ACCESS Announces First Full-Featured Browser for QUALCOMM'S BREW
ACCESS, a global provider of mobile content delivery and Internet access technologies, today announced that its NetFront v3.0 microbrowser is now available for QUALCOMM’s BREW(R) solution. With NetFront for BREW, mobile operators and handset manufacturers will have access to the some of the most advanced mobile browsing technology in the world. The company announced the product at the BREW 2004 Developers Conference being held June 7-9 in San Diego, California.
NetFront for BREW not only offers advanced browsing on the BREW solution, it enables new BREW-enabled services for operators while reducing deployment expenses for handset manufacturers. BREW operators benefit from browser-based contextual shopping (contextually relevant purchase events tied to current user activity), secure application purchase and delivery, and downloadable browser UI skins; as well as potential costs savings through more effective Over-the-Air (OTA) patches, services and updates. BREW handset manufacturers benefit from reduced porting time and reduced code size.
NetFront is one of the most widely deployed and actively used embedded mobile Web browsers in the world. It supports the widest range of Internet standards, including WML, HTML, cHTML and WAP 2.0. NetFront provides advanced features like Smart-Fit Rendering(TM), a sophisticated technology that intelligently renders Web pages to fit handset screen widths, eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling; and Rapid-Render(TM), a patent-pending technology that progressively renders and displays Web page content in a way that accelerates the presentation, discovery, and interaction opportunities for end-users. Rapid-Render improves page download speeds up to six times over earlier versions of NetFront.
“The combination of the unique, open technologies of the BREW solution and Access’ NetFront will make it simpler for operators and handset manufacturers to deliver advanced data solutions to their customers,” said Toru Arakawa, president and CEO of ACCESS. “We are confident that the lessons we have learned in providing our advanced mobile Internet technologies to our partners throughout the world will serve BREW operators well in their delivery of advanced, new browser-based services to their wireless subscribers.”
“ACCESS has proven itself as a leading global provider of mobile browsing technology,” said Gina Lombardi, senior vice president of marketing and product management for QUALCOMM Internet Services. “The NetFront for BREW browser can enable new services and revenue opportunities for BREW operators while reducing deployment costs for BREW handset manufacturers.”
QUALCOMM’s BREW solution provides products and services that connect the mobile marketplace value chain, which includes publishers, developers, content providers, device manufacturers, operators and consumers.
Publishers and developers worldwide are generating revenue from BREW-based applications and content, and 26 manufacturers have offered more than 135 BREW-enabled device models to consumers. BREW is successfully enabling the commercial wireless data services of many successful operators, including Verizon Wireless, ALLTEL, Cellular One, MetroPCS, Midwest Wireless, NTELOS and U.S. Cellular in the United States, China Unicom, KDDI in Japan, KTF in South Korea, Hutch in Thailand, Telstra in Australia, VIVO in Brazil, BellSouth Chile, BellSouth Colombia, BellSouth Ecuador, BellSouth Guatemala, BellSouth Nicaragua, BellSouth Panama, BellSouth Peru, Telefonica Moviles in Peru, Movicom in Argentina, Telcel and Movilnet in Venezuela, Verizon Dominican Republic, Verizon Wireless Puerto Rico, Pelephone in Israel and Zapp in Romania.
About NetFront
NetFront v3.1 is the latest version of the most widely deployed and actively used embedded Web browser in the world. NetFront recently surpassed 115 million deployments globally that include 275 unique devices ranging from mobile phones and PDAs to digital televisions, gaming consoles, and automobile telematics systems from 90 major Internet device manufacturers. NetFront supports a wider range of operating systems than any competing browser including solutions for Palm(R) OS, Symbian OS, Linux OS, Windows Mobile/PocketPC and mobile handset environments like BREW(TM). NetFront browser technology is used by the world’s leading mobile operators, software providers and electronics manufacturers including Adobe, Alpine, AT&T Wireless, China Mobile, China Unicom, Handspring, Hutchinson 3G Group, IBM, KDDI, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, PalmSource, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony and more.
About ACCESS
ACCESS Co. Ltd. is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with offices throughout the world including major centers in the U.S., Germany, and China. ACCESS is a leading global provider of mobile Internet technologies and consultation services for the beyond-PC market. ACCESS’ NetFront browser technology powers 275 different commercial products worldwide including mobile phones, digital televisions, set-top boxes, game consoles, PDAs, car navigation systems, web phones, kiosk terminals and intranet terminals. ACCESS’ NetFront browser technology is most widely deployed in mobile phones for NTT DoCoMo’s popular i-mode(R) and FOMA(TM) services. To date, over 115 million ACCESS software licenses have shipped from more than 90 major Internet device manufactures. ACCESS was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market on February 26, 2001. More information is available at www.access.co.jp/english or www.access-us-inc.com.
Contacts:
Asia U.S.
ACCESS Co., Ltd. Japan ACCESS Co., Ltd. US Branch
Kazunori Takahashi +81 (3) 5259-3685 Manuel Morales +1 (510) 438-7708
prinfo@access.co.jp mmorales@access-us-inc.com
Europe Bill Danon +1 (415) 365-0222
ACCESS Systems Europe GmbH bill.danon@bitepr.com
Claudia Hoeck +49 (208) 8290-6432
hoeck@access-sys-eu.com
NOTE: ACCESS is a registered trademark in Japan. NetFront and Compact NetFront are registered trademarks of ACCESS Co., Ltd. in Japan. i-mode is a registered trademark of NTT DoCoMo. QUALCOMM and BREW are registered trademarks of QUALCOMM Incorporated. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Web site: www.access.co.jp/English /