Comunicano

PHONE.COM TAPS VOXBONE TO GIVE SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE U.S. ACCESS TO CUSTOMERS ABROAD

With a Voxbone Phone Number from Any of 5,000 Cities in 46 Countries, Users of Phone.com’s Virtual Office Hosted Phone System Can Be Called by Parisians/Londoners/Singaporeans as Readily as Any Business Physically There

BRUSSELS, Belgium–Dec. 17, 2008—Voxbone today announced that it has been chosen by Phone.com, a hosted IP PBX provider for small businesses, to supply DID (direct-inward-dial) numbers abroad. Phone.com users who work in the U.S. but have clients in other countries can choose telephone numbers in those countries that when dialed will ring to their Phone.com “Virtual Office.” The Virtual Office’s customized auto attendant (automated receptionist) then can ask for the called person’s extension number and complete the call.

Such calls are local to the caller; Voxbone carries them over its managed IP network to Phone.com, which routes them to its end customer with no perceptible delay. Phone.com customers pay a flat monthly rate for each DID. The numbers can also be directed to ring home phones or cell phones, and to change routing by time-of-day rules. DIDs can be ordered for all included cities and countries through Phone.com’s self-service web site, and paid for, like all of the provider’s services, with a credit card.

“Phone.com’s Virtual Office helps our small business customers look big by running big-company voice applications like automated attendant and conferencing,” said Ari Rabban, CEO of Phone.com. “Voxbone’s DIDs in foreign markets help our customers look international, and even transact internationally. We chose Voxbone for its long record of reliability, and its ability to aggregate and send us traffic collected from several points overseas. They also have the SIP adherence we needed to operate interactively with touch-tone response, so that callers in foreign markets can dial for extensions.”

“The Phone.com agreement shows how Voxbone brings remote marketplaces within the buying reach of small businesses and even SOHOs,” said Sebastien d’ Ursel, Voxbone COO. “Through our on-demand DID number services and real-time platform, service providers can offer a seamless, reliable, and easy-to-use solution for the cost of one short PSTN overseas phone call.”

Voxbone leases international DID numbers and toll-free numbers via VoIP to organizations in North and South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific regions. Using these numbers, Voxbone customers may receive inexpensive, locally dialed phone calls from 46 countries (Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States).

Voxbone services, which include DID (direct inward dialing) and toll-free numbers, are deployed by mobile operators, PSTN carriers, VoIP providers, call center operators and NGN (Next Generation Network) service providers worldwide. Voxbone is a recognized member of the International Telecommunication Union and part of the study group that is responsible for numbering standardization around the world.

About Voxbone
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, Voxbone provides worldwide DID numbers and toll-free phone numbers over its own private intercontinental VoIP network. The all-IP architecture of the Voxbone core network enables customers to rapidly deploy new communications services with local presence, while simultaneously reducing costs. It delivers high-quality call origination from 46 countries and 5,000 cities, as well as “iNum” numbers that are billed as local calls when dialed through participating carriers anywhere in the world. Through its number inventory, network, self-administered provisioning and comprehensive SIP adherence, Voxbone’s global infrastructure enables its customers to expand to international markets quickly and efficiently. Founded in 2002 and privately held, Voxbone is licensed by the EU in 27 countries. For more information, visit www.voxbone.com.

About Phone.com
Phone.com is a one-stop portal and phone company offering a suite of innovative, economical phone services designed for entrepreneurs and households. Powered by VoIP and SaaS technologies, the company currently offers its first two Internet-based communications products, Virtual Office for small businesses and Home Phone for consumers, with monthly plans starting at as low as $9.88. Phone.com’s mission is to leverage its memorable domain name, its competitive telecommunications capabilities and its outstanding 24/7 customer support to service a significant market share of SOHO (small office/home office) businesses and households. Founded in 2007, Phone.com is headquartered in Boston. For more information, visit www.phone.com.

USE YOUR iPOD TOUCH TO MAKE PHONE CALLS TO ANYWHERE

Truphone Now Enables an iPod touch to Call Any Mobile or Landline: Still No SIM, No Contract and Very Little Money

LONDON–Dec. 15, 2008—Starting today, people using Truphone’s free application for the iPod touch can make phone calls to any mobile or landline in the world, using Wi-Fi hotspots and the Internet.

