The open-source ecosystem for smart mobile devices is getting new wind in its sails as LiMo Foundation and Linux Foundation announced the development of a new, open, device-independent software platform for the entire industry. The development of the new mobile Linux platform will be headed by the Linux Foundation, of which Ixonos is a member.

This open-source joint venture has already gathered a large number of supporters. Ixonos and other Nordic systems integrators EB, Nomovok, Cybercom and TDi have also publicly voiced their support for the Tizen initiative. The venture will offer significant new business opportunities for software companies that operate on the global market and have experience in MeeGo development projects.

”We strongly believe that there is a resounding need for a globally uniform open software platform. Tizen offers the industry and its players interesting opportunities as Internet-enabled devices continue to proliferate and as the home-electronics, automotive and telecommunications industries converge”, notes Kari Happonen, President and CEO of Ixonos.

The openness concept that drives the initiative creates faith in the mobile industry’s will to work together for a common goal, not just compete fiercely. The development of a unified platform brings together different players such as hardware manufacturers and telecommunications companies. Faster development of the platform will bring major benefits to all parties involved. Hardware manufacturers will be able to take advantage of new flexibility as they innovate devices. At the same time, development costs and times will be substantially reduced. The joint application store and the uniform, standards-based programming language will provide developers and service providers with a ready-for-use channel to consumers. End users will enjoy advanced functionality in devices and services as well as a wide selection of applications for various devices and, above all, the uniform user experience these features enable.

Ixonos has strong expertise in mobile Linux platforms. ”We have worked with mobile Linux since 2006: hundreds of our engineers have participated in the dozens of projects we have carried out together with several other companies. We are a Linux Foundation member and we intend to assume a very active role as Tizen developers and as enablers of a new level of openness”, says Antti Aumo, Vice President, Global Marketing.

Ixonos provides its customers with solutions for the design and development of connected device and multichannel online services and mobile applications, based on various operating systems, including mobile Linux. These services are connected by our ambition to provide end users with superior mobile user experiences. When designing solutions and services that take advantage of wireless technology, Ixonos works with all major software platforms as well as on a platform-independent basis. However, our development work is not based on technology but on innovating new solutions and creating new, positive user experiences.

For more information, please contact:

Ixonos:
• Kari Happonen, President and CEO, tel. +358 400 700 761, kari.happonen@ixonos.com
• Antti Aumo, Vice President, Global Marketing, tel. +358 40 505 0477, antti.aumo@ixonos.com

Links:
• Ixonos on Twitter: http://twitter.com/IxonosTweets
• Ixonos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/IxonosOnline
• Linux Foundation
• Tizen

Ixonos arranges a press conference on Thursday 29 September at 11.30 am in Helsinki:
Mobile Linux speeds up industrial convergence – Ixonos supports Open Source Tizen initiative
Ixonos CEO Kari Happonen and business unit representatives explains their views on the opportunities mobile Linux offers as wireless technology converges home electronics, automotive and telecom industries. Place to be: Bank, Unioninkatu 20, Helsinki, Meeting Point cabinet, 2nd floor.

Further information:
Sirje Ahvenlampi, Communications Manager, tel. +358 50 557 3822, sirje.ahvenlampi@ixonos.com

The open source driven ecosystem for smart devices gained momentum with the introduction of Tizen by Linux Foundation and LiMo Foundation. This open source project will help provide a great business opportunity for Nordic software companies with global reach having worked in MeeGo-development projects earlier.

In order to make the existing competencies and solutions available to mobile operators, wireless carriers and device manufacturers, a group of Nordic Systems Integrators demonstrated strong support to this new initiative, Tizen. The companies, Cybercom, EB (Elektrobit), Ixonos, Nomovok and TDi, with the capability to deliver turn key solutions, including white-label mobile devices, applications and services to customers in the telecom sector, have jointly over 6,000 engineers with a strong background in wireless technologies and solutions.

