Nokia sits us down and tells us where Beta Labs apps go when they die

by Chris Ziegler, posted Mar 10th 2008 at 5:19PM

Now that Nokia's Beta Labs has had some time to stew and develop, the fruits of its labor have started to ripen -- and, in some cases, over-ripen. So what exactly happens when the beta process is complete? The best-case scenario is "graduation," meaning that an app has gone through a full beta phase -- possibly comprised of multiple update and feedback cycles -- and go on to become production offerings. Otherwise, they're "archived," in which case they'll either be embalmed and offered as-is for posterity's sake or disappear quietly into the ether, never to be heard from again. Nokia says that it usually won't be able to disclose exactly why certain projects get archived, other than that they've served their official purpose to the company -- but for what it's worth, Beta Labs chief Tommi Vilkamo figures that roughly half of the Labs' apps will graduate and half will head to archival purgatory. Here's hoping Maps 2.0 doesn't head toward the latter category, eh?

Filed under: Software, Nokia

Tags: archival, beta, beta labs, BetaLabs, graduation, nokia

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

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sr @ Mar 11th 2008 1:51AM

Oh no... Maps 2.0 is way to good to go into archival. I use the beta everyday and it is much better than its predecessor. It just has a few things that need polished.

Neutral

Tommi Vilkamo @ Mar 11th 2008 4:03AM

Heh, seems that I need to spend more time drawing prettier diagrams - so that they wouldn't look so ugly when shared on high-profile sites like this one :)

You can be sure that Maps 2.0 will graduate. Simplifying a bit, there are two kinds of apps in Nokia Beta Labs:

1. "Mainstream" apps like Nokia Maps 2.0. In these cases, the productization route has been roadmapped, and the eventual graduation is almost inevitable.

2. "Experimental" apps like Nokia PC Phone. In these cases, it's more about learning what sticks at the market, what doesn't, and how to make the concepts rock. In some cases, the app is just a proof of concept, that is planned to be archived after the beta trials. In another cases, the exact graduation/archival route hasn't necessarily been decided - it's something to be determined during the beta trials.

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