November 16, 2009 (Tokyo, Japan)—Acrodea, Inc. (CEO and President: Junya Tsutsumi), headquartered in Meguro-ku, Tokyo, announced today the deployment of VIVID UI®, developed as a user interface platform for mobile terminals, and the deployment of VIVID Movie, VIVID Panorama and Emoji Lite to the winter 2009 and spring 2010 model handsets released by SoftBank Mobile Co., Ltd. (CEO and President: Masayoshi Son; “SoftBank Mobileâ€), headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo.
Among the winter 2009/spring 2010 models announced, the 940SH, 941SH, 943SH, THE PREMIUM 5 942SH, 942SH KT, and Jelly Beans 840SH (made by Sharp); 941P, 940P, and 841P (made by Panasonic Mobile Communications) have adopted Acrodea’s fundamental VIVID UI technology and compatibility with Softbank Mobile’s service “Kisekae Arrange.†This service allows the modification of the standby screen, menu screens, battery level indicator, signal status indicator, etc., with preferred icons and graphics. Mobile phones compatible with the service contain a pre-installed selection of Kisekae Arrange content, depending on the model. In addition, by purchasing basic template files, subscribers with certain compatible models can modify the graphics of specific parts, or, in essence, arrange the screen designs as desired. Moreover, the concurrent deployment of VIVID Movie to the models enables even more attractive UI that incorporate video for Kisekae Arrange content.
Next, the 940SH, 941SH, 943SH, THE PREMIUM 5 942SH, and 942SH KT (made by Sharp) incorporate Acrodea’s VIVID Panorama as a camera feature. Users of these models can enjoy panorama photography with a very simple operation.
The 841P (made by Panasonic Mobile Communications) has adopted Acrodea’s Emoji Lite, and supports SoftBank Mobile’s new service Raku Deco, which can automatically insert picture fonts and personalized picture fonts. Text color, size, and background color are automatically converted, and thus anyone can easily create decorative email.
About VIVID UI
VIVID UI is a user interface platform developed by Acrodea for mobile phones, and represents innovative middleware that can integrate various types of multimedia content, such as still pictures, 3D graphics, animation effects, and video. VIVID UI enables mobile phones that can be readily customized with graphically enhanced menus and standby screens according to user preferences. The VIVID UI authoring tool incorporates features for creating menu transitions through a visual context, as well as for menu content emulation. By using this tool, handset manufacturers and content providers can easily create compatible content with a wealth of expression.
About VIVID Movie
Jointly developed by Acrodea and Silicon Studio Corporation (CEO: Takehiko Terada), headquartered in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, VIVID Movie comprises software for compressing and expanding video for handheld devices. VIVID Movie achieves sophisticated video processing that can play rich movie content in memory-constrained and CPU performance-limited environments, such as mobile telephones and compact handheld devices. The technology is provided as middleware for mobile devices, and, in conjunction with VIVID UI, can deliver a highly expressive user interface with the adoption of movie content. The high video compression rate means an optimum solution can be achieved for downloaded content also.
About VIVID Panorama
Jointly developed by Acrodea and Morpho, Inc. (CEO and President: Masaki Hilaga), headquartered in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, VIVID Panorama consists of middleware for camera functionality. VIVID Panorama permits the user to create panorama photos (images extended in one direction for a wider or taller viewing angle than ordinary photos) easily by operating the mobile handset with a built-in digital camera like a camcorder and panning the desired range. Although previous handsets have been equipped with panoramic photography functions, the “panorama-like†photo involved stitching together each, individually taken photo. The panoramic image-generating technology of VIVID Panorama is fully automated on the basis of the video data captured. The process is rapid and completed in real time. Users may immediately preview the panorama photo taken. This convenience is an additional feature of VIVID Panorama.
About Emoji Lite
Acrodea’s Emoji Lite features the automatic insertion to mobile email of invariably necessary picture fonts. This breakthrough middleware solution further enhances email as a communication tool. Emoji Lite can eliminate the manual effort, and generate email containing picture fonts quickly and easily. The operation is quite simple. After an email message is drafted, the feature can automatically insert picture fonts with the single press of a key. Emoji Lite has independently compiled dictionary files, based on frequently appearing words. Upon identification of such words referenced from the dictionary, picture font characters that match the email message content are automatically inserted.
Acrodea, Inc., is a software technology R&D firm involved in middleware technology for mobile terminals. The company is particularly focused on interface technologies connecting between the user and terminal, and currently provides UI (user interface) technologies and email enhancement technologies to the market. We are also applying R&D energy towards the enhancement of graphics performance, which is indispensable in facilitating usage of mobile platform interfaces. Listed on the Mothers Market (Code: 3823, TSE), Acrodea is headquartered in Tokyo, and maintains an overseas presence in Seoul, Korea; Helsinki, Finland; and Newport Beach, California, U.S.A. For more information, please visit http://www.acrodea.co.jp.
For inquiries about this press release, please contact the following:
IR-PR Group, Administrative Dept. at Acrodea, Inc.
TEL：+81 3-5768-8606 Email: products@acrodea.co.jp
