Software developer I-D Media AG announced Friday that it has agreed with
IBM in Germany to work
together to create new and highly innovative e-business solutions.
I-D Media is the company behind Cycosmos.com,
a platform that allows users to create online versions of themselves
that are anonymous and untraceable to their real world selves.
Said to combine the appeal of chat rooms, online communities,
e-commerce and search engines, Cycosmos.com is due to launch in
the U.K. on April 14.
I-D Media says that specialists from IBM will be helping to
develop new products jointly with the German firm, including
new software tools for the IBM WebSphere Platform.
The two companies will also jointly market the new
applications, initially in Germany and the U.K.
Bernd Kolb, I-D Media’s chief executive officer, said
it was hugely exciting to be working so closely with IBM.
“I-D Media is growing quickly — as illustrated by the
launch of our London unit last month — and we are now
ready to enter into relationships of this kind,” said Kolb.
I-D Media is composed of four units: I-D Services, ID-TV,
Cycosmos.com and Living Screen. A pioneer of avatar development
and motion capture technology, it is having its greatest
success with Cycosmos.com, an online society that has
become especially popular in Germany.
As a result of the deal with IBM, I-D Media will switch
its applications to IBM platforms.