LONDON, July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Ideaworks3D Ltd, developer of the cross-platform Airplay SDK for advanced native mobile games and applications, today announced support for the ZiiLABS Plaszma platform and recently announced 'Zii EGG' handheld computer.

Airplay will be made available to ZiiLABS customers, enabling device manufacturers to run state-of-the-art native handheld games, and leverage the rapidly growing catalogue of premium games already based on the Airplay platform.

Airplay is a unique cross-platform technology for creating best-in-class native applications on mobile and handheld devices, enabling developers to build a single application binary and deploy it unmodified to all supported operating systems and devices. Airplay currently supports all open native operating systems, including Linux-based OS's such as those provided on the Zii EGG.

The Zii EGG offers a sleek, energy efficient handheld platform featuring a multi-touch display, GPS, forward and rear facing cameras, Bluetooth, HDMI, full size SD card slot, 256MB RAM, 16/32GB Flash Memory and Wi-Fi. This rich functionality provides a powerful platform for creating compelling solutions that benefit from the advanced UI capabilities, multi-format audio and video, web browsing, OpenGL ES 3D graphics, content streaming and 1080p HD video output.

Tim Closs, CTO Ideaworks3D said, Gaming continues to be a key driver for consumer uptake of new handheld devices, but manufacturers outside the handful of industry leaders face huge challenges in reaching this market. Not only must they provide a state-of-the-art runtime environment for games on their devices, but they must also provide a developer-friendly SDK and persuade content providers to build applications. A vicious circle exists whereby developers will not invest in a new platform until it is proven, yet the manufacturer cannot launch a gaming service without a compelling catalogue of branded applications. Airplay breaks this circle by providing an SDK that targets all native platforms at once, both existing and emerging. Furthermore, an enviable catalogue of premium-branded games is already based on Airplay, providing manufacturers with an immediate launch catalogue. The Zii EGG platform provides OEMs with the hardware and integrated OS they need on which to build outstanding products; Airplay provides the development tools and games ecosystem to attract consumers.

Tim Lewis, ZiiLABS Director of Marketing and Partner Relations, added ZiiLABS is committed to providing manufacturers with the best head start in building differentiated consumer devices. As part of this commitment, we are proud to see Airplay integrated with the Zii EGG and our future Linux-based Plaszma platforms. We were pleased to see existing premium-branded games running on the Zii EGG without any requirement for porting or reconfiguration. Airplay is an exciting addition to our portfolio of out-of-the-box solutions for manufacturers looking to enable compelling games and applications on their devices.

Airplay has already been used to deliver multiple award-winning games worldwide, including Resident Evil: Degeneration (Capcom, 2008), Metal Gear Solid Mobile (Konami, 2008), and Project Gotham Racing Mobile 3D (Glu, 2007), to platforms including iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile and BREW.

Airplay was nominated in the Technical Innovation category, alongside leading PC and console middleware, at the European Develop Excellence Awards 2008.

About Ideaworks3D

Ideaworks3D is a privately held technology and game development company headquartered in London. Founded in 1998 with a strong Oxford and Cambridge computer science and electronic engineering pedigree, the company has an unparalleled track record of creative innovation and technical leadership in the field of high performance mobile gaming. Ideaworks3D's Airplay(TM) platform is the result of over 8 years of research and development into high-performance native multimedia applications on mobile devices, and has powered ground-breaking and award-winning titles such as Konami's Metal Gear Solid Mobile, which won Best Game and Operators' Choice accolades at IMGA 2008. Ideaworks3D's Studio is also the recipient of multiple industry accolades including Best Mobile Studio at the Develop Excellence Awards 2008, and two BAFTA Games Awards for best handheld and mobile games. More information can be found at:

http://www.ideaworks3d.com

About ZiiLABS

ZiiLABS is a leader in media-rich application processors, hardware platforms advanced middleware. Its products enable OEMs, ODMs, System Integrators Software Developers to deliver industry-leading devices across a broad range consumer electronics and embedded markets. Originally founded in 1994 3DLABS, the company re-branded and joined with the Personal Digital Entertainment group of Creative Technology to form ZiiLABS in January 2009. ZiiLABS with over 800 RD engineers today has invested US$1billion and 10,000 man-years in media processing solutions and has offices in the UK, China, and Singapore. Learn more about ZiiLABS at:

http://www.ZiiLABS.com

Contacts: Ideaworks3D Ltd. +44(0)8456-434969 press@ideaworks3d.com

SOURCE: IdeaWorks3D Ltd

Tim Closs, CTO, Ideaworks3D Ltd. tim@ideaworks3d.com, press@ideaworks3d.com, +44(0)8456-434969