THE MECCA OF MOBILE MARKETING

Mobile Marketing Association: Mobile Marketing To Grow 26% This Year

2009-06-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

Average mobile marketing budgets will increase 26% this year even as overall marketing expenditures decline by 7% this year, according to new research presented by the Mobile Marketing Association Wednesday at its conference in New York.

While mobile is bucking the downward spending trend resulting from the recession, the emerging medium is still only a small fraction of total marketing budgets, at 1.8%. The MMA projects that mobile ad spending will grow from $1.7 billion this year to $2.16 billion in 2010.

The trade group found that about half of brands and advertising agencies it polled were doing at least some type of mobile marketing, with SMS text campaigns being the most common at 66%, followed by having a mobile Web site (53%), and mobile email marketing (33%).

About half of agencies said they overall viewed mobile marketing as still being part of experimental expending, compared to 36% of brands. Both brands and agencies reported having "average" success with mobile efforts compared to other marketing channels.

While that might not be the ringing endorsement the industry would like to hear, MMA President and CEO Mike Wehrs said the increase in mobile spending despite the downturn shows that more dollars are shifting to the category from traditional media. "The benefits of [mobile marketing] are clear and they're being proven out," said Wehrs, in terms of metrics like ad response rates and brand lift found in MMA case studies.

Peter Johnson, who is leading the MMA's research efforts as vice president of market intelligence and strategy, said the findings highlighted mobile's strengths as a vehicle for performance-based advertising. "This recession just provides more evidence to show marketers are putting in dollars where they're going to be able to track and target and serve it. So, of course, mobile," he said.

Not surprisingly, the study also showed that the Internet is the medium that advertisers are most often integrating mobile efforts with, at 70%. Less expected is that trade shows and other promotional events would be the next most popular type of marketing effort tied into mobile, at 36%.

The MMA research, which the organization plans to release more widely in the coming days, also relied on input from partners including the Advertising Database Inc. and Luth Research.

by Mark Walsh

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=107270

Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) today opened its annual Mobile Marketing Forum (MMF) in New York

2009-06-04T07:05:00.001-07:00

The two-day event discusses such topics as consumer engagement, branding in the mobile channel and social media. Featuring executives from companies with widely recognized brands, the MMF emphasizes marketers’ case studies and discussions around privacy, location services and creating opportunities through the evolution of the market. “

Consumer privacy will continue to be at the core of our organization, with an emphasis on education and awareness around making the mobile marketing ecosystem profitable for all involved,” said Mike Wehrs, president and CEO of the MMA.

Wehrs said that the show’s attendance was good and said the investment in mobile advertising this year is definitely there. "By far, this year is the largest spend in mobile advertisement we have ever seen," he said.

In March, the MMA announced that the four largest U.S. wireless service providers – Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile USA – had agreed to incorporate their mobile marketing guidelines within the MMA’s best practices, resulting in a transparent, consolidated playbook of consumer best practices.

Wehrs today said that the MMA will be announcing some big news in the next couple of weeks. While he couldn’t be specific, he said the new solution from MMA “will have an enabling effect for everyone in the ecosystem. We just need a little bit more time to get a couple pieces in place.”

By Andrew Berg WirelessWeek
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article.aspx?id=169794

GoMo News reveals several new sponsors NeoMedia, Win, Movidilo and ZeepMedia

2009-06-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

I am delighted to announce and welcome some new sponsors to GoMo News. I am sure you will know them as many are repeat sponsors of GoMo News – showing that we are indeed a great place to advertise.

Not only do we deliver great traffic to sites we also write relevant detailed analysis and news on our sponsors independently. But that isn’t all. I spoke to everyone that is sponsoring us and to past sponsors and the main reason they love GoMo News is partnerships.

It is indeed true. Cian and I know everyone in mobile and we attend all the good conferences. If we have a sponsor nearby we make sure we introduce them to the best brands, publishers and vendors to support their business.

Everyone knows that word of mouth and introductions are vital to succeed and that is what GoMo News does best.

So, more about our great sponsors:

NeoMedia

Mobile barcode provider with a mobile reader solution. It owns the patent for indirect barcode solutions in mobile. NeoMedia has signed up as a GoMo News headline sponsor for the next year. Yep! One year! This is a major package with different benefits tailored to trade shows. Two headline banners are also included and regular interviews with the CEO.

Win PLC

Mobile solutions and platform provider with a strong enterprise arm. WIN-plc has been a sponsor of GoMo News for the past 12 months and will now be a Gold sponsor for the next year. Last year we drove over 3,000 visitors per quarter to the WIN website and we hope to improve on that over the next 12 months! WIN is a very innovative company and an interview with CEO Graham Rivers will be published this week.

Movidilo

Movidilo is the mobile arm of mobile voice solutions company Ydilo. It provides mobile voice and visual multi-modal solutions to clients. An interview with Movidilo will be published this week focusing on some innovative voice and visual solutions. This is the third time Movidilo has sponsored GoMo News and some exciting video and interviews to follow.

ZeepMedia

ZeepMedia is a self-service mobile SMS solutions provider. It is our first every CPM based advertiser. We will be running an SMS campaign on ZeepMedia and will publish the results. We already did a review of the new self-service platform. Waiting for two more! Hopefully we will also showcase two more companies here We have lots of opportunities and we are affordable, strong and independent. A great place to show that you don’t buy good reviews you buy banners for honest, simple opinion.

Courtesy: Bena Roberts on Jun 1, 2009 16:55

NeuStar Appoints Eric Burger as Chief Technology Officer

2009-06-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

Respected Technologist Brings Deep Expertise in Communications Technologies and Entrepreneurship to CTO Role.

STERLING, Va., June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Jeffrey Ganek, chairman and chief executive officer of NeuStar, Inc. (NYSE: NSR - News), today announced the appointment of Eric Burger to the position of chief technology officer. Burger will be responsible for setting NeuStar's forward-looking technology and service strategy, and devising the architecture to help strengthen the company's position by developing new services and solutions. He also will oversee the early stages of new technology development, and will work closely with NeuStar's operations team to drive the successful launch and commercialization of future IP services.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080310/NEUSTARLOGO )

"Eric has an unparalleled combination of technical acumen and entrepreneurial savvy, and I am delighted to welcome him to NeuStar," said Ganek. "He is, first and foremost, a highly respected scientist with a proven skill set in technology strategy, market evangelization, intellectual property generation and research. Eric's broad expertise in communications technologies and his active leadership in standards organizations in the industry are just two of the many attributes that will make him a key contributor to NeuStar's future success."

Prior to joining NeuStar, Burger was acting general manager of the Communications Products Division at BEA Systems, Inc., where he also held the posts of deputy chief technology officer and vice president of engineering earlier in his BEA tenure. He also has served as chief technology officer at Cantata Technology, Inc. and Brooktrout, Inc.; founder and chief technology officer at SnowShore Networks, Inc.; chief scientist at Centigram Communications Corporation; vice president of engineering at The Telephone Connection, Inc.; and manager of software development at Cable & Wireless USA, Inc.

In addition, Burger currently chairs various Internet Engineering Task Force working groups involving Speech Services Control, Mobile and Unified Messaging, and Media Server Control, and is actively involved with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association of Computer Machinery. He sits on the Boards of Advisors at Mobera Systems, AGNITY, Sigma Systems and Dexrex LLC, and is Chairman of the Board of Directors at the SIP Forum.

Finally, Burger holds 17 published patents in the United States with several pending, holds additional patents in other countries, and has been widely published in technical and standards publications. Burger holds a Ph.D. from the Illinois Institute of Technology; an MBA in economics and marketing from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium; and a bachelor's degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Nokia Selects NeoReader For Star Trek QR Code

2009-05-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

Nokia has selected NeoMedia's NeoReader as the preferred QR code reading application for their Star Trek mobile code campaign.

Star Trek fans are encouraged to point their phone's browser to get.neoreader.com which will link them to the NeoReader download site. Once the NeoReader code scanning software is installed on their device, fans can scan the QR code which will connect them to mobile content.

This marks the third mobile code promotion between Nokia and NeoMedia Technologies. Due to the overwhelming success of Nokia's past two campaigns with NeoMedia and IQ mobile, mobile code enthusiasts can expect more promotions like this now and into the future.

Courtesy: Streetstylz

Spektacle Selects NeoReader For QR Codes

2009-05-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

Spektacle, a contemporary culture bi-monthly magazine, selected NeoMedia's NeoReader as the preferred QR code reading application for their spring 2009 edition.

Throughout the magazine, readers will be greeted by a series of QR codes that act as a turnstile to another world. Using the NeoReader iPhone application as a first class ticket, readers are encouraged to scan codes from page to page and connect to everything good Spektacle has to offer.

After finishing one article, simply move on to the next one and scan again to experience a new way of interactive reading.

Courtesy: Streetstylz

Dornbirner Messe & T-Mobile Select NeoMedia

2009-05-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in mobile barcode scanning solutions, and philipp, an Austrian-based mobile solutions and services company, were selected by Dornbirner Messe and T-Mobile, to provide 2D barcode services for the spring exhibition Frühjahrsmesse, which took place in Dornbirn, Austria.

Trade fair organizer, Dornbirner Messe used 2D codes from NeoMedia in their promotion campaigns for Frühjahrsmesse.

Visitors at the spring exhibition were encouraged to text MESSE via SMS over the T-Mobile network, which linked them to the NeoReader download site. Once the NeoReader code scanning software was installed on their device, visitors could scan the Data Matrix code, which connected them to mobile content.

Through NeoMedia, traditional advertising is instantly transformed into a multi-media experience when advertisers incorporate 2D barcodes into their marketing mix. Any product, magazine/newspaper, retail display or billboard with a 2D code can provide access to real-time product or service information, downloadable content or mobile commerce transactions.

Courtesy: Streetstylz

NeoReader Latest Campaigns Available On Website

2009-05-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

Neoreader website now has latest "live 2d barcodes" ..... they just added links to their latest campaigns including tele.ring, mazda, nokia, dornbirn, volkswagen, etc.

Tele.ring (2009/05)
Mobile network operator, tele.ring, has started an innovative 2D code campaign to educate people on mobile code reading and mobile tagging in more than 260 highschools throughout Austria.

Mazda (2009/05)
To promote the pre-launch of its new Mazda 3, car manufacturer Mazda has run an innovative QR code campaign in Austrian magazines Sport Week and Format.

Nokia (2009/04)
NOKIA has leveraged 2D codes in their advertising campaign to promote the Nokia Music Device 5800 via the Mobilezone®, a major catalog retailer in Switzerland.

Dornbirn (2009/04)
Trade fair organizer, Dornbirner Messe, has used 2D codes in their promotion campaigns for the spring exhibition "Frühjahrsmesse" taking place in Dornbirn, Austria.

Volkswagen (2009/02)
Volkswagen has run a mobile barcode scanning campaign to promote its new Siroco car. While scannig the 2D code in several Austrian magazines, car fans are able to preview the Siroco video trailer on their mobile phone for free (zero-billing).

NeoReader

Courtesy: fuego10

tele.ring Partners With NeoMedia & IQ Mobile

2009-05-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in mobile barcode scanning solutions, was selected by IQ mobile, the leading mobile marketing company in Central Europe, to provide 2D barcoding services for Austrian carrier tele.ring.

With the support of the youth marketers, Young Enterprises will be introducing Mobile Tagging technology at 263 Middle and Secondary schools. For this campaign, mobile advertising tags will be placed on posters with a detailed explanation on how to download the NeoReader code scanning software from NeoMedia Technologies. By scanning the tags with their mobile device, students are directly connected to a campaign site where they can access free content.

