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Red Bend Software Introduces Industry's First Mobile Software Management Client

Posted on: Monday, 20 April 2009, 07:58 CDT

Offers a Single, Standards-Based Solution for Firmware Updating, Software Component Management and Application Management

WALTHAM, Mass., April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Bend Software, the market leader in Mobile Software Management (MSM), today announced that it has combined its vCurrent(R) Mobile and vRapid Mobile(TM) products into a single solution for mobile software management. The combined product, called vRapid Mobile, is the industry's first MSM client capable of managing any type of software on any mobile platform or device. The new solution makes it easier for customers to move from updating firmware as one complete image to supporting advanced use cases where embedded software is managed by individual components. In addition, new features enable management of built-in and downloadable applications.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080828/REDBENDLOGO )

vRapid Mobile meets the growing needs of device manufacturers, mobile operators and software developers to independently manage their software assets on mobile devices in a unified and standards-based way across mobile platforms. With firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updating, manufacturers can reduce support costs and increase consumer satisfaction by remotely updating firmware with software improvements and new functionality. By managing software components over-the-air (SCOTA), operators can increase data revenues by adding and updating branded applications and service enablers in embedded software without requiring a complete maintenance release. Using application management, software developers can speed time to market of new applications and versions, faster than handset replacements cycles, by independently managing built-in and downloadable applications and their software dependencies.

"Mobile software and applications are major drivers in the continued advancement of mobile phones, so ensuring that both firmware and applications can be updated and managed is key," said Chris Hazelton, Research Director - Mobile and Wireless at The 451 Group. "As device vendors, mobile operators and now ISVs look for opportunities for growth in a period of slowing device replacement cycles, the ability to update and manage features of an installed base of devices over the air becomes critically important."

Version 6 of vRapid Mobile offers new and expanded MSM functionality:

• Allows FOTA-enabled devices to be updated over the air with SCOTA capability, as operators require more advanced software management functionality in the installed base.
• Includes a single Update Generator that can produce both firmware updates and software component updates, streamlining the firmware creation process.
• Supports managing applications in read/write memory as well as optimizing the delivery of application updates by up to 97%, significantly minimizing bandwidth for over-the-air updating of mobile applications.
• Complies with standards from the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), including: Device Management (DM), Firmware Update Management Object (FUMO) and Software Component Management Object (SCOMO).
• Uniquely extends support for SCOMO into embedded software, enabling mass market feature phones to be upgraded with new service enablers and revenue-generating applications.
• Works with any mobile platform, such as Symbian OS and Android, as well as real-time operating systems.
• Can be integrated with Red Bend's vDirect Mobile(TM) device management client and is compatible with any OMA DM client.

"The mobile and Internet worlds are converging, creating a new wave of sophisticated devices capable of delivering exciting applications and compelling services. The industry has recognized that the software powering these mobile devices holds the key to creating branded experiences, building customer loyalty and generating data revenues," said Yoram Salinger, CEO of Red Bend Software. "With vRapid Mobile, Red Bend enables the industry to unlock the value of mobile software and seize the next wave of opportunities. By combining FOTA, SCOTA and application management in one solution, our customers gain the flexibility to manage software in any way that they require - today and in the future."

Existing Red Bend vCurrent Mobile customers can upgrade to vRapid Mobile FOTA version 6 for no additional fee. Launched in 2003, Red Bend's vCurrent Mobile is the market leader in FOTA updating and is deployed in more than 475 million mobile devices.

A white paper published by global market intelligence and advisory firm IDC and sponsored by Red Bend Software finds that Mobile Software Management can create new revenue opportunities for mobile operators, device manufacturers and software developers. Titled "Beyond FOTA: Advancing Mobile Software Management to Next-Generation Services(1)," the white paper describes how the mobile ecosystem can remotely manage software assets on mobile devices by adopting new standards and deploying new technologies, such as Red Bend's vRapid Mobile. To download the IDC white paper, visit: http://www.redbend.com/resources/research-reports.asp.

About Red Bend Software

Red Bend Software, the leader in Mobile Software Management (MSM), provides software solutions for managing firmware, applications and devices over the air. The company's award-winning MSM products enable device manufacturers, mobile operators and software developers to increase revenues, reduce support costs and achieve faster time to market by remotely managing their software assets on mobile devices. Red Bend's software has been deployed in 475 million mobile devices by seven of the top 10 handset manufacturers, including Kyocera, LG Electronics, Motorola, Sharp, Sony Ericsson and ZTE, as well as more than 30 other leading companies in the mobile, M2M and WiMAX markets. Unlike device management vendors with proprietary end-to-end systems and manufacturers' internally developed solutions that are platform specific, Red Bend is the only company offering independent client software that is interoperable with any standards-based server and that works with any platform on any type of mobile device. Founded in 1999, Red Bend is a privately held, venture capital-financed company with offices in China, Israel, Japan, Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. To learn how Red Bend is bending rules and breaking boundaries with mobile software management, visit www.redbend.com.

(1) IDC White Paper sponsored by Red Bend, "Beyond FOTA: Advancing Mobile Software Management to Next Generation Services," Doc # 215299, December 2008

SOURCE Red Bend Software

Source: PR Newswire

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