For Immediate Release

Multimedia Framework boosts differentiation of Android–based designs, streamlines integration of video and 2D/3D graphics into Android GUI for Mobile and Consumer Electronics

Sydney, Australia, February 9, 2010 – Fluffy Spider Technologies (FST), provider of award–winning FancyPants® user interface (UI) technology for consumer electronics, today announced support for the Google Android™ platform in FancyPants 3.0. The latest version of the company's multimedia applications framework gives original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of Android–based devices and their channel partners new capabilities to differentiate their wares in an increasingly crowded marketplace. With FancyPants 3.0, Fluffy Spider targets mainstream Android mobile development, as well as applications beyond mobile in Digital Video (STB, DVR, Home Media Center), Office Automation (printers and MFPs) and other consumer electronics and industrial automation areas.

FancyPants 3.0 support for Android responds to the broad adoption of the Google platform. In 2009, OEMs launched dozens of devices and the Android Market (applications store) mushroomed to offer over 20,000 applications. With projections for growing Android deployment in 2010, developers must increasingly invest in customizing Android to avoid delivering “me too” devices and applications. FancyPants, with its rich graphics and multimedia capabilities, provides the ideal vector to customize Android without forking the platform.

“FancyPants 3.0 enables device and application developers to add value to Android without fragmenting this growing market,” commented Robi Karp, CEO Fluffy Spider Technologies. “FancyPants is unique and empowering to multiple ecosystems, from mobile wireless to consumer electronics and beyond. Its autonomous user interface lets OEMs and their partners build differentiated Android–based products and product lines, supporting code re–use and in–channel branding of devices, applications and services.”

“MIPS Technologies works closely with companies in our ecosystem to provide MIPS licensees and their customers with the fastest time to market for their products running Android,” noted Art Swift, vice president of marketing, MIPS Technologies. “We're pleased to work with Fluffy Spider to offer our licensees a straightforward path to building media–rich user interfaces and applications. Fluffy Spider's FancyPants product has the potential to help our customers build devices that stand out in today's dynamic marketplace.”

Autonomous User Interface

By enabling total separation of user interfaces from applications that use them, FancyPants 3.0 offers developers a unique autonomous user interface model, enabling comprehensive deep customization of Android device GUIs on a per–application, or suite of applications, basis. FancyPants 3.0 incorporates patent–pending technology offering a revolutionary approach to UI design and implementation that goes beyond custom themes, icon sets and color schemes. Through its high level UI scripting, FancyPants 3.0 lets Android device manufacturers, developers, integrators and other ecosystem participants easily create visually rich applications and completely control and customize the look–and–feel of the end–user experience.

This unique separation of applications and UI code offers unprecedented flexibility and opportunities for branding Android–based devices and adding value in channel:

• Lets developers and 3rd parties add and/or remove items from Android interfaces – images, videos, and widgets – without modifying Android application code
• Supports transformation of Android UI elements, including buttons, controls, images and videos with a wide range of 2D/3D visual effects
• Enables easy integration of new device capabilities and services in existing FancyPants applications, such as shaking and orientation (accelerometer), location and movement (GPS), and definable data and network events (calendars, stock quotes, sports scores, wireless traffic, etc.)
• Lets Android integrators, operators and end users easily add new UI personalities at run–time without changing shrink–wrap application code

FancyPants Android Support Details

FancyPants uses standard Android methods to ensure correct interoperation with the Android OS. FancyPants applications work in parallel with Android applications.

• Graphics Engine – FancyPants uses OpenGL ES on hardware accelerated devices to achieve fast frame rates and rich effects. For systems without OpenGL ES, FancyPants provides a high performance software graphics engine
• Interoperability – Compatible with the widely deployed Android 1.5 and 1.6 SDKs (Android 2.1 coming soon)
• Integration – binds with Android application properties, for easy development of launcher / home screen applications. Interfaces to native functions and services to access Android databases and call functions for development of media player and photo gallery type applications
• Development – support for full Android application lifecycle; works with standard Android SDK

Availability

Android support in FancyPants 3.0 will be available in March 2010 for MIPS–Based™ Android devices as well as systems based on ARM and other architectures.

Experience the difference that FancyPants brings to Android devices at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain – Fluffy Spider will be demonstrating FancyPants running on Android in the MIPS Technologies Hospitality Suite #3.1HS162.

About Fluffy Spider Technologies

Fluffy Spider Technologies (FST) specializes in providing advanced GUI and high–performance multimedia products for embedded application development, as well as comprehensive custom design and development services. FancyPants® is the multi–award winning framework from FST, enabling OEMs and ODMs to differentiate their products, minimize development effort and lead with dramatically enhanced user interfaces. FancyPants speeds time–to–market, is extremely resource efficient, flexible and portable. Founded in 1995, customers include Toshiba, VeriFone and SpeakerCraft.

For more information, visit www.fluffyspider.com or email: sales@fluffyspider.com.

Contacts

MIPS, MIPS32 and MIPS–Based are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and other countries of MIPS Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks referred to herein are the property of their respective owners.

Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Use of this trademark is subject to Google Permissions.