"tele.ring is famous for its unconventional form of communication. We have considered a new way to communicate with the youthful target audience to engage in dialog. Young people are mobile, alert and always interested in new things. With our Mobile Tagging campaign, we reach our target audience efficiently and can mobilize. In the first five school days, there were over 250 Reader software downloads, 225 day-scans and page views, as well as 90 content downloads," said Peter Hörlezeder, communications director at tele.ring.

"The tagging campaign by tele.ring is something very special. Mobile tagging is not only part of the campaign, but the main actor. They give a detailed description of how it works. As expected, is precisely the target group of young people very experimental, mobile tagging is perfectly placed here," said Harald Winkelhofer, founder and CEO of mobile marketing agency IQ mobile.

IQ mobile already has numerous campaigns in various sectors (including automotive, cosmetics, telecom) and media (tags on posters, city lights, mail, magazines and newspapers) and the response has always been excellent.

The creation and implementation of this mobile tagging campaign was carried out in cooperation with Young Enterprises and NeoMedia Technologies. IQ mobile was the brainstorming and the complete implementation of mobile, Young Enterprises was responsible for the billboard advertising in schools and NeoMedia provided the code reader software and 2D barcodes.

Courtesy: Streetstylz

Mazda & NeoMedia Technologies Launch QR Code Campaign In Australia

2009-05-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in mobile barcode scanning solutions, has been selected by Mazda to power an innovative QR code campaign in Austrian magazines Sport Week and Format to promote the pre-launch of the new Mazda 3.

Readers of the magazines are encouraged to text CODE to 48000 which will link them to the NeoReader download site. Once the NeoReader code scanning software is installed on their device, readers can scan the QR code which will connect them to mobile content.

Through NeoMedia, traditional advertising is instantly transformed into a multi-media experience when advertisers incorporate 2D barcodes into their marketing mix. Any product, magazine/newspaper, retail display or billboard with a 2D code can provide access to real-time product or service information, downloadable content or mobile commerce transactions.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

Nokia & NeoMedia Technologies Extend 2D Code Campaign To Switzerland

2009-05-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Due to the overwhelming success of the recently concluded multi-channel Nokia Navigation phone promotion in Austria, Nokia, IQ mobile and NeoMedia Technologies have extended their 2D code campaign to Switzerland.

IQ mobile uses NeoMedia’s patented technologies to provide their customers with mobile advertising campaigns that leverage 2D barcodes. The NeoReader application delivers a fast and accurate scanning experience to consumers and the NeoSphere code management platform provides IQ mobile with a simple but powerful tool to create, track and measure 2D barcode campaigns.

"The performance of the 2D code campaign has far exceeded both ours and Nokia’s expectations. Due to the strong response rates and opt-in interest, Nokia will be incorporating more campaigns with 2D codes in Central Europe. We are currently running a campaign in Switzerland featuring 2D codes to promote the Nokia Music Device 5800 via the Mobilezone®, a major catalog retailer," said Harald Winkelhofer, Founder & CEO of IQ mobile. "In general, the 2D code technology plays a very important role in all the mobile marketing concepts that we bring to our client base of international brands and agencies."

Alexander Oswald, Head of Marketing - Alps South East Europe for Nokia added, "We are very pleased with the results and being the first one to use this solution. As we are one of the leading mobility brands, using mobile advertising technologies is important as a new and exciting communication channel. And as well part of our brand DNA of connecting people through mobile solutions."

Courtesy: Streetstylz

NeoMedia Technologies Announces Licensing Program Based On Barcode Lookup Patent

2009-04-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in mobile barcode scanning solutions, has finalized its patent licensing program and begun negotiations with interested vendors.

In response to the successful reexamination by the USPTO of NeoMedia’s "Barcode Lookup Patent", NeoMedia has moved assertively to re-energize the U.S. mobile barcode marketplace by helping lead a pivotal interoperability pilot and initiating a licensing program both designed to unify the marketplace.

"Now that the patent situation has been clarified, we are looking forward to quickly establishing a viable system that provides the critical elements needed to attract advertisers: reliability and scale. Our recent partnership with NeuStar demonstrates that an interoperable infrastructure is deployable now and provides advertisers with a trusted solution that delivers the largest audience in the U.S. mobile barcode marketplace. It was a great success and a real rallying point for the industry," stated Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia.

In keeping with its vision and commitment to developing an interoperable global ecosystem, NeoMedia is licensing its technology to foster innovation and competition in the creation of exciting new mobile barcode applications and services for the advertising industry. NeoMedia’s licensing program is available to all participants who are interested in becoming part of a collaborative ecosystem aligned and committed to growing the mobile barcode marketplace.

"Between the PTO ruling and the NeuStar pilot, the interest in our technology and services is spiking on both the vendor and advertiser fronts. We’ve had some key brand deployments in Europe leveraging NeoSphere, our new code management platform and we’ve had strong initial interest in our licensing program as well," said Dean Wood, VP of Business Development for NeoMedia.

NeoMedia has recently requested the stay be lifted in their pending infringement case against Scanbuy. At a pre-trial hearing on April 17th, NeoMedia pushed for the case to move forward on an expedited basis.

NeoMedia currently has 30 active patents spanning 13 countries, with 29 additional patents pending. These patents cover various linkage methods including: Barcodes, RFID, Mag Stripe, Voice, and other machine readable and keyed entry identifiers.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

NeoMedia Technologies & Arvato Reach 120 Million Worldwide

2009-04-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies has entered into a strategic partnership with arvato services. The cooperation brings together innovative technology and leading services in the fields of media service, customer relationship management, data, finance, supply chain management, customer care, mail and IT to create a new and unique service chain.

arvato services is a leading service provider for effective customer communication, customer loyalty and supply chain management solutions both inside and outside of Europe. NeoMedia is a global leader in camera-initiated transactions using mobile phones and offers innovative and service-oriented solutions for targeting consumers with mobile marketing tactics. Using the NeoReader barcode scanning application and a 2D barcode on print products, consumers can connect to the mobile internet. By linking classical “push” media with the barcode as a “pull” instrument the marketing circle is completed. NeoMedia technology effectively turns books, magazines, posters and advertisements into vehicles that create an interactive dialogue with consumers.

In order to provide its customers with targeted, inexpensive marketing campaigns, arvato services is increasingly focusing on mobile marketing, and therefore on mobile code reading, taking advantage of the innovative technologies supplied by NeoMedia Technologies. With NeoReader® a mobile phone camera becomes a barcode reader, giving the user immediate access to content and services available on the World Wide Web. Valuable customer data can also be generated in this way.

Thomas Leitner, Vice President of arvato media GmbH explains: "NeoMedia is enabling us to open up a new dimension of dialogue with the customer. The ability to interact with a consumer via his or her mobile device adds infinite value to the CRM and marketing disciplines. NeoMedia’s system offers an unrivaled level of performance monitoring – way above that of conventional methods, allowing us to precisely tailor future marketing activities for our customers as well as accurately measure feedback."

Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies: "Gaining arvato services as a business partner is very gratifying. This accomplishment underlines our global market leadership and the outstanding quality of NeoMedia solutions. With this partner at our side we believe we will be able to reach new target groups and extend our mobile marketing value chain to the highest level thanks to integrated arvato solutions."

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

NeoMedia Technologies & IQ Mobile Power Nokia Campaign

2009-04-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in mobile barcode scanning solutions, was selected by IQ mobile, the leading mobile marketing company in Central Europe, to provide 2D barcoding services for their advertising campaigns. The first campaign launched using this technology was an interactive advertising campaign to promote Nokia’s new Navigation phones in Austria, which recently concluded.

IQ mobile uses NeoMedia’s patented technologies to provide their customers with mobile advertising campaigns that leverage 2D barcodes. The NeoReader application delivers a fast and accurate scanning experience to consumers and the NeoSphere code management platform provides IQ mobile with a simple but powerful tool to create, track and measure 2D barcode campaigns.

Nokia recently launched their new line of Navigation phones and IQ mobile wanted to provide an innovative campaign that would garner attention and highlight the navigation features of the new phones. Leveraging NeoMedia’s mobile barcoding solutions, IQ mobile developed a multi-channel advertising campaign that enabled mobile consumers to scan a 2D code for a chance to win a Nokia 6210 Navigation phone.

This heavily promoted launch featured a 2D barcode in full-page print ads placed in the high profile Austrian men’s lifestyle magazine “WIENER” as well as “Weekend,” another popular lifestyle magazine. The campaign was further supported with banners, flyers and posters which were placed in bus stations and city lights across Austria. A digital component featured banner ads across 10 different mobile portals.

"IQ mobile was looking for an innovative solution that would help reinforce Nokia’s ‘pioneering’ spirit as well as provide clear value and results. NeoMedia’s 2D barcode solutions created intrigue for consumers, but more importantly, delivered real added-value to Nokia by "turning on" the printed mediums and delivering real-time results for each element of the campaign. The combination of a qualitative interactive consumer experience with a quantifiable and measurable response mechanism makes mobile barcodes a powerful tool for marketers," said Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies. "IQ mobile understands the power of 2D barcodes and works hard to ensure the experience is easy and intuitive for consumers in order to optimize results for their clients."

IQ mobile conducted in-depth response analysis to understand how each element of the Nokia campaign performed. The response rates were similar to that of SMS campaigns which was very compelling when comparing a new technology with a more mature, highly available technology. Additionally, the re-marketing opportunity proved valuable due to the high rate of consumers who opted-in to receive more information. The additional costs required to include the 2D barcodes in the media campaign were minimal but the interactive dialogue with consumers delivered real value.

"The performance of the 2D code campaign has far exceeded both ours and Nokia’s expectations. Due to the strong response rates and opt-in interest, Nokia will be incorporating more campaigns with 2D codes in Central Europe. We are currently running a campaign in Switzerland featuring 2D codes to promote the Nokia Music Device 5800 via the Mobilezone®, a major catalog retailer," said Harald Winkelhofer, Founder & CEO of IQ mobile. "In general, the 2D code technology plays a very important role in all the mobile marketing concepts that we bring to our client base of international brands and agencies."

Alexander Oswald, Head of Marketing - Alps South East Europe for Nokia added, "We are very pleased with the results and being the first one to use this solution. As we are one of the leading mobility brands, using mobile advertising technologies is important as a new and exciting communication channel. And as well part of our brand DNA of connecting people through mobile solutions."

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

NeuStar Announces Barcode Interoperability

2009-03-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

NeuStar today unveiled the first successful demonstration and implementation of technology that enables cell phones to scan and process two-dimensional barcodes - regardless of the mobile service provider, type of bar code symbology, or scanning technology used.

NeuStar's pilot program is based on open standards and demonstrates interoperability among the world's most successful barcode campaign managers, symbologies, and code reader technologies through NeuStar's trusted third party central clearinghouse and registry services. Announced at CTIA, the program currently involves industry-leading companies 3GVision, Mobile Discovery, Mobile Tag, and NeoMedia.

"Each of our current partners brings unique values and capabilities to the market," according to Diane Strahan, vice president of Mobile Services at NeuStar. "Consumers can simply click, send, and enjoy immediate access to cool content. This program is a critical step toward linking various barcode readers and players in the marketplace, and toward creating a seamless, open, and scalable solution for brands, consumers, and mobile operators."

