BREW

BREW, or Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless is Qualcomm's application development platform for mobile phones and is air-interface independent, meaning it can support GSM/GPRS, UTMS and CDMA. BREW is a piece of software that can download to a handset and run small programs for playing games, sending messages, sharing photos and the like. The main advantage of BREW for developers is the ease with which they can port apps between all of Qualcomm's ASICs. BREW runs in between the application and the wireless device's chip operating system so the programmer can develop apps without having to worry about system interface. The technology debuted in January 2001.