Red Bend Software Ensures Android Consumers Realize the Benefits of Future OS Version Updates

vRapid Mobile 8.0 Addresses Android Fragmentation by Enabling Over-the-Air Updates of Any Size Android Operating System

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Red Bend Software, the market leader in Mobile Software Management (MSM) with more than 1.6 billion Red Bend-Enabled™ devices, today announced an innovation in firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updating that addresses the growing problem of Android fragmentation. With version 8.0 of Red Bend’s industry-leading vRapid Mobile® FOTA software, Android manufacturers now can repartition flash memory to perform FOTA updates of new OS versions no matter how large the size of the new Android OS. As a result, manufacturers will be able to keep more Android smartphones, tablets and connected devices up to date with the latest firmware features and improvements. Sony Mobile will be the first device manufacturer to realize the benefits of the repartitioning solution.

Available immediately, vRapid Mobile 8.0 addresses the growing fragmentation problem facing the Android ecosystem. Since 2008 when the first Android smartphone launched, Android has become the most widely adopted mobile operating system, now accounting for 60 percent of all smartphone shipments. While such a wide ecosystem contributes to the rapid development of new innovations for Android, the result is that new Android OS versions become available every six to nine months.

In addition, the size of the new Android versions is unpredictable and getting bigger with each new release (see figure 1). If manufacturers are unable to perform FOTA updates, they face disappointed consumers, which can increase customer retention costs and damage brand loyalty.

Release	Android SDK	Percentage of Growth
Eclair	72M
Froyo	76M	6%
Gingerbread	87M	14%
Honeycomb	110M	26%
Ice Cream Sandwich	171M	55%
Jelly Bean	203M	19%
Source: Android Developer Site

Red Bend’s vRapid Mobile 8.0 enables manufacturers to accommodate future Android OS firmware versions of any size with a patented repartitioning capability that allows manufacturers to dynamically adjust flash memory partitions on deployed devices, assuring consumers have continuous access to new Android features and improvements. With Red Bend’s repartitioning capability, manufacturers can add new partitions, as well as move, shrink and expand existing partitions at any time, guaranteeing that mobile devices with enough CPU power and RAM can be updated with even the largest of Android upgrades.

Red Bend’s software is inside more than 200 Android devices developed by 25 of the top Android smartphone and tablet manufacturers including LG, Samsung, Sony, Sharp and Panasonic.

“Red Bend’s vRapid Mobile 8.0 increases the value of Android devices, ensures a better user experience and ultimately enhances the value of our customers’ brands. It is a direct result of requests made by our customers to make our FOTA solution continuously better by addressing the problem of frequent and large Android updates. Now, our customers can be confident delivering successful updates no matter the size of the new Android OS, and consumers will benefit from always having the latest operating system version,” said Yoram Salinger, CEO, Red Bend Software.

About Red Bend Software

Red Bend® Software, the leader in Mobile Software Management (MSM) with more than 1.6 billion Red Bend-Enabled™ devices, makes mobile devices and services continuously better in a rapidly changing world. Red Bend is the only company that provides standards-based products and solutions for software management, device management and mobile virtualization that work on any mobile phone and connected device uniformly, efficiently and securely over the air. Red Bend enables its customers to stay competitive in a fast-moving market by helping them deliver high-value services on an increasing number of connected devices with growing software complexity. More than 80 leading device manufacturers, mobile operators, semiconductor vendors and automotive companies worldwide trust Red Bend with their most important assets — the mobile and connected devices their consumers depend on.