Handango Offers Symbian Signed Certification | NewLC

Handango Offers Symbian Signed Certification | NewLC
HURST, Texas - July 18, 2005 - Today, Handango, the leading provider of mobile downloads, announced it is offering Symbian Signed certification to mobile application developers. Symbian Signed is an industry adopted testing program to ensure Symbian OS(TM) applications meet industry standards. This offering extends Handango's platform and delivers a complete end-to-end go-to-market service package to mobile operators, device manufacturers, portals and brands delivering content for over 32 million Symbian OS phones in the market.

Symbian Signed testing with Handango costs $200 USD for members of the Handango Software Partner Program. Re-signing updated applications and retesting are also available at similarly discounted rates. Handango lowers barriers for developing on Symbian OS by offering a flexible approach to funding the signing either up front or as an advance in royalties.

Symbian Signed was introduced by Symbian to provide mobile operators with a catalog of third-party verified, trustworthy applications. Since then, numerous operators and Symbian OS phone manufacturers, including Sony Ericsson and Nokia, have signed on to support the program.

"Handango has invested significant amounts of time and resources to provide developers with a quick, cost-effective program to get Symbian Signed," said Will Pinnell, senior director of developer relations of Handango. "Members of the Handango Software Partner Program will be the first to have a complete go-to-market solution for Symbian OS applications with certification, signing, distribution, marketing, commerce and payments all integrated from one vendor."

Symbian Signed is integrated with Handango AMPP, Handango's marketplace platform for mobile operators and device manufacturers, ensuring that certified applications automatically receive additional marketing and merchandizing throughout Handango's network of partner portals.

Applications that pass the certification program are awarded the "For Symbian OS" logo. The logo will appear everywhere the product is sold. Symbian Signed applications are also eligible for inclusion on select sales channels, which require this certification. "Symbian is pleased that Handango is now offering their members Symbian Signed as part of the channel to market. This is an ideal process for allowing Symbian developers and ISVs to get their application to the mass market," said Bruce Carney, head of developer marketing and services of Symbian.

"Operators and handset manufacturers across the globe are embracing the 'For Symbian OS' initiative - and so is Handango," said Randy Eisenman, president and chief executive officer of Handango. "We have seen exceptionally strong growth in the Symbian OS phone and applications market in recent years and months with average application sales per unique customer jumping 15% from Q4 2004 to Q1 2005 - the latest in a series of signs of strength in the Symbian OS applications market."

Developers interested in Handango and Symbian Signed can submit their applications through their Handango developer account by executing a certification addendum. Other developers can join the Handango Software Partner Program by completing an online application at www.handango.com/partners.

About Handango
Handango is the leading provider of mobile downloads bringing over 50,000 applications and 25,000 digital media titles to market through an extensive global distribution network that reaches millions of mobile customers. Handango's application management and provisioning platform, Handango AMPP, has been chosen as the mobile software delivery platform for Nokia, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile, Orange SA, Sony Ericsson, palmOne, Microsoft, HP, Sega Mobile, AOL and more than 100 others. For more information, visit http://corp.handango.com.

About Symbian
Symbian is a software licensing company that develops and licenses Symbian OS, the global open industry standard operating system for advanced, data-enabled mobile phones.

Symbian licenses Symbian OS to the world's leading handset manufacturers. The following Symbian OS licensees have Symbian OS-based mobile phones in production and / or in development: Arima, BenQ, Fujitsu for NTT DoCoMo FOMA, LG, Lenovo, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Sendo, Sharp, Siemens, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. In the first quarter of 2005, more than 6.75m Symbian OS-based mobile phones were sold worldwide, taking the installed base of Symbian OS phones to more than 32 million.

Symbian has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom with offices in the United States, Europe, Israel, Australia and Asia (Bangalore, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo). For further information about Symbian please see www.symbian.com or email press@symbian.com.