When in a Wi-Fi hotspot, Truphone enables an iPod touch to behave in the same way as a typical mobile phone. Wi-Fi hotspots are commonplace in offices, schools, campuses, at home, and even across entire town and city centres.

Truphone calls to landlines and mobiles cost from just UK£0.03/US$0.06* per minute (U.K. to China or U.S., for example), and the service is available from more than 200 countries–helping people to significantly reduce the cost of holiday calls to friends and family.

*Rates as of Dec. 15, 2008.
**Microphone adaptor accessory currently available at Apple stores.

# # #

About Truphone
The first true mobile internet network operator, Truphone allows users of Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phones to make and receive regular telephone calls, and to send and receive SMS (text) messages, using only a Wi-Fi connection and the Internet. It has users in 149 countries.

Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network (SCN). SCN is privately owned, funded by both venture capital investment and angel investors.

Notes to editors
1. Truphone for iPod touch is downloadable, free, from the App Store in the same way as other applications.
2. Once installed, and with the addition of microphone adaptor (Truphone microphone adaptor available soon)**, make free calls from a Wi-Fi hotspot - no matter where you are in the world–from as little as £0.03/$0.06* per minute. See www.truphone.com/pricing for full pricing information.
3. Calls to other iPod touch owners, to another Truphone user and to users of the Google Talk™ instant messaging service are free.
4. The software uses the iPod touch’s Wi-Fi connection to carry calls over the Internet to its destination. There is no monthly line rental, no subscription or other hidden charges.
5. Truphone launched an initial version of Truphone for iPod touch on Dec. 4 (announcement).

Screenshots: Truphone for iPod touch

Requirements
• A second generation iPod touch (i.e., current model);
• A free download of Truphone for iPod touch;
• A headset and microphone like those for the iPhone. These may be bought at high street electronics retailers or from an Apple Store

Making a Truphone call on an iPod touch—This couldn’t be simpler: Truphone displays a virtual keypad for dialling the number.

Apple and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the United States and other countries. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc. Google Talk is a trademark of Google Inc. Google Talk is not a telephony service and cannot be used for emergency dialling. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Truphone is a trademark of Software Cellular Network Ltd. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

 

TRUPHONE BRINGS LOW-PRICED INTERNATIONAL CALLS TO THE iPHONE EVEN WHEN NOT CONNECTED TO WI-FI

Also Adds Inbound and Free iPhone-to-iPhone Truphone Calls

LONDON–Dec. 10, 2008—Global mobile network operator Truphone today added Truphone Anywhere functionality to its iPhone™ application, enabling users to make international calls across the Internet for as little as £0.03/$0.06 [UK/Rest of World] per minute even when they’re not connected to the internet. Inbound Truphone calling on the iPhone is also added for the first time, making it possible to enjoy completely free Truphone calls between two iPhones.

Truphone Anywhere works in 33 countries around the world, saving money for iPhone users from those countries money on international calls made from their home country when not in Wi-Fi. The easy-to-use service works alongside domestic service providers, but reduces international call costs to as little as £0.03/$0.06 [UK/RoW] per minute.

Unlike say, calling-card solutions, Truphone Anywhere doesn’t require a user to remember what to do. Whenever an international number is dialled from outside Wi-Fi, Truphone Anywhere simply asks whether he/she wants to make a Truphone call. The user simply accepts, and Truphone connects the call.

The second new key feature—inbound calling for Truphone on the iPhone—works in all countries. Using the new “presence” feature, iPhone users can see which of their other Truphone-using contacts are online, including contacts who also have Truphone on their iPhones. This makes it possible to place, for the first time, a free iPhone-to-iPhone Truphone call.

The new inbound call capability means that iPhone users can avoid inbound call charges—for example, when abroad—provided they are connected to a Wi-Fi network, enabling significant cost savings.

“No one likes big mobile bills, and they don’t come any bigger than for international calls,” said Geraldine Wilson, Truphone’s new CEO. “But for iPhone users, that no longer needs to be the case. They can choose either to pay standard international call rates, or to reduce them to as little as 3 pence or 6 cents per minute. It’s as simple as that, no catches.”

