Trolltech, the company behind the Qt Linux platform and creators of the Android-rivalling Greenphone, announced today an upgrade to their Qtopia mobile OS; version 4.3 now supports touchscreens, coming complete with a finger-friendly UI, virtual keyboard and SDK for OpenMoko’s Neo1973, as well as Outlook synchronisation, enhanced media support and faster application start-up.  Improvements to the telephony toolkit have also helped secure GCF compliance.

Qtopia applications now boot-up on average 50-percent faster than in earlier versions of the platform; meanwhile, support for GStreamer as well as Real Networks Helix DNA streaming media frameworks has been introduced.  Media software itself has received a new UI and extended functionality, while an audio policy framework has been developed to manage complex audio channels across a range of inputs and outputs.

Trolltech also announced a licencing deal with Torch Mobile Inc. regarding their Iris Browser, which will see the software closely integrated with the Qtopia platform.  Meanwhile, the company has also integrated their Qt cross-platform framework with WebKit, the same underlying browser technology used in the iPhone and in Nokia’s admired S60 browser

“The Qt WebKit Integration helps developers to combine live web content with mobile and desktop applications. This erodes the boundaries between the desktop, mobile phones and the Web. It also enables graphics and Web designers to join developers in making user interfaces more advanced than ever – no matter which device or desktop application you are using” Lars Knoll, VP of engineering, Trolltech

The WebKit integration will be first available in the next scheduled upgrade of Qt, version 4.4, expected Q2 2008.