Comunicano

PALRINGO ADDS LOCATION, DISTANCE AND MAPS TO ITS RICH-MESSAGING APPLICATION FOR iPHONE

See Me/See You; Message Me/Message You

LONDON–Jan. 28, 2009—iPhone users looking for their nearest friends need only to glance at their screens, thanks to the addition today of location functionality to Palringo’s popular rich-messaging application.

From today, users looking down their contact lists see not only the location of their Palringo contacts—typically a town name—but also how far away those contacts are from them.

In the next update (due soon), a further click will bring up a map showing the location of a contact and also the location of any other Palringo contacts within a 10km/6-mile radius.

In the same update, the location function will allow a user to display his own location on a map—highly convenient for a user visiting somewhere for the first time.

Location and proximity information adds an interesting new layer of social network connectivity. A Palringo user can choose to reveal her location to any, all or none of her contacts, changing this selection at any time. Location can be set manually by the user, or Palringo can detect location automatically, keeping it continuously updated.
 
“Just knowing where people are can be really useful, and knowing how far away they are is even better. The prospect of knowing where someone is before you start adds a whole new dimension to your conversation,” said Kerry Ritz, Palringo’s CEO. “It can eliminate worry and will probably mean the end of a lot of unnecessary ‘Where are you?’ calls. And soon you’ll pretty much be able to watch your friend, a few minutes late for your rendezvous, approaching on a map,” he added.

Location and proximity information complement Palringo’s rich messaging service, which already provides the option to send/receive vocal instant messages, picture messages and text-based messages. The Palringo service is designed for use on mobile phones, but versions are also available for Mac OS and other desktop environments.

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Additional links/resources

• Screenshots: Palringo on the iPhone
• Picture: Kerry Ritz, Palringo CEO

Notes to editors

1. While the iPhone has its own location service (and Palringo on iPhone takes full advantage of it), Palringo on other platforms calculates location using all available radio signals, including those from mobile network base stations and also from Wi-Fi access points known to Palringo’s database. The database is updated with new information constantly, so Palringo’s location algorithm becomes more accurate every day.  Location can be calculated accurately to within a single street in towns and cities.
2. Palringo integrates with most popular IM services: AOL® Instant Messenger®, Google Talk™, Yahoo!® Messenger®, Gadu-Gadu, ICQ®, Jabber® and Microsoft’s Windows Live.  People can also use Palringo to contact their friends using iChat®, Apple’s IM application.
3. Palringo is free to download from the App Store. There are no subscriptions or other hidden charges.

About Palringo
Palringo is designed specifically to make instant messaging work on mobiles. It combines walkie-talkie style voice (vocal instant messaging) with the ‘chat’ functionality of instant messaging and offers the ability to share pictures too. Both one-to-one and group discussions are enabled, on any mobile network or connected PC.  Palringo connects with other popular instant messaging services. For more information, including logo and pictures, visit www.palringopressoffice.blogspot.com.

Microsoft and Windows Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Symbian and all Symbian-based trademarks and logos are trademarks of Symbian Software Limited. Java™ and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.  iPhone and iChat are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ICQ is a registered trademark of ICQ Inc., a division of America Online, Inc. JABBER is a registered trademark of Jabber Inc., and its use is licensed through the XMPP Standards Foundation. Other product or service names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

AT&T CruiseCastSM Service to Offer Programming from MTV Networks

Dallas, Jan. 23, 2009 – AT&T Services Inc. and RaySat Broadcasting Corporation today announced the completion of a content deal with MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), for selected content to be offered as part of the AT&T CruiseCastSM service. Programming included in the deal includes MTV Networks’ mobile channels from MTV, COMEDY CENTRAL and Nickelodeon, as well as linear TV channels, The N and NOGGIN.

“Our recent multiplatform deal with MTVN cements the addition of some of television’s most compelling brands on our new AT&T CruiseCastSM service,” said Rob Thun, senior vice president of content, AT&T Services Inc. “We are thrilled to have MTV Networks programming to offer to our subscribers.”

“Delivering the best channels and programs to in-vehicle viewers of all ages is what AT&T CruiseCast service is striving to provide”, said Steve Symonds, Executive Vice President of RaySat Broadcasting Corporation. “The content we have licensed from MTV Networks includes some of the most popular programming in the U.S.”

