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BARCELONA, Spain – The Symbian Foundation today unveiled the first release of Symbian^3 which they expect to be code complete by the end of next month. This release features a wide range of enhancements including more advanced usability, faster networking and graphics acceleration in 2D and 3D for games and apps. The first devices running the new platform are expected to ship as early as Q3 this year.

Symbian^3 software release offers a powerful capability package for all Symbian device manufacturers. Naturally, the productization of the capabilities integrated in the Symbian^3 platform in devices is subject to Symbian Foundation members’ own decisions and product roadmaps. Along with more efficient memory management, allowing more apps to run in parallel, Symbian^3 also includes support for HDMI, so users can plug their device into a TV and watch a 1080p movie. The new graphics architecture will use hardware acceleration to offer users a much improved user interface.

The new homescreen supports multiple pages for widgets, enabling the user to just flick between each one. Across the board we’ll also see a range of network improvements, including the ability to automatically switch from cell network to WLAN automatically, without user interruption. The platform is also ready for 4G networks.

We’ve got a video showing off some concepts which explore the new capabilities of S^3. Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.