London, UK and Oslo, Norway – Jan. 27, 2004
Opera Software ASA and Cognima today announced they have integrated the Opera Platform andCognima Replicateâ„¢ to provide a way for Network Operators to seamlessly updateHome Screen components on their subscribers” phones.
In late 2003, Opera Software launched “The Opera Platform,” offering Network Operators fully-branded menu management and content delivery on their handsets. The announcement has been met with excitement among operators and handset manufacturers, eager to provide subscribers with compelling, branded content that stimulates data usage.
Cognima has developed Cognima Replicate, a data replication framework that allows Mobile Network Operators, Handset Manufacturers and Service Providers to make mobile services effortless for their customers to use.
Opera and Cognima have integrated these two products to create an efficient, scalable, and non-intrusive mechanism for a Network Operator to update Home Screen components on its subscribers’ phones. The integrated Opera/Cognima solution now supports dynamic updating of Operator-branded or themed desktops, intelligent caching of WAP, Web, and video content and pre-emptive delivery of premium content such as ringtones,games and MP3 files.
Since personalized content is replicated pre-emptively onto the phone, subscribers get instant access to always-up-to-date content – even when out of network coverage. Users never need to press a ‘sync’ or ‘download’ button to keep their information current – the latest information is quietly placed on their phones before they know they need it. A subscriber’s usage of content cached on the phone can be reported back to the Operator’s server, allowing for personalized content delivery according to a customer’s specific preferences, and for Operators to only bill for the content that the subscriber actually consumes.
“The combination of the Opera Platform and Cognima’s replication technology is the perfect solution for Network Operators looking to improve the customer experience for their branded content services in order to drive adoption and revenue,” says Simon East, CEO, Cognima. “With pre-emptively cached content thatupdates automatically in the background on the phone, all tailored to display locally through the Opera Platform,menu navigation and content browsing becomes instantaneous for end users. Subscribers no longer need to wait for slow GPRS connections to download service menus and content.”
Using The Opera Platform to provide the Home Screen for their handsets, Operators can place the branded services that drive revenue right under their users’ noses. The instantaneous personalized user experience stimulates usage, in turn driving data revenue.
“The joint solution provides operators with an excellent user experience that encourages use of content services, instantly personalized and distributed to defined market segments,” says Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software ASA. “Today’s announcement also highlights just how much sense it makes to tailor alllocal software on phones around the browser. The Opera Platform displays both the Home Screen and the content itself,meaning there is no need to launch a new application to view content. By using open Web standards, the browser becomes the central component through which all of the handset’s applications are accessed.”
Cognima and Opera Software will be showcasing their integrated product working live at the 3GSMWorld Congress in Cannes, France in February 2004. You”ll find the new Opera/Cognima demonstration on stand F51 in Hall 2.To book a private demonstration in advance, please get in touch with matthew@opera.comor jenny.barr@cognima.com
Opera contacts:
Matthew Frasier, Sales and Distribution, Opera
+47 9916 9408
matthew@opera.com
Cognima contacts:
Simon East, CEO Cognima
+44 (0)20 7663 3600
pr@cognima.com
Demonstration videos:
Demonstration videos showing the user experience of the dynamic updating of Operator-branded phone menus, intelligent caching of WAP/Web content and pre-emptive delivery of premium content such as ringtones is available on the Cognima website at: www.cognima.com/press/video/
A video demonstration of Opera’s Small-Screen Renderingâ„¢, a key technology in the Opera Platformwhich allows phones to display full HTML-enabled Internet without any horizontal scrolling, can be foundon the Opera website at: www.opera.com/products/smartphone/
About Cognima Replicate:
Cognima’s data replication technology was designed with a focus on reliability, minimal phone ROMfootprint and cost-effectiveness. The client software in the phone is written in highly optimised C++and takes up only 70KB of ROM footprint. The client software is running on SymbianOS- based phones, Microsoft Smartphone 2002/3 based phones, Palm OS based devices,and TTPcom’s phone development system.
The server software is designed for integration with external systems through the use standard technologies such as J2EE, SyncML and Web Services and runs on industry standard server platforms for carriergrade availability and scalability. The back-end is built around BEA WebLogic 8.1 application server andOracle 9i database server.
About Cognima:
Cognima was established by Simon East, previously VP of Technology, Symbian, in 2001.A privately held company based in London, Cognima is developing solutions to allow Network Operators, HandsetManufacturers and Service Providers to deliver effortlessly easy to use mobile data services that will drive newrevenue for these customers.
Cognima is currently running trials of Cognima Replicate with 10 major Network Operators.Cognima’s website is www.cognima.com