Nokia and RealNetworks Extend Collaboration to Bring Audio and Video to The Mobile Masses Worldwide
Espoo, Finland and London (ots/PRNewswire)
- Expansion of Relationship Will Bring RealAudio and RealVideo to Millions of Additional Consumers Globally
- Nokia Joins Helix Community to Develop and Build on Helix DNA Architecture
Nokia (NYSE: NOK), the world leader in mobile communications, and RealNetworks(R), Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK), the leading creator of digital media services and software, today announced that the companies are expanding their long-term relationship to enable Nokia to ship RealAudio(R), RealVideo(R) and the Helix(TM) DNA powered RealPlayer(R) on a wide variety of Nokia mobile devices. The agreement will help both companies to achieve their mutual goal of enabling robust media functionality on mass-market mobile devices. In addition, the two companies today announced that Nokia has joined the Helix Community (www.helixcommunity.org).
The Helix agreement builds on the existing collaboration between Nokia and Real that began in 2002 and made RealPlayer the standard media player of the Series 60 Platform, providing Nokia and other Series 60 licensees with the flexibility to deliver media functionality to smart phones.
"The new licensing and development model with Real fully supports Nokia's multi-format strategy and our commitment to respond to our customers' needs with best-in-breed solutions, such as RealAudio and RealVideo," said Antti Vasara, Vice President, Mobile Software Sales and Marketing, Nokia. "Today, the successful collaboration between Nokia and Real has resulted in the delivery of over 20 unique handset models based on Series 60 and Symbian operating system with RealPlayer capability, to millions of consumers worldwide".
"Our momentous relationship represents a major milestone for digital mobile media services. The Nokia-Real relationship is enabling consumers around the globe to enjoy digital media wherever and whenever they want," said Aref Matin, Vice President, Carrier and System Software, RealNetworks, Inc. "Working with Nokia we will leverage more powerful and flexible technologies to deliver compelling mobile content experiences to an even broader range of Nokia devices, which will enable content owners, operators and consumers to reap the rewards of the promise of 3G".
As a member of the Helix Community, (www.helixcommunity.org), Nokia will work with engineers in the community to develop and port Helix-based media applications including the Helix DNA client media engine, along with RealAudio and RealVideo, to a broad range of Nokia devices and the Series 60 Platform.
About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations. www.nokia.com.
About RealNetworks, Inc.
RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading creator of digital media services and software including the award-winning Rhapsody(R) Internet jukebox service and RealPlayer(R) 10, the first digital media player to integrate finding, organizing, buying, playing and managing digital audio and video in a single product. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks' consumer software at http://www.real.com . Broadcasters, network operators, media companies and enterprises use RealNetworks' products and services to create and deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. RealNetworks' systems and corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com .
NOTE: RealNetworks, Rhapsody, RealPlayer, RealAudio, RealVideo and Helix are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. All other companies or products listed herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted include risks associated with Nokia's and RealNetworks' ability to develop and market new mobile technologies and services; risks associated with the ability of Nokia and RealNetworks to complete the technical integration of RealNetworks' technologies with Nokia's technologies; risks associated with the sustained adoption and use of Nokia's and RealNetworks' services and technologies by customers, including the uncertainty of whether consumers will pay for subscription content over mobile networks, which is a relatively new and unproven business model; factors impacting Nokia's and RealNetworks' partners' businesses that may impact the timing of such partners' adoption of or use of Nokia's and RealNetworks' technologies; and competitive risks, including competing technologies, products and services. More information about potential risk factors that could affect RealNetworks' business and financial results is included in RealNetworks' annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001, and from time to time in other reports filed by RealNetworks with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Web site: http://www.nokia.com
Web site: http://www.realnetworks.com
Contact:
Nokia, Technology Communications, +35-8718028244, or
press.office@nokia.com, or Nokia, Americas, Media Relations,
+1-914-368-0423, or communications.corp@nokia.com; or North America,
Lisa Strong of RealNetworks, +1-206-892-6585, or lstrong@real.com, or
Europe, Edward Howson of Axicom, +44-7740-173-051, or
edward.howson@axicom.com, for RealNetworks, Inc.