Two new members for LiMo Foundation

LONDON, UK & TOKYO, JAPAN: LiMo Foundation, a global consortium of mobile industry leaders, announced the addition of two new members to its ranks: Immersion Corp. and KDDI Corp.

Representing true innovation within their respective markets, these newest members are indicative of the broad cross-industry endorsement that LiMo’s collaborative device platform has earned.

“The intersection of next-generation technologies and advanced mobile communications continues to deepen,” said Morgan Gillis, executive director of LiMo Foundation.

“Frontier technologies once limited only to personal computers are increasingly finding their way onto today’s handsets. Garnering the support of two market leaders with long-standing legacies of disruptive innovation is a testament to LiMo’s pre-eminent position in the mobile ecosystem. We welcome their participation, knowledge, and experience.”

Both of LiMo’s new members bring with them considerable market-proven expertise. With approximately 30 million subscribers, KDDI is Japan’s second-largest wireless operator.

KDDI joins LiMo members NTT DOCOMO and Softbank –- the country’s number one and number three operators -– for a combined addressable market of more than 100 million Japanese subscribers.

New LiMo member Immersion is a recognized leader in the development of advanced haptic technologies for mobile communications, consumer electronics, gaming, and manufacturing. An integral component in mobile touch screen applications, haptic technologies are emerging as a key driver in the mobile marketplace, with touch screen revenues expected to jump to $9B USD by 2015 according to NPD Group.

Immersion's technology improves efficiency and intuitiveness by providing confirmation of touch screen presses and adds depth and fun to content such as ringtones, videos, games, and music.

LiMo Foundation was launched in January 2007 by mobile industry leaders to provide the mobile industry with an open, consistent Mobile Linux-based handset OS, enabling the development of immersive, next-generation mobile consumer experiences.

LiMo’s membership includes mobile industry leaders from around the world, including leading OEMs that have brought 42 LiMo-compliant handsets to market and 12 global network operators representing nearly one billion mobile subscribers.