LONDON, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Unified Testing Initiative (UTI), home to the Java Verified program, announced that UTI has become an independent organization. Oracle and the UTI management board, which consists of representatives from AT&T, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Oracle, Orange, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Vodafone, have been collaborating for the past year to ensure the new self-governing and self-funded organization meets the evolving quality assurance requirements of mobile application developers worldwide.

Signaling this new chapter, UTI has appointed an Executive Director who will be responsible for all UTI program management, with financial and legal support provided by the standards organization, IEEE-ISTO.

UTI is committed to continuing to provide Java Platform Micro Edition (Java ME) developers and the mobile industry with testing and resources for delivering more high-quality mobile applications to market faster. Java ME is the world's most broadly deployed mobile runtime, utilized by nine of the top 10 handset manufacturers and powers nearly three billion phones in over 150 countries worldwide.

"The Java Verified program has always been the global standard for ensuring mobile application quality based on stringent application testing and signing procedures," said Martin Wrigley, chair of UTI and director of developer services, Orange. "Now, as Java Verified moves 'full speed ahead' within an independent organization, we salute Oracle and the UTI management board for providing the industry with new opportunities for advancing more high quality mobile applications."

As an independent organization, UTI has increased flexibility for more easily adding new capabilities and functionality to the Java Verified program. This new structure also lays the foundation for UTI to quickly develop, implement and manage new quality assurance programs for mobile application developers, carriers and handset manufactures working across the mobile ecosystem.

"Java technology powers 85 percent of all mobile phones, including almost a billion new devices shipped in the last year. Empowering the UTI, as an independent organization, to run the Java Verified program is a very important step in the continued growth and success of the Java open mobile ecosystem," said Hasan Rizvi, senior vice president, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Java. "Oracle is committed to making Java an even more attractive investment for developers, who have already built more than 100,000 mobile Java applications, for the over 400 operators who have deployed Java ME and for the growing number of handset manufacturers who rely on Java technology. We look forward to collaborating with the members of UTI to ensure that the Java Verified Program provides developers with even more of the resources they need to rapidly deliver new, high-quality business and consumer applications into the global marketplace."

Announcing UTI's first Executive Director

As part of today's news, UTI is announcing the appointment of Ruth Cattell as the organization's first Executive Director. Cattell is working with the UTI management board to assist in driving the strategic direction of the organization on a global basis. Based in the UK and with ten years of telecom marketing and program management experience, Cattell has worked with mobile application developers worldwide, managing a variety of technical and marketing support programs. Cattell is responsible for UTI program management as the organization moves to enhance the Java Verified program and readies a variety of new quality assurance programs for mobile application developers.

"The launch of UTI as an independent organization represents a significant step forward in the evolution of Java Verified," said Cattell. "As UTI continues to grow, developers around the world will regularly have access to new industry-leading resources for advancing mobile applications that have met a wide range of quality assurance requirements."

New Java Verified Website and developer tools launched today

With today's news, UTI is announcing the launch of an updated Java Verified website and new features for Java ME developers. These enhancements are designed to make it easier for Java ME developers to test mobile applications in the Java Verified program. The new site allows developers to find relevant information more quickly and includes educational and "how to" videos featuring Java Verified experts discussing a wide range of topics.

Enhancements released today include an updated version of the Testing and Signing Portal featuring an improved user interface. Also available today is an automated version of the Java Verified device matrix, which includes all of the handsets and devices Java Verified supports. The automated device matrix makes it faster for manufactures to add new devices and handsets to the matrix, and easier for developers to locate the devices they should test their applications against. The device calculator allows developers to price testing before they begin the application testing process.

About UTI

UTI is an industry-approved, not-for-profit mobile application testing body, run for the industry by the industry. The organization develops testing and de-fragmentation initiatives for the mobile industry and is working to provide a common testing standard for mobile platforms: initially, but not exclusively, for Java ME. UTI leadership includes representation from AT&T, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Oracle, Orange, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Vodafone. More information about UTI is available at www.javaverified.com.

About Java Verified

As a program of UTI, the primary goal of Java Verified is to provide developers with testing and resources for delivering more high-quality Java ME applications to more devices faster. Java Verified membership is open to all organizations interested in advancing high-quality mobile applications in a collaborative environment. For more information about the Java Verified program please visit our website at www.javaverified.com.

Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Follow and interact with Java Verified on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JavaVerified

SOURCE Java Verified