Handango Announces the 2006 Handango Champion Awards Winners | NewLC

Handango Announces the 2006 Handango Champion Awards Winners | NewLC
HURST, Texas -- September 14, 2006 -- Handango, the leading provider of mobile content, announced the winners of the Handango Champion Awards at the sixth annual Handango Partner Summit. Nominated by customers and judged by a panel of industry experts and media, the Handango Champion Awards were presented for BlackBerry(TM), Palm OS(R), UIQ, S60 and Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC and Smartphone applications in the following categories: Best Application for Work, Best Application for Play, Best Application for Life, Best New Application and Best Industry Application. A complete list of winners is available at http://www.handango.com/Awards/2006Winners.jsp.

At the awards ceremony, Handango also recognized seven content providers with "Developer of the Year" awards for outstanding software development, committed customer care and innovation. The winners of the Developer of the Year awards are:

BlackBerry: Cerience Corporation
Palm OS: RealDice Inc.
UIQ: DataViz, Inc.
S60: Mobile Systems, Inc.
Windows Mobile Pocket PC: Spb Software House
Windows Mobile Smartphone: Fizz Software Ltd
Tablet PC: Agilix Labs, Inc

"I would like to extend my congratulations to this year's winners and praise their successes," said Randy Eisenman, president and chief executive officer of Handango. "Receiving the title of 'Handango Champion Award Winner' is a noteworthy honor, as finalists are nominated by customers and winners are chosen by some of the sharpest minds in the mobile content industry."

Each Handango Champion Award winner will receive a prize package that includes a $5,000 marketing stipend, placement in a special edition of the Handango Champion Newsletter and a variety of other promotional opportunities. Winners and finalists will also be featured prominently on Handango's Web and on-device storefronts. The Handango Champion Award winners are:

BlackBerry
Best Application for Work - RepliGo Professional by Cerience Corporation
Best Application for Play - NEXT by Mobigloo
Best Application for Life - VoiceControl by MobileVoiceControl
Best New Application - SplashID by SplashData

Palm OS
Best Application for Work - MobiSystems Office Suite Professional 7 by Mobile Systems, Inc.
Best Application for Play - Multiplayer Championship Poker Texas Hold'em by RealDice Inc.
Best Application for Life - Pocket Quicken by Landware
Best New Application - BackupBuddy.net by Blue Nomad
Best Industry Application - PocketLingo Wall Street Dictionary by HLCSoft

UIQ
Best Application for Work - ImageExpo by SysOpen Digia
Best Application for Play - Intelligolf Birdie Edition by Karrier Communications
Best Application for Life - WorldMate by MobiMate
Best New Application - RoadSync by DataViz

S60
Best Application for Work - MobiSystems OfficeSuite by Mobile Systems, Inc.
Best Application for Play - SmartMovie by Lonely Cat Games
Best Application for Life - IM+: Instant Messenger by SHAPE Services
Best New Application - SBSH Papyrus by SBSH Mobile

Windows Mobile Pocket PC
Best Application for Work - Microsoft Voice Command by Microsoft Corporation
Best Application for Play - Spb Air Islands by Spb Software House
Best Application for Life - eWallet by Ilium Software
Best New Application - MobiTV for Pocket PC by MobiTV
Best Industry Application - HanDBase Professional Database Manager by DDH Software

Windows Mobile-based Smartphone
Best Application for Work - PhatNotes Smartphone by Phatware
Best Application for Play - Pocket Streamer by e-mobile software
Best Application for Life - SmartVideo by SmartVideo
Best New Application - WeatherBug Mobile by WeatherBug

Handango Upgrades Download Client for Symbian OS Phones | NewLC

Handango Upgrades Download Client for Symbian OS Phones NewLC
HURST, Texas - July 18, 2005 - Today, Handango, the leading provider of mobile downloads, announced a new version of Handango InHand for Symbian. Handango InHand is an intelligent, device-resident download client for smartphones and wireless handhelds.

