CANNES, France (23 February 1999) ¾ GSM World Congress ¾ Unwired Planet, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Company Ltd. today announced Samsung has licensed the Unwired Planet™ UP.Browser™ for integration in Samsung GSM wireless handsets. This agreement is the latest development resulting from UP's longstanding relationship with Samsung. With UP's industry-leading Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) microbrowser, Samsung can offer new Internet-enabled features and functionality to mass-market mobile phones. Samsung strategically benefits from a time-to-market advantage created by the industry interoperability and ease of portability that is the foundation of UP's wireless Internet solution.
Samsung expects to support operator trials in the early second quarter of 1999 with the UP.Browser-enabled SGH-800 handset. The SGH-800 will be demonstrated in Cannes at GSM World Congress, February 23 - 25, 1999, at the France Telecom Mobiles Exhibit (Booth # D7).
"UP's commitment to innovation and open standards has driven our relationship with Samsung since 1996," said Alain Rossmann, chairman and chief executive officer of Unwired Planet. "Samsung is evolving products for the GSM market by leveraging their experience with UP's microbrowser user interface on their CDMA handsets. Samsung GSM handsets running UP.Browser will give operators the flexibility and continual feature innovations they need to stay competitive."
"As a market-leading manufacturer of innovative and reliable CDMA handsets with outstanding value-added performance, Samsung Electronics has achieved great success," said Chang-Soo Choi, international sales and marketing executive director of Samsung. "The GSM market is a strategic priority for Samsung. We are looking to UP.Browser to contribute to our success in this important market, which we will aggressively pursue this year."
With UP.Browser, users of the Samsung SGH-800 handset can access both the Internet and their Email. The SGH-800 has an attractive "clamshell" design that includes a large, high-quality graphic LCD screen of 128 pixels x 64 pixels and 8 lines of text. For easy access to information, this Samsung handset now features a navigational keypad. The small pocket-sized SGH-800 measures just 88 x 50 x 23 millimeters, and weighs just 99 grams. It is fully compliant with the GSM Phase II specification, offering full GSM data capabilities.
Highlights of the SGH-800 include voice recording, voice dialing (20 names) and voice memos (140 seconds). The SGH-800 also includes the features of a personal information management device (calendar and to-do list), as well as a calculator, ring customization and personal melody creation. The SGH-800 will be available with a large range of accessories including: travel charger, cigarette-lighter charger, desktop charger, hands-free kit (HFK), car holder, software modem, portable hands-free set (with voice dialing), and leather case. With three battery options available, the SGH-800 utilizes lithium ion (Li-Ion) battery technology for extended talk and standby times.
Unwired Planet's UP.Browser software is a WAP microbrowser, which resides in the ROM or flash memory of a wireless phone and facilitates interaction between the user and server-based applications. Mobile phones running UP.Browser deliver standards-based, secure, and scalable interactive applications deployed on wireless networks. Communicating with HTTP 1.1 Web servers to display content from the Internet or intranets on the screens of mobile phones, UP.Browser leverages existing application development methodologies and developer skill sets. Unwired Planet technology provides a clear path for application developers, which in turn accelerates market growth by enabling network operators to lower costs, differentiate service and efficiently deliver the best possible applications and services to consumers. Combined with the phone's existing user interface software, UP.Browser gives wireless network operators a new way to reach subscribers and add innovative services, with seamless integration of all voice and data features.
Mobile phone manufacturers can add WAP functionality across entire product lines, without adding to the cost or size of handset form factors. Handset manufacturers can optimize the integration of UP.Browser into their wireless handsets with the technical assistance, documentation and tools of UP's OEM support organization. Unwired Planet provides manufacturers with core and interface modules, which they can adapt to existing phone models, greatly reducing their R&D investment.
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