basics, in the device.

I think Nokia has 2 choices:

A) as with Contacts and Bookmarks, develop their own basic apps for this. Maybe make 1, 2, 5, and 6 be read-only, in this case. Then leave the 3rd parties to make the read/write versions.

B) hire someone who will work with the GPE versions to make sure they get proper support for the ITs, in a timely fashion. Then, only when they've got solid integration with the Nokia products, include them on the IT as included apps. Donate code/work back to the core GPE projects, so that it becomes a mutually beneficial arrangement.