All of the original, great benefits of Truphone for the iPhone still apply:

• Truphone routes calls over the internet whenever possible, saving loads of money both on international calls from a user’s home country and on calls when connected to Wi-Fi abroad.
• Truphone routes calls over the internet, so customers don’t need to worry about poor mobile reception. Calls are crystal clear and voice quality is superb from almost any Wi-Fi zone.
• No monthly line rental, subscription or other hidden charges. Truphone customers only ever pay for the calls they make. Additional credit is simply purchased online, or an account may be set to top up (i.e., refill) automatically when it falls to a certain level.
• Truphone is free to download via the iPhone App Store and takes seconds to install.  New customers receive £1/$1 [UK/RoW] free calling credit to get them started.
• With Truphone’s American Tru Saver bundle, calls within and to the United States and Canada can be as low as 0.75 pence/1.5 cents [UK/RoW] per minute.
• Calls within and to 40 countries (including U.K., Australia, Brazil and most of Europe) are £0.03/$0.06 [UK/RoW] per minute to landlines and £0.15/$0.30 [UK/RoW] per minute to mobile phones.
• Making a Truphone call couldn’t be simpler: Open the Truphone application and dial as normal. Truphone uses the iPhone’s own address book.

Truphone has been enabling iPhone users to make major savings on international calls since July, by routing outbound calls over the internet using Wi-Fi.

#  #  #

iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.  Truphone is a trademark of Software Cellular Network Limited.  Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.  All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

Notes to editors:

1. Truphone Anywhere works by connecting to a local Truphone server, which then connects the long-distance part of the call over the internet.  The local connection to Truphone is, typically, free because it uses bundled minutes from the customer’s usual cellular service provider.
2. Truphone Anywhere is designed to save users money when making international calls from their home country. Using the service while abroad may result in higher charges.
3. Truphone Anywhere works using local ‘points of presence’.  Truphone has points of presence in 33 countries.

Links and other resources:

• Photo: Geraldine Wilson
• Truphone photos (Flickr)
• Truphone press office
• Truphone Web site

About Truphone
The first true mobile internet network operator, Truphone allows users of Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phones to make and receive regular telephone calls, and to send and receive SMS [text] messages, using only a Wi-Fi connection and the internet. It has users in 149 countries.

Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network (SCN). SCN is privately owned, funded by both venture capital investment and angel investors.

KOREA INTERNET NEUTRAL EXCHANGE (KINX) PARTNERS WITH XCONNECT TO LAUNCH NATIONAL PEERING FEDERATION FOR IP COMMUNICATIONS

New Federation Will Enable Telephony Service Providers to Exchange VoIP and Multimedia Sessions Within a Secure, ENUM-based Multi-lateral Peering Federation

LONDON–Dec. 11, 2008—XConnect, the leader in Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and Next Generation Network (NGN) peering, today announced it has entered an exclusive agreement with Korea Internet Neutral Exchange (KINX), Korea’s largest ISP exchange and collocation facility, to launch a Korean peering federation for IP communications. 

The new joint venture will provide advanced VoIP and NGN peering capabilities to Korea’s IP communications providers, including mobile, fixed-line, and Web-based service providers and ITSPs.  The agreement will also enable inter-federation peering with other initiatives around the globe, such as those formed through XConnect’s Global Alliance and DirectRoute services. Peering will enable Korean operators to exchange calls via IP interconnection, which increases call quality and reduces unnecessary transit costs. Peering also enables these operators to securely offer services that the PSTN cannot carry, such as video and high-definition voice, across network boundaries.

"Multi-lateral peering reduces risk and complexity in a chaotic market," said Camille Mendler, vice president at Yankee Group. "Service providers worldwide urgently need new interconnect solutions to handle the aggressive growth of VoIP and multimedia traffic."

SIP Peering, security, identity management
With all major leading Korean service providers already exchanging IP data packets through its facilities, KINX will use its partnership with XConnect to enable innovative ENUM registry and SIP interconnection services, as well as security and identity management capability, to deliver flexible and policy-based peering.

The full suite of XConnect’s services will be deployed. These services include a multi-lateral interconnect platform, SIP interoperability, and optimized routing via the multi-protocol XConnect directory server, available through both hosted and locally resident options.

Access to other federations will be made available in several forms. International settlement-free peering will be offered through XConnect’s Global Alliance. Federation member providers will also have the option to earn termination revenue from global wholesale carriers through XConnect’s DirectRoute service, and to form separate, customized bilateral peering agreements with their own policies and settlement terms.

