REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and SAN MATEO, Calif., March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Funambol, the mobile open source company, and db4objects, creator of the leading open source object database for Java and .NET, today announced the availability of a new open source project that makes it easy to mobilize complex data. The project, Funambol Connector for db4o, is one example of the success of Funambol's Code Sniper program announced last fall. The connector was coded by a member of the Funambol community under this program, which pays developers for prioritized code contributions.

The Funambol Connector for db4o makes it easy for software developers to store and manage complex information in an embedded database on mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs. The combination of Funambol and db4o eliminates the need to write extensive code to manage and extract data from complicated data structures and gives users a wide range of mobile devices to access complex data while on the go.

"Integrating the world's leading open source projects for mobile and object-oriented databases enables a whole new class of mobile applications," said Fabrizio Capobianco, Funambol CEO. "The Funambol Connector for db4o makes it much easier to provide mobile users with complex information that previously was accessible only by office-based workers."

As wireless broadband becomes more pervasive and its cost decreases, there is a growing need to mobilize complex data on a wide array of mobile devices, including handhelds, Windows Mobile PDAs and smartphones, Palms, and laptops. With the combination of Funambol and db4o, data for enterprise, scientific, industrial and consumer applications can be easily synchronized between servers and mobile devices. Developers and ISVs can use their preferred Java and .Net development tools to provide mobile applications for browsing and updating complex data.

For example, an enterprise that wants field employees, such as sales reps and technicians, to have current customer data needs to provide data to workers who are traveling. The customer data may be stored in dozens of tables in an ERP system. With a traditional approach, developers need to write extensive SQL and other data definition and manipulation code to access individual tables, transform the data and transfer it to mobile devices. When the ERP system changes, the code also needs to be modified. With the Funambol Connector for db4o, the customer data can be treated as a single object and wirelessly updated on mobile devices with a few simple commands.

"db4o is optimized for embedded use on mobile and other devices, and our fast growing user community embraces the ability to easily persist native Java and .NET objects despite very limited resources," said Christof Wittig, president and CEO of db4objects. "Funambol and db4o are a perfect combination, which makes it much easier for developers and ISVs to mobilize complex applications and data."

The connector is as an open source project licensed under GPLv2. Built for Funambol v3 and db4o v6.1, it can be downloaded from the Funambol website (http://www.funambol.com/) and the db4o Developer Community (http://developer.db4o.com/files/15/funambol/default.aspx).

About Funambol

Funambol is the mobile open source company and is the leading provider of open source push email and PIM for consumers. Funambol is supported by a global network of users and developers representing more than 1,000,000 downloads and 10,000 contributors in more than 200 countries. The commercial version of Funambol's software has been deployed at wireless carriers, Fortune 100 enterprises, hardware OEMs/ODMs and ISVs including customers such as Computer Associates. Funambol is headquartered in Redwood City, California with a development center in Italy. See http://www.funambol.com/.

About db4objects, Inc.

db4objects, Inc. (http://www.db4o.com/) provides db4o, the world's most popular object database, native to Java and .NET and available under open source and commercial licenses. With more than 20,000 registered community members and one million downloads, db4o is used in a broad array of industries around the globe. Customers include the world's most innovative companies, including Boeing, Bosch, Intel, Ricoh, and Seagate. db4objects is based in San Mateo, California, and backed by noted Silicon Valley luminaries including Mark Leslie, founding CEO of Veritas; Jerry Fiddler, founding CEO of Wind River; and Vinod Khosla, founding CEO of Sun Microsystems.

Press and Analyst Contacts For Funambol: Jennifer Cloer, Page One PR (503) 867-2304 mailto:jennifer@pageonepr.com For db4objects: Rachel Modena Barasch (650) 283-2797 mailto:press@db4o.com

CONTACT: Jennifer Cloer of Page One PR, +1-503-867-2304, or
jennifer@pageonepr.com, for Funambol; or Rachel Modena Barasch of db4objects,
+1-650-283-2797, or press@db4o.com

Web site: http://www.funambol.com/