Barney Robison Blog

NEW YORK — Gameloft, a leading developer and publisher of video games on mobile phones and consoles, today announced plans to develop 10 plus games for Android, an open source mobile platform. Bubble Bash will be the first title scheduled for launch in Q1 2009.

Android is an open mobile platform that incorporates extensive multimedia features and supports handsets that allow an enhanced gaming experience thanks to optimized graphics, touch screen and accelerometer. Gameloft’s development team has created a strong line-up for the platform, with several of its flagship titles available at the launch of Android’s paid application offerings.

“The momentum and excitement for the Android has been building for some time,” said Michel Guillemot, president and CEO, Gameloft. “We plan to fully support this platform since it provides another great outlet for an enhanced gaming experience for consumers.”Gameloft Read more

PARIS — Orange has announced the arrival in France of the BlackBerry? Bold?, available now to companies and individuals.

This top-of-the-range smartphone is the first 3G BlackBerry? with live TV and GPS navigation capability. The versatility and ergonomics of this smartphone make it ideal for both intensive professional as well as private use. The BlackBerry? Bold? is part of the range designed and developed by RIM.

This latest BlackBerry? solution combines all the usual features with an ultra-luminous, high-resolution screen, providing additional comfort of use, performance and reliability.

Orange France (Paris: OGE) Read more

TOKYO and WATERLOO, Ontario — NTT DOCOMO, INC. (DOCOMO) and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced plans to launch the 3G/HSDPA BlackBerry? Bold? smartphone for customers in Japan in early 2009.

The new BlackBerry Bold smartphone is crafted from premium materials inside and out; from its lustrous black exterior, satin chrome finished frame and stylish leatherette backplate, to its stunning high resolution display which must be seen to be believed, the BlackBerry Bold embodies power and beauty without compromise.

Designed to give business professionals and power users exceptional functionality and performance, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone leverages DOCOMO’s high-speed 3G and HSDPA networks to offer an exceptional mobile experience. It offers powerful phone, email, messaging, organizer and web browsing applications, as well as access to a wide range of other mobile business and lifestyle applications. It features a newly designed QWERTY keyboard, built-in Read more

TAIPEI — Openmoko, creator of the first completely open mobile computing platform, expanded the meaning of Open Source by posting the industrial design source files for its Neo branded mobile phones. Industrial design artists now have the same freedom as software engineers.

Openmoko’s source code was freed in February 2007, allowing complete transformation of its mobile phone software. Now, by publishing mechanical CAD files, Openmoko frees industrial designers to fundamentally redesign the Neo branded mobile phones to fit their vision and market needs. Some already have.

Inspiring a New Generation of Product Designers

Openmoko posted the Neo CAD files on its site without fanfare. Within days, Guillermo Sureda-Burgos (www.sureda.org.), visiting instructor of Industrial Design at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, said: “I am amazed at the depth of your commitment to open design. This must be the first time in history that a company has Read more

BARCELONA — LiMo Foundation, global communications company

Orange and ACCESS CO., LTD, a global provider of advanced mobile software

technologies — pioneers in the Mobile Linux movement — today announced

that

Orange and ACCESS have joined LiMo Foundation to unify the Mobile Linux

industry and make truly open devices more accessible to mobile users all

over

the world.

In recognition of its historic and pioneering role in the mobile Open

Source community, Orange has been invited to join LiMo as a Founder member,

alongside original Founders Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile

Communications, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone. ACCESS, which shares a

strong heritage in Mobile Linux innovation, joins as a new Core member and

will also hold a seat on the LiMo Foundation board.

“The reputations of Orange and ACCESS for leadership within the Read more

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) today announced the launch of the iFund with $100 million in venture capital to invest in companies developing applications and services for Apple’s innovative iPhone and iPod touch. The iFund, managed by KPCB, will be invested in companies with market-changing ideas and products that extend the revolutionary new iPhone and iPod touch platform. Apple will provide KPCB with market insight and support.

“A revolutionary new platform is a rare and prized opportunity for entrepreneurs, and that’s exactly what Apple has created with iPhone and iPod touch,” said John Doerr, Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. “We think several significant new companies will emerge as this new platform evolves, and the iFund will empower them to realize their full potential.”

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Read more

BARCELONA — LiMo Foundation, a global consortium of mobile leaders delivering an open

handset platform for the whole mobile industry, unveiled today the first

wave of handsets using the LiMo Platform(TM) — the world’s first globally

competitive, Linux-based software platform for mobile devices. Initial LiMo

handsets are today confirmed by handset industry leaders including LG

Electronics, Motorola, NEC, Panasonic Mobile Communications and Samsung.

LiMo’s technology will be showcased in Booth 8b135, Hall 8 at Mobile World

Congress, February 11-14 in Barcelona.

“The breadth of the initial wave of LiMo handsets — 18 models from 7

vendors — consolidates LiMo’s role as the unifying force within Mobile

Linux and highlights the strong momentum established in the 12 months since

LiMo was launched,” said Morgan Gillis, executive director of the Read more