The Korean national federation announcement follows XConnect’s development of similar national peering federations in the Netherlands and Brazil.  

“It’s no accident that Korea is now among the early adopters of secure and advanced voice peering federations,” said Eli Katz, XConnect Founder and CEO. “Korea is one of the most advanced VoIP markets in the world, with the world’s highest rate of broadband penetration. By federating through KINX – Korea’s largest IP interconnect exchange – we can jointly deliver to the country’s VoIP and NGN providers a ready-made aggregation point to enable mass-market adoption of new services, with improved quality and reduced cost.” 

Rolf Lumpe, XConnect Vice President - Asia, added, “We look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration in developing the Korean federation, as well as other peering and federation services throughout the Asia-Pacific region."

KINX CEO Seon-Yeong Lee noted: “We are delighted to join with XConnect in taking the lead in federation initiatives in Asia. By choosing XConnect as a partner, we have the leading experts in developing federations on our side, bringing a wide and flexible set of peering services to our customers.”  

#  #  #

About XConnect Global Networks:
London-based XConnect “bridges VoIP islands” by enabling IP communication operators to connect and exchange voice and multimedia traffic within secure, ENUM-based peering federations. XConnect’s services enable telecom companies to offer rich multimedia IP communications on a cross-network basis and reduce interconnection costs. Backed by Tier 1 venture capital firms, including Accel Partners and Venrock Associates, XConnect was selected by the cable industry in the Netherlands to operate the first national VoIP peering solution. XConnect has lead industry consolidation via the acquisition of the European carrier ENUM exchange, e164.info and US-based peering service IPeerX Inc. For more information, please visit www.xconnect.net.

About KINX:
KINX, founded on June 17, 2000, is an Internet internetworking company playing the role of single Neutral eXchange in Korea for seamless traffic internetworking among ISPs. It provides Layer-2 type internetworking services based on standards set by the Korea Internet Internetworking Association, founded by leading domestic ISPs.

KINX’s network center is located in Dogok-dong Gangnam-gu Seoul, the Mecca of Korean IT and telecom. The company provides an optimized operating and rack environment, management services and network infrastructure to Internet Service Providers and customers who want a proxy to operate their network facilities safely and efficiently. For more information, please visit www.kinx.net/eng/.

Contact:
Laura Abbott, for XConnect
+1 203-869-8217
laura.abbott@comunicano.com  

VIDEO TELLS THE PALRINGO STORY

 Wondering what Palringo is all about? Here are a couple of videos (in both Windows Media Player and QuickTime format) to give you a good overview. The shorter one (runs about a minute) was used at Under the Radar. The longer one is about a minute and a half.

WMV:

Long – http://media.palringo.com/videos/press/Palringo.long.10MB.wmv

Short – http://media.palringo.com/videos/press/Palringo.short.3MB.wmv

QT:

Long – http://media.palringo.com/videos/press/Palringo.long.10MB.mov

Short – http://media.palringo.com/videos/press/Palringo.short.3MB.mov

FONOLO GIVES CONSUMERS RELIEF FROM PHONE-MENU FRUSTRATION FOR MORE THAN 300 NORTH AMERICAN COMPANIES

 

• “Deep Dialing” Allows Consumers to Connect Directly To the Person or Department They Need
• Free Service Now Available to Public for Beta Testing

TORONTO–Dec. 10, 2008—Fonolo, the company that makes it easier and less frustrating to call large companies, is now offering its ground-breaking, Web-based service for free to the public for beta testing. Fonolo puts an end to the aggravation of “press 1 for this, press 2 for that.”

Fonolo offers several innovative services to help consumers deal with large companies over the phone. “Deep Dialing” allows users to visually navigate a company’s phone menu on a computer or mobile device and reach any point in that menu with a simple click. Fonolo then navigates the phone menu, rings the user’s phone and connects the two parties.

But we all know that it often takes more than one call to resolve a consumer issue. Fonolo’s “Intelligent Call History” solves the problem of keeping track of all the calls a user makes to a particular company, regardless of which phone is used. Fonolo automatically organizes them along with notes and recordings.

“We are thrilled to open the doors to the general public in time for the holiday season and offer consumers a better way to reach the hundreds of companies in our database,” said Fonolo CEO Shai Berger. “Two of Fonolo’s most popular categories are travel and consumer electronics, so we expect a great deal of activity during the next month.”