”We are happy to see the announcement that Linux Foundation and LiMo are developing Tizen together. This will open up new business opportunities for mobile carriers, device manufacturers and service providers. Cybercom will be joining forces with participating companies and bring our expertise to the joint offering”, says Petteri Puhakka, CEO of Cybercom.

Hannu Huttunen, President Elektrobit Wireless Business Segment: “We at EB are excited about Tizen. We feel that with our competence of delivering turnkey smartphones, this new initiative gives us the potential to help OEMs and Operators to help bring Tizen devices to the market.”

“As active proponents of Linux Foundation and open source initiatives, we warmly welcome the new Tizen project”, says President and CEO Kari Happonen of Ixonos. “We believe Linux will play an important part in the convergence of home electronics, automotive and telecomm industries. We are happy to support the new platform with our experience in and solutions for connected devices, multichannel online services and user experience design.”

According to Pasi Nieminen, CEO of Nomovok, the leading MeeGo integrator, “For the past two years Nomovok has been working on Steelrat, a commercially optimised version of MeeGo, and today we are pleased to join with this industry-lead project  to help make Tizen a commercial reality.”

“Tizen will help form a solid basis for new mobile products and services to be provided to the market by these companies in 2H 2012”, says Pekka Sivonen, CEO and President of Technology Development International, TDi Ltd.
For further information:

Petteri Puhakka, petteri.puhakka/at/cybercom.com, mob. +358 400 414 623
Hannu Huttunen, hannu.huttunen/at/elektrobit.com, mob. +358 40 344 3507
Kari Happonen, kari.happonen/at/ixonos.com, mob. +358 400 700 761
Pasi Nieminen, pasi.nieminen/at/nomovok.com , mob. +358 40 737 3907 and +86 133 1127 3637
Pekka Sivonen, pekka.paivio.sivonen/at/gmail.com , mob. +358 40 759 3601

Links:
- Linux Foundation
- Tizen

Ixonos will be presenting its latest, sophisticated in-vehicle connectivity solutions at Car Connectivity Consortium Summit 2011. The event will be held in Chicago on 29-30 September, 2011.

Ixonos has extended its longstanding experience in designing and developing connected devices as well as mobile and web technologies into the automotive industry in the few past years. The company has participated actively in the development of seamless connectivity between a wireless device, such as a smartphone, and the in-vehicle infotainment system, with other members of the Consortium and in the field.

In Ixonos’ stand at the upcoming summit, Antti Aumo Vice President, Global Solutions and Timo Salminen, Director, Automotive & Home, will showcase a new, fully packaged MirrorLink (previously known as Termimal Mode) solution on Android. The solution is also fully compatible with Windows Phone 7 and MeeGo.

View more information about:

MirrorLink Open Standard Solution

For more information, please contact:
Antti Aumo, Vice President, Global Solutions, tel. +358 40 505 0477, antti.aumo/at/ixonos.com
Timo Salminen, Director, Automotive & Home, tel. +358 40 745 6821, timo.salminen/at/ixonos.com

SAN JOSE, Calif., USA – Ixonos has designed an easy-to-engage social TV experience that works consistently across devices from television sets to smartphones and tablets. Ixonos will showcase this new multichannel solution, known as the TV Compass, on Android-based handheld devices at the Intel Developer Forum, which is being held in San Francisco during 13–15 September 2011.

Sweeping across the spectrum of handheld devices, the digital evolution has transformed the way in which consumers engage with various media content. Television is next in line to undergo dramatic changes, both as a device and as a medium. Rapid advances in technology, IPTV services and direct streaming are already having a significant influence on consumer behavior and viewing habits.

Ixonos’ User Experience Design Centre has completed a thorough study into consumer viewing habits across multiple channels. The research shows that the divide between private and shared experiences is blurring: not only are old consumer habits changing, but new use patterns are also emerging.