Unlike the linear (striped) EAN/UPC barcodes typically used for inventory and point-of-sale transactions, the more advanced two-dimensional (2D) codes provide mobile consumers with a "shortcut" to access rich content and helpful information, as well as to engage in m-commerce. For mobile consumers, barcodes offer the ability to rapidly discover, interact, and transact with brands without typing out a web address or searching for a website.

NeuStar anticipates that two-dimensional bar codes will be of particular relevance to advertisers and brands, which can immediately leverage their traditional packaging and print - as well as interactive media buys - to reach consumers on the move. More than simply providing mobile consumers with a link to an Internet address, indirect 2D barcode systems can use location, language, or other information shared by the consumer, allowing advertisers to deliver dynamic, individually tailored content. Barcodes offer direct response accountability through measurable ROI, and enable advertisers to adjust their content based on real-time tracking of each campaign's performance.

"Whether the call to action is a short code or a barcode, NeuStar is enabling consumers to opt in to and connect directly with their desired mobile content and interactive experiences," continued Strahan. "The current industry partners in this program are highly successful players in mobile marketing and bar code scanning solutions, as well as intellectual property leaders. These partners have the widest deployment of barcode solutions and penetration in Japan, France, Australia, and other countries. The strength of the open interoperable service we are demonstrating is that it provides the underlying infrastructure needed for brands to confidently deliver a consistent, high-quality customer experience across mobile operators for maximum reach and return."

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

Interview With NeoMedia CEO Iain McCready

2009-03-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies' CEO Iain McCready talks to bnetTV.com's Michelle Sklar at GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

Who Will Be First To License NeoMedia's Patents

2009-03-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

The mobile code ecosystem has been a buzz ever since NeoMedia Technologies announced last month that the United States Patent and Trademark Office had ruled in favor of NeoMedia in the reexamination of its U.S. Patent No. 6,199,048 -- System And Method For Automatic Access Of A Remote Computer Over A Network.

NeoMedia currently has 30 active patents spanning 13 countries, with 29 additional patents pending. These patents cover various linkage methods including: Barcodes, RFID, Mag Stripe, Voice, and other machine readable and keyed entry identifiers.

According to NeoMedia's CEO Iain McCready, "A couple of competitors in the USA have already asked us for a free license but we can’t accept that. We are a business and so are they. In a reasonable manner, and at a fair price, we want to move forward with this. I am open to discussion and we want to be seen as fair. We want the whole mobile barcode market to succeed and the license fee model is tried and tested and it works. It can be as simple or as difficult as people want it to be and we aim to keep it simple. We have been working very very closely with both the GSMA and the OMA, and by being connected, the introduction of a license model can and will only succeed."

With the Google backed ShopSavvy and CompareEverywhere barcode applications making strong headway, and the recently launched Microsoft Tag reader carving out its niche, the mobile code ecosystem is quickly attracting major industry players.

Last week France's Mobile Tag announced that former NeoMedia CEO William "Chip" Hoffman had joined the company to head up their US operations. Mobile Tag uses mobile barcode technology patented by NeoMedia, and makes for a very likely patent licensee. Likewise with Google, Microsoft, Scanbuy and Upcode.

In keeping with its vision and commitment to developing an interoperable global ecosystem, NeoMedia is licensing its technology to foster innovation in the creation of exciting new mobile barcode applications and services.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

NeoMedia Featured In Mobile Entertainment

2009-03-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

Brandscape Fuels Powerade With Gavitec EXIO

2009-03-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Brandscape, in conjunction with Wayin and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, unveiled a powerful new use of Bluetooth content delivery and instant prizes at Powerade's Pick n Pay Argus Expo stand.

If you registered for this year's Pick n Pay Argus Cycle Tour at the Good Hope Center in Cape Town South Africa, you would have come across a new promotional mechanic that's raising eyebrows. Promoters wearing Hypertags® that can transmit content via Bluetooth or infrared approached cyclists in the event's registration area. Content included Powerade's great “ICE RUGBY” video commercial, the soundtrack as a ringtone, and branded wallpapers. The incentive to take up the offer? - A bar coded win voucher Bluetoothed to consumers' mobile phones and redeemable at the award-winning Powerade expo stand. High-quality prizes included Powerade - branded wallets, saddle bags, bandannas, golf towels and the obligatory and always popular caps and lanyards. Voucher holders scanned their barcodes at the stand using Gavitec's EXIO readers to find out what they had won.

Gordon Parkin, Creative Director at Brandscape says: “This is the perfect mechanic to ensure that Expo visitors make a stop at the Powerade stand. It also allows the brand to penetrate the consumer's personal space and utilize the billboard space of the future: the mobile handset.” All interactions are logged, and prizes are given out according to a closely monitored database, ensuring effective use of prizes.

Powerade Brand Manager, Ismail Nanabhay had briefed Brandscape to find an accountable, compelling way of engaging cyclists at the Argus, in a way that could be extended to other sponsored events, such as the Two Oceans Marathon.

“Powerade is the perfect brand to launch a digital strategy, fun, sporty, yet with serious technology behind the product. We're experimenting with Hypertag®, and are impressed with its accountability, and ability to engage – especially when combined with Brandscape's mobile handset scanners. Watch this space, there's a lot of exciting stuff still to come from us,” commented Nanabhay."

Eventing is the perfect place for brands and advertisers to wet their toe's with our technology,” says Brandscape Managing Director Damian Hardy, “but the real power lies in retail, where simple, effectively-incentivised purchases and card-less loyalty is now a reality.”

Brandscape Proximity Marketing Solutions offers marketers innovative and personal ways of communicating, interacting and rewarding individual consumers directly to their mobile phones. Rich media content is sent, at no charge to the recipient, via Bluetooth and infrared that starts a permission-based conversation that benefits both brand and consumer. Mobile tickets and vouchers are delivered by SMS, MMS, WAP or via Hypertag® Bluetooth and redeemed online with Brandpoint scanners. Brandscape partners with clients to create effective, intelligent, hard working consumer activation campaigns for mobile proximity marketing. Activation results are measurable and accountable. Brandscape is the South African business partner to Hypertag® UK, This partnership affords local clients, access to global technologies, best practice, support and expertise.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

Dean Wood To Lead NeoMedia Sales Efforts

2009-03-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, today announced that Dean Wood, former Commercial Vice President at ShoZu Ltd, has joined the company as Vice President of Business Development.

Wood brings a wealth of internet, service provider and mobile sector experience to NeoMedia, having spent the last 10 years specializing in converged web/mobile software and services. He will be responsible for driving business development and sales activities at the company, helping educate the market and drive interest in 2D barcoding solutions within the mobile operator, handset manufacturer, and advertising communities across the globe.

"I am thrilled to be joining NeoMedia at such an exciting time for the company and the mobile barcoding industry in general,” said Wood. “Now that the ambiguity related to our patent situation has been resolved, the industry can move forward and I am sure we will begin to see 2D barcodes appearing everywhere on a daily basis. NeoMedia gives brands a fast, accurate and measurable form of interaction with consumers and I cannot wait to get started to help position the company as the leader in mobile barcode solutions."

Most recently, Wood was responsible for securing strategic partnership and licensing deals with social media sites, media companies, mobile operators and handset manufacturers at ShoZu, the leading mobile social media service. Prior to this, Wood was Director of Mobile and Devices at Macromedia, where he was responsible for driving sales and strategic partnerships within the operator, handset manufacturer and consumer electronics sectors.

Commenting on Woods’ appointment, Iain McCready, CEO at NeoMedia Technologies said: "I have no doubt that Dean’s enthusiasm, dedication and in-depth knowledge of our industry will help NeoMedia develop a rich partner ecosystem and open new revenue opportunities for brands, operators, handset manufacturers and advertising agencies. We are delighted to have him on board and I look forward to working closely with him as our business develops."

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Streetstylz

VW QR Campaign With NeoMedia & DIMOCO

2009-02-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

Volkswagen has kicked off an innovative QR code campaign with NeoMedia Technologies and DIMOCO which is currently running in several Austrian magazines.

Readers of the magazines are linked to the NeoReader download site and will receive a VW-Scirocco Video when they scan the printed QR code.

This is the first mobile code campaign worldwide where the reader download and the content download are free for operators T-Mobile and Mobilkom Austria covering 2/3 of all Austrian subscribers.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Presents Case Study On Patent Win

2009-02-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

Case Study by Barkume and Associates

Main Practice Areas Professionals IP News Portfolio IP Links This case is the first successful defense of a patent being reexamined by the PTO at the request of EFF in its grandiose "Patent Busting" project. When it learned of the reexamination of U.S. Patent No. 6,199,048 ("the '048 patent"), NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. and its counsel were up to the task of clarifying the patent claims in order to establish how those claims are indeed patentable over the prior art already of record, the prior art submitted by EFF, as well as any additional prior art found by the PTO as part of its own searches. By requesting the PTO to reexamine the '048 patent, EFF in fact enabled NeoMedia to strengthen its patent since it greatly increases the likelihood of being upheld in a court of law.

The eighty-nine claims that resulted from this reexamination process encompass the specific embodiments set forth in the '048 patent, and according to Dennis Priddy, Senior Vice President of Operations at NeoMedia, cover the existing business model of NeoMedia as well as many competing products in use today. During reexamination, NeoMedia clarified that (1) the bar code resolution database resides on a remote server computer, (2) the database stores predetermined relationships that link bar code data to a pointer (e.g. a URL) and (3) the pointer is returned from the database to the user device to enable that user device to communicate with the remote information computer directly (such as with a browser redirect command). Further according to Dennis Priddy, NeoMedia is unaware of any instance in commercial use today where the resolution database resides anywhere but a remote server computer. From a practical commercial standpoint the '048 patent has clarified and strengthened, not narrowed.

EFF claims on its website that third parties can now design around the '048 patent, and purports to inform the pubic how to do so. Of course, any system that is not encompassed by the claims of any patent is a "design around" of that patent. That is true with respect to any patent. But the real issue to consider is - what is the commercial value of such a designed around system? Theoretical design arounds may be an interesting philosophical exercise in which to engage, but they provide no real commercial value. For example, one might be able to design around a patent on a four-wheeled car by producing a three-wheeled version, but the resulting product is unstable, unsafe, unmarketable and would certainly be unsuccessful. We believe the same would be true for an attempted design around of the '048 patent.

EFF has also continued to claim on its website that the clarified '048 patent claims are not "any more novel than the original ones" and that they are "of suspect validity." EFF offers no basis however for this unjustified conclusion, alleging only that the patentable features of the revised '048 patent claims "were well known long before the NeoMedia patent application was filed." It is reasonable to assume that EFF filed all of the prior art of which it was aware that it believed would invalidate the '048 patent. Given that assumption, there is no logical basis for EFF to now question the reasoned decision handed down by the PTO and its three-member panel. Simply put, NeoMedia was able to address the prior art, clarify its claims, and fully strengthen its patent position.

In fact, it was advantageous for NeoMedia to be given the opportunity to address this prior art and clarify its claims in this reexamination forum. During reexamination, the patent owner is able to work across the table with the PTO to explain the differences between its claims and the prior art, to clarify the claims (as NeoMedia did), and to answer any questions the Examiners may have. The alternative to reexamination would be to address these issues in court during litigation, such as a defense raised by a defendant in a patent infringement suit. However, in court the patent owner is unable to amend its claims - they will either stand or fall exactly as issued. Therefore if any clarifying revisions may need to be made, the patent owner is unable to do so in a litigation forum, and the patent runs a higher risk of being invalidated. In addition, the PTO Examiners that conduct the reexamination proceeding are presumably much more experienced in patent and technical issues than are judges and juries, so the PTO is generally a much better forum in which to address these issues than is a court of law. It is also much less expensive to participate in a reexamination than in litigation. All of these factors came into play in this case, in which NeoMedia was able to clarify its claims and end up with a much stronger patent. (It is noted that there are other factors that should be considered when deciding on a reexamination as a course of action, which are beyond the scope of this case study.)

