MontaVista Linux Powers Motorola's First Enterprise Smartphone; Linux Platform Provides High Reliability and Connectivity for Advanced Video and Business Applications

Business Wire, Feb 18, 2004

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

3GSM World Congress 2004

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 2004

MontaVista Software, Inc., the company powering the embedded revolution, today announced that MontaVista(R) Linux(R) is the chosen operating system for the recently introduced Motorola A768 smartphone designed especially for corporate users.

The A768 will be displayed at the 18th 3GSM in Cannes, France, next week, at the Motorola Stand No. A21, in Hall 1.

For the needs of a mobile workforce, the Motorola A768, which was launched in China in January, offers various messaging options including Email, MMS and SMS, as well as a document viewer for PDF, MS Word, Excel and PPT files. An embedded VPN client provides secure wireless access to corporate network resources, allowing users to access their e-mail, intranet, ERP and other business applications from a remote location. New features of the handset also include full video services capabilities such as video capturing, playback, and download through GPRS/CSD. In addition, the phone comes equipped with an HTML Internet browser and PDA functionality.

After the successful launches of the A760 model last fall, the A768 is Motorola's second Linux-enabled full-featured handset, demonstrating the company's commitment to making the Linux operating system a key pillar of its software strategy for advanced mobile phones.

"We launched A760 in China last fall and are able to now follow up quickly with the A768, exactly the kind of flexibility and speed to market we needed. We chose MontaVista Linux for our smartphone product line, because of its open standards, its unmatched stability, and its industry-leading networking capabilities," said Samuel Li, director, Product Line Management, GSM High Tier Smartphone Product Group, Motorola Personal Communications Sector. "MontaVista Linux, along with other open source embedded software technologies, lets us deliver enhanced multimedia capabilities to our corporate users, combined with numerous integrated business applications, and at a reasonable cost."

In their recently published research report "Defining the Market for Full-Featured Handsets," the Zelos Group stated: "While Symbian will be the market share leader in the next 24 to 36 months (...) Linux will threaten for long-term dominance. Linux leads other platforms in openness and low cost -- factors that are essentials to success in a market defined by tight margins, rapid innovation, and standards adherence."

"Handset manufacturers, such as Motorola, are turning to the fast emerging mobile Linux OS as a platform for phone development because of the flexibility, control and innovation offered by open source software," said Jim Ready, CEO and president, MontaVista Software. "As cell phones rapidly evolve, the software supporting their rich functionality and networking capabilities needs to be more robust. MontaVista Linux provides a powerful systems software platform that can help to quickly bring these advanced products to market."

MontaVista Linux Consumer Electronics Edition

MontaVista Linux Consumer Electronics Edition (CEE) is the first commercial Linux operating system and cross-development environment specifically designed for consumer electronics devices, including mobile phones, high definition digital television, set-top boxes and automotive telematics. CEE enhances Linux with rich consumer-focused networking support, while supporting XIP (eXecute In Place) of the kernel and applications as well as streaming media optimizations. Hundreds of products are already in development using MontaVista Linux, including mobile phones, PDAs, advanced remote controls, HDTVs, PVRs, set-top boxes, digital receivers, automotive telematics, musical instruments, gaming machines and karaoke systems.

MontaVista Linux supports a range of enhanced interactive features in advanced consumer electronics products such as the Motorola A768, by providing high performance, real-time capability and consumer-grade reliability. By offering a standard development platform for embedded designs, MontaVista allows developers to focus on their value-add to their customers while enabling them to speed cutting-edge products to market in a cost-effective manner.

Availability

Motorola's A768 smartphone is currently available through China's leading domestic operator, China Mobile, and will be available in other Asian countries before the end of March.

MontaVista Linux Consumer Electronics Edition 3.0 is available from MontaVista Software and the company's sales and distribution channels worldwide. It provides customers with the MontaVista Linux kernel, software updates, deployment components, utilities, development tools, access to the MontaVista Zone (a customer portal), comprehensive technical support and hands-on Linux training classes.

    A768 specifications:
    -------------------
    Form Factor    :  Flip

    Bands/Modes    :  GSM 900/1800 GPRS (1U/4D)and CSD

    Size           :  100 cc approx

    Weight         :  120 g approx

    Dimensions     :  100 x 53 x 21mm (approximate)

    Antenna        :  External

    TT/ST Time     :  Up to 180-360 minutes/up to 100-180 hrs (a)

    Display        :  240 x 320 65k TFT Touch Screen

    Browser        :  WAP 2.0, WML, xHTML, HTML

    Audio          :  Poly 40 @ 22kHz, MIDI, MP3, WAV

    Video          :  Mpeg4 (3GPP), 1 hour video recording

    Messaging      :  Email, MMS, SMS, IM (WV)

    Email          :  POP3, IMAP4, SMTP

    File view      :  Word, Excel, PPT, Adobe PDF

    Applications   :  J2ME(TM) MIDP 2.0   APIs

    Sync           :  Sync ML

    Connectivity   :  USB, IrDA, BlueTooth(R), OTA (GSM)

    Security       :  VPN, SSL

    Memory         :  approximately 58MB User Space

(a) Disclaimer: All talk and standby times in this release are
    quoted in digital mode and are approximate. Battery performance
    depends on network configuration, signal strength, operating
    temperature, features selected, and voice, data and other
    application usage patterns.