Open-Plug and nCore partner to provide handsets makers with a platform of choice to develop Multilingual MMIs

nCore nScript engine integration on ELIPS Framework enables rapid multilingual MMI development

ITU Telecom World, Hong Kong – December 4, 2006 - Open-Plug, a leading supplier of mass market software platforms for the handset industry, and nCore, a leader in embedded localization and user interface software, are partnering to provide handset manufacturers with a platform of choice to develop Multilingual MMIs for their terminals.

Complex languages management (e.g. Thai, Arabic, Devanagari …) and rich text handling (e.g. bold, italic …) are real challenges for handset makers addressing mass market phone segments, including low-end and ULCs. NCore’s solution is one of the most compact and most powerful engines supporting these features, and most likely the only one that can cope with challenging requirements of (ultra) low cost phones.

Having nCore’s nScript text rendering and editing solution integrated within the leading edge Open-Plug’s ELIPS platform brings to handset makers the ability to address current strategic issues in a very competitive and efficient way and offer their customers one of the richest user experience.

The nCore software has been fully integrated within the ELIPS platform and is available directly from Open-Plug as an optional feature of the ELIPS product. The fully integrated and customizable solution combines the flexibility of Open-Plug’s ELIPS Framework with ease of access to nCore’s software, providing handset makers with the easiest way to perfectly address the need to design phones supporting complex languages for multiple countries with very short time to market and the lowest memory requirements.

Based on Open-Plug’s unique and patented Flexibleware™ technology, the ELIPS platform enables the rapid development of mass market phones -from low-end to high-end- which represent more than 90% of the market. With its technology, Open-Plug has successfully adapted the component-based approach to the embedded software industry, delivering the flexibility of a true modular architecture on mass-market terminals, with neither resource nor power consumption penalty. ELIPS Framework and MMI are available on the most popular Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) as well as Linux-based chipset platforms.

Today, Open-Plug is actively pursuing the development of its ecosystem of partners in order to bring to the market even more ELIPS-Enabled mobile applications giving the handset makers access, with unmatched time to market, to the latest innovations in the area of embedded software and applications.

nCore’s multilingual engine, nScript, is an embedded software component, based on Unicode standard and optimized to be integrated with devices having limited memory space and processor speed. The restricted operating environment together with the complex algorithms needed for text layout place tough demands on efficiency of design and implementation. nScript implements two main components of any user interface design: sophisticated text rendering and text input. In addition to the Latin script used in Western countries, nScript supports majority of world languages including the most complex ones like Arabic, Bengali, Hebrew, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Thai.

Eric Baissus, CEO of Open-Plug, said “We are very glad to count nCore in the ELIPS Partners ecosystem. The capability to swiftly build state-of-the-art multilingual MMIs with no need to dive deep into the world of complex writing systems, matches perfectly with the ELIPS philosophy of providing handset makers with the best-of-class tools for unbeatable time-to-market and flexibility.”

Tapio Koivuniemi, CEO of nCore, said” We are proud to provide Open-Plug with a compelling complex languages rendering solution offering the easiest and fastest way to develop multilingual handsets for the global market. Now available within the leading edge Open-Plug ELIPS framework-based MMI solution, it really contributes to making life easier for mobile phone manufacturers”.

About Open-Plug

Open-Plug creates and commercializes the first open software framework and MMI designed for mass market phones. The Open-Plug ELIPS Product Suite relies on a unique component-based technology, which drastically simplifies and secures all the phases of mobile phone software development, integration and deployment. It enables mobile operators and handset makers to create, update and customize their phones in record time, while keeping full control over their design and development cycle. Created in 2002, Open-Plug is a private company financed by leading international venture capital investors. Headquartered in France, the company also operates from its sales and support office in Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C Further information visit: www.open-plug.com

About Ncore

nCore Ltd. specializes in the development of embedded localization and user interface software and related consulting. The company’s main product is nScript – a multilingual rendering engine and rich text editor. It is designed for consumer electronics devices with a global market area, such as mobile phones. With nScript technology, user interfaces and text editors can be localized for all major languages throughout South East Asia, the Middle East and India. For More information visit: http://www.ncore.fi/

Contacts

Press Contact Open-Plug:

Emilie Lieze , Marketing Executive

Phone: +33 4 97 24 50 74

Fax : +33 4 97 24 50 79

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Press Contact nCore:

Mikko Takala

Phone: +358 8 3118 273

Fax: +358 8 3118 274

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