The Reexamination Procedure

We will now take a look at exactly what has transpired. EFF first requested the PTO to reexamine the '048 patent in April 2007, although a buzz was apparently circulating in the industry way back in 2004 that EFF was going to request reexamination of at least one NeoMedia patent. The PTO rejected EFF's first request, stating in a Notice of Failure to Comply that EFF failed to provide a detailed explanation of the pertinency and manner of applying the cited prior art to the '048 claims. In particular, EFF cited numerous prior art documents but gave no explanation how they related to all of the '048 patent claims in the manner required by the PTO rules of practice. EFF tried again by filing another (corrected) Request on June 8, 2007, which was still found to be insufficient, and as a result that attempted reexamination proceeding was formally terminated. EFF tried a third time to get it right, by filing another Request on July 26, 2007. This Request was finally accepted by the PTO and the current reexamination was underway. It is understood that the PTO will grant a request for reexamination approximately 90% of the time; therefore this grant was not unusual.

The EFF Request included over twenty "newly-discovered" references that were alleged to invalidate the '048 claims either alone or in combination, although EFF pointed only to two of primary interest (Wellner and Baus, explained below). The PTO issued an Office action on July 3, 2008, in which it relied on those two primary references as well as a third one in making its claim rejections (RFC 1738, also explained below). We went to work immediately on defending this important patent by reviewing the Office action and cited references, which confirmed our belief that the inventions in the '048 are indeed patentable.

Our first task was to meet in August 2008 at the PTO in order to interview with the three member panel of experienced patent examiners who were assigned to this case. At the interview, we discussed the shortcomings of the prior art and how the '048 inventions were clearly patentable over this prior art. We proposed several clarifications that would be made to the claims in order to help the panel understand our position. Although no formal agreement was reached (which is the norm in these interviews), it was apparent that we had made our case clear to the panel.

We then followed up the meeting at the PTO with our Amendment, which is a more formal written document that reiterated our position as explained at the meeting. In the Amendment, we addressed the issues in the following manner.

The first primary reference, US Patent No. 5,640,193, MULTIMEDIA SERVICE ACCESS BY READING MARKS ON AN OBJECT, is well known in the industry as the Wellner "direct encode" patent. EFF in its Request erroneously claimed that the Wellner patent was not cited during prosecution of the '048 patent, which is incorrect since it was in fact cited during prosecution of a parent application that carries over by operation of law to the '048 prosecution. In any event, we of course knew that the Wellner reference is inapplicable to the '048 claims since, among other things, Wellner teaches only a system in which the URL or pointer is encoded directly into the bar code itself rather than an "indirect" system in which the URLs are stored in a database and accessed with a bar code index such as a UPC code.

Therefore, we clarified the claims to provide that the bar code index is transmitted to the remote server, in which the bar code-to-pointer database resides. In addition, we clarified that the database of records has predetermined relationships that link an index (the bar code data) to a pointer (a URL). We also clarified that the pointer is returned from the remote server database to the user device to enable that user device to establish communication. None of these inventive features were described or suggested in the Wellner direct encode patent reference. Interestingly, the inventors of the '048 patent had also described a direct encode system in its patent application, but in fact recognized its shortcomings when it developed its patented indirect access system (see, for example, columns 2-3 of the '048 patent).

Due to the clarifications made to the original '048 claims, we were able to consolidate the number of claims from the original ninety-five to the current eighty-nine claims that have all been deemed patentable.

The second primary reference, US Patent No. 4,780,599, APPARATUS FOR RETRIEVING STORED INFORMATION ABOUT VARIOUS ITEMS IN RESPONSE TO CODING ON THE ITEMS, issued in 1988 from a 1985 application filed by Baus. The Baus reference is even less relevant than the Wellner reference. Baus describes a self-contained local laser disc system in which information about a product is retrieved from a laser disc and played back for a consumer who has scanned a bar code on that product. As a self-contained system, Baus did not provide the ability to send the bar code data to a remote server over a network such as the Internet, or the ability to obtain information from one of many available remote information servers over the network, as in the '048 inventions. Baus was easily distinguished from the inventions of the '048 patent.

The third primary reference relied on by the PTO in the Office action was Request for Comments (RFC) 1738, Uniform Resource Locators. A series of RFC documents were published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (including the famous Tim Berners-Lee) as one of the building blocks of the operation of the Internet and the World Wide Web. In particular, RFC 1738 contains basic URL protocol and syntax information, but in no way has any relevance to the specific inventions of the '048 patent. We explained again in our Amendment document how neither the Wellner nor Baus references, alone or in combination with RFC 1738, rendered the claims of the '048 patent (as clarified above) unpatentable. It is noted that the prior art documents RFC 882 and RFC 883, which relate to name servers and resolution processes, were in fact cited by NeoMedia during the original prosecution of the '048 patent, and the original '048 claims were deemed by the PTO to be patentable over those RFCs. RFC 1738 was no more relevant to the patentability of the '048 claims then were RFCs 882 and 883.

Knowing how off-base these "newly discovered" references are to the '048 claims, it was therefore no great surprise to us when the PTO terminated the reexamination last week by indicating allowance of the pending claims in its Notice of Intent to Issue Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate (NIRC). As stated in page 5 of the NIRC:

"the prior art fails to teach or suggest the steps of reading with a user computing device a data carrier modulated with an index; extracting a pointer from the database as a function of the index; returning the pointer to the user computing device over the network; and the user computing device using the pointer to establish communication directly with the remote information computer identified thereby."

We expect to receive the Reexamination Certificate in due course, which will be the final step in the formal granting of these clarified claims. Since this has been an ex parte reexamination process, EFF has no right to appeal the PTO's well reasoned decision.

Summary and Conclusions

The reexamination process initiated by third party requester EFF provided NeoMedia with the opportunity to clarify and consolidate its patent claims under the heightened scrutiny of the PTO reexamination process. NeoMedia was able to clarify that the claims of the '048 patent cover reading with a user computing device a data carrier modulated with an index (e.g. a bar code); extracting a pointer from the database as a function of the index (e.g. a URL); returning the pointer to the user computing device over the network; and the user computing device using the pointer to establish communication directly with the remote information computer identified thereby. As NeoMedia is unaware of any commercial product in which the resolution database resides anywhere but a remote server computer, there is no narrowing of the patent from a practical standpoint.

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Streetstylz

Barkume Wins Patent Reexam For NeoMedia

2009-02-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

Barkume and Associates has successfully defended the ex parte reexamination of U.S. Patent No. 6,199,048, System and Method for Automatic Access of a Remote Computer Over a Network. All pending claims of the patent under reexamination have been indicated to be patentable by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) in its decision issued earlier this week.

Reexamination is a process in which any member of the public may request the PTO to reconsider if a patent should have been granted, in view of new information that was not considered when the PTO first examined the patent. In an ex parte reexamination the requesting party submits this "newly-discovered prior art" to the PTO, which decides if it justifies reexamining the patent. In this case the PTO decided to reexamine the '048 patent, but ultimately agreed with us that that the patent was not invalid.

In 2001, the PTO granted the '048 patent to Neomedia Technologies, Inc. The '048 patent covers the use of machine readable indicia to access a database in which a pointer to an information resource (such as a URL) is extracted and used to establish communication with the resource. For example, a bar code such as a UPC code may be imaged and decoded by a client device, and the bar code data is then transmitted over the Internet to a web server that looks up a URL associated with that UPC bar code data. The extracted URL is then returned to the client device, which then uses that URL to communicate with the associated web site via its browser. Several other embodiments are disclosed and claimed in the '048 patent such as the use of audible signals and RF identification.

In 2007, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a request for the PTO to reexamine the '048 patent based on numerous prior art references it submitted that allegedly rendered the '048 patent claims invalid. The reexamination request was filed as part of EFF's "Patent Busting" project, a sensationalist effort to invalidate patents it deems to be "bogus" and a "crime against the public domain". The PTO granted the request, which is not unusual given its mandate to ensure that patents it issues are in fact valid. In July 2008, the PTO issued an Office action in which the '048 claims were rejected based on the prior art submitted.

Our office went to work immediately by reviewing the PTO's rejections and the newly-submitted prior art. We summarily concluded that the prior art simply did not bear on the inventions in the '048 patent. We then proceeded to conduct an in person interview with a three-Examiner panel at the PTO in August 2008. At the conference, we explained the inventions of the '048 patent and how the newly discovered prior art had no relevance. We then submitted a written amendment to clarify the language of the claims and consolidate them. Ultimately, the PTO agreed with our position regarding the patentability of the '048 inventions.

On February 17, 2009, the PTO publicly announced its complete agreement with our position regarding the inventions in the '048 patent by issuing a "Notice of Intent to Issue Ex-Parte Reexamination Certificate". This terminates the reexamination completely in favor of Neomedia, since it provides that all pending claims are patentable and will publish shortly in a Reexamination Certificate. This decision cannot be appealed by EFF or any other third party.

As a result, we have successfully defended the challenge brought by EFF against the'048 patent as part of its "Patent Busting" project. The '048 patent has withstood the intense scrutiny of the reexamination process, in which the Examiners reviewed not only the numerous prior art references submitted by EFF, but also those that it may have uncovered in its own follow-up searches. The claims of the '048 patent as clarified once again will enjoy the presumption of validity and have been strengthened as a result of the process.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Wins Patent Reexamination

2009-02-18T09:32:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has ruled in favor of NeoMedia in the reexamination of its U.S. Patent No. 6,199,048, System And Method For Automatic Access Of A Remote Computer Over A Network. All ninety-five claims of this Barcode Look up Patent have been confirmed as being patentable by the PTO.

The PTO’s re-validation of this patent provides tremendous opportunities for companies in the mobile advertising space, allowing them to unify and quickly move forward to implement new applications and services.

“This is excellent news for NeoMedia as it allows us to move forward with our vision to create strong partnerships and synergies to align all companies for the next growth phase,” said Iain McCready, chief executive officer of NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. “We are committed to building a fully involved and collaborative ecosystem of agencies, mobile operators, and vendors who recognize the potential of mobile barcode advertising.”

"We are pleased that this patent has withstood the intense scrutiny of the PTO's re-examination process, in which numerous additional prior art references were considered in detail by the PTO Examiners before confirming all ninety-five claims as being patentable", said Tony Barkume of Barkume & Associates, P.C., patent counsel for NeoMedia. "The approval indicated by the PTO in its Notice of Intent to Issue a Re-examination Certificate has confirmed the strength and validity of the '048 patent in the face of such a heightened challenge."

In keeping with its vision and commitment to developing an interoperable global ecosystem, NeoMedia is licensing its technology to foster innovation in the creation of exciting new mobile barcode applications and services for the advertising industry.

NeoMedia embraces the development of open standards for 1D and 2D barcode technologies, and provides a global infrastructure to resolve these barcodes across multiple carriers. The company’s ecosystem ensures that all parties involved in the transaction are accurately compensated by pre-defined business rules. Through NeoMedia’s complete solution, media & advertising companies, consumers, businesses, mobile operators and OEMs can harness wireless networks to perform commerce more easily and securely, and ensure monetization can occur reliably and accurately.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Launches Innovative New Website

2009-02-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

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Website

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Participating In Mobile World Congress

2009-02-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, will be attending this years GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain from February 16th through the 19th.

