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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
Samsung and i-Free Developed Java Browser Embedded in Mobile Phones
St. Petersburg, 20 July 2006. i-Free, Russia's leader in mobile value added services,* has teamed up with Samsung Electronics to develop a pioneering Java browser - the first one of its kind in the CIS, offering subscribers easy access to premium entertainment at the Samsung Fun Club portal. The application, embedded into the mobile phone during manufacture, is run with a dedicated key on the phone's keypad.
Innovation was always i-Free's priority and its signature, so no wonder Samsung Electronics picked this company as its exclusive partner in mobile value added services in Russia. Last year, i-Free contributed to Intuition, a joint project between Samsung and VimpelCom, supplying a Java browser serving as a graphic environment for the operator's services, giving subscribers touch-button access to its portal content.
i-Free's new Java browser is another, even more important, milestone in mobile services. The software package, developed by i-Free in partnership with Samsung Electronics, is embedded into the mobile phone when it is manufactured, opening easy and safe fast-track access to the manufacturer's portal: Samsung Fun Club. The Java portal is run by pressing the central button on the phone's keypad, instantly introducing the user to a wealth of features offered by the Samsung portal and new Samsung phones.
The latest Java browser uses a new, revolutionary method of access to value added services, which is easier and more convenient for users. They no longer need to set their phone's WAP and Internet, memorize PINs, send SMS messages or follow any links: all this happens automatically when you hit the button. All the content available at the portal has been customized or was specially developed for Samsung mobile phones. All the services available at the Samsung Fun Club portal were created and are run by i-Free.
"This is a breakthrough for the entire telecommunications industry; the significance of this innovation is difficult to overestimate," said YS Kim, Telecommunications Director for Samsung Electronics Russia. "Our new solution, developed in partnership with i-Free, opens new horizons for both our subscribers and our company. We are positive that our continued partnership with i-Free will further consolidate consumers' loyalty to the Samsung brand."
"Mobile phones are coming close to computers in functionality these days, what with their quality graphics, photo and video cameras, MP3 and sophisticated applications," said Igor Grigoryev, Project Manager from the i-Free side. "The conventional content services often fail to tap this potential in full. Moreover, subscribers sometimes run into compatibility problems: it may be problematic to download content if it wasn't customized to suit a specific phone make. So a Java portal supported directly by the vendor is, in our opinion, the best solution. A portal like that is great for both the user and the manufacturer, helping realize all the multimedia capabilities of a modern mobile phone."
The new Java browser is based on the Sapphire technology, developed by i-Free, providing the groundwork for powerful integrated Java solutions catering to the needs of every customer bracket: phone manufacturers, operators, media companies, and others. Creating portals for manufacturers is now a priority line of business for i-Free.
"This is an advanced solution that saves the user the problems and unnecessary extra costs resulting from errors when ordering and downloading content via SMS," added Kirill Gorynia, i-Free General Director, highlighting the new project's implications for the content services market. "It will give a new impetus to the mobile services market by strengthening consumer confidence and boosting demand."
The first Samsung E900 phones with embedded Java browsers for the Samsung Fun Club portal are slated to go on the Russian market later in July.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Pp. is a leading international technology corporation, a frontrunner in semiconductors, telecommunications systems and digital convergence, a major vendor of memory chips, LC displays, mobile phones, computer monitors and TV sets. Standard&Poor's has rated Samsung Electronics among the world's top three IT companies for two consecutive years in its InfoTech100 charts. Interbrand has rated Samsung the world's fastest growing brand, currently worth an estimated USD 14,96 billion. Samsung Electronics employs 113,000 in its 90 offices in 48 countries.
Samsung's main business interests lie in the fields of semiconductors, LCD, digital media, digital appliances, IT and telecommunications.
The company won the Grand Prix at the Russian Brand of the Year/Effie Awards in the Reputation and Confidence category in 2005, voted the winner in two subcategories: High-Tech Products (MP3 players) and Home Appliances (washing machines). Samsung notebook computers won the People's Brand Awards in 2005.
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