“Our audiences want fast and full access to our content whether at home or on the go, and AT&T CruiseCast service gives us an exciting new platform to reach even more of our fans when they’re on the road, as well,“ said Denise Denson, Executive Vice President, Content Distribution and Marketing, MTVN. 

AT&T CruiseCastSM mobile TV service is the In-Car Entertainment offering that will enable families, commuters, and mobile professionals to watch satellite video channels anywhere in the country. Demonstrated at CES, the world’s premier consumer electronics tradeshow, AT&T CruiseCast service will have a robust 22 TV and 20 satellite radio channel line-up that will include a variety of kids and family, documentary, music, comedy, news, and sports programming at launch. AT&T CruiseCast service utilizes a compact, low-profile antenna for use on cars, non-commercial trucks and SUVs, and a breakthrough technology that overcomes line-of-sight obstacles such as overpasses, buildings, trees or tunnels. The groundbreaking service was developed in collaboration between RaySat™, Inc. a leading manufacturer and supplier for the mass market for cost-effective, low-profile satellite antennas that enable communication on the move, and AT&T, the world’s premier telecommunications company. RaySat Broadcasting Corporation, a privately held U.S. company, is working with AT&T Business Development to introduce the new product to the marketplace. 

AT&T CruiseCast service is made consumer-friendly by the unique scaling down of satellite technology into the small pod-like antenna that affixes to the roof of vehicles. The antenna is paired with a receiver that is mounted in the vehicle and provides all video and audio connections to the appropriate vehicle systems, such as Rear Seat Entertainment, Vehicle Audio System etc.

For more information, go to www.cruisecast.com.

About RaySat Broadcasting Corporation
RaySat Broadcasting Corporation is a privately held U.S. company that has been chartered to introduce Total In-Car Entertainment to the marketplace with the revolutionary AT&T CruiseCast service. Headquartered in Dallas, TX, RaySat Broadcasting Corporation capitalizes on pioneering technology that has enabled the creation of a small compact antenna for use on cars, trucks and SUV’s that also provides continual coverage on-the-go thanks to an advancement that overcomes line-of-sight obstacles such as overpasses, buildings, trees or tunnels. RaySat Broadcasting Corporation. is an affiliate of Vienna, VA-based global satellite-antenna innovator RaySat™, Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier for the mass market of cost-effective, low-profile satellite antennas that enable communication on the move.

About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world’s leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products.  The company’s portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, GameTrailers and Xfire.  

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's World's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list and No. 1 on America's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.
© 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Citrix Licenses Global IP Solutions for Enabling High Quality Voice Conferencing to the Desktop

Citrix GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar Use GIPS State of the Art Technology as Foundation for its Voice Communication

SAN FRANCISCO and SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Jan 26, 2009, Global IP Solutions (Oslo Børs: GIPS), the leading provider of IP multimedia processing solutions, and Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS), announced today the two companies entered into an OEM license and distribution agreement to provide integrated VoIP and PSTN audio conferencing in GoToMeeting® and GoToWebinar®.  Using GIPS technology, Citrix has enhanced its ability to deliver easy, true one-click meetings with this new combination of VoIP, phone and web conferencing that enables online meetings and Web events of all sizes.

 “GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar make it possible for anyone with a PC or Mac® to easily, securely and cost effectively collaborate, present information and demonstrate products at their desktop,” said Bernd Oliver Christiansen, Citrix Online’s Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.  “We’re pleased to have GIPS as our partner to help us deliver the highest quality audio experience to our GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar customers.”

“With current economic conditions, there’s an increasing demand for unified communications and collaboration capabilities, which help to offset travel expenses,” said Global IP Solutions’ CEO Emerick Woods. “Citrix offers the easiest user-friendly one-click meeting service on the market to satisfy this growing demand. We’re delighted they selected GIPS Voice ConferenceEngine and VoiceEngine as the enabling technology for VOIP and PSTN audio conferencing, critical components in a high quality, real-time Web conferencing experience.”

