InfoGear Technology Corp believes at least one of the web/Java telephone crowd will soon come knocking on its door to license the technology behind the iPhone VGA screen phone it developed in conjunction with smart telephone company Cidco Inc. And the Redwood City, California-based start-up says a second screen-based device – this time a personal digital assistant – will beta in a month’s time using its software. While the likes of Alcatel SA, LM Ericcson AB, Nortel Ltd/Matra Communications SA and Samsung Electric Co Ltd and others are supposed to be developing web- enabled screen phones, there’s currently little to speak of in the way of product. One reason for this, InfoGear says, is because of the well-documented problems with the JavaOS system software and other Java APIs that most are going to use. InfoGear has created server software that runs on an ISP’s Solaris server and a web client with compression and security software that is hosted on a monochrome VGA screen device. The single-line analog Cidco phone incorporates a 14.4Kb modem. The InfoGear software currently runs on a proprietary microkernel, but the company says it is now evaluating ports to Symbian EPIC, PalmOS, Windows CE and JavaOS operating systems. It can have Java if it wants it, through the Java license Cidco has with Sun. It figures consumer screen phones will need to cost less than $300 to make them attractive, part of the reason that only France’s subsidized Minitel system has been the only real screen-phone success to date. InfoGear claims it’s about to announce a retail channel for iPhone. Businesses need to be persuaded they can use such a screen phone instead of a costly and expensive PC to connect with suppliers and customers. Although it can connect to a printer it’s not being pitched as a PC replacement. InfoGear touts itself as a new portal, and is currently building a site at www.infogear.net to which all appliances using its software will connect for services. It claims to have deals with 65 content providers and is already providing localized services to 35 US cities, three in South Africa, four in New Zealand and three in Australia with European services to follow. It claims there are already several thousand Cidco phones installed – it gets a royalty on each plus the internet service business – and claims a lead of six to 12 months lead on the competition. It’s had a couple of rounds of venture funding and will be getting more. It does half of its development in its California headquarters and half in Raanana, Israel. รก
