Rococo Software, a leading supplier of Wireless Java infrastructure software and tools, and Aplix Corporation, the global leader in deploying Java technology in mobile phones, today announced a collaboration to integrate Rococo's standards-based Java/Bluetooth technology with the Aplix JBlend platform. This alliance will enable mobile phone manufacturers to implement a single, integrated solution for Java/Bluetooth technology support in Aplix's market-leading JBlend Java virtual machine (JVM) environment. The companies will work together to market, sell and promote the joint solution worldwide.

The JBlend platform is the de facto solution for running Java applications and services in mobile phones. It includes a high-performance, small-footprint JVM environment for a variety of configurations (CLDC, CDC) and profiles/extensions (MIDP, i-mode DoJa, Sprint and others); and all the porting tools and test suites needed to Java-enable a full line of consumer products. JBlend has been implemented in more than 20 million handsets worldwide.

Rococo helped set the standard for Java and Bluetooth technology (JSR-82) and has led the market in product innovation in this area. Rococo's JSR-82 solution lets equipment manufacturers take advantage of Bluetooth by making the technology accessible through the Java platform. By partnering with Aplix, Rococo puts its Java/Bluetooth solution into the world's leading JVM environment.

"Rococo's JSR-82 solution complements Aplix's technology and creates a unique opportunity for both companies to promote the joint solution to mobile phone manufacturers. I am confident that the combination of Rococo's technology with the JBlend platform will accelerate JSR-82 support in mobile phones, speeding up the adoption of Bluetooth into handsets, and paving the way for truly innovative uses of Bluetooth for Java developers," said Sean O'Sullivan, Rococo CEO.

"The combination of Rococo's Java/Bluetooth technology and the JBlend platform provides customers with a top-quality JSR-82 solution jointly developed by two Java industry leaders: Rococo, which played an integral role in defining the JSR-82 standard and Aplix, the global leader in deploying Java technology in mobile phones," said Michael Leone, chief technology officer of Aplix Corporation of America. "The result is a faster and easier-to-implement solution for equipment manufacturers looking to offer comprehensive Java and Bluetooth support."

Rococo Software provides wireless infrastructure software tools designed to make it easy to build connected applications for a broad range of mobile computing devices. Rococo is a member of the JSR-82 Expert Group where it helped to develop standards for Java and Bluetooth and is an associate member of the Bluetooth SIG. Rococo Software also chairs the Irish Bluetooth Users Forum (www.ibuf.com).

Aplix Corporation is the global leader in deploying Java technology in mobile phones. The company's JBlend technology has been adopted as the standard Java runtime environment by leading wireless carriers in Japan, and has been shipped in more than 20 million mobile phones and home electronics products. Aplix was first established in 1986 and has been a Sun Java licensee since 1996. It is headquartered in Tokyo with a subsidiary office in San Francisco and a sales office in Paris.