Citrix® GoToMeeting® and Citrix® GoToWebinar® include GIPS Voice ConferenceEngineTM and VoiceEngine to ensure users have the best experience possible.  Based on GIPS’ award-winning and patented technology, GIPS Voice ConferenceEngine is powerful software that handles all aspects of audio mixing and processing in a conference or collaboration environment. GIPS’ software handles audio processing issues typical on IP networks, such as delay, jitter, packet loss, background noise and echo; thereby ensuring excellent audio quality, even under adverse network conditions.

For more information and a free trial of GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar, visit www.gotomeeting.com and www.gotowebinar.com.

About Citrix
Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) is the global leader and the most trusted name in Application Delivery Infrastructure. More than 215,000 organizations worldwide rely on Citrix to deliver any application to users anywhere with the best performance, highest security and lowest cost. Citrix customers include 100 percent of the Fortune 100 companies and 99 percent of the Fortune Global 500, as well as hundreds of thousands of small businesses and prosumers. Citrix has approximately 8,000 partners in more than 100 countries. Annual revenue in 2007 was $1.4 billion.

Citrix®, GoToMeeting® and GoToWebinar® are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

About Global IP Solutions
Global IP Solutions (Oslo Børs: GIPS) provides best-in-class voice and video processing in IP communications. GIPS enables its customers to deliver unmatched quality, with a faster time-to-market and with less risk than alternative solutions. GIPS serves application developers, wired and wireless service providers and network and telecommunications equipment vendors. Its customer list includes Gadu-Gadu, Google, IBM, Mail.ru, LG Electronics, Movial, Nibuzz, Nortel, Oracle, Radvision, Samsung, Citrix, Yahoo!, Tencent, and other key players in the voice and video over IP markets. The company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Stockholm, Boston and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.gipscorp.com.

Voice ConferenceEngineTM is a trademark of Global IP Solutions. Citrix®, GoToMeeting® and GoToWebinar™ are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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IFBYPHONE APPLICATION GIVES BATTERIES PLUS A JOLT

Store Locator Solution Helps Battery Retailer Improve Customer Service

CHICAGO–Jan. 27, 2009—Batteries Plus, the nation’s leading retail outlet for batteries of all sorts, shapes and sizes, says its business received a boost from a toll-free Store Locator application developed by Internet telephony innovator Ifbyphone.

Batteries Plus wanted to improve service for customers who call its nationwide toll-free number, 1-800-MR-START. The goal was to find a solution that would satisfy callers’ specific needs, automate call handling and drive traffic to retail stores.
 
Ifbyphone’s Store Locator application gave Batteries Plus a solution that routes callers based on their needs and location:  Customers are routed to the nearest retail store of their choice, product shoppers are given direct access to product support experts, and prospective franchisees are directly connected to the corporate franchising department.

“Batteries Plus has demonstrated their retail leadership with two innovations:  a marketing innovation in using one toll-free number to satisfy all constituents’ needs, and an operational innovation in relying on intelligent call routing to handle constituents’ calls efficiently and effectively,” said Irv Shapiro, CEO of Ifbyphone. “Our off-the-shelf technologies were chosen to provide the backbone of the operational component—our IVR handles the initial customer choices, and our Store Locator application helps direct retail customers to their nearest store.

“We worked with Batteries Plus to optimize the implementation and customer experience, ensuring that customer wait times were low and call-handling effectiveness was optimal,” Shapiro added. “Batteries Plus has set a new standard for retail marketing and operations with this solution.”

When a customer calls Batteries Plus, Ifbyphone’s solution asks the customer their intent, and if they are looking for a retail store, executes a reverse-lookup on the customer’s phone number to find their current location. The customer is then presented with the addresses of and distances to the three stores closest to their current location, and can conveniently choose the store to which they will be connected. 

Russ Reynolds, CEO of Batteries Plus, said: “We pride ourselves on being ‘America’s Battery Experts,’ and we strive to continuously improve communication with our customers. The Ifbyphone Store Locator puts Batteries Plus customers in touch with the right person, who’ll have the right answers.”

Reynolds added: “It’s the call-routing solution we’ve been seeking to connect Batteries Plus customers all over the country to their nearest Battery Experts every time, all the time.”

