Tempe, AZ — (press release) — DevelopOnline today announced a breakthrough in the time to market for PDAs, Internet appliances, and other intelligent electronic products with the launch of its Web site, DevelopOnline.com on Oct. 2. DevelopOnline will preview their Web site at the Embedded Systems Conference next week in San Jose, CA.

The site is a collaborative, online development center for programmers, innovators, and engineers to design new products or improve upon existing products over the Web, resulting in faster time to market and increased revenue. The advanced architecture of the site, which has not been available until now, targets small to large enterprises, and enables developers to gain instant access to working reference designs from multiple suppliers.

The first companies to provide their leading edge technology to developers through DevelopOnline include Analog Devices, Avnet, Intel, Lineo, MontaVista, Motorola, PLX Technology, Red Hat, and STMicroelectronics. Because DevelopOnline is designed for online collaboration, the site is built using Linux, one of the leading open source software platforms.

Traditionally, software development has been the one element in the electronic design process that requires the longest lead time. DevelopOnline addresses this need for software resources by providing instant availability to the latest device platforms necessary to the electronic design process. It turns the Web into an online product accelerator that collapses engineering cycle time for individuals, as well as small to large companies, and ensures products are brought to market faster. “We can effectively capture an idea online, when it's essentially no more than scribble on a blank paper napkin, and move it through each phase of development,” said Alan Steinberg, chief executive officer of DevelopOnline. “We bring innovators and the marketplace together, with the end goal of capturing first mover advantage.”

Products are becoming more sophisticated. In many cases, they must be tailored to meet target market requirements. By using DevelopOnline, innovators can instantly improve upon existing products and applications or choose to create entirely new ones online. Innovators will begin by building the initial framework of their idea online. Then, they can move through each critical phase of development from exploration and prototyping, to development and production, while building their product or application on real hardware platforms to determine actual performance. Now, technology vendors have the quickest possible path to their development communities, as well as unprecedented access to the latest in electronic platform and component technology.

The average time for a new idea to move from concept to production is about 18 to 24 months. This time consuming process often creates a divergence within the market between those who want the capability and those who can deliver the technology. By having access to working reference platforms provided by the world's leading electronic product manufacturers, DevelopOnline reduces the time for products and applications to reach their target markets. By lowering the entry barriers to product creation, DevelopOnline can significantly reduce the cost of continuous innovation thereby dramatically increasing potential revenue.

Clients of DevelopOnline will see their technologies exposed to much broader audiences, while innovators are able to manipulate, develop applications, and test their work on actual hardware platforms. The end result for technology providers is more design wins, reduced engineering cycle time, and a faster production ramp.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.