Had a chance today to "Skype" with David Stone, communications manager at Nokia's Qt, about yesterday's release of the Qt SDK 1.1, which he said brings libraries, tool chains and IDEs for both mobile and desktop development. Also new in the release is Qt Quick, which features a declarative language -- QML -- that he said makes it faster and easier for non-C++ developers to create user interfaces. Qt is the development framework Nokia's Symbian and MeeGo smartphone platforms, but he said the future smartphone strategy is all about Windows Phone 7, what with former Microsoft exec Stephen Elop at the helm of Nokia. He noted that Qt will NOT be ported to Windows Phone. Also, he said, Nokia could potentially use Qt in its "feature phone" line of less-sophisticated devices with smaller screens, cheaper hardware and a physical dial pad/keyboard. Stone said there remain millions upon millions of people around the world who do not currently have mobile phones and that non-smartphones remain a great entry point where Internet and wireless networks are limited.  Further, he said Qt will continue to have a future in embedded devices. He said, "There's a strong push to get MeeGo into cars for 'infotainment.' It's likely you'll see Qt behind satnav screens or the TV screens behind the headrests." On the desktop, Stone said Qt will be bundled into the next 10.x release of Ubuntu Linux, and that Qt remains the backbone of KDE. Finally, with Qt 4.7, the framework is more modular and will have a more open governance structure, which will allow for even more contribution and ownership in the community. Already, he said, individual developers have created a port to put Qt applications on Android. "Qt still has independence and a life outside Nokia," Stone said. As it is now licensed under the LGPL, Stone pointed out that downloads went from 400,000 in 2008 to 1.5 million in 2010. Lastly, the company announced there will be Qt Developer Days, in late October in Munich, Germany.