To learn more about Ifbyphone’s affordable suite of online telephony applications, including Store Locator, Hosted IVR, Voice Broadcasting, and Call Routing, visit http://www.ifbyphone.com. 

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About Batteries Plus
Batteries Plus is the nation's largest retail chain of its kind, offering a comprehensive selection of batteries, battery-related products and technical support that meet growing battery demands for consumer and commercial customers. In addition to thousands of batteries, stores also feature a Tech Center that is equipped to design, assemble, and test custom battery packs. Accounts include Fortune 500 companies, manufacturers, other retail channels, local municipalities, fire and police departments, the armed forces and school districts. Its product line includes batteries for both the common and hard-to-find items that are traditionally not available at other retail stores. Currently, Batteries Plus has 400 locations open and in development in 43 states and Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.batteriesplus.com. 

About Ifbyphone
Ifbyphone is a telephone automation application company that provides small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with tools to enhance customer conversations, drive sales, and lower costs. Leveraging Ifbyphone's extreme usability, developers and marketers can quickly create solutions ranging from simple click-to-call links to sophisticated call routing and interactive-marketing systems. Ifbyphone's solutions are available directly to SMBs and through a network of resellers. For more information, visit www.ifbyphone.com.

Contact:
Cheryl Cink, for Ifbyphone
ccink@comunicano.com
+1 530-756-4630

TELECOM SERVICES FIRM TALK-OUT SELECTS MOBIVOX|PL TO POWER MARKET EXPANSION

Voice-Activated Platform Drives Talk-Out’s Growth, New Services

MONTRÉAL–Jan. 27, 2009—Mobivox today announced that Talk-Out, a business and consumer voice-services company, has chosen the powerful Mobivox|PL voice-activated mobile services platform as the engine for its growth and global expansion.

Talk-Out’s Mobivox-powered services will be available to Canadian consumers the second week of February and to U.S.-based consumers in late March. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“In Mobivox, we found a partner whose platform offers the turnkey, full-featured network management capabilities necessary to allow us to concentrate on expanding throughout North America and globally,” said Talk-Out President and CEO David J.F. Chin.

Patrick Mailloux, Talk-Out’s vice president of IT development, added:  “Mobivox|PL offers the value-added services and competitive edge we need to enhance and monetize the service line we offer businesses and consumers through our fast-growing network of independent representatives and resellers. This solution affords us a great deal of flexibility and quality, enabling us to expand both our service line and our reach around the world.”

Mailloux said Talk-Out had replaced its former platform and network partner with Mobivox|PL. Talk-Out will initially deploy the suite of voice-activated Mobivox|PL services in English and French, and eventually in Spanish.

Mobivox CEO Peter Diedrich said the partnership with Talk-Out affirms Mobivox’s 2008 change in strategic direction to focus on offering its patent-pending Mobivox|PL platform to the service-provider market.

“For us, it’s satisfying validation when a company like Talk-Out, a retail provider with global ambitions that needs infrastructure, comes to us and we get them up and running within 30 days,” Diedrich said. “It shows how nimble and flexible we can be, especially in creating and tailoring their go-to-market retail offers.”

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 and value-added services (VAS) offerings—end users simply speak names or commands to initiate, manage and control voice-based communications.

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 and third party applications. 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.

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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://www.mobivoxpl.com and http://www.mobivox.com.

About Talk-Out
Talk-Out, based in Montréal, is an e-commerce, B2B, B2C business in the telecom industry. The company provides a high-quality service-to-cost ratio, while developing new technologies with business partners and penetrating markets through its independent representatives and resellers, on national and international levels. Talk-Out’s business model is driven by a unique marketing strategy enabling independent representatives and resellers to achieve their financial goals through an e-commerce business integrating a B2B and B2C turnkey Web solution in tune with realities of the new economy, simplicity and efficiency. For more information, please visit http://www.talk-out.com.

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

U.K. TECH COMPANY BUCKS “DOOM AND GLOOM” TREND WITH NOMINATION FOR PRESTIGIOUS GLOBAL AWARD

Newcastle-Based Palringo Shortlisted with Finland’s Nokia and India’s Bharti Airtel

Newcastle, U.K.–Jan. 21, 2009—Palringo has been shortlisted in the Best Mobile Internet Service category in the 2009 GSMA Global Mobile Awards—the most prestigious annual awards in the world of mobile.

