super blog on the benefits of contribution

Just a quick note to point you to a great blog post from Ilkka Syrjälä of Ixonos about the business value of contributing to the Symbian platform.

Here are few lines to whet your appetite:

“The common factor for these customer projects is that we work under non-disclosure agreements. All new material, knowledge and information are confidential and the property of our customer. Since project references are out of the question, we really need to find ways to market our expertise.

When Ixonos is contributing to platform development together with others, thus becoming more attractive to companies using Symbian, we are demonstrating our expertise. Ixonos’ visibility in open communities results in new contacts and business opportunities. Being part of the Symbian platform development also means a better understanding of where the platform is going and what the platform strategy is.”

Enjoy the full article!

Announcing Symbian Japan Forum

We are pleased to announce the first Symbian Japan Forum, a members-only event that will take place 15th January 2010 in Tokyo, Japan.

This event will offer members the latest information from the Symbian community and ample time for networking. The agenda will include an update on the technology Councils and a session held by NTT DOCOMO.

Sessions will be delivered in Japanese with simultaneous English interpretation.

If you can be in Tokyo in January, we very much look forward to seeing you.

Date:  Friday, January 15th, 2010

Time:  13:45 Registration

Place:  Accenture Japan Ltd

San Marino Shiodome 9F, 2-4-1 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku

Tokyo 105-0021

Map of Accenture Japan Ltd. above

Cost:   Free of charge (pre-registration is required)

 

Agenda (subject to change)

14:00-14:20 Opening Speech, Symbian Foundation

14:20-14:40 Keynote 1, NTT DOCOMO

14:40-15:00 Keynote 2, TBD

15:00-15:30 Feature & Roadmap Council Update with Q&A, Symbian Foundation

15:30-15:40 Break

15:40-16:10 Architecture Council Update with Q&A, Symbian Foundation

16:10-16:40 Release Council Update with Q&A, Symbian Foundation

16:40-17:10 The Benefits of Membership, Symbian Foundation

17:10-17:20 Break

17:20-17:50 The Contribution Process, Symbian Foundation

17:50-18:20 The Benefits of Contribution, Symbian Foundation

18:20-18:50 Presentations, Members

19:00- ??:?? Networking Party

 

How to register

Please send your information to japanforum@symbian.jp:

Your name:

Company name:

Department:

Job title:

Telephone:

Email:

Will you attend the networking party?:

 

Deadline for registration is 22nd December 2009.

Owing to the capacity of the room, up to two people per member company may attend this event.

 

Contact Information

Ryo Inowa or Kyoko Horikawa

Symbian Foundation Japan

Telephone: +81-3-5532-7611

Fax: +81-3-5532-7612

Email: japanforum@symbian.jp

Foreign OIEL and baby SIELs

Good news for members in every corner of the globe. We have now received an Open Individual Export Licence, or OIEL (pronounced “oil”), to export the Symbian platform source code to almost all our member countries.

We can now export to anyone in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, United States and Vietnam.

If you have an office that needs access to the source code and is in a country that doesn’t appear in the list above, we ask you to do two things:

First, please send an email to Roelof at info@symbian.org, and ask him to send you an application for a Standard Individual Export Licence, or SIEL (pronounced “seal”). A SIEL will allow Symbian to export the source code to a specific office. These can be processed in a number of weeks.

In the same email, please also ask Roelof if we are already processing an OIEL for your entire country. If we are not, he will then begin the process with our Legal Team. OIELs can take months to process, so it’s good to begin as soon as possible.

Please note that SIELs and OIELs are per office, not per company. Even if your headquarters is in a country for which we have an OIEL, if you have an office in a country for which we don’t have an OIEL, that office can not download the source code without a SIEL.

Have fun with the source code!

What’s an affiliate member?

If your company is 50 percent or more owned by a Symbian member, you are eligible for affiliate member status. This grants you most of the benefits of membership.

Affiliates can

• Have their own presence on the Symbian Web pages, such as the Member Directory or the Services pages
• Participate in member events and member programs
• Use the Symbian branding
• Request introductions to other members
• Receive discounts for booth space or sponsorship at the Symbian Exchange & Exposition 2009 (SEE)
• With the approval of the parent company, access the Symbian Platform source code and all other material on the developer site

The limitations of affiliate status relate to the governance of Symbian. Affiliates do not have a vote, and may not nominate candidates for Board seats. However, if you are recommended by your parent company, you are eligible to serve on the technology Councils or working groups.

If your company is qualified for affiliate member status and you’d like to have the benefits, please contact Roelof and me through info@symbian.org.

Welcome new members! Week ending 31 July 2009

It’s been a busy week in membership. As usual, the new members represent a fascinating range of technologies. We look forward to the contributions they will make to the vibrancy of our community.

Here is a description of each of our new members, in their own words:

“3D Arts is an innovative software company developing and publishing games and applications for mobile devices. 3D Arts games and applications are designed and signed for S60 devices. All games and applications are developed with DieselEngine SDK which is a comprehensive software development kit for creating content rich real-time applications with 3D graphics and sound.”

“Adobe Systems revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information. For 25 years, the company’s award-winning software and technologies have redefined business, entertainment, and personal communications by setting new standards for producing and delivering content that engages people virtually anywhere at any time.”

“BLStream Group is a globally operating convergence specialist, delivering products and services for mobile, entertainment and enterprise businesses. BLStream Mobile Solutions team acts as a long-term strategic R&D partner for its customers – handset manufacturers, software product companies, operators, enterprises and service providers – developing new products and offerings.”

