REDWOOD CITY and SAN MATEO, Calif., May 12, 2008 -- Funambol, the leading provider of Mobile 2.0 messaging software powered by open source, and Laszlo Systems, a global leader in Rich Internet Application (RIA) software and developer of the OpenLaszlo open source development platform, today announced that they are integrating the commercial versions of their award-winning Mobile 2.0 and Web 2.0 messaging solutions.
The joint offering combines Laszlo Webtop, a unified web-based communication suite that includes email, contacts, and calendar, with Funambol's push email and PIM sync software, which is deployable across 1.5 billion mobile phones. The combined solution enables service providers to rapidly transform their email operations into a compelling new way for consumer and business users to access email, contacts and calendars over the Internet and on mobile devices. The offering also enables service providers to leverage an ad-based model for online and mobile users, providing an important new revenue stream.
"The Funambol-Laszlo solution fills an important void in the market," said Fabrizio Capobianco, CEO of Funambol. "Service providers are facing a build vs. buy vs. outsource email decision. Many are competing, directly or indirectly, with Web 2.0 email and mobile offerings, from Google, Yahoo!, AOL and Hotmail (LiveMail). The Funambol-Laszlo solution enables service providers to upgrade their email systems to be state-of-the-art and to compete on a level playing field with Web 2.0 and Mobile 2.0 offerings."
Service providers need to make some difficult choices about their messaging services. Upgrading their internal systems requires extensive time and resources, and developing Web 2.0 and mobile messaging applications, which are now de rigueur, is not their core competency. Most commercially available systems are not competitive in terms of their user interfaces and breadth of mobile capabilities. Outsourcing also does not provide the breadth, depth and rich interface of messaging and mobile offerings from the top portals and search engines. The Funambol-Laszlo solution provides service providers with a world-class Web 2.0 email, contacts and calendar interface, and a push email and PIM sync solution for 1.5 billion devices. The joint solution easily integrates into a service provider's infrastructure and enables service providers to generate incremental revenue from online and mobile advertising.
"As users move from desktop to mobile devices, they will expect a richer Web 2.0-like experience on cell phones," said Antony Campitelli, Vice President of Marketing at Laszlo. "The Funambol-Laszlo solution combines Mobile 2.0 with Web 2.0 to satisfy this need, and in the process, creates a new compelling revenue generator for service providers."
The Funambol-Laszlo solution is available immediately. For more information, please visit the Funambol website at http://www.funambol.com or the Laszlo website at http://www.laszlosystems.com.
Funambol provides mobile 2.0 messaging software powered by open source. The company is the leading provider of open source push email and PIM sync solutions for the mass market. Funambol open source has been downloaded more than two million times by 50,000 developers and project participants in 200 countries. The commercial version of Funambol has been deployed at service providers, mobile operators, portals, device manufacturers and ISVs including customers such as 1&1, Earthlink and CA, Inc. Funambol is headquartered in Redwood City, CA with an R&D center in Italy. See www.funambol.com.
Laszlo Systems is a global leader of Rich Internet Application (RIA) solutions. Its flagship commercial product, Laszlo Webtop, enables service providers to deliver a Web 2.0 unified communication experience that is customizable and extensible by the provider. Laszlo is also the original developer of OpenLaszlo, the premier open source RIA development platform used by tens of thousands of developers worldwide. Laszlo's software and solutions have been universally adopted by corporations and service providers, ranging from the Fortune 100 to smaller-sized businesses, and extend across the consumer, enterprise, education and government industries. For more information about San Mateo, Calif.-based Laszlo Systems, visit www.laszlosystems.com.
Shelly Milam for Funambol
Page One PR
(415) 875-7491
shelly@pageonepr.com
Antony Campitelli for Laszlo Systems
(650) 358-2726
acampitelli@laszlosystems.com
Funambol is a trademark of Funambol, Inc. Other company and product names may be the trademarks of their respective companies.
