Illustrates how open source community and development model rapidly advance
mobile innovation
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Funambol, the leading
provider of mobile 2.0 messaging software powered by open source, today
announced it has released an open source native app for iPhone contact
synchronization. The Funambol plug-in for iPhone synchronizes the iPhone's
address book with contacts from popular sources such as Yahoo! Mail, Gmail,
Microsoft Outlook, GNOME Evolution and SyncML servers such as the Funambol
server.
Until now, contact synchronization on the iPhone was possible only
using a cable connected to a computer running iTunes. The new Funambol
plug-in is the first open source native app for iPhone address book
synchronization. To learn more, view screenshots and download the software,
visit http://www.funambol.com/solutions/iphone.php.
"In mobile, the open road is the only road. The pace of development
must be rapid, the compatibility wide and the cost reasonable. Open
networks and devices are on the rise and are transforming the mobile
industry," said Fabrizio Capobianco, CEO of Funambol. "The Funambol open
source community has been operating at this pace for years and is
delivering innovation that gives people access to features they otherwise
wouldn't have."
The Funambol iPhone plug-in was developed in large part by Patrick
Ohly, a long-time member of the Funambol community. Demonstrating the full
value of open source, he set out to develop a native iPhone sync solution.
He upgraded SyncEvolution (http://www.estamos.de/projects/SyncML/) for the
iPhone which provides the core syncing capabilities. Funambol adapted the
plug-in's user interface from its work with other mobile devices.
"Just as the cable physically ties the iPhone to a computer, the
dependency on iTunes locks iPhone users into a specific platform. Because
SyncML is a well-established, open standard for data synchronization,
adding support for it to the iPhone was an obvious choice," said Patrick.
"Extending SyncEvolution was simple -- the hard part was to figure out how
the contact data on the iPhone could be accessed, due to the current lack
of documentation. Hopefully, Apple's SDK will fill that gap."
Earlier this year, Funambol announced the availability of the first
over-the-air (OTA) web-based contacts app for the iPhone. With the addition
of this new native app for the iPhone, Funambol once again demonstrates the
strength of the open source model. With the release of the Apple iPhone SDK
in Q1, 2008, Funambol looks forward to extending the iPhone plug-in for
capabilities such as calendar sync and push email.
Funambol provides open source-based mobile email, contacts and
calendars for 1.5 billion mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPod, and
phones from Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG and other device
manufacturers.
About Funambol
Funambol provides mobile 2.0 messaging software that is powered by open
source. The company is the leading provider of open source push email and
PIM synchronization solutions for the mass market. Funambol's open source
software has been downloaded more than 1,500,000 times by a global network
of 10,000 developers in 200 countries. The commercial version of Funambol's
software has been deployed at service providers, mobile operators, portals,
Global 1000 businesses, hardware OEMs/ODMs and ISVs including customers
such as 1&1, Earthlink and Computer Associates. Funambol is headquartered
in Redwood City, California with an R&D center in Italy. See
http://www.funambol.com.
Media Contact
Jennifer Cloer Shelly Milam
Page One PR Page One PR
503-746-7577 415-875-7491
Jennifer@pageonepr.com shelly@pageonepr.com
SOURCE Funambol
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Related links:
http://www.funambol.com
CONTACT:
Jennifer Cloer, +1-503-746-7577,
Jennifer@pageonepr.com, or Shelly Milam, +1-415-875-7491,
shelly@pageonepr.com, both for Funambol
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