Applications
Wind River announces collaboration with NEC at MWC
MUMBAI: Wind River Systems, Inc, the Device Software Optimisation (DSO) company, has announced a collaboration to demonstrate both the Open Handset Alliance‘s Android platform and the NEC Electronics‘ platformOViA software platform ported onto NEC Electronics‘ Medity M2. Both demonstrations will be seen in the NEC Electronics‘ exhibition booth at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Wind River was chosen to port, integrate, test and optimise both software platforms to the Medity M2 because of its mobile Linux expertise and understanding of the chip. Moreover, the demonstration marks the first time the Android platform has been ported to the chip. “Medity M2 is the second evolution of the Medity family of chips with features such as low-power consumption and support of MPEG-4/H.264 video and 2D and 3D graphics, and both demonstrations further highlight the power and performance the chip offers customers,” said NEC Electronics‘ SoC Systems Division GM Katsuhiko Itagaki. As the mobile handset market continues to boom and the demand for multimedia-rich features on a fast and sleek handset continue to grow, developing applications that set one phone apart from the next becomes more time-consuming and significantly increases software development costs. In partnership with leading silicon and board vendors, Wind River offers reference designs to make hardware choice and board bring-up faster and easier. platformOViA is a Linux-based, vertically integrated software stack designed to accelerate 3G-handset time to market. Also targeted for the digital video and automotive infotainment markets, the platform offers a common software API and pre-integrated partner components. Created by NEC Electronics, in collaboration with software vendors and system integrators, the platform features an open architecture and support of leading-edge technologies such as multi-processing. Further, companies using platformOViA can utilise system LSIs developed in line with characteristics of each application. On the other hand, an open software stack for mobile devices, the Android platform includes an operating system, middleware and key core applications. Developers have full access to the same framework APIs used by the core applications. The application architecture is designed to simplify the reuse of components. “Partnering with NEC Electronics has been an extremely rewarding experience and we are pleased to provide the Android platform and our Linux expertise to power both software platform demonstrations on the Medity M2,” said Wind River mobile solutions GM Jason Whitmire. “This is a very exciting time for mobile Linux and we are thrilled that technology leaders like NEC Electronics and industry organisations such as the Open Handset Alliance continue to look to Wind River as their Linux commercialisation partner of choice.”
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
