UIQ provides everything a device manufacture needs to create a great smartphone. However vanilla UIQ is really just a starting point to delivering a powerful customer package. To create a truly differentiated device, perhaps a PDA style enterprise phone, a messaging orientated communicator or a more conventional keypad based smartphone, licensee will often add software to the core UIQ offering.

With a smartphone product like UIQ, given that hardware can be sourced from standard reference platforms, the most challenging aspect of delivering a completed device can be the integration of additional software. Time to market is a critical factor in the smartphone business. Delays mean a phone can easily be obsolete by the time it is launched, so time is of the essence.

For UIQ licensees this is where UIQ Selected comes in.

"Under UIQ Selected we pre-integrate a range of applications into the UIQ platform," says Elisabet Melin, UIQ Technology's VP Marketing. "UIQ Selected applications cover areas of functionality that are not part of the core UIQ platform, but likely to be wanted by a high proportion of licensee. At the same time they are features which licensees will want to use to differentiate their devices, so integrating the functionality into UIQ would not make sense."

UIQ Selected developers work closely with UIQ Technology. The companies supplying products in the UIQ Selected 3.0 program were involved in UIQ 3.0 development from an early stage. They licensed early access kits and their software was tested with UIQ 3.0 as part of the project, to ensure the applications were compatible.

"The key with a UIQ Selected application is that a licensee can be assured that they will be able to implement it on their devices with minimal integration work," says Elisabet. "All they really have to do is negotiate a license agreement with the application developer, as Selected applications are not included in the platform license fee."

So how does UIQ Alliance differ from UIQ Selected?

"UIQ Alliance covers a number of strategic areas, for both applications and services, that support licensees in the process of creating a complete mobile phone," says Elisabet. "UIQ Alliance is about enriching the UIQ eco-system and making it easier for Licensees to find UIQ compatible solutions. An Alliance company's applications are however not pre-integrated with UIQ so the licensees will have to complete the integration themselves." The first two Alliance members are Decuma and Access. Decuma offers handwriting recognition and Access offers the NetFront browser suite.

Both UIQ Selected and UIQ Alliance are invitation only programs. UIQ staff who work directly with device manufacturers and operators along with partner managers collaborate to identify requirements for non-core applications. "We will then assess the market and invite companies who make applications which fit the requirements to make a presentation," says Elisabet. "During this process we also look at the company, its track record, financial stability and familiarity with Symbian OS and UIQ. From this the company and application are assessed and the most suitable one invited to join the program."

UIQ Selected and UIQ Alliance are key parts of UIQ Technology's future success providing licensees with pre-integrated or UIQ ready options for extending and differentiating their devices. While Selected will concentrate on tried and tested technology Elisabet sees the Alliance program expanding to embrace an increasing number of innovative and niche applications as the platform develops.

UIQ Selected:

• AOL (Tegic Communications) - T9 (UIQ 2.1 and UIQ 3.0)
• PacketVideo - pvPlayer™, pvCamcorder™ (UIQ 2.1 and UIQ 3.0)
• Teleca - PC Connectivity (UIQ 2.1 and UIQ 3.0)
• ART - smARTwriter & simpiWrite (UIQ 2.1)
• MDM - QuickOffice (UIQ 3.0)

UIQ Alliance:

• Access (NetFront browser suite)
• Decuma (handwriting recognition) Decuma is part of Zi Corporation.

For more information on UIQ Selected or UIQ Alliance, see http://www.uiq.com/partners.