| MontaVista Reveals Embedded
Linux Strategy for
Consumer Electronic Devices
Specialized Product and Broad Partner Ecosystem Enables
Custom Device Solutions
International Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, USA, Jan.
8, 2003— MontaVista Software Inc., the company powering
the embedded revolution, today announced a new push into the consumer
electronics market with the introduction of the MontaVista™ Linux®
Consumer Electronics Edition 3.0, and the unveiling of an extensive ecosystem
of strategic semiconductor, software application and middleware partners
for complementary device solutions. This push represents a new aggressive
strategy that will offer software developers a rich development environment
especially optimized for Consumer Electronics. The company will also make
available its rich Java development environment and state-of-the-art graphics
tools to complete its strategic focus on meeting the needs of the Consumer
Electronics market.
“Consumer electronics products are evolving from simple, single
function appliances into complex, network-connected devices,” said
Stephen Balacco, embedded systems analyst at Venture Development Corporation.
“The expanded functionality of these products will increasingly
require high performance hardware and a 32-bit robust multitasking operating
system, such as Linux. Companies developing new consumer devices will
benefit from MontaVista Linux Consumer Electronics Edition and the extensive
MontaVista partner ecosystem inhabited by companies providing complementary
components and solutions for next-generation consumer electronics products.”
As part of its comprehensive consumer electronics strategy, MontaVista
today announced MontaVista™ Linux® Consumer Electronics Edition
3.0 (CEE)— the first Linux operating system and cross-development
environment specifically designed for consumer electronics applications.
This new product - also part of the well known MontaVista Linux family
of products - enhances Linux with dynamic power management, rich consumer-focused
networking support and consumer-grade reliability.
MontaVista Software is demonstrating a range of cutting-edge consumer
products built on MontaVista Linux, from the world’s leading Consumer
Electronics companies in Booth # 35179, in the Embedded Technologies Pavilion
at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Jan 9-12, 2003 in the
Las Vegas Convention Center.
Broad and Robust Ecosystem
MontaVista Software is partnering with a broad array of semiconductor,
software application, middleware, and systems integration companies to
provide solutions for device manufacturers in key markets including mobile
and wireless, television and home entertainment, and automotive telematics.
For example, CEE will initially support the TI’s OMAP1510 and OMAP5910
processors and the IBM PowerPC 405LP processor with support for additional
processing platforms to be added in the future. In addition, CEE will
provide the foundation of solution stacks from software partners in key
consumer electronics markets. The MontaVista Partner program already includes
companies such as:
- Access, Opera Software, Espial, Phoenix Technologies, Websoft International
and Zentek for device web browsers
- BMR and MasterIA for Chinese fonts and input
- CodeHost with rich printing support
- Hughes Software Systems for VoIP and SIP stacks
- IBM for end-to-end device management and enterprise connectivity
- InterVideo for Linux-based DVD playing software
- IP Infusion for routing protocol stacks
- Liberate for Digital TV middleware
- Macrovision for digital rights and license management
- MasterIA for Korean fonts and input
- Movial for rich embedded Instant Communication software
- Omron Software for Japanese input
- Open Interface for certified Bluetooth stacks
- ProSyst for its open and scalable service delivery platform
- Solid Information Technology and PointBase for embedded databases
- Tao Group for multimedia engines
Dozens of additional partnerships will be announced over the coming months
that will enrich the ecosystem and continue to allow developers to choose
from a wide array of components that have been validated with MontaVista
Linux.
"These extensive collaborative efforts offer OEMs complete hardware/software
solutions, which will both speed time-to-market and lower total development
costs for the next generation of consumer and home electronics devices,”
said Sheila Baker, vice president, Marketing, MontaVista Software. “These
partnerships will help consumer electronics companies leverage a wealth
of applications and meet the high productivity and low power requirements
of new consumer devices with more complex functionality.”
More than 100 consumer electronics device companies are already using
MontaVista Linux, developing products as varied as cell phones, PDAs,
set-top boxes, Internet radios, residential gateways, automotive telematics
and Karaoke machines. MontaVista Software’s current consumer electronics
customer list includes Sony, Panasonic (Matsushita), NEC, and Toshiba
America. Companies like Holland-based Zintec Holding and Araneo in Israel
have also chosen MontaVista Linux for their digital television market
products.
Important Consumer Electronics Developer Needs – Java and
Graphics
To address the growing demand for embedded Java, MontaVista Software offers
a Java runtime environment that addresses the needs of today’s embedded
applications. MontaVista provides a complete embedded Java developer’s
package fully certified to the J2ME standard across all architectures
supported by MontaVista Linux, delivering industry-leading features and
performance to meet the requirements for Java enabled embedded systems.
The single Java implementation delivered by MontaVista Software is based
on the well-known WebSphere Studio products from IBM.
Designing graphics for the variety of embedded devices requires powerful
tools, flexible graphics functionality and close integration with the
architecture and platform being used. To address the growing demand by
developers of consumer devices, MontaVista delivers a full graphics environment
with state-of-the-art graphics tools and libraries to enable developers
to create graphics solutions for a wide variety of products. Built with
the best open source technology available today, MontaVista Graphics combines
a diverse set of components into a single, fully tested and supported
graphics development toolkit. MontaVista Software also offers Qt/Embedded
built, tested and supported specifically for MontaVista Linux Professional
Edition. Based on the popular Qt API Qt/Embedded provides a small-footprint
implementation designed to meet the needs of the next generation of consumer
devices.
About MontaVista Software
MontaVista Software is a leading global supplier of systems software for
intelligent connected devices and associated infrastructure. MontaVista
powers the embedded revolution by providing GNU/Linux-based open-source
software solutions. Founded in 1999 by real-time operating system (RTOS)
pioneer James Ready, MontaVista offers a family of products under the
MontaVista Linux umbrella that address broad-based software developer
needs encompassing applications ranging from communications infrastructure
to consumer electronics. Multiple Editions of MontaVista Linux are available
including — Professional, Consumer Electronics and Carrier Grade
— along with complementary technology products providing powerful
Java and graphics development capabilities.
Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, in Sunnyvale, Calif., MontaVista
Software is a privately held company funded by leading investors such
as Alloy Ventures, US Venture Partners, RRE Ventures, WR Hambrecht + Co.,
IBM, Intel Capital, Sony, Panasonic (Matsushita), Toshiba America and
Yamaha Corporation. For more information about MontaVista Software, please
visit http://www.mvista.com.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. MontaVista is
a trademark of MontaVista Software Inc. All other names mentioned are
trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective
companies.
Contacts:
Joe Samagond
Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications
MontaVista Software Inc.
Phone: (408) 328-9234
E-mail: jsamagond@mvista.com
Patricia Colby
PR Strategy and Business Development
Pacifico Inc.
Phone: (408) 293 8600 x340
E-mail: pcolby@pacifico.com |