Tokyo, Japan—February
24, 2003—Japanese mobile phone
operator NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and U.S. software maker
Macromedia, Inc. announced that the two companies
have reached an agreement to jointly deliver Macromedia
Flash technology to i-mode, DoCoMo's proprietary
2G/3G mobile Internet platform, in Japan. The
technology will be embedded into the new i-mode
handsets, starting with the 505i series, which
is scheduled for release later this year.
"NTT DoCoMo is pleased to be able to implement
Macromedia Flash technology into the i-mode service,"
said Takeshi Natsuno, Managing Director of i-mode
Planning Department at DoCoMo. "Because content
providers are already familiar with Macromedia's
widely-used Internet technology for developing
web content and applications, we expect dynamic
new content to be created for the i-mode service,
which will further enhance the mobile-internet
user experience."
By incorporating Macromedia Flash in its i-mode
service, DoCoMo will provide i-mode users with
access to a much broader range of rich content
and applications.
Easy-to-use graphical interfaces will allow users
to simply click on one screen to go directly to
specific information, eliminating the need to
navigate through multi-layered menus.
"With more than 98 percent penetration,
Macromedia Flash has become a staple on the Internet
because it has enabled memorable customer experiences
that have delivered true business results,"
said Rob Burgess, Chairman and CEO, Macromedia.
"Working with leaders like DoCoMo, we are
now setting the standard for amazing mobile experiences
which bring relevant, engaging information to
consumers no matter where they are."
The agreement was finalized with the signing
of a license agreement between DoCoMo and Macromedia
Nederlands B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of
the U.S. parent company.
About NTT DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo is the world's leading mobile communications
company with more than 45 million customers. The
company provides a wide variety of leading-edge
mobile multimedia services. These include i-mode,
the world's most popular mobile internet service,
which provides e-mail and internet access to over
36 million subscribers, and FOMA, launched in
2001 as the world's first 3G mobile service based
on W-CDMA. In addition to wholly owned subsidiaries
in Europe and North and South America, the company
is expanding its global reach through strategic
alliances with mobile and multimedia service providers
in the AsiaPacific, Europe and North and South
America. NTT DoCoMo is listed on the Tokyo (9437),
London (NDCM), and New York (DCM) stock exchanges.
For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com
ABOUT MACROMEDIA
Experience matters. Macromedia, Inc. (Nasdaq:
MACR) is motivated by the belief that great experiences
build great businesses. Our software empowers
millions of business users, developers, and designers
to create and deliver effective, compelling, and
memorable experiences—on the Internet, on
fixed media, on wireless, and on digital devices.
Macromedia Flash Player is the leading rich client
for Internet content and applications across the
broadest range of platforms and devices. Millions
of developers already create rich content and
applications for multiple devices today using
Macromedia technologies including those offered
in the new Macromedia MX family.
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