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Finnish mobile OS developer Jolla is attending Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, where the company has officially announced Sailfish 3, the next-generation independent mobile OS built on a five-year software legacy. The company also announced a handful of new devices that have joined the Sailfish ecosystem and it revealed its plans for a new branch of its mobile operating system which was designed specifically for 4G-enabled feature phones as it sets out to allow select Android app access on low-spec hardware for consumers who don’t need or want a full-fledged smartphone.
One of the biggest changes introduced with the latest Sailfish 3 OS lies in the way the software can be distributed through regional licensing, providing full support for regional infrastructure which should lead to steady upgrade releases and more. As for the mobile operating system itself, Sailfish 3 should provide 30-percent faster performance, improved multitasking with the ability to quickly switch between applications, as well as a redesigned top menu containing actions and settings. The mobile operating system employs a new visual style comprising new ambiances, light themes, and animations, while also offering new security solutions including revised architecture, fingerprint support, encryption, remote locking and wiping capabilities, as well as enablers for blockchain-based services. In terms of connectivity, the new mobile OS version provides VoLTE, Bluetooth LE, and USB On-The-Go, all while adopting full cloud integration with automatic syncing support. New APIs are provided for the Camera, Location, WebEngine, Crypto and other services, and businesses can take advantage of an integrated VPN, a redesigned Calendar and Email solution, Mobile Device Management, as well as encrypted user data and communications.
Jolla also announced a handful of new devices that have joined the Sailfish OS family, including the Sony Xperia XA2 along with the Gemini PDA and certain INOI tablets which are generally used in Russia by corporate customers. In addition, the new Sailfish branch designed specifically for feature phones includes a corresponding user interface, built-in support for hardware keyboards, and support for appropriate low-end hardware components. As far as availability goes, Sailfish 3 will be distributed in phases starting with the third quarter of this year and will gradually make its way to all eligible devices.