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Funambol and Laszlo (News - Alert) Systems have announced they are integrating the commercial versions of their Mobile 2.0 and Web 2.0 messaging solutions. Funambol is a provider of Mobile 2.0 messaging software powered by open source, while Laszlo Systems (News - Alert) is a Rich Internet Application (RIA) software company and developer of the OpenLaszlo open source development platform.

 

This joint offering combines Laszlo Webtop — a unified Web-based communications suite that includes email, contacts, and calendar — with Funambol’s (News - Alert) push email and PIM sync software.

 

The companies say the combined solution enables service providers to transform their email operations into a new way for consumer and business users to access email, contacts, and calendars over the Internet and on their mobile devices. Moreover, the offering enables service providers to leverage an ad-based model for online and mobile users, providing an important new revenue stream.

 

The Funambol-Laszlo solution, officials pointed out, provides service providers with Web 2.0 email, contacts, and a calendar interface, and a push email and PIM sync solution for 1.5 billion devices.

 

Additionally, the joint solution easily integrates into a service provider’s infrastructure and enables service providers to “generate incremental revenue from online and mobile advertising.”

 

Fabrizio Capobianco, CEO of Funambol, said that this Funambol-Laszlo solution fills an important void in the market.

 

He explained that service providers are facing a build vs. buy vs. outsource email decision. Many are competing, directly or indirectly, with Web 2.0 email and mobile offerings, from Google (News - Alert), Yahoo!, AOL, and Hotmail.

 

“The Funambol-Laszlo solution enables service providers to upgrade their email systems to be state-of-the-art and to compete on a level playing field with Web 2.0 and Mobile 2.0 (News - Alert) offerings,” he added.

 

Noting that as users move from desktop to mobile devices, they will expect a richer Web 2.0-like experience on cell phones, Antony Campitelli, vice president of marketing at Laszlo, commented, “The Funambol-Laszlo solution combines Mobile 2.0 with Web 2.0 to satisfy this need, and in the process, creates a new compelling revenue generator for service providers.”