“More and more television viewers have begun using a computer or a smartphone while watching TV”, says Sami Paihonen from Ixonos’ User Experience Design Centre. “Consumers across age brackets are going online to look up additional information on editorial and commercial content and wanting to share their thoughts and ideas with friends.” To address this, Ixonos has designed a solution that offers a seamless transition between broadcasted content and other online content. For TV viewers, this means a consistent and engaging user experience regardless of which device they use.

“We discovered that TV viewers are constantly looking to enrich their viewing experience by multitasking, and we believe the constant flow of information can be harnessed better for the benefit of TV viewers as well as companies promoting their content. We designed the TV Compass user experience framework to address this need for sharing information”, Sami says.

TV Compass is a modular system open to various types of content, delivery methods and business models. It allows companies such as media conglomerates, cable companies, operators and home electronics manufacturers as well as software and hardware manufacturers to deliver media content to end users, across devices, while guaranteeing a consistent user experience. The solution has been designed to be compatible with multiple platforms.

During Intel Developer Forum 2011, Ixonos is showcasing TV Compass as well as many other compelling solutions and Android-based applications at the company’s booth #728.

Watch the TV Compass introductory video on YouTube. »
For more information, please contact:

Ixonos:
• Sami Paihonen, Vice President, User Experience Design Centre, tel. +358 50 502 1111, sami.paihonen/at/ixonos.com
• Antti Aumo, Vice President, Global Solutions, tel. +358 40 505 0477, antti.aumo/at/ixonos.com
• Jo Javier, Vice President, USA, tel. +1 949 278 1354, jo.javier/at/ixonos.com

Links:
• Follow us on Twitter and YouTube, watch the Ixonos TV Compass video
• Ixonos’ online press kit 2011
• Intel Developer Forum event’s website

Hansel Ltd, the central procurement unit of the Finnish Government, organizes an ICT Day for its contract partners on 15 September 2011 in Wanha Satama in Helsinki. HanselForum ICT Day focuses particularly in developing practices and the effective sharing of information and knowledge through networking.

Ixonos holds an informational presentation at the event with the topic of “JulkIT – viewpoints to the collaboration between municipalities and the state”.

More information about the event is available in Finnish at Hansel’s website.

Ixonos’ contact person:
Jari Hakola, tel. +358 400 489 299, jari.hakola/at/ixonos.com

Kuntamarkkinat-event is arranged by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities for decision makers in Finnish municipalities, government and other public sector offices. The event will be organized on 14-15 September 2011 at Kuntatalo in Helsinki, Finland, now for the 18th time.

Ixonos participates in the event together with the other City Online members. Ixonos’ Teppo Kuisma will be giving a speech on “Interoperable e-services improving municipalities’ customer service and productivity “ on Wednesday, 14 September.

For more information about the event, contact
Eija Toivio, tel. +358 400 277 992, eija.toivio/at/ixonos.com

Ixonos is an exhibitor at Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, USA, on 13-15 September 2011. Ixonos will be showing latest technology showcases in smartphone software, mobile apps and online solutions at its booth: # 728. The showcases include a preview to Ixonos new interactive multichannel TV experience, the TV Compass.

Ixonos representatives attending the event include Senior Vice President, Business Regions,  Kari Liuska; Director, EMEA Solution Consultancy Sören Visti Kristensen; Vice President, USA, Jo Javier; Director, Key Customer Accounts, Antti Vuolli; R&D Manager Mikko Levonmaa; and Director, Technology, Miika Haapalainen.

The San Francisco event is the premier Intel conference in North America, where people from every part of the technology world gather to hear about Intel’s latest advances. The event promises hundreds of keynote presentations from top Intel leaders and a chance to learn about the latest tech developments of the dozens of sponsoring organizations.

More information about the event: www.intel.com/idf

For more information, please contact:
Antti Aumo, Vice President, Global Solutions, tel. +358 40 505 0477, antti.aumo/at/ixonos.com
Kari Liuska, Senior Vice President, Business Regions, tel. +358 40 756 0285, kari.liuska/at/ixonos.com