SPB Software, a division of Yandex, is a Russian IT company which operates the largest search engine in Russia. In November 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Yandex acquired SPB Software after its own initial public offering[1] debuted on the NASDAQ as the fourth largest IPO of 2011.[2] SPB Software's most popular solution[buzzword], the SPB Shell 3D, has been described by The New York Times as an application that makes for a much more user-friendly phone.[3] SPB Shell 3D utilizes SPB Software's SPB UI Engine, a cross-platform modular plugin for building hyper-realistic 3D interfaces on a variety of devices.[4] The SPB UI Engine is written in native C++.[5] SPB also develops software running on Android, iOS, Symbian, Bada, BlackBerry, Maemo, MeeGo, webOS, Windows Phone 7, and the Windows Mobile operating systems.[6]

SPB Software Inc.
IndustryMobile application development
Founded1999; 25 years ago (1999)
Key people
Sebastian-Justus Schmidt (CEO)
Vassili Philippov (COO)
Yaroslav Goncharov (CTO)
Juggs Ravalia (VP)
Olga Steidl (CMO)
Productsuser interfaces for mobile devices, system, communication, business, multimedia software, games
ParentYandex
Websitewww.spbsoft.com

History

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Formation

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Formed in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1999, the company was named SPB Software House, but removed the word "House" in 2008. The company released its first mobile application in 2001 and went on to win the Pocket PC Developer Of The Year Award 2003 by Handango.[7] The company subsequently won the same award from Handango in 2006,[8] 2007,[9] and 2009.[10] SPB Software went on to develop mobile apps for a variety of platforms and expanded its title lineup to include games, utility apps and mobile OS shells. SPB Software is now developing apps for all of the major mobile phone manufacturers. SPB Software also works with phone makers and mobile operators in various countries to develop customized versions of its software and optimized applications for particular devices.[citation needed]

Acquisition

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On November 28, 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Yandex NV, operator of Russia’s most popular Internet search engine, acquired SPB Software "to expand mobile products and the use of its search capabilities on mobile devices."[1] The CEO of SPB Software, Sebastian-Justus Schmidt, was appointed as EVP Mobile and General Manager by Yandex.

Products

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Games

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SPB Software has released an assortment of games for smartphones and mobile devices. SPB Brain Evolution was named the bestselling Windows Mobile game of 2008 and as the Best Casual Game of 2009 by the online mobile software store Handango.[10]

Headquarters

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SPB Software's development headquarters are located in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Financial Headquarters are located in Hong Kong. The firm also has offices in USA, Brazil, Taiwan, and Thailand.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b Shatalova, Ekaterina (28 November 2011). "Yandex Acquires SPB Software Developer to Expand Mobile Products". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  2. ^ Harrison, J.D. (30 December 2011). "The United States' biggest IPOs in 2011". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 13 May 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  3. ^ Tedeschi, Bob (20 November 2008). "Unhappy With Your New Smartphone's Home Screen? Try Customizing It". The New York Times. p. B6. ProQuest 897195579. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  4. ^ "SPB Software Launches SPB Mobile Shell 5.0" (Press release). SPB Software. 6 October 2010. ProQuest 759459026.
  5. ^ P., Daniel (21 December 2010). "SPB UI Engine is a promising cross-platform solution for building 3D user interfaces". Phone Arena. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  6. ^ "SPB Software Launches TV for WebOS" (Press release). Jacksonville: Close-Up Media. 9 April 2010. ProQuest 818683694.
  7. ^ "Handango Honors the Best in Mobile Software With the Handango Champion Awards" (Press release). PR Newswire. 28 July 2003. ProQuest 451876651.
  8. ^ "Handango Announces the 2006 Handango Champion Awards Winners; Annual Awards Honor Outstanding Mobile Applications at the Handango Partner Summit" (Press release). PR Newswire. 14 September 2006. ProQuest 447138598.
  9. ^ "Handango Names the 2007 Handango Champion Award Winners" (Press release). Jacksonville: Wireless News. 1 October 2007. ProQuest 210081915.
  10. ^ a b Surur (12 October 2009). "Handango Announces 2009 Handango Champion Awards Winners - MSPoweruser". mspoweruser.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2023.