Fonolo’s database currently includes more than 300 North American companies, including airlines, car rental companies, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies and major retailers. And because these companies change their phone menus frequently (“please listen carefully, as our options have changed…”), Fonolo constantly monitors these menus for updates.

Fonolo has been in private beta testing for the past eight months, during which time it has received numerous awards, including “Best New Product” from Emerging Communications Conference, “Judges’ Choice” from GigaOm’s Mobilize Conference and “Fierce15” from FierceVoIP.

“The overwhelming response tells me that we’re addressing a pain point felt deeply by a wide range of people,” said Berger. “We’re sure that consumers will love Fonolo.”

Fonolo’s services will remain free of charge throughout the beta testing period.

#  #  #

About Fonolo
Fonolo is privately held and based in Toronto. The service is currently in beta testing. Interested investors are invited to write to investors@fonolo.com. For more information, visit www.fonolo.com.

Download Fonolo Press & Awards

MOBIVOX ADDS FRENCH AND SPANISH LANGUAGES TO ITS VOICE-ACTIVATED MOBILE SERVICES PLATFORM

Extends Platform to Mobile and IP Telephony Operators Around the Globe

MONTRÉAL–Dec. 9, 2008—Mobivox today announced that its powerful voice-activated mobile services platform has been enhanced with the addition of French and Spanish language capabilities that carriers, other service providers and online communities can offer their customers immediately.

The patent-pending Mobivox|PL platform now interacts with names and spoken commands in French and Spanish, particularly the idiomatic Spanish spoken widely in Latin America. The platform soon will support the Spanish spoken in Spain, and the company plans to add a Portuguese-language capability early next year.

“Developing the ability to support speakers of French, Spanish and other languages is a logical next step in our drive to make our platform the clear international leader in voice-activated mobile services,” said Mobivox CEO Peter Diedrich. “The platform’s ability to introduce high-population languages like these quickly enables our partners to serve more users in more places.”

Mobivox│PL enables partners to deploy and monetize voice-activated person-to-person and person-to-group communications services. For all Mobivox services – including its inbound and outbound mobile VoIP offerings – end users simply speak names or commands to initiate, manage and control voice-based communications.

Sebastien Brault, CEO and founder of UNYK.com, a Mobivox partner, said: “As we continue Unyk’s rapid growth internationally, we believe that making our Mobivox-powered Unyk by Phone service available to our users in their chosen language will accelerate its adoption. We selected the Mobivox│PL platform because it enables us to offer our audience value-added services they’re willing to pay for. Mobivox continues to add the tools and services we need to succeed.”

No other mobile voice-services platform has the feature richness or flexibility of Mobivox│PL. The platform’s open application programming interface easily enables “mashups” with other voice services. Furthermore, its communications infrastructure is network-agnostic, meaning partners anywhere in the world can take advantage of it to deliver value-added voice-activated services to their users.

Mobivox services are also available to consumers at www.mobivox.com.

#  #  #

About Mobivox
Mobivox provides its partners and customers a host of voice-activated mobile value-added services, including worldwide inbound and outbound calling, group communication and voice-to-text services. No complex PIN numbers or software downloads are required. Its voice-activated mobile services platform, Mobivox|PL, seamlessly combines an optimized voice user interface, rich “in-the-cloud” contact storage and a comprehensive, network-agnostic telephony infrastructure. Carriers and communities alike rebrand and resell these services as a way to quickly differentiate their offerings, enhance revenue generation and user retention, and leverage existing investments in contact or customer databases and proprietary networks.
The company is privately held and headquartered in Montréal. For more information, please visit http://blog.mobivox.com and http://www.mobivox.com.

Contact:
Laura Abbott, for Mobivox
+1 203-869-8217
laura.abbott@comunicano.com

TRUPHONE TURNS iPOD touch INTO A PHONE

LONDON–Dec. 4, 2008—Described by Apple itself as the “funnest” iPod ever, the iPod touch may now be the “useful-est,” too, thanks to free software—Truphone for iPod Touch—that effectively turns one into a mobile phone*.

Not only is the software free, but calls made using Truphone’s application for the iPod touch are also free—just in time to save precious cash when making those holiday calls to friends and family.