Handango InHand for Symbian is optimized for devices using the UIQ interface. The upgraded version features a wide variety of new features designed to increase operator and device manufacturer revenues including:

Premium SMS Purchasing. Customers can purchase using one-click Premium SMS purchasing. The download occurs immediately and the purchase is billed on the operator network. This option is available to customers in more than 30 countries on more than 70 operator networks.
Update Synchronization. Now customers can synchronize their phones over-the-air with the Handango catalog to access only the newest titles available.
Peer-to-Peer Distribution. Using Bluetooth or infrared, customers can share Handango InHand by simply selecting the "Send to a Friend" option from the InHand menu. Built-in revenue tracking enables operators to gain extra revenues through viral content distribution.

Handango InHand enables operators to streamline content delivery across all smartphones; present a compelling, branded interface; improve customer awareness of downloads; increase content revenues and data traffic; and deliver a superior download experience through features such as trials, one-click access, download safeguard and online backup.

"Handango InHand for Symbian has been one of our most successful InHand clients due to the great content available for UIQ-based phones and the appetite UIQ phone owners have for that great content," said Randy Eisenman, president and chief executive officer of Handango. "We are confident that these new features will drive further interest among customers and operators alike."

All applications available through Handango InHand for Symbian are Symbian Signed and have been awarded the "For Symbian OS" logo. Symbian Signed is an industry adopted testing program to ensure Symbian OS(TM) applications meet industry standards and to provide mobile operators with a catalog of third-party verified, trustworthy applications.

"We are delighted the InHand client for Symbian OS has proven to be one of the most successful yet, leveraging the high-quality Symbian Signed applications available on UIQ phones," said Geoff Preston, technology operations director of Symbian. "The client provides a compelling distribution channel for Symbian Signed applications, delivering an enhanced value proposition to developers and the wider Symbian eco-system. The InHand client will make it even easier for end users to download and purchase Symbian Signed applications straight to their devices."

"Sony Ericsson was a pioneer when introducing the Sony Ericsson Application Shop Client for its smartphones in 2003. We welcome the new, improved functionality of Handango InHand," said Toon Diependaele, director digital marketing of Sony Ericsson, and responsible for the Sony Ericsson Application Shop, an important channel to market for the developer community facilitated by the Sony Ericsson Developer World program. "The on-device download client is a crucial component, offering consumers easy access to Symbian OS applications for download and purchase directly from the phone."

Handango InHand for Symbian joins the Handango InHand family of download clients for smartphones and wireless handhelds utilizing BlackBerry(TM), Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile for Smartphone or Pocket PC. Operators, device manufacturers and other brands who have licensed Handango InHand include Sprint, BenQ, Sierra Wireless, Sony Ericsson, Pocket PC Thoughts, Dave's iPAQ, Axim Site, Geekzone, Paragon Software Group and many more.

Pricing & Availability
Handango InHand for Symbian is available at no charge at www.handango.com/inhand/uiq. Developers interested in placing their applications in the InHand catalog can contact their Handango representative or partners@handango.com for requirements. Operators and device manufacturers interested in licensing Handango InHand can contact inhand@handango.com.

For more information about Handango InHand or to download the new version of Handango InHand for UIQ, visit www.handango.com/inhand/uiq on your computer or http://mhgo.com on your smartphone.

Development
Handango worked in conjunction with Openbit, a leading provider of superdistribution, on-device payment and digital rights management (DRM) solutions for Symbian OS content, to develop the new version of Handango InHand for Symbian. Openbit provided client-side development, integrating the device-resident client with Handango AMPP, Handango's application management and provisioning platform. Handango also leveraged Openbit's License Manager(TM) for on-device Premium SMS payment, superdistribution and certain digital rights management functionality within Handango InHand.

"We are delighted and proud to have provided our technologies for the new version of Handango InHand, which has already proven to be an effective channel for application distribution for a wide range of customers," said Arto Lehtonen, chief executive officer of Openbit.

