MENU

Press Releases

Press Releases
2008.02.11

Print

Wind River and ACCESS Extend Partnership into Linux-based Mobile Handset Market

  • Companies combine market-leading technologies and leverage their participation in the LiMo Foundation to accelerate the path to market release and differentiation of handsets
  • Wind River joins ACCESS Connect Ecosystem Partner Program

Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain, – February 11, 2008 – Wind River Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:WIND), the global leader in Device Software Optimization (DSO), and ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today announced that they are extending their partnership into the Linux mobile handset market with a pre-integrated software development solution for mobile handset OEMs and cellular carriers. The solution, expected to be available in Q2 2008, will combine Wind River’s Platform for Consumer Devices, Linux Edition with the ACCESS Linux Platform, delivering a completely integrated, open and flexible Linux-based platform tailored specifically for mobile devices. Handset OEMs and carriers will have the option of coupling a leading commercial-grade Linux distribution with a leading commercial handset software stack to more efficiently develop and differentiate devices, including LiMo-compliant handsets.

In today’s demanding mobile marketplace, handset OEMs and carriers are under increased pressure to reduce time to market and overall costs while delivering highly differentiated handsets. As a result, mobile developers must manage increasingly complex and often incompatible software environments across the development stack. To minimize these development challenges, handset manufacturers require proven and optimized solutions that pre-integrate the operating system and application framework.

The new Wind River-ACCESS solution will come with the backing of two of the leading providers in the mobile handset market. Wind River extends the platform with its professional services team with considerable mobile handset expertise while the extensive ACCESS developer program adds a broad array of applications with which to differentiate a handset. Further, the Wind River Workbench development suite and ACCESS Linux Platform Product Development Kit (PDK), both available with this solution, are based on the Eclipse framework, giving developers a familiar foundation for development tools. This pre-integration speeds time to market for mobile handset manufacturers and provides world class support for the complete software stack.

Both companies are also Core members of the LiMo Foundation, where they are working together with other LiMo members to provide the market with a LiMo native Linux Software Development Kit (SDK), based upon Wind River’s contribution of their world-class build system for the LiMo Common Integration Environment (CIE) and ACCESS’ successful SDK for the ACCESS Linux Platform.

Additionally, the two companies announced that Wind River will join the ACCESS Connect Ecosystem (ACE) partner program. The ACE partner program is designed to create a network of world-class partners that will develop the potential of the digital life generation by driving development and adoption of new mobile converged technologies and solutions.

“By extending our partnership with ACCESS into the mobile Linux market, we greatly help our joint customers by delivering baseline integration before the project starts so they can focus on the true innovation — creating and deploying mobile applications that will better add value to their handset product,” said Jason Whitmire, general manager mobile solutions, Wind River. “ACCESS customers have come to value and rely on the company’s flexible, open mobile platforms and its combination of best-in-class, open source applications and proven mobile technologies. The combination of ACCESS‘ SDK and capabilities for application developers combined with Wind River build systems and tools for platform development is a significant step forward for the mobile Linux community.”

“We welcome Wind River to the ACE partner program and look forward to working with the company to help extend the growing market momentum of Linux,” said Toru Arakawa, CEO, president and co-founder of ACCESS. “Today’s announcement represents a natural extension of our existing relationship with the company. We share a similar commitment to speeding time to market for media-rich Linux phones, and delivering a joint commercial, OEM-grade platform.”

Wind River and ACCESS are long-standing partners and trusted advisors in the device software market. The two companies previously announced that ACCESS’ Software Developers Kit (SDK) is available as a pre-integrated solution with Wind River’s VxWorks® real-time operating system (RTOS).

Availability
The new Wind River-ACCESS pre-integrated mobile Linux platform is expected to be available during the second quarter of 2008 and has been initially proven on the Texas Instruments’ OMAP2430 high-performance application processor and Marvell’s PXA30x and PXA31x application processor chipsets. It will be able to be quickly ported to other leading mobile architectures.

ACCESS and Wind River at Mobile World Congress
ACCESS is exhibiting in booth/stand CY06 (3_0 Courtyard Pavilion) and Wind River is in booth/stand 2H72(2_0) at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Attendees are encouraged to come visit both companies in the Exhibit Hall.

About the ACCESS Linux Platform
he ACCESS Linux Platform is the industry’s first fully integrated, open, flexible and commercial grade Linux-based platform designed for mobile phones and converged devices. ACCESS Linux Platform combines best-in-class open source Linux components with proven mobile technologies from ACCESS to support three development environments: Garnet OS, Java and native Linux. Based on open source technologies such as GTK+, GStreamer and the Linux OS, the ACCESS Linux Platform offers developers a range of resources and APIs for building powerful new devices and application software.

About Wind River Platform for Consumer Devices, Linux Edition
Wind River Platform for Consumer Devices, Linux Edition, is the premier commercial-grade Linux development and deployment solution for mobile handsets, digital TV and consumer electronics manufacturers. Platform for Consumer Devices supports media rich OEM-grade mobile handset features. In addition to a fully tested and validated distribution based on the latest Linux 2.6 kernel technology, Platform for Consumer Devices includes the Eclipse-based Wind River Workbench development suite. The platform is backed by 24/7 global technical support and specialized professional services to help jump-start your next project. For more information regarding Wind River Linux for mobile handsets, please visit: http://www.windriver.com/solutions/mobile-devices/.

About ACCESS
ACCESS CO., LTD. is a global company providing leading technology, software products and platforms for Web browsing, mobile phones, wireless handhelds, and other networked devices. ACCESS’ product portfolio, including its NetFront Browser, Garnet OS (formerly Palm OS®) and ACCESS Linux Platform, provides customers with solutions that enable faster time to market, flexibility and customizability. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operates 29 subsidiaries and affiliates within Asia, Europe and the United States. ACCESS is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mother’s Index under the number 4813. For more information about ACCESS, please visit www.access-company.com.

About Wind River
Wind River is the global leader in Device Software Optimization (DSO). Wind River enables companies to develop, run and manage device software faster, better, at lower cost and more reliably. Wind River platforms are pre-integrated, fully standardized, enterprise-wide development solutions. They reduce effort, cost and risk and optimize quality and reliability at all phases of the device software development process, from concept to deployed product.

Founded in 1981, Wind River is headquartered in Alameda, California, with operations worldwide. To learn more, visit Wind River at www.windriver.com or call 1-800-872-4977.

WIND RIVER press contact
Ashish Patel
Bite Communications for Wind River Systems
+1 (415) 365-0466
ashish.patel@bitepr.com

© 2008 ACCESS CO., LTD. and Wind River Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
ACCESS, NetFront, Garnet and ACCESS Linux Platform are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and other countries.
The registered trademark Linux® is used pursuant to a sublicense from LMI, the exclusive licensee of Linus Torvalds, owner of the mark on a world-wide basis.
Palm OS is a trademark owned by Palm Trademark Holding Company and is licensed exclusively to ACCESS Systems Americas, Inc.
The Wind River logo is a trademark of Wind River Systems, Inc., and Wind River is a registered trademark of Wind River Systems. Other marks used herein are the property of the respective owners.