Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HWP) and Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) today announced an agreement to develop solutions built on an Internet-based platform that is intended to lead to a broad proliferation of mobile e-services.
An initial application would enable a person using a Nokia mobile phone to direct an HP printer to print a document from the Web. Using solutions based on industry standards such as IR, vCard or Bluetooth, the mobile phones would send the URL of a document to a Web-enabled HP printer. The printer would then retrieve the file from the Web and print it.
Nokia 9110 and 9110i Communicators currently have the capability to beam a URL using today's vCard and IR technology. HP printers supporting these evolving standards will be available beginning next year.
"Mobile printing is just the beginning," said Carly Fiorina, HP chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Soon Web servers will be embedded in many different devices. By collaborating to develop solutions based on industry standards, HP and Nokia are taking an important step towards expanding the world of mobile e-services to include all sorts of new applications and devices."
"Nokia and HP have a shared vision for combining the elements of mobility with the Internet," said Jorma Ollila, chairman and CEO, Nokia. "Through the development and promotion of open standards, platforms and interfaces, we can create a strong foundation for new mobile e-services using the Internet. By combining HP's leadership in computing, printing and imaging with our own in mobile telephony and infrastructure, we are now taking the first step in introducing the concept of mobile printing, which will be followed by other projects."
The two companies said they are encouraging the industry to support and contribute to their project.
The agreement leverages technology developed in HP Labs' "CoolTown" research project. In "CoolTown," people, places and things can all have representations on the Web, enabling information about them to be accessed using standard browser technology built into cell phones, printers and other appliances. The "CoolTown" architecture includes HP-invented software and technologies that help enable mobile e-services.
Nokia brings its world-class experience and expertise in the field of mobility, user interfaces and consumer appliances to the agreement. It will continue to develop mobile phones, communicators and other Internet appliances that are compatible with open standards.
The two companies will collaborate with open industry standards bodies such as the WAP Forum, Bluetooth and the World Wide Web Consortium to ensure a broad range of connectivity options. They will also leverage their collaboration with the Oxygen Project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lab for Computer Science.
ABOUT NOKIA
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is one of the most broadly held companies in the world with listings on six major exchanges. For more information about Nokia, please visit: http://www.nokia.com/
ABOUT HP
Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to individuals and businesses through simple appliances, useful e-services and an Internet infrastructure that's always on.
HP has 86,000 employees worldwide and had total revenue from continuing operations of $42.4 billion in its 1999 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.
Further information:
Dave Berman, HP
(650) 857-7277
dave_berman@hp.com
Pekka Isosomppi, Nokia
+358 10 505 5861
pekka.isosomppi@nokia.com
Cherie Gary, Nokia USA
(972) 894 4573
cherie.gary@nokia.com