About Handango
Handango is the leading provider of mobile downloads bringing over 50,000 applications and 25,000 digital media titles to market through an extensive global distribution network that reaches millions of mobile customers. Handango's application management and provisioning platform, Handango AMPP, has been chosen as the mobile software delivery platform for Nokia, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile, Orange SA, Sony Ericsson, palmOne, Microsoft, HP, Sega Mobile, AOL and more than 100 others. For more information, visit http://corp.handango.com.

Sony Ericsson Application Shop to switch from Handango to Motricity | NewLC

Sony Ericsson Application Shop to switch from Handango to Motricity NewLC
From February 15, 2006, Motricity, a leading global provider of mobile content services and solutions, will power the Sony Ericsson Application Shop web store front. An over-the-air download service directly from the phone will also be ready for the launch of the new P990 smartphone.

The Sony Ericsson Application Shop offers end-users a wide range of Symbian OS-based applications for Sony Ericsson smartphones, including the P800, P900, P910 and soon-to-be-available P990. The Sony Ericsson Application Shop is a valuable go-to-market channel available to any third-party application developer having passed Symbian Signed application testing.

About Motricity
Motricity is working closely with Sony Ericsson Developer World to ensure that end-users have access to a broad content catalog for Sony Ericsson Symbian OS smartphones, as well as supporting developers in porting best-in-class applications to the new P990 smartphone and the UIQ 3 software platform.

"We selected Motricity because of its ability to provide a complete platform, with proven stability and the necessary flexibility to address the dynamic content market, aspects which are vital to be a partner of Sony Ericsson," said Ulf Wretling, Director and Head of Content Planning and Management at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications.

"We felt that Motricity's solution correlates very well with the objectives Sony Ericsson aims to achieve, and will help sustain Sony Ericsson's momentum in the overall Symbian market."

Become a Motricity Content Partner
The Sony Ericsson Application Shop is an important distribution channel for Symbian OS application developers and Motricity is working to integrate the management of software titles into the existing Sony Ericsson Application Shop interface before the launch of the new website on February 15, 2006.

If you already have applications available for sale through the current Sony Ericsson Application Shop powered by Handango, the change in partner will affect you in the following ways:
Continue with the Sony Ericsson Application Shop: as your current Application Shop distribution agreement is with Handango, if you have not done so already, you will need to apply to become a Motricity Content Partner.
Continue with other channels: continuing with other Handango distribution channels and other options such as your company's homepage will help maximize application sales.

Handango Enables Smartphone Content Providers to Increase Revenue Through Subscription Billing Services | NewLC

ORLANDO, FL (CTIA WIRELESS 2007, Booth #4748) - March 27, 2007 - Handango today announced successful results of its ongoing subscription billing services. Handango is helping more mobile content providers than ever adopt subscription-based billing models, a strategy that is quickly gaining popularity as evidenced by an almost 600 percent lift in subscription revenue through Handango sales channels from 2005 to 2006. By the end of the first quarter of 2007, Handango projects a quarter-on-quarter earnings increase of 37 percent.

Through the use of Handango's proprietary Mobile Billing Application Programming Interface (API), top content providers have seamlessly integrated subscription billing methods into their business models, resulting in a continuous increase in sales and revenue since launching their products through Handango.

Handango's Mobile Billing API enables content providers to build on-device subscription management into their products. Capabilities include:
Establishing a billing frequency (monthly, quarterly or annually)
Creating or cancelling a secure subscription plan through the Web or directly from the device
Creating and tracking unique subscriber IDs
Storing and managing subscriber account information
Checking status of a specific subscriber in real-time

Ideal applications for Handango's subscription billing functionality include those with on-demand content that periodically integrate information from other sources, such as news feeds, weather, financial data and multiplayer games. For example, The Weather Channel uses Handango to manage recurring subscriptions for Handango customers who receive local weather updates directly on their smartphones.

"Subscription services are an integral part of our mobile strategy," said Traci Van Deventer, director of mobile products at The Weather Channel. "With Handango handling some of our subscription billing, our smartphone subscribers are automatically billed monthly or annually for The Weather Channel application, allowing us to maintain a long-term customer relationship instead of offering a one-time download. It's a smart business model for us because customers rely on The Weather Channel for information that is constantly updated and easily accessible."