Revealed by the GSMA today, the shortlist pitches Palringo against Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia, Indian telecoms giant Bharti Airtel, Germany’s Blue Lion Mobile and Volantis Systems, also from the United Kingdom.

Kerry Ritz, CEO of Palringo, said: “This is a terrific achievement for Palringo. These awards are open to companies from just about any country in the world, so even to make the shortlist—to be up against companies like Nokia and Bharti—is a terrific indicator of just how good the U.K. is at ‘mobile’.”

Palringo’s service is rewarded for successfully making instant messaging “work” on mobile phones. Instant messaging is hugely popular on desktops around the world, with an estimated 1.5 billion instant messaging accounts in existence.

Palringo enables not only text-based messaging, but also makes it possible to send voice messages and picture messages to another phone user or a group—or even to someone sitting at their home computer. Mobile users can also permit their current location—computed by the software—to be displayed for their friends to see.

Award winners will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the GSMA Global Mobile Awards Gala Dinner, held in the National Palace (Palau Nacional) in Barcelona.

Mobile World Congress—the world’s largest mobile industry show—is held annually in Barcelona, and this year runs from Feb. 16-19.

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About Palringo
Palringo makes instant messaging work on mobile. The Palringo service combines walkie-talkie style voice (vocal instant messaging) with the real-time text chat functionality of instant messaging and also enables picture-sharing within the context of a discussion. It supports both one-on-one and group discussions, and enables real-time dialogue that can incorporate users from across the globe, on any mobile network or connected PC. The Palringo service also supports connections to other popular instant messaging services. Palringo is a privately held company based in Newcastle, UK.

TRUPHONE ANYWHERE LAUNCHES ON ANDROID™ G1

Truphone Available in U.S. and U.K. and at Launch in Germany and Austria

LONDON–Jan. 21, 2009—Truphone today announced the immediate free availability of its Truphone Anywhere application for Android™-enabled mobile handsets, including the recently released G1 phone. The application is available now as a download on the Android Market in the U.K. and the U.S.

To coincide with T-Mobile’s announcement earlier this week of the availability of the G1 mobile phone in March 2009, a German version of Truphone Anywhere for Android is available and will be the first native language multi-communications application in the Android Market in Germany and Austria when it launches at CeBIT 2009.

Truphone Anywhere for Android delivers an all-in-one conversations hub that allows customers to take advantage of Truphone’s low international call rates, in addition to the cost of a local call*.

As well as being able to make low-cost international voice calls, Truphone customers can also easily instant-message their friends across a variety of networks including MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk™ and Twitter from within one Android application. Customers can also call friends anywhere in the world on Google Talk for the price of a local call, and similarly will soon will be able to instant-message and call their friends on Skype.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to have conversations with their communities around the world in whatever form they choose,” said Truphone CEO Geraldine Wilson.

She continued: “We passionately believe in devices like the Android and iPhone which offer easy user access to applications through the Android Market and the App Store in Apple’s iTunes. The G1 and the entire Android platform is an obvious and important distribution channel for us.”

Truphone is now available on Android, the Apple iPhone, the Apple iPod touch, Blackberry and Nokia devices.

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* Operator roaming charges will apply if you are abroad.

Notes to editors

1. Screenshots: Truphone Anywhere on a T-Mobile G1 handset

2. Truphone Anywhere works in 33 countries around the world, saving Android users from those countries money on international calls made from their home country. 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.

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

Android and Google Talk are trademarks of Google Inc. Apple and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the United States and other countries. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc.  Skype is a registered trademark of Skype Limited. In the United States and/or other countries.Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Truphone is a trademark of Software Cellular Network Ltd.  Skype and SkypeIn are trademarks of Skype Limited.  All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

About Truphone

Truphone enables Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phones to make/receive regular telephone calls and to send/receive SMS text messages using only a Wi-Fi connection and the internet. It has already attracted many tens of thousands of users in 149 countries. Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network Limited (SCN).  SCN is privately owned, funded by both venture capital investment and angel investors.

