Pssst. You know all those iPhone killers and wannabes? Redwood City, Calif.-based Seven likes them a lot.
That's because they represent myriad opportunities for Seven to get its e-mail and messaging services embedded on more phones, including snazzier new models through prepaid carriers.
Seven runs on more than 550 device models across various operating platforms, including Android. "Android has been a very good catalyst for us," says Seven COO David Ratner. "Seven's mantra has been the service of your choice on the device of your choice, and it resonates well."
The privately held company is stretching beyond its early days when it was known as a company that supplied push e-mail for devices (other than BlackBerries) to one that also supplies a service delivery platform that synchronizes data between the cloud and the handset.
Seven's software allows individuals to access multiple personal e-mail accounts like Yahoo! Mail, AOL Mail, Gmail and MSN Hotmail or work e-mail. For mobile operators and device manufacturers, it also uses cloud computing to offer Ping, a set of packaged services to "push enable" messaging, social networking and mobile apps on smartphones and mass market devices.
Ping is delivered such that it brings savings to the battery life of devices and optimizes data traffic on the network, Ratner says.
In March, Seven and Samsung Electronics announced a global agreement for Seven to power Samsung's Social Hub. It's not clear which Samsung devices announced this week for U.S. carriers are powered using Seven's technology. Seven executives declined to comment, explaining that operators differ on their exact specs for each model.
Seven is seeing good adoption in the prepaid market as well, with carriers like MetroPCS and Boost Mobile and devices from various manufacturers. Unlike in years past when prepaid customers had their choice of pretty basic handsets, newer prepaid models are sporting qwerty and touch screens. Combine the new devices with low cost data plans, and "you have a recipe for success," says Isabelle Dumont, senior director of marketing at Seven.
The iPhone, which does not use Seven's solution, is a great device, Ratner says, and it remains one of the drivers of innovation in other handsets. In that sense, the iPhone helped open doors for Seven. He believes the iPhone will come to Verizon Wireless at some point, and what will that mean for Seven? There again, that will spell more opportunities as other manufacturers try to better their own wares.
Asked about preparations for Microsoft's Phone 7 coming later this year, Ratner says he can't comment on future product releases. However, Seven thus far has supported previous versions of Microsoft's phone OS, and it has a tight relationship with the company, including a deal that has Seven directly reselling Windows Live Hotmail services to operators across the globe.