Inprise founder launches wireless digital photo company

Phillipe Kahn, founder of Inprise/Borland, has launched Lightsurf, a wireless technology company that aims to bring digital photography to the mobile world.

Kahn has been a high profile advocate of wireless technology in recent years and in 1994 set up Starfish, which sells software that synchronises information from a variety of wireless sources. Kahn is also chairman of wireless messaging specialist Opengrid, and is an advisor to Motorola.

While company officials would reveal only bare details of Kahn's latest venture, they claimed that, by the end of the year, consumers would be able to take digital images from their digital cameras or mobile phones and send them to other wireless devices.

A spokesperson said: "The technology will be the Polaroid of the 21st century. People will be able to take pictures and instantly beam them to someone across the world."

The offering will support existing wireless infrastructures, including GSM, but will also work with a forthcoming third generation network which provides better graphics support.

Mobile phone manufacturer, Motorola, has already said it will incorporate the technology into its wireless devices, but has not specified whether they will be phones or other appliances.