The Mobile World Congress features the very latest in technology, services, and developments, bringing to life the promise of mobile broadband for all and defining the industry's path to continued growth. The Congress brings together the eminent leaders and personalities from mobile operators and equipment vendors, as well as those from the Internet and the world of entertainment. The Mobile World Congress provides a one-stop-shop for everyone looking to understand what will drive the success of the mobile industry over the next year.

NeoMedia's CEO Iain McCready will be participating in a four hour session at the Mobile World Congress on Thursday February 19th in Hall 5, Auditorium 3. The session, Mobile Advertising - Moving to the Strategic Level, will include speakers from JumpTap, Turkcell, Telstra, BMW, and QUALCOMM. This innovative session will examine the hurdles the industry faces regarding privacy and permission, metrics and measurement and integrating new technologies into the mobile portfolio. Views from operators, agencies, publishers and brands will give attendees an unrivaled insight into the mobile advertising industry today.

NeoMedia offers the tools and infrastructure for wireless carriers, mobile phone manufactures, brands and media companies to make optical messaging and its associated commerce easy, universal, and reliable - worldwide.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Partners With Texas Nameplate

2009-02-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, has been selected by Texas Nameplate, a leading manufacturer of specialized metal nameplates for a wide range of industries, to help launch its new range of fully customizable, digitally-enabled products.

Texas Nameplate has chosen NeoMedia’s NeoReader® 2D barcode scanning solution to power its new Digital Nameplate™ products. Digital Nameplate is a brand-new product that allows users to electronically download information from a metal nameplate via a mobile device. It uses the chemical etch process to embed customizable data in a 2D matrix format, allowing users to read data quickly and easily, through any mobile device enabled with the downloadable NeoReader software.

"We are very excited to partner with NeoMedia Technologies and bring this ground-breaking capability to the market," says Dale Crownover, President of Texas Nameplate. "NeoMedia Technologies and Texas Nameplate will co-develop standards and identify new markets for this technology. Our collaborative efforts will propel a traditional manufacturing product into the twenty first century, where information can be accessed and shared anywhere, at any time. New applications of this technology will have a significant impact on customer care, asset tracking, inventory control, compliance, and many more."

Digital Nameplates can dramatically reduce reading errors, enhance traceability of products, and make long term data storage and retrieval possible. This new technology is currently patent-pending, and delivers an industry first into what is becoming an increasingly popular market.

"The partnership with Texas Nameplate is a fantastic opportunity for NeoMedia Technologies and represents another significant commercial application of our barcode scanning solutions,” said Iain McCready, Chief Executive Officer at NeoMedia Technologies. "It is yet another exciting and innovative integration of 2D barcoding and further demonstrates just how adaptable our technology can be. In this case, we will provide customers instant access to significant information in an intuitive and easy-to-use method - speeding up business processes and delivering significant efficiency gains to all parties involved."

The NeoReader application can be easily downloaded onto any camera-enabled mobile device. Users can then scan barcodes and access mobile content in one easy click. This enables the mobile to link directly to a specific web page, access new services, retrieve real-time information, or place orders by bypassing long URLs, search engines, and cumbersome menus.

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Streetstylz

TecCom Selects NeoReader For TecIdentify

2009-01-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

Last October, NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, announced that they had been selected by TecCom, the leading B2B platform for the automotive replacement part market, to help identify if security coded automotive parts are genuine.

The first IT platform to check the authenticity of auto parts is now fully available in Version 1.2. Many well-known manufacturers will add this new security feature in the form of a 2D barcode to their packaging. Any person anywhere in the world can now check products bearing the CLEPA security code at any time of day or night. TecCom supports the European automotive suppliers' association (CLEPA) in the fight against product piracy.

The first to use the production system is Continental Teves, Federal Mogul and TRW will soon follow with their first product lines. Each product will carry a worldwide unique identification number in the form of a data matrix barcode. With this it can be unmistakably authenticated. Other security measures like holograms, seals or color codes depend on immediate recognition. It is necessary for the user to know in advance how to recognize the features. CLEPA follows a different method with its security code: identification using an IT solution: TecIdentify. Checking is based on intelligent test algorithms that cannot be copied and a standard database that is protected from unallowed access.

To use TecIdentify a customer needs an Internet PC with a scanner or a camera phone equipped with the NeoReader to check auto parts and get an immediate answer. The research of visible security features needed to achieve the same level of security is no longer needed.

The TecCom solution TecIdentify serves as the central authentication service for all who want to check a part's authenticity: manufacturers, customs, traders, garages or drivers. “Many of our first movers used this year's Automechanika in Frankfurt to explain the problems of product piracy to their customers. TecIdentify is a natural fit. That TecIdentify won the Automechanika Innovation Prize in the Category IT & Management shows the high visibility of this topic,” says Jürgen Buchert, CEO of TecCom GmbH.

"NeoMedia’s mission is to enable the global market to realize the ease, convenience and simplicity of 2D barcode technology," said Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. "By extending the reach of our technology to the mobile handset, we are able to add increased flexibility and portability to our 2D barcode offering, while reducing the cost of existing fixed location scanning solutions. Our work with TecCom reflects the practicality and adaptability of our technology and demonstrates the vast range of commercial applications for 2D barcode systems."

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Streetstylz

Spanair Celebrates First Year With NeoMedia

2009-01-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

Mobile check-in has landed in airports across Spain following the introduction of a paperless ticketing service by Spanish carrier Spanair Airlines. Paper boarding passes can now be replaced by an electronic 2D barcode received via MMS and stored by the passenger’s mobile phone. The system is enabled by NeoMedia Technologies, which has to date installed its EXIO scanners in eleven Spanish airports. The scanners read the 2D codes on the phones at the airport terminal check-in desks and security points.

With the widespread installation of the streamlined and convenient service across Spanish airports, Spanair has forecast that 800,000 2D barcode mobile tickets will be issued in 2009 – some ten per cent of its total ticketing transactions.

Spanair was the first airline in Spain to offer its passengers mobile check-in, following the publication by IATA of a mobile boarding standard based on two-dimensional codes. The technology was piloted in the airports of Bilbao, Madrid and Barcelona, initiating a service that could save the airline industry up to $500 million each year.

Earlier this year industry analysts Juniper Research estimated that transport-based mobile ticketing will grow from 37.4 million transactions in 2007 to just over 1.8 billion by 2011, with some 2.6 billion mobile tickets in total being issued by 2011 to 208 million mobile phone users.

“Our mobile check-in system is proving to be the fastest way to get on the plane in Spain. It’s innovative, efficient and offers great benefits in terms of both time and convenience – advantages that are particularly appreciated by our business customers,” said Sergio Allard, Chief Commercial Officer, Spanair.

"This is a fantastic success story that underlines the simplicity and elegance of the mobile 2D barcode,” said Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia. “Implementing mobile ticketing expands Spanair’s customer service offering in an innovative way and increases customer convenience significantly – it’s a win/win scenario. NeoMedia’s scanners can be integrated into many different systems and used for a wide variety of mobile CRM solutions (ticketing, couponing, loyalty) and payment systems. With the mobile device increasingly used as a tool for business, it makes absolute sense to utilize it in as many ways as possible to streamline services for both business and consumer users."

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Streetstylz

Laura Marriott Joins NeoMedia Board of Directors

2009-01-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, today announced that Laura Marriott, former president of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), has joined its Board of Directors. Marriott brings a wealth of expertise in mobile marketing to NeoMedia that will contribute to the company’s growth and help strengthen its leadership position as a provider of 2D barcode scanning solutions, enabling new revenue opportunities for brand agencies, mobile operators and handset manufacturers.

As a board member, Marriott will bring an unrivaled knowledge of mobile marketing to help NeoMedia clear obstacles to market development and establish best practices for sustainable growth.

“I am a strong believer that the 2D mobile barcode industry is at a tipping point and I am excited to be joining NeoMedia at such an important time,” said Laura Marriott. “Advertisers have a ground breaking opportunity ahead of them as 2D mobile barcoding becomes ubiquitous, enabling powerful, easy to use new forms of customer interaction never experienced through traditional media.”

“We are honored to have such a prestigious mobile marketing authority as Laura join our Board,” said Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies. “With her proven track record of leadership, dedication and the ability to create and execute on programs with measurable results, Laura’s contribution will help to position NeoMedia at the forefront of this exciting industry as it gears up for rapid growth.”

Laura Marriott served as president of the MMA, where she led the global association in its charter to drive the adoption of the mobile channel for marketing purposes. During her tenure, the MMA membership experienced astounding growth, established global headquarters and regional chapters throughout the world, and developed guidelines for the industry. Earlier this year, Marriott was named one of the industry’s Top 10 Women in Wireless by FierceMarkets. Marriott has more than seventeen years of experience in the high-tech industry in the areas of business development, product management and marketing.

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Streetstylz

Neustar, NeoMedia & Mobile Discovery Video

2008-12-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

Diane Strahan of Neustar, Robert Danish of NeoMedia & David Miller of Mobile Discovery discuss the 2D barcode ecosystem and what role each of their companies play in making this technology standard practice.

In September, NeoMedia and Mobile Discovery announced that they had formed a strategic alliance to fast-track 2D code proliferation.

An interview with NeoMedia's CEO Iain McCready and Mobile Discovery's President and CEO David Miller was conducted by Bena Roberts and can be found on GoMo News.

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Streetstylz

Nokia & NeoMedia Team For 2D Codes

2008-12-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, and Nokia, the world leader in mobility, teamed together with IQ-Mobile to launch an interactive 2D barcode campaign in the popular German Men's magazine, Wiener.

Readers of the magazine are invited to text the word "code" to a short code, which will return a link allowing them to download and install the NeoReader onto their mobile device.

Once downloaded and installed, readers can launch the NeoReader application to scan the 2D Data Matrix code, which will connect them to a Nokia mobile website.

From there, readers can register to be entered into a special drawing to become a mobile phone tester for one of three Nokia Navigation devices: The 6210, 6220, or E71.

NeoMedia offers the tools and infrastructure for wireless carriers, mobile phone manufactures, brands and media companies to make optical messaging and its associated commerce easy, universal, and reliable - worldwide.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Adds To Strategic Advisory Board

2008-11-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, announced this morning during the company's shareholder conference call the induction of new Board of Advisors member Ian Maxwell, who brings with him extensive industry experience and is dedicated to the growth and expansion of NeoMedia Technologies.

Ian Maxwell, a well respected industry veteran, has been a director at Vodafone for the past 21 years. In 2003, Ian was instrumental in Vodafone's strategic partnership with Microsoft in which both companies came together to implement plans to help create mobile web services standards that would enable new business opportunities for application developers and mobile network operators across fixed (wired) and wireless networks. As a global leader in the mobile telecommunications market, Vodafone has over 300 million customers in 25 markets across 5 continents.

The development of NeoMedia Technologies' Strategic Advisory Board has combined many talented and highly qualified executives with much to offer in the technology and telecommunication fields. All the members bring extensive knowledge of the wireless and telecom industries, and NeoMedia is happy to have their commitment.

Ian Maxwell joins Marc Lefar from AT&T, Rich Cremona from Open Wave, Joe Gilbride from Saatchi & Saatchi, and Clarence Wesley from Xerox Mobile Solutions.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia At DMVÖ MMA Mobile Innovation

2008-11-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, was in attendance at the November 11th DMVÖ MMA Mobile Innovation event in Vienna Austria.

