Business Services Industry
Amp'd Mobile Acquires NINJA Mobile's Mobile Development Division; Key Development Execs Join Amp'd to Build on BREW-Based User Interface, NINJA Mobile to Concentrate on Mobile Publishing
Business Wire, August 15, 2005
LOS ANGELES & TORRANCE, Calif. -- Amp'd Mobile announced today its acquisition of NINJA Mobile's development division, which will become a part of Amp'd Mobile while NINJA focuses on expanding its mobile publishing business. The acquisition includes NINJA's esteemed United States and Japanese development teams and NINJA's "Rope Platform" technology. NINJA's Rope Platform is the base upon which the Amp'd community, blogging, dating, commerce, multiplayer gaming, location-based and additional server-driven applications, are being built.
Prior to the deal, NINJA has been a core partner for the technical development of Amp'd Mobile's proprietary user interface (UI) and custom applications based on Qualcomm's BREW(R) 3.1. Since Amp'd will focus exclusively on 3G content and EV-DO, the company needed to create a new user interface to take full advantage of the wealth of unique music, lifestyle, entertainment, sports and gaming content that will be available. Now part of the Amp'd team, the NINJA development group, led by Kiyoto Hirai, NINJA co-founder and former CEO, will focus on producing more original and proprietary BREW(R) applications at Amp'd as the company gears up for launch later this year.
NINJA Mobile is now a mobile publisher and content aggregator and will continue to be led by Jeff Capdeville, co-founder and president. NINJA Mobile will remain a trusted developer and publisher for Amp'd Mobile, who will continue to outsource aspects of custom developed applications to NINJA.
"I founded Amp'd Mobile to truly take advantage of the entertainment experience 3G can provide in the U.S.," said Peter Adderton, CEO and founder, Amp'd Mobile. "When starting the company it became apparent that we'd need to create our own user interface since what we're doing is so different. We're excited to have the team that helped create our UI on board with us full-time now and we look forward to continuing to push forward toward completion of our groundbreaking UI experience for consumers."
"Amp'd Mobile represents one of the most exciting opportunities in the wireless industry today," said Kiyoto Hirai, former NINJA CEO and current senior director, BREW services, Amp'd Mobile. "My team in the U.S. and Japan has been working with Amp'd for the last year and we look forward to continuing to add a differentiating and compelling layer of custom BREW apps to ensure Amp'd is always a step ahead of the competition."
"Personally, after working with this development team at NINJA -- led by Kiyoto -- over the past two years at two different companies, I know how they have raised the bar in terms of BREW development," said Seth Cummings, vice president of wireless content and internet services, Amp'd Mobile. "Their Japanese team becomes experienced with the next generation of BREW months before the U.S. and will help us maintain a competitive edge with cutting-edge features and applications."
About NINJA Mobile
NINJA Mobile publishes and distributes mobile solutions to a worldwide market. NINJA's entertainment group distributes Mobile Games, Video Content, MMS Services, Wallpapers, Screensavers, Ring Tones, and BREW Java and Symbian applications. Its development arm was acquired by Amp'd Mobile in July 2005 and past credits include the Amp'd user interface, Kodak Mobile BREW solution, Boost Mobile custom games, surfline.com webcam and surf report feeds, and numerous custom BREW services built in Japan.
About Amp'd Mobile
Amp'd Mobile will be the first integrated mobile entertainment company for youth, young professionals and early adopters. By leveraging the power of broadband wireless (EVDO), Amp'd will offer traditional services such as voice and text within a completely fresh user interface designed specifically for the "mobile graduate" and third-generation (3G) technology. With a myriad of customizable options to meet each person's individual needs, Amp'd will bring a more relevant, personal experience to wireless lifestyle with unique music, video, community, entertainment, sports and gaming offerings divided into various channels for quick and easy access. Launching in late 2005, more information can be found at www.ampdmobile.com.
- 5 Rules for Immediate Annuities
- Death in the Family: 12 Things to Do Now
- Dumbest Things You Do With Your Money
- 6 Online Networking Mistakes to Avoid
- 401(k) Mistakes to Avoid
- 5 Economic Scenarios to Keep You Up at Night
- The Real ‘Best Places to Retire’
- Best Credit Cards for You
- 12 Tough Questions to Ask Your Parents
- The Real ‘Best Colleges’
- Home Buyer Tax Credit: How to Cash In
- Why You Shouldn't Bash Cash
- 8 Phony 'Bargains' and Better Alternatives
- Danger: 3 Debit Card Scams to Avoid
- 6 Myths About Gas Mileage
- 29 Fees We Hate Most
- Quick and Easy Ways to Boost Returns
- Best Stocks to Buy Now
- Lower Your Taxes: 10 Moves to Make Now
- New Jobs: 8 Lessons from Real-Life Career Switchers
- The New Job Market: Who Wins and Who Loses?
- Health Care Reform's Public Option: Everything You Need to Know
- Volunteer Work When Unemployed: Should You Work for Free?
- Whose Recovery Is This?
- Long-Term-Care Insurance: 4 Biggest Risks to Avoid
Content provided in partnership with
Most Recent Business Articles
- Multiple criteria evaluation and optimization of transportation systems
- Multi-criteria analysis procedure for sustainable mobility evaluation in urban areas
- A two-leveled multi-objective symbiotic evolutionary algorithm for the hub and spoke location problem
- Multi-criteria analysis for evaluating the impacts of intelligent speed adaptation
- The development of Taiwan arterial traffic-adaptive signal control system and its field test: a Taiwan experience
Most Recent Business Publications
Most Popular Business Articles
- 7 tips for effective listening: productive listening does not occur naturally. It requires hard work and practice - Back To Basics - effective listening is a crucial skill for internal auditors
- LIFO vs. FIFO: a return to the basics
- FAS 109: a primer for non-accountants - Financial Accounting Standards Board's "Statement 109: Accounting for Income Taxes"
- Using object-oriented analysis and design over traditional structured analysis and design
- Design a commission plan that drives sales - Sales Commissions



