Open Interface North America

{{Short description|Software provider}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Open Interface North America, Inc.

| logo = Open Interface logo

| type = Private

| foundation = 2000

| location = Seattle, Washington, USA

| industry = Bluetooth

| homepage = [https://web.archive.org/web/20071224161752/http://www.oi-us.com:80/ www.oi-us.com] (archived)

}}

Open Interface North America (OINA) was a privately owned embedded Bluetooth software provider based in Seattle, Washington and was incorporated in 2000 as a division of the Japanese company Open Interface, Inc., which had formed in 1992.State of Washington [http://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/search_detail.aspx?ubi=602081170 Open Interface North America, Inc.] Page accessed April 18, 2016Charles Bermant and Seattle Times staff. December 4, 2006 [http://www.seattletimes.com/business/startup-ready-to-make-a-splash/ This week: Open Interface North America] Akemi Sagawa, a Microsoft product manager at the time, was hired to run it.Deborah Knox for Poets and Quants. August 9, 2015 [http://poetsandquants.com/2015/08/09/stanford-mbas-25-years-later-where-they-ended-up-what-they-wished-they-had-learned/3/ Stanford MBAs 25 Years Later: Where They Are & Life’s Core Lessons]Brier Dudley for the Seattle Times. August 1, 2007 [http://blogs.seattletimes.com/brierdudley/2007/08/01/wireless_hifi_from_seattles_op/ Wireless hi-fi from Seattle’s Open Interface] Another former Microsoft employee, Greg Burns, was brought in as chief technology officer.OINA via PR Newswire.. Apr 16, 2002. [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/open-interface-north-america-releases-bluemagictm-30-to-target-the-embedded-bluetoothtm-wireless-connectivity-market-76993257.html Press release: Open Interface North America Releases BlueMagic(TM) 3.0 to Target the Embedded Bluetooth(TM) Wireless Connectivity Market]

OINA created and sold Bluetooth software stack products to chip companies with a focus on mobile devices; OINA products were included in Apple’s iPhone, Motorola’s Razr LG’s Chocolate music phone,Daniel Eran Dilger for Apple Insider. July 02, 2007 [http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/07/02/apples_iphone_an_initial_but_in_depth_review.html Apple's iPhone: an initial (but in-depth) review] and Logitech's FreePulse headphones.Bill Ray for The Register. Jan 9, 2008 [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/09/qualcomm_oina/ Qualcomm quietly buys up Bluetooth experts] The Logitech deal was based on OINA's product, SOUNDabout Lossless, a lossless audio codec for bluetooth; SOUNDabout had very little lag and high fidelity, supported multi-channel streaming, and allowed headphone manufacturers to avoid decoding MP3 or AAC, which would have required them to pay royalties on those decompression software packages.Tim Gideon for PC Mag. Aug 1, 2007 [https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2164573,00.asp Lossless Bluetooth Audio Coming Soon]Rick Merritt for EE Times. August 1, 2007. [http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1305663 Codec cranks for wireless stereo headsets]

In 2004, OINA had a change in ownership. According to Dashlight Systems, which was founded by Tom Nault in 2003 to develop Bluetooth technology and intellectual property, Dashlight acquired a controlling interest in OINA in May 2004 and Nault became Chairman of the Board of OINA at that time.Dashlight Systems [https://web.archive.org/web/20160418032348/http://www.dashlight.com/about/ About] Page accessed April 17, 2016

Nault became CEO in April 2006 and Sagawa became the company president.

OINA was acquired by Qualcomm in December 2007 under an agreement signed by OINA, Qualcomm, Osprey Acquisition Corporation, and Dashlight;[http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/QCOM/0x0xS936392-08-73/804328/filing.pdf Qualcomm Form S-8 filed 01/24/08] the deal terms were not disclosed.John Cook for Seattle PI. January 14, 2008 [http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/venture/archives/129488.asp Qualcomm buys Open Interface]Matt Marshall and Saumil Mehta for Venture Beat. July 23, 2008 [https://venturebeat.com/2008/07/23/mobilebeat2008-catch-it-all-live-tomorrow/ MobileBeat: Mobile success stories]