Verizon joins Joint Innovation Lab widget effort

Verizon Wireless announced its commitment to join fellow operators Vodafone, China Mobile and Softbank in the Joint Innovation Lab, an initiative that promises to create a single global development platform to encourage the creation of mobile web widgets. Established by China Mobile, the JIL will focus on widgets for smartphones as well as mid- and low-cost handsets spanning multiple operating systems; later this year, the lab will launch a suite of development tools including a common mobile widgets specification, developer kits and an online repository, distribution and payment mechanism.

The JIL notes it has been in close collaboration with a range of industry standards bodies including the OMTP and the GSMA to outline specifications to simplify widget creation supporting a wide range of handsets, operating systems and networks, adding it welcomes the cooperation of vendors, developers and rival carriers to foster the creation of new applications and services. With the addition of Verizon Wireless, the JIL now boasts a combined customer reach of about a billion consumers.

For more on the Joint Innovation Lab:
- read this release [1]

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