“Crealab SRL is a creative and innovative company based on new actual business rules. Crealab is a company with a deep understanding of Information Communication Technology and taking advantage of extended and highly qualified experiences in the ICT arena to implement new and profitable business in emerging markets.”

“Established in 1970 and listed on the main board of Tokyo Stock Exchange, Fujisoft Incorporated is one of the biggest mobile software vendors in Japan with over 6000 employees. Specializing in embedded software and mobile applications, Fujisoft provides end-to-end solutions for all major chipsets, making high-end private brand mobile phones possible at competitive price. Our customers include almost all of the leading mobile phone brands in Japan.”

“Larsen & Toubro Infotech Limited is one of the fastest growing solution/services companies with a strong focus on Wireless Telecom. We provide end-to-end services from product conceptualization to sustenance, from small, handheld devices to high availability carrier-grade servers. We cover the entire mobile communications value chain, delivering long-term value to our clients through innovative and flexible business models.”

“Nuance Mobile builds innovative, intelligent and intuitive touch and speech interfaces to simplify and enhance the way people interact with mobile devices, applications, and services. Nuance Mobile solutions make mobile devices and in-car systems easier to use, automate customer self-service, and optimize the access and discovery of even the most advanced mobile applications.”

“Penthera Partners, Inc. is a software technology development company creating technology and software applications to enable delivery of multimedia content over IP transmission platforms and its reception by wireless mobile devices.”

“VirtualLogix Inc. is a leader in Real-Time Virtualization software technology for computing devices. VirtualLogix flagship product, VLX, enables a number of multiple operating system environments to run concurrently on shared hardware and software which provides a range of power management, performance, application independence, fault tolerance and security options to address specific market requirements.”

“Vopium saves you 50-90% on international calls and SMS. You get 30 free min + 100 free SMS to try out Vopium. Start reaching the world for less today! Vopium allows you to save 90% when making international calls or sending SMS from your mobile phone in your home country – and this without changing your current operator SIM-card.”

As ever, if you know of a company that would benefit from being a member of our community, please contact me and Roelof at info@symbian.org. You can follow our daily membership updates on http://twitter.com/Symbian_Members.

Welcome new members! Week ending 24 July 2009

We’re very pleased to welcome our latest members to the Symbian Foundation. They are a microcosm of Symbian as a whole: a Java developer, a WiFi technology provider, a Mobile Software Management provider, an Internet service portal and an applications and services provider, they are based in Japan, the US, Israel, China and Portugal.

As of today, the Symbian Foundation has 114 members, 54 companies in the application process, and four affiliate members. Affiliate members are subsidiaries of members that have asked to have visibility on the Symbian Web sites in their own right.

Here is a description of each of our new members, in their own words:

“Aplix Corporation is the global leader in deploying Java technology in mobile phones and other consumer electronics devices. The company was founded in 1986 and has been a Sun Java licensee since 1996. Aplix has been publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Mothers) since 2003.”

“Boingo Wireless delivers on the promise of global Wi-Fi roaming – without the roaming fees. Use one account at more than 100,000+ hotspots around the world. Stay connected at more than 500+ airports, 20,000+ hotels, and 25,000+ cafes and restaurants around the world. Boingo Mobile gives you unlimited access to the public Internet in commercial hot spots around the globe with your Wi-Fi enabled mobile device.”

“Red Bend Software, the leader in Mobile Software Management (MSM), provides software solutions for managing firmware, applications and devices over the air. The company’s award-winning MSM products enable device manufacturers, mobile operators and software developers to increase revenues, reduce support costs and achieve faster time to market by remotely managing their software assets on mobile devices. Red Bend’s software has been deployed in more than 520 million mobile devices by seven of the top 10 handset manufacturers, including Kyocera, LG Electronics, Motorola, Sharp, Sony Ericsson and ZTE, as well as dozens of other leading companies in the mobile, M2M and WiMAX markets.”

“Founded in November, 1998, Tencent, Inc. has grown into China’s largest and most used Internet service portal. In its ten-year history, Tencent has been able to maintain steady and fast-paced growth by always putting its users first. On June 16th, 2004, Tencent Holdings Limited (SEHK 700) went public on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.”

“WIT Software is a software company that creates applications and services for telecommunication and media companies. WIT provides technical consulting and software development for any company that wants to exploit the power of Mobile and Fixed Communications.

WIT Software was founded in March 2001 as a spin-off company from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Most of the people that now make part of the company have been working in software for the telecommunications industry since 1997.”

We’re looking forward to the contributions all will bring to the community.

Don’t forget to follow our daily membership updates on Twitter!

Welcome to all things membership

Hi, All

This blog is authored by Lauren Sarno and Roelof Kotze, the membership team of the Symbian Foundation. Here, we’ll ask for your feedback on member programs, offer member opportunities, announce new members and praise member stars.

This blog is for Symbian members, people who are considering membership, participants in the wider Symbian community who have opinions about membership…

Every blog is an invitation to contribute to the conversation. Part of the responsibilities of the membership team is to implement member programs — services that create tangible business benefits for members. This is an interactive and continuing process. The more members who generate ideas and opinions, from all industries along the mobile value chain, the more complete and effective member programs will be.

So please join the process — it’s your Symbian.

NB: For quick updates — new member announcements, links to member companies’ news — please also follow us on the Symbian Membership Twitter feed.