The event, held in cooperation with DMVÖ Mobile Innovation Working Group and the Mobile Marketing Association of Austria was sponsored by m4c, DIMOCO and Nokia, and featured representatives from Ericsson, Bertelsmann-Arvato, T-Mobile, and Orange.

Thomas Hinterleithner, head of linking solutions and global sales at NeoMedia conducted an informative lecture and question and answer session on mobile code reading using various examples from Asia, Europe, and the United States. He demonstrated the many exciting communication channels and business models that are achievable through code reading.

"Innovative tools such as mobile code reading allow direct and easy communication with the consumer. The consumer has a quick, precise and even controlled access to the desired information and advertising is measurable, stated Thomas Hinterleithner, "The software is, for example, here in Europe but not yet preinstalled on the phone. But that will soon change. A global standard comes in early 2009."

Margit Anglmaier of DIMOCO and director of the Working Group DMVÖ Mobile Innovations prepared a white paper on the topic, "Use of mobile codes in marketing" that gives insights and views on mobile code reading and answers relevant questions for the Austrian advertising industry on the subject.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

Custom Fit Realty Launches NeoSign

2008-11-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

Custom Fit Realty, a Wisconsin based real estate company, recently announced the launch of their NeoSign Technology using 2D barcodes and mobile code reading technology from NeoMedia.

Continuing to push the frontiers of real estate innovation, Custom Fit Realty has added a new marketing feature called NeoSigns to their fee-based home selling service. NeoSigns allow direct access to a property’s web site using 2D barcodes, code reading technology, and the internet right from a consumer's mobile device.

In order to use the application, house hunters can direct their mobile phone’s web browser to get.neoreader.com in order to download the free NeoReader application to their iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia or other camera enabled cell phone. Once downloaded, the NeoReader can be used to take a picture of a 2D barcode which will directly connect the consumer to that property listings' mobile website.

"This is called mobile tagging and is a terrific new application. I think you’ll find these codes all over in the very near future, but Custom Fit Realty is the first to outfit our real estate yard signs with new NeoSign technology," said a representative at Custom Fit.

"All of our listings have a NeoSign code and in the next few weeks we’ll be installing new NeoSigns on our properties as well as on our printed material. We’re moving away from dead-tree based marketing and the NeoSign continues to move us in that direction."

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Streetstylz

Pepsi Launches Major UK QR Code Initiative

2008-11-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

Thirsty tech-savvy UK consumers will be able to access music, games and other entertainment from their mobile phones now that Pepsi has introduced QR codes to its drink packs.

PepsiCo and Britvic are rolling out 400 million packs with quick response (QR) codes across Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max variants in the UK.

QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes that act as a conduit between print and web through the use of mobile phone camera technology.

With the help of a QR code reader, consumers can take a picture of the on-pack code, which will then direct them to great mobile entertainment courtesy of Pepsi via WAP. The QR codes will enable consumers to gain access to content, such as games, ringtones, wallpapers and more.

Chris Owen, Brand Manager for Pepsi at Britvic, said: “Yet again, Pepsi is at the forefront of consumer trends, providing great entertainment to people when and where they want it through their mobile phone. With the content being constantly updated, consumers will have more reason than ever to purchase Pepsi, to see what we’ve got to give them next. Pepsi has always led the way in providing consumers with entertainment. Now we’re using the newest technology to give people a kick in the right direction and really drive sales of the UK’s fastest growing cola in take-home grocery.”

Ahmed Abdel-Karim, Marketing Manager for Pepsi UK, said: “Pepsi is using QR codes to connect with, and engage consumers in a new and exciting way wherever they are. We're finding innovative ways to communicate with Pepsi drinkers and to reward their loyalty with entertaining and interesting content, ensuring Pepsi remains front of mind.”

Consumers can download the NeoReader to their iPhone, BlackBerry, or to their camera enabled cell phone in order to scan the 2D codes, which will direct them to a phone-friendly version of Pepsi's website.

The NeoReader is a free universal code reading application developed by NeoMedia Technologies and Gavitec AG - mobile digit.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Partners With Costa Rican Carrier ICE

2008-10-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, has partnered with ICE, the leading mobile network operator in Costa Rica, to create a new measurable mobile marketing platform using 2D barcode technology.

The NeoMedia platform will enable retailers, banks and other organizations to build a mobile marketing ecosystem that will drive innovative mobile-based marketing applications that, for the first time, can track, trace and measure consumer activity.

ICE, the only telecom operator at this time in the Costa Rican market, will deploy NeoMedia's NeoReader® on camera phones, transforming the phones into barcode readers that provide immediate access to Internet-based content and services.

Consumers use the phones to scan 2D barcodes on product packaging, advertisements, retail displays and publications. The codes open up a vast range of potential for product marketing, incentive-driven promotions, and value-added benefits to be offered to the consumer.

Each scan that triggers a visit to a promotional site can be traced and tracked, enabling 100 percent measurable activity and feedback on the performance of the promotion, and therefore 100 percent measurable ROI on the mobile marketing spend.

NeoMedia representative Agilos will provide in-country support for ICE, and will work with both NeoMedia and ICE to sign up agencies, companies and customers to the mobile marketing ecosystem.

"Using the mobile as an effective and efficient marketing tool is the goal of every mobile operator," said Orlando Cascante Moranga, MBA Director Customers Division - Telecomunicaciones, ICE. "The NeoMedia platform will catalyze individual, interactive dialogue between our customers and companies in Costa Rica, strengthening customer loyalty and adding massive value to the mobile device as a marketing tool."

"The mobile industry can now deliver the solution that is at the top of every marketeer's wish list -- and provide a new revenue stream for the mobile operators," said Iain McCready, Chief Executive Officer of NeoMedia. "This solution is the real deal -- a traceable mechanism that delivers the message directly to potential customers, can evaluate feedback and capture demographic data for future use and doesn't waste one cent of the investment made in the technology."

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Streetstylz

Iusacell & NeoMedia Bring 2D Codes To Mexico

2008-10-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, has partnered with Iusacell to bring 2D codes to Mexico.

Iusacell, Mexico's 3rd largest mobile operator, has more than 4.3 million subscribers and provides cellular services to 90% of Mexico's population, including Mexico City. The company also offers local and long-distance telephony, messaging services, mobile television and wireless broadband services over the only 3G nation-wide network in Mexico.

In order to leverage its mobile code reading technology in Mexico, NeoMedia and Iusacell will deploy NeoSphere, NeoMedia’s Code Management Platform. This suite of tools has been designed to easily develop, launch and manage mobile marketing campaigns based upon 2D codes and camera phones. NeoSphere provides a simple way to interact with consumers and offers an enriched mobile experience with brands. Moreover, it allows advertisers, marketing agencies and publishers to better monetize their traditional ad placements, and boost their marketing return-on-investment by providing detailed response metrics for traditional media as well as rich reporting and analytical information.

To interact with 2D codes, Iusacell subscribers can download the NeoReader, which is a free universal mobile code reading application developed by NeoMedia Technologies and Gavitec AG - mobile digit. By installing the NeoReader, Iusacell subscribers will enjoy the value and convenience of a rich and relevant interactive experience whenever they encounter a mobile code.

In combination with NeoSphere and NeoReader, the mobile channel has become a viable new media platform in Mexico for brands, advertisers, marketing agencies and publishers looking for a new and innovative way to interact with their audience.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Partners With TecCom

2008-10-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, has been selected by TecCom, the leading B2B platform for the automotive replacement part market, to help identify if security coded automotive parts are genuine.

TecCom has chosen NeoMedia’s NeoReader® 2D barcode scanning solution to launch its new TecIdentify product. The system enables the camera in a mobile device to scan and read 2D CLEPA security barcodes on automotive parts and immediately check, via the internet, if that part is genuine – significantly reducing the risk of counterfeit parts making their way onto the market.

Commenting on the deal, Jurgen Buchert, CEO of TecCom said: "Our TecIdentify system is an especially efficient and convenient system that traces goods within the logistics chain. In rolling out NeoMedia’s NeoReader enterprise scanning solution, we are able to offer a new level of convenience to our customers. By employing the NeoReader solution, suppliers of automotive parts and traders can simply use their everyday mobile phone to scan a barcode and determine the validity of automotive parts."

Codes were previously only able to be captured and recorded using high-end, expensive scanners or by suppliers and traders manually inputting barcode numbers. NeoMedia’s technology introduces a convenient, low cost and ubiquitous option which enables information to be read courtesy of the camera function installed in a mobile phone.

"NeoMedia’s mission is to enable the global market to realize the ease, convenience and simplicity of 2D barcode technology," said Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. "By extending the reach of our technology to the mobile handset, we are able to add increased flexibility and portability to our 2D barcode offering, while reducing the cost of existing fixed location scanning solutions. Our work with TecCom reflects the practicality and adaptability of our technology and demonstrates the vast range of commercial applications for 2D barcode systems."

To take advantage of the system, users simply install the NeoReader application onto their mobile phone and launch it to scan the part’s 2D security code. Once scanned, users are automatically directed to the TecIdentify website, where the code is checked for authenticity against its database. There is no adaptation or customization needed for the NeoReader application to work, nor does a user need to purchase a special mobile phone.

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Streetstylz

Arvato Showcases Mobile Tagging & Couponing

2008-10-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Arvato AG, a Bertelsmann company, and a leading internationally networked media and communication services provider, showcased NeoMedia's Mobile Tagging and Mobile Couponing technology at Mail Order World 2008 on October 2nd in Germany.

Mail Order World Germany is the largest trade fair for the entire spectrum of mail and provides information and business platforms in parallel with the German Mail Order Congress. The Mail Order World is characterized by a diversified portfolio of exhibitors. At the congress, discussed topics visualize and thus illustrate the theory and practice combined. The exhibition parallels to the Congress of German mail industry gathering for decision-makers from mail order, e-commerce and direct marketing.

Hubert Peter, Head of New Business Development at Arvato Services attended the event and participated in Trade Conference 4: E-Commerce and New Business Models where he presented, Mobile Couponing & Mobile Tagging: New Business Approaches for Steering Customers in Target Groups.

For his presentation, Mr. Peter showcased Mobile Tagging and Mobile Couponing using NeoReader and EXIO technology from NeoMedia.

This past August Arvato teamed up with NeoMedia to launch an innovative mobile marketing campaign in Germany using 2D barcodes with INFOBON International and Deutsche Post.

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Streetstylz

AT&T & Papa John's Team Up With NeoMedia

2008-10-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, has teamed up with AT&T and Papa John's to launch a commercial trial in the US using 2D barcodes and mobile code reading software from NeoMedia.

Building on its continued online success, Papa John’s, the world's third largest pizza company and the industry leader in online ordering, recently launched mobile web ordering, a system that enables pizza lovers to set-up an account or place an order right from their mobile phone.

For the commercial trial, 90,000 mailers were sent out to AT&T subscribers in selected markets inviting them to be among the first to use their AT&T phone in a brand new way. Those interested in participating could text PIZZA to 7316, which would deliver instructions on how to download and install the NeoReader onto their iPhone or other AT&T supported device.

Once installed, the 2D barcode could be scanned using the NeoReader, which would provide a link with a built-in promotion code to Papa John's mobile website. Users would then login with their existing Papa John's account information or create a new account to redeem the offer.

"Mobile web ordering is another major step in giving our customers convenient ways to experience the great taste of Papa John's," said Bob Ford, director of online marketing for Papa John's. "The addition of a 2D barcode promotion continues our tradition of industry firsts and creates a new way for customers to engage with Papa John's."