Once installed, and with the addition of a microphone adaptor (Truphone microphone adaptor available soon)*, iPod touch owners can make free calls—no matter where they are in the world—to other iPod touch owners, to customers of Truphone’s Internet telephony service and to users of Google Talk™ instant messaging service.

Truphone for iPod Touch will become a one-stop-shop social hub with the following features coming soon:

• Making and receiving calls to and from landlines (PSTN) at low cost (simply set yourself up with a Truphone account);
• Instant messaging to Skype and MSN (free);
• Calling to Skype users (free);
• Calling to MSN users (free);
• Check and set facilities for Twitter (free);
• Check and set facilities for Facebook (free).

Truphone for iPod touch is easily downloaded from Apple’s App Store in exactly the same way as any other iPod touch application.

The software uses the iPod touch’s Wi-Fi connection to carry calls over the Internet to its destination.  There is no monthly line rental, no subscription or other hidden charges.

#  #  #

* Microphone adaptor accessory currently available at Apple Store.

Important information
Truphone is not a replacement for an ordinary telephone service and emergency calls cannot be made using Truphone. Truphone cannot advise on the legality of VoIP (voice over IP) services in specific territories or jurisdictions. It is the user’s responsibility to confirm that use of the Truphone VoIP software and service is permitted in the location in which they use it.

About Truphone
The first true mobile internet network operator, Truphone allows users of Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phones to make and receive regular telephone calls, and to send and receive SMS (text) messages, using only a Wi-Fi connection and the internet. It has users in 149 countries.

Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network (SCN). SCN is privately owned, funded by both venture capital investment and angel investors.

Notes to editors:
Links and resources

• Truphone for iPod touch: Screenshots
• Other Truphone pictures
• Truphone videos
• Truphone website

Types of free calls that can be made:

• iPod touch to iPod touch
• iPod touch to Truphone (some Nokia handsets)
• Truphone (same Nokia handsets plus iPhone) to iPod touch
• iPod touch to Google Talk PC user

Requirements

• A second generation iPod touch (i.e., current model)
• A free download of Truphone for iPod touch
• A headset and microphone like those for the iPhone. These may be bought at high street electronics retailers or from an Apple Store
• Friends also using Truphone!

Making a Truphone call on an iPod touch
This couldn’t be simpler: The Truphone application provides you with a virtual keypad that enables you to make the call.

How it works
Truphone works by routing calls over the Internet through a Wi-Fi connection.

Apple and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the United States and other countries. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc. Google Talk is a trademark of Google Inc. Google Talk is not a telephony service and cannot be used for emergency dialling.  Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Truphone is a trademark of Software Cellular Network Ltd.  All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

Nokia Messaging Comes to Nokia Devices with support for Mail on Ovi

Nokia Messaging Comes to Nokia Devices with support for Mail on Ovi and the World’s Most Popular Email and IM Solutions

New service for consumer email and instant messaging on Nokia devices, along with Ovi email address for email and cross access to other Ovi services from a mobile phone or a PC

Barcelona, Spain - Nokia today announced the launch of Nokia Messaging, which mobilizes consumer email and consumer instant messaging (IM) solutions on Nokia devices. Nokia Messaging will give millions of consumers access to email and IM accounts from Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail and Google Talk, and AOL Mail as well as email solutions from thousands of ISPs around the world on the majority of Nokia devices. Nokia also introduced the online portal for Mail on Ovi, which will enable PC users to create and access Ovi email accounts as well as gain cross access to other Ovi services with just a single sign-on account.

”We believe everybody should have mobile messaging – it’s not a privilege service that’s meant only for a certain segment of the market. With Nokia Messaging, our customers can simply and affordably gain mobile access to the world’s most popular email and IM accounts. We are making mobile messaging an affordable experience for everyone, not just for those with specialized phones designed for messaging, but for everyone with a Nokia device. In response to overwhelming consumer feedback that messaging is a critical, must-have feature, Nokia has responded with solutions to bring messaging to the broadest range of devices and to ensure the service works with the most popular messaging services in the market. Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, email accounts provided by thousands of ISPs around the world, and even brand new Nokia-provided email accounts, can now be accessed from mobile phones with a few simple clicks, directly from the home-screen,” said Tom Furlong, Senior Vice President, Consumer Messaging, Services & Software, Nokia.

