Red Bend Software, which specialises in Mobile Software Management and Firmware Over-the-Air (FOTA) updating solutions for mobile phones, has signed a global agreement with Motorola to licence its vCurrent Mobile client software for use in select Motorola mobile devices,  including a number of handsets based on Motorolas Linux-Java software platform. Red Bends software will enable efficient, reliable and cost-effective delivery of software updates to these Motorola handsets, enhancing the overall mobile user experience beyond the point of purchase.   
The agreement recognises the importance of firmware and software management in enabling operators to deliver new services that help increase ARPU and improve customer loyalty. Select new handsets utilising Motorolas flexible Linux-Java platform, together with Red Bends software management solution, will enable consumers to easily obtain some of the latest software and features for their phones over-the-air, rather than having to make a trip to a retail or service centre.
Great software is just as important as great design, and keeping consumers up-to-date with new, enhanced features and the latest carrier services is vital to enabling a seamless mobile user experience, says Jim Eckels, General Manager for Motorola XperienceWare. By incorporating Red Bends vCurrent Mobile software into several of our new Linux-based handsets, we are offering a fast and reliable software management experience to our customers around the globe.
vCurrent Mobile is a patented solution for delivering firmware updates over-the-air. Interoperable with standards-based Mobile Device Management servers, vCurrent Mobile, decreases update times by 40% according to Red Bend, while maintaining a fail-safe operation to guarantee software updates in the event of disruption. The software efficiently utilises bandwidth-constrained wireless networks by identifying and delivering only the essential changes from an existing version of firmware to a new, updated version. It compresses the new firmware update to a compact package, up to 97% smaller than other techniques. Red Bends vCurrent Mobile is embedded in 58 mobile phone models used by 80 million consumers worldwide.
The first Motorola FOTA-enabled handsets utilising Red Bends software are expected to be available in the second half of 2007.