Recognizing the "growing acceptance of the Windows CE platform," the chameleon browser company Spyglass continues to refashion its industry role with plans to help companies put Windows CE in handheld PCs.
The company said Monday it will become a systems integrator, helping hardware manufacturers and software companies work with the operating system.
"We're finding the demand for Microsoft's Windows CE operating system to be growing tremendously," said Wayne Yurtin, director of business development for Spyglass, in a statement. "Joining its systems integrator program will be a valuable asset for our customers using Windows CE-based devices."
To provide custom development and software integration services, the company plans to leverage its experience with Windows CE in handheld PCs.
Ironically, at the same time that Spyglass is building business plans around Windows CE, the company also competes against the operating system in some markets.
Spyglass has turned its Mosaic browser into a development platform and "HTML engine" for the consumer Internet device market, called Device Mosaic. Instead of installing Windows CE, Device Mosaic lets box makers use existing, dedicated set-top OSes like PowerTV and put Spyglass's thin browser engine on top of it.
For phone and set-top box maker Nokia, Device Mosaic beat out Windows CE for the company's European set-top boxes. Nokia felt Windows CE wasn't yet mature enough.
"Windows CE is not a good solution for us right now," Nokia's Pasi Pohjala, product group manager for set-top offerings, said at the time.
But while Spyglass was arguing that Windows CE was inappropriate in new devices like smart phones, it also wasn't about to write Microsoft out of the market. Today's announcement reinforces the dual nature of Spyglass' half-consulting, half-software business.
"We will compete where it makes sense, and we will partner where it makes sense," said Spyglass's Paul Chapple.
Spyglass has danced with Microsoft before. After buying up the Web's first graphical browser in 1994, the company licensed the code to Microsoft, which used it as the basis for Internet Explorer.
Jupiter Communications analyst David Card sees the wisdom of the latest component of Spyglass's evolving business strategy. "They're trying to make money wherever they can - whether it's selling their technology on top of PowerTV [a set-top box operating system] or working with Windows CE."
"That's a viable business model."
