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Content Tagged with vodafone + symbian
Sun sets on SavaJe
So we’ve come to the final chapter of SavaJe, a startup that has been pushing a mobile operating system based on Java for several years with the backing of high profile investors, and not much to show for the effort. Sun announced today that it will purchase the intellectual property assets of the Chelmsford, Massachussets-based company, for an undisclosed sum. The figure is small enough that Sun says the purchase is “immaterial to Sun’s earnings per share.”
SavaJe raised $120 million in total funding since 1999, according to PEHub, and the list of backers includes investment arms of carriers like Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange as well as investors Investcorps Technology Ventures Fund II, VantagePoint Venture Partners, Ridgewood Capital, and RRE Ventures.
The company launched in 2001 with an open Java-based operating system for cell phones, but never really seemed to get much traction in the market. According to PhoneScoop, the platform was only used for two phones, an LG model and the company’s own SavaJe Jasper S20, but not much is known about how well these devices sold.
In the world of mobile operating systems there can only be so many choices, with the handset makers and carriers wanting a few OS’s to choose from. The mobile OS market is narrowing down to Symbian, Linux and Microsoft — Motorola is trying to beef up its Linux phones, while Nokia’s favorite remains Symbian, and Microsoft is intent on gaining more market share, too.
SavaJe has seen its mobile OS as a target at the carrier market. Former CEO Bob Gilkes said back in 2004 that rival mobile OS offerings come from an environment that targets the “equipment manufacturers rather than the operators.” But as carriers create their own branding and segmentation they look for a carrier-targeted, customizable OS, he said then.
While Sun’s Java programming language is used on many mobile phones, Sun, the developer of Java technology, could see a mobile Java OS as a way to keep a strong position in the market. Though, who knows what Sun will do with SavaJe’s IP. Sun says it will explain a bit more at its JavaOne conference in San Francisco in May.
Symbian upgrades its OS, fights off rivals
Symbian, the mobile OS company is expected to announce an upgrade to its OS to version 9.5 at CTIA, that hopefully will decrease its reliance on smartphones, its main patron Nokia, and also ward off competition from fast growing rival mobile operating systems, Windows Mobile and Linux.
The upgrade is even more crucial for the London-based company because large mobile carriers - Vodafone in particular - want to support as few operating systems as possible.
In 2006 Symbian had 76% share of the smartphone market, thanks to its very close relationship with Nokia (which owns 47.9% of the company, rest being shared amongst other handset makers), which had 56% share of the global smartphone market. Nokia’s E-Series and N-Series phones have been particularly popular in non-US markets. But competition from Windows Mobile and Linux is increasing according to ABI Research, a market research company. Symbian’s share of the smart phone market is going to decline to around 46% by 2012.
[ABI] Research director Stuart Carlaw remarks that, “It is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ Linux will have an impact upon this market. “
With the new OS upgrade, Symbian is trying to increase its appeal, betting that it can sneak its way into more mainstream handsets (called feature handsets in industry parlance.) The new OS is going to make more efficient use of memory, battery and other resources, making it more flexible for use in mainstream phones.
The new OS will allow Wi-Fi 3G roaming. Push-email and VoIP run over WiFi when in the office and automatically switch to 3G when on the move. In addition, Symbian has added real-time networking ensures that VoIP is not interrupted when other IP-based services, such as web browsing or push email, make a connection.
The new version will give multimedia features a major boost. The camera features would now include image orientation, image distortion correction auto-focus such as red-eye reduction - 35 improvements you find in a typical standalone digital camera.
The system will have better connectivity with home computers, via wireless and The new OS upgrade supports multi-standard digital TV (DVB-H, ISDB-T) and standardized LBS.