"We were delighted to work with an industry innovator like Papa John's to launch this program," said Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia. "They understand the consumer desire for convenience and mobile barcode scanning is a new way to provide a simple but compelling consumer experience via the mobile phone. NeoMedia makes sure those experiences are secure, fast and reliable. The NeoReader scanning application helps partners like Papa John's deliver an easy and accessible mobile internet experience to their customers."

As the US continues to embrace 2D barcodes, Papa John's looks forward to staying ahead of new and emerging technologies and positioning itself as a leader in the emerging mobile code ecosystem.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia & Format Dynamics Join Forces

2008-09-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, and Format Dynamics, an innovator in online print and ad optimization, recently announced a strategic alliance designed to accelerate innovation in both online and offline advertising.

NeoMedia develops technology that connects 2D barcodes to interactive content served via mobile networks. Format Dynamics has defined a new advertising category by creating ad inventory served only to the printed Web page. Together, NeoMedia and Format Dynamics will provide the publishing and advertising communities with new ways to increase the value of traditional advertising vehicles, both individually and in a strategic alliance.

"Advertisers are demanding more accountability from their media investments as overall ad budgets shrink," said Ethan Holien, CEO, Format Dynamics. "By teaming up with NeoMedia, we are providing advertisers with a unique channel for targeting consumers, yielding precise ROI metrics. At the same time, we're providing Web publishers with net-new, measurable inventory for incremental revenue."

NeoMedia focuses on improving advertising effectiveness via 2D barcodes that "hyperlink" printed materials to interactive mobile web content. Format Dynamics' CleanPrint™ technology reformats the printed Web page into a magazine-like format and digitally serves a targeted ad within each page. In addition, PrintTracker™ from Format Dynamics tracks all browser-based Web printing behavior, helping Web publishers to analyze campaign metrics and identify monetization opportunities.

Format Dynamics will extend NeoMedia's barcode technology to the ads it serves, providing marketers with additional analytics through a new measurable response mechanism with little incremental cost above their initial media investment.

"By working together with Format Dynamics to provide a broader range of media options in the unique niche of integrating offline and online advertising, we hope to draw more attention to our offerings while extending real value and innovation to our advertising clients," said Iain McCready, CEO, NeoMedia Technologies. "Advertisers are still trying to find effective and scalable opportunities in the mobile arena. NeoMedia's mobile barcode scanning solutions deliver engaging, consumer-initiated interactions with brands that leverage existing media investments."

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Streetstylz

NeoReader Available For The Blackberry

2008-09-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, is excited to announce that their mobile code reading application -- NeoReader® -- is now available for the Blackberry Curve and Pearl. The NeoReader transforms the Blackberry into a barcode scanner, which provides instant access to mobile content by clicking on 2D barcodes.

The NeoReader application turns the Blackberry into a mobile conduit to interactive content and information. The simple "one click" access makes the mobile internet much more accessible for Blackberry users -- by scanning 2D barcodes via the Blackberry's camera, users avoid typing in long URLs and navigating cumbersome menus. 2D barcodes serve as "hyperlinks" from printed mediums to mobile web content and are activated when and where users choose.

The use cases for mobile barcodes are virtually endless, from advertising or editorial content (e.g. movie trailer, product coupon or video content to accompany a print article) to public service information (e.g. bus schedules or prescription drug information) and personal information (e.g. interactive business card). Blackberry users can even promote themselves with mobile barcodes. By creating personal codes users can link their website to a business card, a t-shirt, a social networking profile or any other creative place a barcode can be printed.

The NeoReader is a universal barcode scanning application that reads all standard 2D barcode symbologies -- QR, Data Matrix, Aztec -- so Blackberry users won't need multiple barcode readers. Many companies are beginning to utilize 2D barcodes in their marketing and communication efforts. By installing the NeoReader, Blackberry users will enjoy the value and convenience of a rich and relevant interactive experience wherever they encounter a mobile barcode.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia & Gavitec To Attend CTIA Wireless

2008-09-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, the leading provider of mobile ticketing technologies and marketing solutions, are excited to showcase their innovative optical code reading technology at CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA from September 10 - 12.

CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment, the largest wireless data event in the industry, embodies the ever-changing, dynamic, and innovative world of wireless data in enterprise and in entertainment. CTIA Wireless is the one show that brings key audiences such as enterprise users, solution providers, content owners, and mobile distribution channels together to form strategic partnerships, service industry needs, and create new innovations in wireless data. With over 300 exhibitors and special technology pavilions in mobile entertainment, enterprise mobility, M2M and application development, CTIA Wireless is the most comprehensive expo in wireless data showcasing ground-breaking innovations and creative solutions for enterprise and entertainment.

NeoMedia's flagship optical messaging and code reading platform, along with Gavitec's mobile ticketing technologies and marketing solutions will be on display at CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment in booth #229.

In order to create a global ecosystem for mobile codes, NeoMedia is collaborating with recognized leaders in telecommunication infrastructure management to create a worldwide infrastructure for the processing of optically initiated transactions - called the Optical Messaging Interchange. This interchange would provide the mass reach required by brands and advertisers to invest in the technology, while enabling operators to leverage their investments in networks and subscribers. By embracing open standards, full interoperability, and by being barcode symbology agnostic, NeoMedia Technologies wants to provide a global infrastructure to insure that all transactions requested by end users “work” as intended, all parties are compensated correctly, and that the technology achieves mass adoption globally. In doing so, NeoMedia enables a seamless, secure, and reliable platform for mobile commerce using 1D and 2D barcodes and mobile devices. NeoMedia’s mission is to offer new ways to make mobile internet transactions effortless and more accessible while enhancing customer value and convenience.

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Streetstylz

Quattroruote Selects NeoReader For QR Codes

2008-08-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, the leading provider of mobile ticketing and marketing solutions, are proud to announce that their mobile code reading application, NeoReader, was selected by Quattroruote Magazine for the Mini Experience QR code campaign in Italy.

Quattroruote is a popular monthly Italian automobile magazine that began publication in 1956.

Readers of the magazine can now use their mobile phones to scan printed QR codes to access specialized mobile content and view rich multimedia.

In order to scan QR codes, readers can download the NeoReader, which is a free mobile code reading application developed by NeoMedia Technologies and Gavitec AG - mobile digit.

Based off the award winning Lavasphere technology developed in Germany by Gavitec, the NeoReader features NeoMedia's patented resolution technology combined with Gavitec's ultra-small footprint and platform independent algorithms. It is able to read and decipher all common non-proprietary 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, Aztec) as well as URL embedded 2D codes and all 1D UPC/EAN/Code 128 open source codes. The NeoReader supports direct and indirect code linking, which guarantees maximum interoperability with already existing platforms like 2D Data Matrix Semacodes, and Japanese QR links. This allows the user to click on a variety of codes with a single application installed on their mobile device.

The NeoReader ushers in and inaugurates a brand new era of innovative mobile enterprise and optical code reading solutions for the wireless industry. Visit get.neoreader.com to download the free application, and instantly transform your mobile phone into a universal code reader.

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Streetstylz

INFOBON & Deutsche Post Adopt 2D Codes

2008-08-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, the leading provider of mobile ticketing and marketing solutions, partnered with INFOBON International and Deutsche Post to launch an innovative mobile marketing campaign in Germany using 2D barcodes.

INFOBON is a high quality print medium reaching annually more than 100 million households in the following European countries: The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary. The Infobon group has over 15 years of experience in the field of household-advertisement and coupon marketing.

Consumers who receive the unique mailing advertisement can now use their mobile phones to scan the printed 2D barcode to access specialized mobile content and view rich multimedia.

To scan these barcodes, consumers can download the NeoReader, which is a free mobile code reading application developed by NeoMedia Technologies and Gavitec AG - mobile digit.

In order to create 2D barcodes and link them to the mobile Web, INFOBON used NeoSphere, NeoMedia’s Code Management Platform. This suite of tools has been designed to easily develop, launch and manage mobile marketing campaigns based upon 2D codes and camera phones. NeoSphere provides a simple way to interact with consumers and offers an enriched mobile experience with brands. Moreover, it allows advertisers, marketing agencies and publishers to better monetize their traditional ad placements, and boost their marketing return-on-investment by providing detailed response metrics for traditional media as well as rich reporting and analytical information.

In combination with NeoSphere and NeoReader, the mobile channel has become a viable new media platform for brands, advertisers, marketing agencies and publishers looking for a new and innovative way to interact with their audience.

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Streetstylz

Ralph Lauren Launches US QR Code Initiative

2008-08-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Are tech-savvy fashion forward consumers ready to shop by mobile phone? Ralph Lauren hopes so.

Polo is the first luxury retailer to launch a mobile commerce site, hoping to stay ahead of a trend that is making its way from Asia to the United States, said David Lauren, senior vice president of advertising and son of designer and Chief Executive Ralph Lauren.

Using phones to buy items such as train tickets or products in vending machines is commonplace in Japan, but the trend has yet to catch on in the United States.

"We recognize that in America this is going after somebody who is more comfortable with technology," Lauren told Reuters. "The truth is that in other countries, it's becoming a part of their culture. The trend is coming, and as a fashion company it's very important to identify trends and get ahead of them."

While early adopters of new technologies are often young, Lauren said the move is not aimed at a specific age group.

"This is about someone who's interested in our brand and interested in technology, and wherever the two meet, that's what's appropriate," Lauren said.

The apparel maker will begin placing special 2D codes in print ads, mailings and store windows along with its sponsorship of the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, which begins later this month.

Shoppers can download the NeoReader to their iPhone, or to their camera enabled cell phone in order to scan the 2D codes, which will direct them to a phone-friendly version of Ralph Lauren's website, where they can shop, watch tennis videos and read company content.

The NeoReader is a free universal code reading application developed by NeoMedia Technologies and Gavitec AG - mobile digit.

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Streetstylz

McDonalds Finds Success With 12Snap & Gavitec

2008-08-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Gavitec AG - mobile digit, a NeoMedia Technologies company and the leading provider of mobile ticketing and marketing solutions, in conjunction with 12Snap, an innovative market leader specializing in mobile marketing and customer loyalty solutions for advertisers, partnered with McDonalds to launch a mobile couponing initiative in Germany.

What do 99% of all people have in common? Besides their love for good food, they love to get something for free! With the SMS Lounge, McDonald’s invited customers to save money with their mobile phone. One text message was enough to register at their favorite restaurant for the service. In the following months, people received a mobile voucher directly from the restaurant onto their phone every two weeks. The coupons – embedded in a 2D barcode - could be redeemed by scanning them at the restaurant using Gavitec's EXIO readers.

By establishing a long-term dialogue that drives people to the restaurant and increases sales, not only does it offer people a service that gives them a real value, but it also helps build awareness by using a mechanic that presents McDonald’s as an innovative brand.

"Mobile Couponing continues to develop the idea of the bonus program, by tying to learned consumer behavior, but at the same time, the cost for suppliers and customers is drastically reduced", explained Stefanie Krebs, managing director of 12snap Germany. "The phone is always there and thus the ideal platform for timely actions and coupon offers. Regular Incentives and a clear use promise are the best starting point for a permanent emotional customer connection."

Since its initial launch in July 2007, more than 10,000 participants have used this McDonald’s service. Being the first of its kind mobile couponing initiative throughout Germany, the brand achieved response rates up to 29%.

Nokia and Vodafone assisted 12Snap and Gavitec and helped make this mobile couponing initiative a great success.