Companies including Concrete Software, Inc.; RealDice, Inc.; Cerience Corporation; and Webmessenger, Inc. have integrated Handango's Mobile Billing API directly into their applications. Unique identifiers coupled with secure DRM encryption allow the companies to verify the status of a customer's subscription against Handango's server each time the application is accessed.

MobiTV, the industry-leading mobile and broadband television and music service provider, created an application that allows consumers to access live television just like at home, and it quickly became one of Handango's best selling titles. This type of application with dynamic content lends itself well to a subscription-based model.

"Handango's no-hassle billing solution allows our subscribers to watch their favorite television shows without worrying about payment options," said Jason Taylor, worldwide director of corporate communications for MobiTV. "I think we'd all rather be watching our favorite primetime TV shows than worrying about paying another bill."

Handango's subscription-based content sales in Q4 2006 and Q1 2007 exceeded the previous seven quarters combined. Handango reports that content providers can rely on an average of 8-12 months of revenue per subscription application download, which typically generates more lifetime revenue per customer when compared to one-time application purchases.

"Subscription billing is an important part of our commitment to continuously improve the consumer experience," said Randy Eisenman, chief executive officer of Handango. "With the significant rise in mobile commerce and service-fed applications, we see a clear indication of increased consumer confidence in mobile applications and billing. Offering a subscription plan that content providers can individually manage is great for the consumer but even better for content developers who can now benefit from a recurring revenue stream."

What C++ toolchain do I need for developing on Symbian OS?

Answer:
What C++ toolchain do I need for developing Symbian OS?
Functional specifications on Symbian OS versions, including toolchain support, can be obtained at http://www.symbian.com/technology/product_descriptions.html. In addition to formal toolchain support, see http://www.symbian.com/developer for the latest tools available from Symbian partners.

Symbian OS v9.x

• CodeWarrior for Symbian OS v3.0, and ARM RVCT 2.2 compiler OR GCC-E


• PC emulation environment


• Eclipse-based tools for Symbian OS v9

Notes:

• The RVCT compiler is obtained through ARM. See http://www.arm.com/products/DevTools/RealViewDevSuite.html for more information.


• The (free) GCC-E compiler produces EABI compatible binaries and can be used for application development, but does not support some kernel-side programming, including device driver development (see FAQ 1293)


• CodeWarrior for Symbian OS, an evolving product line being developed by Nokia in partnership with Symbian, supporting software development on the Symbian OS emulator or target device, and including integrated support for on-target debugging. Announcements in relation to additional IDEs are expected during the lifetime of Symbian OS v9.


• Eclipse-based tools for Symbian OS v9 are in development, but there are (at time of writing) no confirmed release dates.

Symbian OS v8.1b

• CodeWarrior for Symbian OS v3.0 and ARM RVCT 2.1 compiler.


• PC emulation environment

Note:

• RVCT v2.1 is used for Symbian OS v8.1b development (note RVCT v2.2 is used for Symbian OS v9 development).

Symbian OS v8.0a, v8.0b, v8.1a

• Metrowerks CodeWarrior, Borland C++ BuilderX and MS Visual Studio support for C++ development


• PC emulation environment


• GCC 2.9 for compiling on target binaries.

Symbian OS v7.0s

• Metrowerks CodeWarrior, Borland C++ BuilderX and MS Visual Studio support for C++ development


• PC emulation environment


• GCC 2.9 for compiling on target binaries.

Symbian OS v7.0

• Metrowerks CodeWarrior, Borland C++ BuilderX and MS Visual Studio support for C++ development


• PC emulation environment


• GCC 2.9 for compiling on target binaries.

Can we use ARM's ADS 1.2 toolchain for compiling Symbian OS?
No.
The Arm Developer Suite (ADS) was re-branded to "RealView Developer Suite" in the transition from version 1.2 to 2.x. The versions of RVCT compiler in ADS 1.2 are not compatible with Symbian OS.