SAN DIEGO-Now that wireless multimedia company PacketVideo Corp. has set up deals with many of the world’s major chipset makers, mobile-phone manufacturers and carriers-and is a technology standard for the Third Generation Partnership Project-the company is turning its eyes toward a new link in the wireless value chain: applications.
“Initially, we were developing all the applications internally,” said Robert A. Tercek, PacketVideo’s president of applications and services. However, he said, “It’s really hard to predict what’s going to be popular in multimedia.”
So the company is launching a worldwide effort to attract application developers to design programming for the company’s MPEG-4 technology platform. The PacketVideo Global Developer Network will set up testing centers across the world-the first one is up and running in Singapore-and includes the PVAirStudio Development Kit. The kit includes templates, testing tools and other helpful provisions.
“We really don’t know what the killer application will be, which is why we created the developer network,” Tercek said. “By supplying the tools and support to developers, we’re going to greatly diversify.”
Tercek said the development program is well under way; Blue Zone, SpotLife, Unplugged Games and a variety of other development companies from across the world have already signed up. And once developers design their applications, they’ll have some unique opportunities to get in touch with various mobile carriers worldwide through PacketVideo’s strategic relationships. The company has more than 40 carrier trials for PacketVideo technology “queued up,” Tercek said.
“For a developer this is a very efficient way to get in touch with carriers,” he said.
Today’s announcement comes after several important deals for PacketVideo. The company recently penned agreements with Siemens Information and Communication Mobile, German carrier T-Mobil, electronics manufacturer Sharp Corp., and equipment company Nortel Networks.
PacketVideo’s technology includes encoding, transmission and decoding software products, which the company said can deliver audio, video, branded content and applications for wireless devices.