Mail on Ovi
Nokia announced the introduction of web access to Mail on Ovi, which gives users 1GB of storage space and spam filters to block unwanted emails. Creating a Mail on Ovi account will give users access to their email, as well as cross access to other Ovi services, both on the mobile phone and on the PC. The beta version of Mail on Ovi will roll out globally in December 2008 in 12 languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Hindi, Bengali, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia on all currently shipping Nokia Series 40 devices, with many more languages to be added later. The web access version will launch in February 2009.

Nokia Messaging
Nokia Messaging will launch commercially in the first quarter of 2009 in Australia, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and Venezuela, and in select countries later in the year. Agreements with key operators will establish Nokia Messaging as an operator supported service so that users who purchase a data plan that includes Nokia Messaging will be able to take full access of the built-in push email and IM access without additional service charges.

The Nokia Messaging push email service is available today for free as a limited-period beta trial. Owners of popular Nokia S60 devices such as Nokia E71 and Nokia N95 can immediately go to email.nokia.com and install the service on their devices. Nokia Messaging is an email application that’s been designed from the ground up to support mobile email. The application makes it simple to set-up the email account – all users have to enter are their email address and password, and emails are seamlessly pushed to their mobile device. Nokia Messaging also makes it simple to read, send, forward and reply to emails, download and read attachments, and attach files to emails directly on the Nokia device.

Nokia Messaging is immediately available on a wide range of Nokia S60 devices to mobilize consumer email. Instant messaging and support for Nokia Series 40 devices will be enabled in the second half of 2009.

With Nokia Messaging and Mail on Ovi together, Nokia will enable consumers with and without email accounts to experience mobile email as a standard part of the Nokia device experience. To date, Nokia has shipped about 200 million devices that immediately enable the launch of its messaging solutions, including Nokia Messaging, Mail on Ovi and corporate mobile email (Microsoft Exchange Activesync).

About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

The Nokia Maps Story Unfolds @ Nokia World

The Nokia Maps Story Unfolds with New Integrated Web Services and Other Upgrades
New version with Ovi integration offers 3D landmarks and other enhancements including online planning on the web

Barcelona, Spain - Nokia has released the latest version of its award-winning mobile mapping and navigation service, Nokia Maps, as well as its personalized online mapping experience on Ovi by Nokia.   This combination of Nokia Maps plus Ovi is the first free service that allows people to pre-plan their journey at home on their PC and synchronize with their mobile, giving access to pre-planned routes and favorite destinations while on the move.

In addition, Nokia Maps has been updated to include a number of new features such as high-resolution aerial images, 3D landmarks for 216 cities and terrain maps, as well as a new route overview during routing and during Drive, the purchasable turn-by-turn car navigation guidance. 

“Nokia has clearly increased the usability of Maps, and now with the integration of Ovi services, the functionality of this service can also be seen,” says Michael Halbherr, vice-president, Nokia location based experiences. “Enabling Nokia Maps the ability to synchronize my favorite places between my mobile and PC. becomes the main reason for anyone to switch from other personal navigation devices to Nokia Maps.”

Maps on Ovi is becoming more than just a mapping tool. Over the coming months, Maps will become a destination for people to save and organize places, pre-plan trips and post-edit them. People can share their location and all their personally and socially meaningful content with friends, inviting them to join in activities and share experiences.

Other new options for Nokia Maps include instant access to real time information such as camera alerts, safety spots and traffic information for selected countries, as well as Wcities event guides that give real-time information for events and movies in over 450 destinations.

Walk, pedestrian navigation, improves from where the last version left off, by adding straight-line guidance, which allows you to walk the shortest distance between point A and point B.  Should your journeys be more urban, beeps and vibrations during Walk navigation alert you when you need to make a turn along your route. The level of detail in the maps has increased to the point that you can view multiple entrances to the same underground metro station.

The higher map quality is a direct result of the relationship that now exists between Nokia and NAVTEQ. The close working relationship allows Nokia to better utilize the map data that NAVTEQ supplies, which provides a higher quality and extensive coverage that enables more effective location based experiences.

The new version of the Nokia Maps application for selected devices is available on the Nokia Beta Labs website: http://www.nokia.com/betalabs . The online version will be accessible from http://maps.ovi.com. As both versions are released as a Beta, some product features may not be available in the Beta release, but instead, will be added into future releases.