Media contacts:
North America:
Sue Huss
Comunicano, Inc.
sue.huss@comunicano.com
+1 619-379-4396

UK/Europe:
Tim Donnelly Smith
Both Barrels Communications Ltd.
timds@bbcomms.co.uk
+44 7978 800275

VRINGO ANNOUNCES GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP WITH SONY ERICSSON

Award-Winning Video Ringtone Application to Be Promoted on Millions of Sony Ericsson Walkman™ Phones

NEW YORK–Jan. 22, 2009—Vringo™, the next-generation ringtone pioneer, announced today that its free video ringtone application is being pre-linked on global shipments of Sony Ericsson’s Walkman™ phones and promoted via the manufacturer’s Fun & Downloads portal, introducing Vringo to millions of new users. New Sony Ericsson owners join a thriving community of Symbian, Java and Windows Mobile users who are already experiencing Vringo’s high-quality video ringtones and VringForward™ technology, which lets users send ringtones to friends just by calling.

This partnership with Sony Ericsson, which was established when Vringo took home a prize at last year’s Sony Ericsson Content Awards, is the latest step in Vringo’s continuing push toward global availability and monetization of video ringtones. Recently, Vringo announced partnership deals with mobile carriers in Turkey and France that enable users to download the Vringo application and access content, in some cases on a paid-subscription basis.

“Our partnership with Sony Ericsson is unprecedented,” said Vringo CEO Jon Medved. “In addition to being the first social video ringtone application to be downloadable directly from Sony Ericsson phones, we’re reaching millions of Walkman users—one of the most innovative, media-hungry audiences in the world.”

Vringo’s application, which is also available for a wide variety of Symbian, Java and Windows Mobile devices via www.vringo.com, lets users create or take video, images and slideshows from virtually anywhere, including Vringo’s 4,000-clips-and-counting video ringtone library or the Web, and make them into their personal call signatures.

To access Vringo, Walkman users can find the link prominently displayed in their phone’s Web browser. By clicking the link, users will download the Vringo application to their phones and can immediately begin sharing video ringtones with their phone contacts.

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About Vringo
Founded in 2006, Vringo is bringing about the evolution of ringtones. With its award-winning video ringtone application, Vringo takes a sledgehammer to the traditional call signature, transforming the basic act of making and receiving mobile phone calls into a highly visual, social experience.
 
By installing Vringo’s application, which is compatible with more than 200 handsets, users can create or take video, images and slideshows from virtually anywhere, including Vringo’s 4,000-clips-and-counting video ringtone library or the Web, and make it into their personal call signature. In a first for the mobile industry, Vringo has introduced VringForward, a technology that lets its users select which video ringtone their friends will see when they call.
 
Vringo is backed by Warburg Pincus and by private investors. The company has been heralded by The New York Times as “the next big thing in ringtone” and by USA Today as having “to be seen to be believed.” To witness the next generation of ringtones and see a list of supported handsets, please visit http://www.vringo.com.

Contacts:
Sue Huss, for Vringo
Comunicano, Inc.
sue.huss@comunicano.com
+1 619-379-4396

Josh Shabtai
Vringo
josh@vringo.com
+1 917-459-5641

 

BOINGO WIRELESS POWERS AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (AUS) WI-FI

With Launch at AUS Airport, Boingo Will Be The Wi-Fi Provider for the Technology Hub of Texas
 
LOS ANGELES—Jan. 21, 2009–Boingo is now the provider of Wi-Fi services in the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), providing Wi-Fi connectivity to the technologically savvy travelers to and from Austin, Texas.

When at AUS, air travelers will be able to log in to the Wi-Fi network by using an existing Boingo account, or an account with one of Boingo’s many roaming partners. If the traveler does not have a Boingo account, she will be able get online with either a Boingo Unlimited account for $9.95 a month, or a 24-hour pass for $7.95.

For travelers with smartphones—such as the iPhone, Nokia Nseries and Eseries phones or Windows Mobile 6.0 devices—they will also be able to get online with Wi-Fi if they have a Boingo Mobile account; the Boingo Mobile provides worldwide access to Boingo hotspots for $7.95 a month.

