Integrated hardware/software solution responds to rapidly growing smartphone market
Philips Electronics has joined the Symbian Platinum Program. With Philips joining the program, mobile phone manufacturers can benefit from seamlessly integrated multimedia applications for their smartphone offerings. As a result, mobile phone manufacturers can bring complete and easily upgradeable mobile multimedia solutions rapidly to market.
Joining the Symbian Platinum Program is part of Philips’ commitment to mobile multimedia. Philips delivers hardware and software options that improve quality while limiting power consumption and extending battery life of mobile phones. Philips’ Nexperia solutions provide a portfolio of re-programmable and ready to integrate system and IC solutions for mobile-based multimedia applications. Its offering ranges from solutions that support mobile multimedia features such as audio, video, imaging and connectivity applications, colour (touch) screens, built-in cameras, organizer functions, and Internet access.
“By working closely with smartphone OS market leader Symbian, we will be able to provide our customers in Asia with integrated, sophisticated Nexperia Mobile solutions for the smartphone market,” said Mario Rivas, executive vice president, business unit mobile communications, Philips Semiconductors. “As Philips is a leading provider of multimedia processors for mobile phones produced in Asia and globally, this agreement will enable Philips to further realise its vision of the connected consumer.”
Symbian develops and licenses Symbian OS, the global industry standard operating system for smartphones to the world’s leading handset manufacturers. Symbian OS accounts for more than 85 per cent of annual mobile phone sales worldwide, according to Gartner’s Mobile Terminal Market Shares: Worldwide, 3Q03 report of December 2003.
“The smartphone business is rapidly growing and Symbian OS is at the heart of it,” commented Ian Weston, vice-president, partner support, Symbian. “Philips’ expertise in media processing and connectivity will bring added value and further technology developments to the Symbian OS ecosystem.”
Philips Nexperia solutions offer customers in Asia flexibility through extensive software IP libraries, which allow software upgrades to future-proof product designs and to provide a fast, low-risk and cost effective route to market. Built on proven know-how in SoC design, the Nexperia Mobile combines quality and high performance, thanks to Philips’ expertise in media processing and connectivity including USB On-The-Go and Bluetooth.