Unicode 6.0: Support for Popular Symbols in Asia

 

Mountain View, CA, USA – October 11, 2010 – The newly finalized Unicode Version 6.0 adds 2,088 characters, with over 1,000 new symbols.

U+1F4F1 MOBILE PHONE

A long-awaited feature of Unicode 6.0 is the encoding of  hundreds of symbols for mobile phones. These emoji characters are in widespread use, especially in Japan, and have become an essential part of text messages there and elsewhere. Unicode 6.0 now provides for data interchange between different mobile vendors and across the internet. The symbols include symbols for many domains: maps and transport, phases of the moon, UI symbols (such as fast-forward) and many others–including the symbol for mobile phone itself.

U+20B9 INDIAN RUPEE SIGN

A late-breaking addition is the newly created official symbol for the Indian rupee. "With the help of the Indian government and our colleagues in ISO, we were able to accelerate the encoding process." said Mark Davis, president of the Consortium. "Once computers and mobile phones update to the new version of Unicode, people will be able to use the rupee sign like they use $ or € now."

This October 2010 release includes the Unicode Character Database (UCD), Unicode Standard Annexes (UAXes), and code charts. With the release of these components, implementers are able update their software to Unicode 6.0 without delay. The final text of the core specification will be available in early 2011.

To access Unicode 6.0, see http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode6.0.0/

About The Unicode Consortium

The Unicode Consortium is a non-profit organization founded to develop, extend and promote use of the Unicode Standard and related globalization standards.

The membership of the consortium represents a broad spectrum of corporations and organizations in the computer and information processing industry. Members are: Adobe, Apple, Google, Government of Bangladesh, Government of India, IBM, Microsoft, Monotype Imaging, Oracle, The Society for Natural Language Technology Research, SAP, The University of California (Berkeley), The University of California (Santa Cruz), Yahoo!, plus well over a hundred Associate, Liaison, and Individual members.

For more information, please contact the Unicode Consortium.