| Intrinsyc debuts feature-phone extensions for Windows CE |
Feb. 11, 2005
[Updated Feb. 14, 2005] -- Intrinsyc Software will preview software and tools that extend Microsoft's Windows CE technology to the rapidly growing feature-phone device segment, next week, at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, France. The company says that its new software and tools offering adds efficiency and flexibility to Windows CE based feature-phone development.
Intrinsyc says that Windows CE "until now has been underutilized in feature phone development." The company adds, "These advanced handsets offer consumers sought-after applications such as digital camera capability, video streaming, gaming, multimedia and messaging. Such feature phones dominate the market for mobile phones, which is expected to reach 700 million units sold in 2005."
Feature-phone designs are continually increasing in complexity and diversity, which results in the client software platform and development infrastructure rapidly becoming the major product development bottleneck for handset developers, according to Intrinsyc. The company claims that its new software and tools for Windows CE based feature-phones will help overcome these software challenges.
Intrinsyc vice president of Mobile Software Products Randy Kath said, "Microsoft's Windows CE operating system is ideally suited for these challenges, and when combined with Intrinsyc's feature phone software extensions, a highly optimized and flexible platform is formed for device makers and third-parties alike."
"Microsoft has built a rich ecosystem of partners working with Windows Mobile and Windows CE, and we believe that applying their wares and expertise to the feature phone market segment is a natural evolution of their businesses," Kath added. "By better enabling these Windows CE and Windows Mobile partners to participate in the feature phone market, we will help device makers improve their business efficiency in addition to their top-line results, and give them more go-to-market options."
Intrinsyc is currently developing a set of value-add software for the Windows CE operating system and tool chain that it says will speed development time and efficiency, and lower costs for developing segment-specific handsets. The effort aims to produce an extensible and configurable feature-phone software stack for Windows CE, that will minimize hardware resource requirements, maximize performance and power management capabilities, and provide design flexibility to meet requirements of the feature-phone market segment.
According to Intrynsic, the new feature-phone offering will "apply the full power and extensibility of the Microsoft Platform Builder and Visual Studio development tools to handset development and will help improve resource utilization across teams internal to device makers as well as the external set of vendors and third-party engineering resources."
Additionally, Intrinsyc says that it is collaborating with key silicon vendors in an effort to ensure that an "optimized bill-of-materials is matched with the upcoming software offering."
On the value of Windows CE in handset designs
Intrinsyc said, in a statement, "Intrinsyc Software believes that Windows CE, with its long track record and hundreds of design wins to its credit, is the standard operating system of choice for handset device makers. Windows CE was built from the ground up as a componentized, embedded operating system, making it ideally suited for extension to the feature phone market. With Microsoft Windows CE 5.0, Microsoft added the Premium Derivatives Redistribution Licensing offering to their Windows CE Shared Source Program, providing unprecedented design flexibility and product supportability for device makers. Together with Windows CE's Core run-time license and Intrinsyc Software's value-add intellectual property, these elements offer a compelling overall economic choice for handset makers."
Andy Haon, director of platforms product management and planning for Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Devices Division, added. "Intrinsyc Software's extension tools are aimed at providing our mutual customers with improved flexibility and efficiency. They have created a new business opportunity through the expanded, flexible licensing options for Windows CE to provide their customers with a customized offering," said "We look forward to their efforts to help make Windows CE even more successful in the embedded market segment."
Strategy Analytics director of wireless devices Chris Ambrosio added, "A standardized [operating system] strategy beyond enterprise-focused smart phones will be a critical success factor for handset vendors looking to meet the Mobile Messenger, Technophile, and Digital Youth market requirements for an increasing array of features folded into a greater variety of models. One can expect the widespread Windows CE competency base cultivated by Microsoft will increasingly target the larger and more consumer-oriented feature phone segment. By delivering feature phone-specific extensions for Windows CE, Intrinsyc is well positioned to compete in the feature phone and consumer-focused smart device market opportunity, which will total 180 million units annually by 2008."
3GSM conference demo
Intrinsyc Software will begin demonstrating its new feature phone software extensions with handset device makers, silicon vendor partners, mobile operators, and third-party software developers at 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, France, next week, it says.
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