“Austin is one of the great tech cities—with companies such as Dell, and technology events like South by Southwest—and we’re proud to have been chosen to provide the Wi-Fi service for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport,” said David Hagan, CEO and president, Boingo Wireless. “We look forward to providing the travelers in Austin with the same fast and reliable service that we provide other airports. With Boingo, Austin knows that they are getting a top Wi-Fi provider and a new revenue stream for the airport.”

From January through November 2008, more than 4 million travelers took off from AUS; with Boingo now providing the Wi-Fi network, these Austin travelers will be able to get online with a fast, reliable and easy-to-use connection, and be able to browse, upload and download files for work, check corporate e-mail and anything else that needs a high-speed connection.

About Boingo Wireless
Boingo Wireless, Inc., the global market leader in Wi-Fi, makes it simple and easy for people to enjoy Wi-Fi access on their laptop or mobile device at more than 100,000 hotspots worldwide. With a single account, Boingo users can logon to the Boingo Network locations that include the top airports around the world, major hotel chains, cafés and coffee shops, restaurants, and metropolitan hot zones. Boingo, and its Concourse Communications Group subsidiary, operate wired and wireless networks at 55 airports worldwide, including 29 of the top 100 North American airports, as well as the WSDOT Ferries Division Wi-Fi network. For more information about Boingo, please visit http://www.boingo.com.

Boingo, Boingo Wireless, Boingo Mobile, the Boingo Wireless Logo and Don’t Just Go. Boingo! are registered trademarks of Boingo Wireless, Inc. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

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Contact:
Jeremy Pepper
Boingo Wireless
+1 310-309-5984
jpepper@boingo.com

IFBYPHONE DELIVERS VOICE BROADCAST SERVICE GUARANTEE

Pricing Promotion Also Offered for High-Volume Users of Voice Broadcasting

CHICAGO—Jan. 21, 2009–Ifbyphone is raising the bar for telephone automation application providers with a new service guarantee:  Customers’ voice broadcast calls will be delivered on time or they are free. Ifbyphone is setting a new standard for voice broadcast calls and challenges the industry to match its guarantee, making customers the clear winners.

“Our guarantee helps our business customers understand how important the delivery of their voice broadcast calls is to us,” said Ifbyphone CEO Irv Shapiro. “Moreover, our guarantee helps differentiate Ifbyphone’s services because we are the first and only provider that stands 100 percent behind the delivery of voice broadcast calls.”

Ifbyphone’s guarantee is simple: If any scheduled broadcast call to a U.S. or Canadian phone number is delayed by more than five minutes, Ifbyphone will reimburse customers for the call.

"As we looked across the voice broadcast market, we realized that our approach to message delivery is unique,” Shapiro said. “Ifbyphone’s self-service scheduler looks at existing capacity to ensure that a delivery request can be satisfied. We then manage our capacity to make certain that every call gets delivered on time. All broadcast customers deserve this level of service, which is why we encourage our competitors to join us in delivering 100 percent of broadcast calls on time.”

Ifbyphone is also kicking off a voice-broadcasting promotion in January, providing special pricing to high-volume voice broadcasters. “We’re offering inducements to high-volume broadcasters, such as direct-marketing firms and direct-response advertisers, to encourage them to experience the premium services that Ifbyphone delivers,” Shapiro said.

Ifbyphone was also the first telephone automation application provider to announce full conformity with the Federal Trade Commission’s Telemarketing Sales Rule and was the first voice broadcast company to release an iPhone App. Beyond voice broadcasting, the company offers a wide range of advanced, intelligent call-handling features that are ideal for businesses of all sizes.

To learn more about Ifbyphone’s affordable suite of telephone automation applications, including interactive voice broadcasting, Trackable Toll-Free Numbers and interactive voice response (IVR), visit http://www.ifbyphone.com.

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About Ifbyphone
Ifbyphone is a telephone automation application company that provides small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with tools to enhance customer conversations, drive sales, and lower costs. Leveraging Ifbyphone's extreme usability, developers and marketers can quickly create solutions ranging from simple click-to-call links to sophisticated call routing and interactive-marketing systems. Ifbyphone's solutions are available directly to SMBs and through a network of resellers. For more information, visit www.ifbyphone.com.

Contact:
Cheryl Cink, for Ifbyphone
ccink@comunicano.com
+1 530-756-4630