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OSGi Alliance 2004 World Congress Welcomes Siemens VDO Automotive as Gold-Level Sponsor

SAN RAMON, Calif.--Aug. 1, 20040, 2004--

  Automotive Industry Leader Supports Industry Forum in Barcelona, Spain on October 11-15, 2004  



The OSGi(TM) Alliance today announced that Siemens VDO Automotive has become a gold-level sponsor of the OSGi Alliance 2004 World Congress. This year's event, entitled "Convergence: Going Mobile, Driving, and Staying Home with OSGi Solutions," takes place October 11-15, 2004 in Barcelona, Spain. The exhibition and conference features pre and post event workshops, keynote presentations, over 20 breakout sessions, and exhibits exploring the latest end-to-end OSGi enabled products and solutions in mobile, automotive, and home environments.

One of the four keynote sessions will feature Chris Wild, Chief Technologist for Software and Services within the Infotainment Solutions division of Siemens VDO Automotive. At Siemens VDO Automotive, Wild was responsible for introducing the product platform based on OSGi technology currently released in the BMW series 5. As part of his keynote, he will describe his current efforts to drive this platform into the connected Web Services arena for automotive and other mobile applications.

"Siemens VDO is pleased to sponsor and participate in this important event. We believe that OSGi technology is a core solution for the mobile and automotive environments. Siemens VDO has been an active proponent of the OSGi Service Platform and we continue to emphasize its value in our development plans," said Olivier Pave, Software Architect for Siemens VDO Automotive, and Co-Chair of the OSGi Alliance Vehicle Expert Group.

Siemens VDO Automotive is on the OSGi Alliance Board of Directors, and has been a key contributor to the alliance's technical specifications and programs. Formed in 1999, the OSGi Alliance is an open industry group that has published three releases of its Service Platform specification. This specification enables the delivery and management of applications and services to networked devices in mobile, vehicle, home, and other environments.

Siemens VDO uses the OSGi Service Platform as part of a foundation layer on a complete platform called TLA (Top Level Architecture). The TLA platform has been designed and is being developed by Siemens VDO to meet the requirements of major players in the automotive industry and to satisfy these emerging trends for in-car infotainment systems.

"We are pleased to have Siemens VDO participate in the success of the OSGi Alliance 2004 World Congress with their joining as gold sponsors," said Deepak Kamlani, Executive Director of the OSGi Alliance. "With the surge of interest in solutions based on the OSGi technology, we are expecting commercial companies, developers, academics and government agencies to converge in Barcelona for this signature event," he added. Kamlani attributes the growth in interest to telematics, mobile devices and open source software solutions based on OSGi technology.

The Hilton Barcelona is the host hotel for all conference sessions and exhibitions. Pre and post conference workshops are offered on October 11 and 15, with the three-day Congress covering business, vertical deployments and technology on October 12-14, with parallel tracks focusing on Automotive Electronics, Connected Home, and Mobile and Wireless Devices. Register online at www.osgiworldcongress.com to take advantage of special registration discounts for workshop/conference packages. The event is being produced for the OSGi Alliance by Global Inventures, Inc. (www.inventures.com). For more information on the OSGi Alliance, visit their web site at www.osgi.org.

About Siemens VDO Automotive

Siemens VDO Automotive is an internationally leading automotive supplier of electronics, electrical systems and mechatronics. As a developmental partner with the automobile industry, the company manufactures a comprehensive spectrum of products relating to the drivetrain, engine management electronics and fuel injection that simultaneously improve engine performance and reduce emissions. Driver comfort is enhanced and driving is made easier with information and car communication systems that include instrumentation, audio and navigation equipment, telematics and multimedia applications, up to entire cockpit designs. Safety is increased by Siemens VDO products for the chassis and body, such as airbags, ABS or access control systems. An in-house sales department markets products for retrofitting passenger cars and trucks with a focus on fleet management and audio and navigation systems. In the 2003 business year (30.9.), Siemens VDO Automotive generated sales of EUR 8.4 billion.

About the OSGi Alliance

The OSGi Alliance and its members specify, create, advance, and promote wide industry adoption of an open delivery and management platform for application services in home, commercial buildings, automotive and industrial environments. The OSGi Alliance serves as the focal point for a collaborative ecosystem of service providers, developers, manufacturers, and consumers. The OSGi specifications define a standardized, component oriented, computing environment for networked services. OSGi technology is currently being delivered in products and services shipping from several Fortune 100 companies. The OSGi Alliance's horizontal software integration platform is ideal for both vertical and cross-industry business models within home, vehicle, mobile and industrial environments. As an independent non-profit corporation, the OSGi Alliance also provides for the fair and uniform creation and distribution of relevant intellectual property -- including specifications, reference implementations, and test suites -- to all its members. www.osgi.org

About Global Inventures, Inc. (event producer)

Global Inventures creates and operates collaborative communities in the technology market. Our experts work with community founders and members to incubate, structure, and operate these collaborative communities so that they can successfully create ecosystems, drive technology innovation, and educate buyers. Since its inception, Global Inventures has launched 20 collaborative communities, managed the creation of more than 20 collaborative industry specifications, created and managed seven compliance/certification programs, and helped develop markets with more than $10 billion in addressable value. The firm uniquely blends people, processes, and technology to help collaborative communities move from blueprints to market acceptance.