Fw: Press Release: Reef Debuts EveryWare [nee Edapta]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kynn Bartlett" <kynn@idyllmtn.com>
To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 12:04 PM
Subject: Press Release: Reef Debuts EveryWare [nee Edapta]


[Notes:  "Reef EveryWare" is the new name of the technology
          developed by Edapta, who was acquired by Reef last
          December.  Reef is my employer.]

REEF DEBUTS REEF EVERYWARE

Latest Product from E-Business Innovator Enables Companies to Make
Web Content Wireless-Accessible and Implement Cost-Saving Web
Content Transformation Strategies

San Francisco
--
03/14/2001
--

Reef® (www.Reef.com), a leading global provider of internet software
applications for the management of e-business, today announced the
immediate availability of Reef EveryWareT. Reef EveryWare gives web
publishers the ability to dynamically transform web content for a1
range of devices used to access the web, including mobile phones, PDAs,
enterprise terminals, web pads and home server devices. In addition, an
advanced content transformation technology built into Reef EveryWare -
the Reef EveryWare Adaptation Engine - enables web content to be adapted
to the needs of people with disabilities, who may require the use of a
screen reader to interact with websites, for instance.

Reef EveryWare addresses emerging issues of global content management
faced by IT executives and content managers: the steep costs associated
with developing, integrating and maintaining code dedicated to
supporting devices other than computers traditionally used to access the
web. Reef EveryWare lowers the total cost of running websites by
offering support for multiple devices 'on the fly' while eliminating the
need for hard-coding the adaptation of the content for each device.

Now, web publishers can deploy their web content and deliver it to
various web-compatible devices and formats - including PDAs, handheld
devices, WAP phones, internet appliances and PDF print-ready files -
while maintaining only one version of the content itself. Reef EveryWare
automatically detects which type of device is being used to access the
information and dynamically transforms it accordingly for optimum
display on that device. For example, Reef EveryWare allows online
content to be instantly print-ready with no additional software or
filters, lending the web to be a more traditional publishing
environment.

Reef EveryWare also supports technologies to assist those with
disabilities and also supports language translation and text-to-speech
applications. Recent legislation enacted in the US (the Americans with
Disabilities Act and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act on 1998)
requires technology vendors interested in doing business with the
government to make more products that are accessible to people with
disabilities. The law also requires federal agencies to make their own
technology efforts and resources, both internal operations and external
contacts with citizens, more available to people with disabilities.
Similar legislation is underway in the European Community.

Mike Paciello, founder of WebABLET in New Hampshire (www.webable.com) is
a pioneer in the area of using emerging technology for providing
accessibility to people with disabilities. WebABLE plans to use Reef
EveryWare as a core component of its accessibility projects for clients.
"Our goal is to create an application server environment that performs
personalization on the fly for people with disabilities," said Paciello.
"This will enable companies to render web content that is completely
accessible for people with disabilities, no matter what these
disabilities are. This is a huge market opportunity for companies doing
business on the web since recent reports show that millions of people
are currently prevented from interacting with websites due to their
disabilities."

Reef developed Reef EveryWare after acquiring San Diego-based Edapta, a
software developer recognized for its advanced content transformation
technology. Edapta's technology was already completely Java-based which
meant Reef was able to quickly integrate it with Reef's InternetWareT
suite of internet applications. Since the acquisition in December of
2000, Reef has extended the Edapta technology to encompass the content
management functionality needed for wireless and handheld devices so
that online content can be delivered to any type of device, anywhere.
The result is Reef EveryWare.

"Handheld devices of various formats continue to proliferate, and IT
managers are realizing that the limited screen real estate and narrow
bandwidth inherent in these devices will inevitably impact the design of
their websites and will need significant IT resources to deploy and
maintain," said , Reef's co-founder and CEO. "Our new Reef EveryWare web
content transformation software enables non-technical users to build,
deploy and sustain an internet presence that caters to the needs of
mobile users and people with disabilities and, in so doing, extends the
reach of their content to totally new classes of customers while
reducing associated operating costs. That's really a huge achievement."

Pricing and Availability

Reef EveryWare is available for immediate delivery. It is designed for
use with Reef InternetWare, Reef's suite of e-business internet
applications and is also available for any OpenXML environment. Pricing
starts at $35,000 when purchased with Reef InternetWare. When sold
without Reef InternetWare, pricing for Reef EveryWare starts at $50,000.
Volume pricing is available upon request.

About Reef

Reef is a leading global Internet software company that provides an
open, integrated, software-based foundation for managing dynamic
e-business. Companies of all sizes use Reef Internetware® to embrace
continuous change and maximize e-business efficiencies by empowering
non-technical business professionals to directly manage online content,
commerce, community services, and business process coordination using a
standard Web browser. Recently named one of Europe's 50 Hottest
Technology Firms by TIME Magazine, Reef is a privately-held company
funded by Goldman Sachs, 3i, Cisco Systems, Net Fund Europe, Profrigo,
Viventures, and other investors. Led by a seasoned management team with
proven industry success, the company serves a broad mix of industries,
including media/entertainment, telecommunications, healthcare,
information technology, finance, and retail. With offices in
Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America, Reef can be found on the Web at
www.reef.com.

--
Kynn Bartlett  <kynn@idyllmtn.com>                http://kynn.com/
Technical Developer Liaison, Reef             http://www.reef.com/
Chief Technologist, Idyll Mountain Internet   http://idyllmtn.com/
Online Instructor, Accessible Web Design     http://kynn.com/+d201

Received on Wednesday, 14 March 2001 14:48:12 UTC