Press Releases

NetFront™ Widgets Adds OMTP BONDI Compatibility, Supports More Platforms

GSMA Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain, – February 16, 2009 – ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, has substantially reinforced the capabilities of its NetFront^™ Widgets solution by adding support for the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) BONDI standard, by increasing the number of supported platforms and by expanding available services. ACCESS will be showcasing the latest advanced solution with NetFront Widgets at this year’s GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009, which begins today in Barcelona, Spain.

Widgets, enthusiastically embraced by users of PCs and mobile handsets, are expected to become equally ubiquitous in the beyond-PC market. NetFront Widgets provides operators and handset manufacturers with a comprehensive solution comprising client (device), server, community site and content. By adopting NetFront Widgets, operators and handset manufacturers can accelerate development and delivery of high value-added widget services.

Compatibility with OMTP BONDI standard
In addition to complying with W3C widget specifications, NetFront Widgets is adding support for OMTP’s BONDI standard for mobile widget security. The BONDI project has the support of operators and handset manufacturers worldwide, and was recently endorsed by the LiMo Foundation. Compatibility with BONDI standard specifications means that NetFront Widgets can offer a globally available widget solution to users.

Additional platforms and reinforced platform support
Designed originally for mobile devices, NetFront Widgets can now be used on Windows PCs (Windows XP Service Pack 2 and above, and Windows Vista Service Pack 1). NetFront Widgets now supports BREW 3.1.5 in addition to Windows Mobile and S60 mobile handsets.

Widget players for Windows PCs will be the focus of ACCESS’ demonstrations at GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009, and will be available for download from the NetFront Widgets community site. Widget players for BREW will be provided for operators and handset manufacturers.

ACCESS has released an official widget player for Windows Mobile: NetFront Widgets Player for Windows Mobile v2.0.0. The widget player features tighter integration between server and client. These reinforced capabilities allow users to get the latest information about installed widget content from their server and remotely block or delete harmful content.

Web APIs expand access to NetFront Widgets community site services
Web APIs are being provided for each operator and handset manufacturer so that they can use NetFront Widgets community services. This step saves time and resources by allowing operators and handset manufacturers to provide users with widget content from the NetFront Widgets community site in their own service format, eliminating the need to set up services to manage and operate widget content.

Content development environments integrated with ACCESS Developer Network
Widget content development environments for NetFront Widgets have been integrated into ACCESS^™ Developer Network (http://www.accessdevnet.com/), a portal for developers operated by ACCESS. Developers can use the blog and forum capabilities to share information interactively; the SDK for ACCESS Linux Platform^™ is also found here. ACCESS will continue to expand this portal, a valuable community that offers all-round support to developers.

New widgets meet wide range of usage scenarios
– Multi Desktop Capability provides standby screens to match users’ lifestyles –
Because mobile devices have small screens, most can only display three to four widgets at a time. ACCESS’ Multi Desktop Capability solves this problem by managing widgets based on user preferences and distributing them among multiple “desktops”. Users can customize their device, setting it to display widgets based on the time of day or feature being used.

Multi desktop capability will be the focus of ACCESS’ demonstrations at GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009, and will be launched as a standard capability widget player in the future. Below is an example of multi desktop capability:

“Widgets are a hot topic among operators, handset manufacturers, and other players in the mobile industry,” said Tomihisa Kamada, president and Co-CEO of ACCESS. “NetFront Widgets, designed to W3C specifications, is growing in use worldwide, and to accelerate this trend, we have extended its platform support and added compatibility with OMTP BONDI. We look forward to improving user convenience and promoting the widget experience by offering NetFront Widgets through operators and handset manufacturers around the world.”

NetFront Widgets will continue to be developed for a diverse range of device platforms that extends beyond mobile handsets and PCs. Support for programmers is being provided in tandem with services such as widget content and community sites, helping to power the industry and positioning NetFront Widgets as the ideal widget solution for operators and handset manufacturers.

ACCESS Booth Location and Exhibit Hours
The ACCESS booth will be located in the Courtyard Area CY10, Fira de Barcelona. Exhibit hours are Monday 16th-Wednesday 18th February: 09.00-19.00 and Thursday 19th February: 09.00-17.00.

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 and ACCESS Linux Platform^™, provides customers with solutions that enable faster time to market, flexibility and customizability. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operates 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/.

© 2009 ACCESS CO., LTD. All rights reserved.
ACCESS, the ACCESS logo, NetFront, ACCESS Linux Platform and Garnet are registered trademarks or trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and/or other countries.
The registered trademark LINUX^® is used pursuant to a sublicense from Linux Mark Institute, the exclusive licensee of Linus Torvalds, owner of the mark on a world-wide basis.
Windows, Windows Vista and Windows Mobile are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
S60 is a trademark or registered trademark of Nokia Corporation.
BREW is a trademark of QUALCOMM Incorporated.
All other trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.