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Streetstylz

NeoReader Available For Apple's iPhone

2008-07-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, announced today that their mobile barcode scanning application -- NeoReader® -- is now available for the iPhone and free to download from Apple's App Store. The NeoReader transforms the iPhone into a barcode scanner which provides instant access to mobile content by clicking on 2D barcodes.

Available immediately for free download, iPhone users simply install the NeoReader barcode scanning application onto their iPhone via Apple's App Store, either over a cell network or using Wi-Fi. The application is also accessible via iTunes.

The NeoReader application turns the iPhone into a mobile conduit to interactive content and information. The simple "one click" access makes the mobile internet much more accessible for iPhone users -- by scanning 2D barcodes via the iPhone's camera, users avoid typing in long URLs and navigating cumbersome menus. The 2D barcodes serve as "hyperlinks" from printed mediums to mobile web content and are activated when and where users choose.

The use cases for mobile barcodes are virtually endless, from advertising or editorial content (e.g. movie trailer, product coupon or video content to accompany a print article) to public service information (e.g. bus schedules or prescription drug information) and personal information (e.g. interactive business card). iPhone users can even promote themselves with mobile barcodes. By creating personal codes users can link their website to a business card, a t-shirt, a social networking profile or any other creative place a barcode can be printed.

"We are very exited the NeoReader for iPhone has been approved by Apple -- the superior web experience of iPhone translates to an enhanced experience with the NeoReader as well. iPhone users are exactly the type of consumers that can propel mobile barcode usage into the mainstream," stated Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies. "We know the mobile handset is sacred ground for iPhone users and we respect that. The NeoReader empowers consumers to 'take control' of the content that reaches their iPhone -- they choose when and where they want to engage with a mobile barcode. NeoMedia makes sure the experience is secure, fast and reliable. I believe the NeoReader can be the breakthrough needed to deliver the promise of an easy and accessible mobile internet experience."

The NeoReader is a universal barcode scanning application that reads all standard 2D barcode symbologies -- QR, Data Matrix, Aztec -- so iPhone users won't need multiple barcode readers. Many companies are beginning to utilize 2D barcodes in their marketing and communications efforts. By installing the NeoReader, iPhone users will enjoy the value and convenience of a rich and relevant interactive experience wherever they encounter a mobile barcode.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

Gavitec Scanners Used By T-Mobile & Vodafone

2008-07-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

Gavitec AG - mobile digit, a leading provider of mobile technologies and marketing solutions and a wholly owned subsidiary of NeoMedia Technologies, today announced that its mobile ticketing scanners were deployed last week at the T-Mobile Street Gigs and Vodafone Music Unlimited events. Since the first Street Gig in June 2007, more than 10,000 music fans received access to these unique events by having their mobile tickets redeemed by the Gavitec scanners. In addition, Vodafone Germany adopted mobile ticketing to distribute exclusive tickets for their July 13th event in Leipzig.

Last Summer, T-Mobile put on a series of spontaneous live music events known as Street Gigs in surprising and unexpected locations across Germany. Tickets for the concerts were available to winners of a “mobile ticket lottery” running on the T-Mobile Street Gigs website. All those registering free of charge as a member of the new T-Mobile Street Gigs community at www.t-mobile-streetgigs.de simply gave their mobile phone numbers. The lottery winners were then sent a pair of mobile tickets in the form of a 2D barcode directly to their mobile phone on the day of the concert. At the gig venue, winners had their mobile ticket scanned by the Gavitec scanner linked into a live database. Once the tickets were validated and redeemed, the winners could enter the venue and enjoy a great night in an exclusive location. Since the first gig in July 2007, more than 10,000 winners have attended the T-Mobile events using mobile tickets.

In order to strengthen its commitment to music products, Vodafone Germany sponsored a live concert featuring one of Germany's most popular bands, Ich + Ich, free of charge in Leipzig, Germany. The tickets for this live concert on July 13 in Leipzig's Kohlrabizirkus were available to all-comers registering at www.vodafone.de/music and taking part in a mobile ticketing lottery. The winners received a mobile ticket for 2 persons in the form of a 2D barcode to be redeemed at the concert venue by the Gavitec scanners.

"We are really pleased that music fans can now take advantage of a more convenient ticketing procedure. Our easy-to-use and versatile scanners are already used successfully in other European countries. It is great to bring this fantastic technology to Germany”, says Dr. Christian Steinborn, CEO at Gavitec AG - mobile digit, and continues “Gavitec’s scanners bring not only enormous advantages for mobile phone users, such as improved customer service, reduced queue times, reliable access control, but also provide event promoters with an easy way to collect data and build a personalized customer database. Therefore, it is a remarkable tool to open new distribution channels and to realize mobile marketing campaigns".

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Streetstylz

Data Matrix Inventor Joins NeoMedia

2008-07-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, announced today that Dennis G. Priddy, inventor of the Data Matrix symbology, has been appointed to the position of Senior Vice President of Operations. As an innovator in the 2D barcode industry and a pioneer of 2D imaging, Dennis’ global business insights and technological acumen further solidify NeoMedia’s position as a thought leader in the burgeoning mobile barcode scanning industry.

In his new role, Dennis will oversee all technical operations of the business. Since joining NeoMedia in March 2008, he has been working closely with NeoMedia’s Chief Strategist, Dr. Frank Müller, to promote unified standards in mobile barcode reading technology and cooperate globally with the GSM Association (GSMA) and the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), two of the mobile phone industry’s most influential representative bodies. Establishing unified standards to enable global interoperability is a critical milestone to driving worldwide adoption of mobile marketing utilizing 2D barcodes.

“Most people know the name Dennis Priddy as the father of the Data Matrix symbology, but those in the auto-ID industry associate the name with strong operational leadership,” says Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies. “NeoMedia Technologies is proud to have a visionary like Dennis in the organization to help us develop compelling business solutions that leverage barcode scanning technology and navigate the complex global interoperability challenges that lie ahead. It’s great to have someone with his vast experience on board.”

Dennis is world renowned in industry circles for having introduced and led the adoption of the Data Matrix 2D symbology. As a result of Dennis’ efforts, Data Matrix has been established as a national and international identification standard in the aerospace, automotive, electronics, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, health care, and postal industries, as well as the US Department of Defense, NASA, and the FDA. He was a featured speaker at government and industry forums in the United States, Europe, Japan, and The People’s Republic of China.

He has developed and introduced new technology and established worldwide sales and distribution channels in China and Japan. While serving as Chairman of International Data Matrix, Inc., Dennis coordinated the corporate merger of I.D. Matrix with Robotic Vision Systems, Inc (RVSI) and became CEO of that industry-leading conglomerate. He also participated in the acquisition of Computer Identics Corporation and the subsequent consolidation of Computer Identics with I.D. Matrix to form CiMatrix.

Dennis has served more than 20 years contracting with the federal government with extensive expertise in government contract law and regulation, and is considered a subject matter expert in intellectual property law cases. He is the named inventor on 13 US patents and one patent pending.

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Streetstylz

OMA Publishes Mobile Code White Paper

2008-07-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

The OMA recently published a comprehensive white paper addressing important components of the mobile code ecosystem, such as different symbologies, usage scenarios, and direct versus indirect encoding,

The white paper aims to stimulate a global market in which barcodes act as enablers for camera-equipped handsets to access content and services. Some technologies already exist; for example, in Japan, 2D barcode scanning is in widespread use.

However there is fragmentation in the worldwide market currently, due to the variety of approaches to the questions of which barcode symbologies should be supported, what format of data they should contain, and how reader software should behave when barcodes are read.

The Open Mobile Alliance aims to halt fragmentation by providing guidelines on existing standards as well as creating specifications to address interoperability needs as they arise. Once enough mobile code readers that follow those guidelines are deployed on consumer handsets, marketing organizations and publishers will be able to include mobile codes as links to online content and services with confidence, in advertising and promotional campaigns, and in printed and displayed media of many kinds.

Last December the Mobile Codes Consortium (MC2) announced it had carried out initiatives which lead to GSM Association (GSMA) and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) activities to accelerate mass mobile marketing using 2D barcodes.

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Streetstylz

Mobile Ticketing From Omniprime & Gavitec

2008-07-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

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NeoMedia Brings 2D Codes To Hong Kong

2008-07-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, has teamed up with leading wireless carrier Hutchison Whampoa and New Media Group, to bring mobile codes to Hong Kong.

Hutchison Whampoa, one of the worlds leading telecommunications operators running it's network under the 3 brand, and New Media Group, a leading Hong Kong publisher principally engaged in the publishing and marketing of Chinese language weekly magazines, have deployed NeoMedia's 2D barcodes in New Media's Weekend Weekly and New Monday publications.

Readers of the magazines can now use their mobile phones to scan printed 2D barcodes to access specialized mobile content and view rich multimedia, such as photos, wallpapers, songs, and video clips.

To scan these barcodes, readers can download the NeoReader, which is a free mobile code reading application developed by NeoMedia Technologies and Gavitec AG - mobile digit.

In order to create 2D barcodes and link them to the mobile Web, New Media Group used NeoSphere, NeoMedia’s Code Management Platform. This suite of tools has been designed to easily develop, launch and manage mobile marketing campaigns based upon 2D codes and camera phones. NeoSphere provides a simple way to interact with consumers and offers an enriched mobile experience with brands. Moreover, it allows advertisers, marketing agencies and publishers to better monetize their traditional ad placements, and boost their marketing return-on-investment by providing detailed response metrics for traditional media as well as rich reporting and analytical information.

In combination with NeoSphere and NeoReader, the mobile channel has become a viable new media platform for brands, advertisers, marketing agencies and publishers looking for a new and innovative way to interact with their audience.

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Streetstylz

Companies Transition To 2D Barcodes

2008-07-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

By the end of this year, consumers may notice a new type of barcode printed on popular product packaging. In addition to the traditional one-dimensional UPC codes found on everything, two-dimensional Data Matrix codes are now beginning to emerge.

Colgate Palmolive, an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, and Unilever, a multinational corporation owning many of the world's leading consumer product brands, are two such companies that are making the transition to two-dimensional Data Matrix codes.

Speed Stick and Soft Soap are two brands owned by Colgate Palmolive that have begun printing Data Matrix codes on their product packaging.

As seen in the picture to the left, the barcode contains a unique identifier, 9838450, which is used for tracking the product, collecting data, improving production capabilities and anti-counterfeiting measures.

The second picture displays the bottle of Soft Soap with a two-dimensional Data Matrix code printed on the back. It also contains a unique identifier, 9841645, which is used for product tracking and informational purposes.

In addition to product tracking, data collection, production improvements and anti-counterfeiting measures, Data Matrix codes can open up an entirely new revenue stream for brands and advertisers by utilizing the two-dimensional barcode and the ever popular mobile channel.

One such company, NeoMedia Technologies, has a patented technology that enables print and static media to become interactive with target audiences using two-dimensional barcodes and mobile networks by delivering real-time content that can be carried away with the consumer on their mobile device.

In order to link two-dimensional Data Matrix codes to the mobile Web, Colgate Palmolive and Unilever can deploy NeoMedia's NeoSphere Code Management Platform. This suite of tools has been designed to easily develop, launch and manage mobile marketing campaigns based upon two-dimensional barcodes and camera phones. NeoSphere provides a simple way to interact with consumers and offers an enriched mobile experience for brands. Moreover, it allows advertisers, marketing agencies and publishers to better monetize their traditional ad placements, and boost their marketing return-on-investment by providing detailed response metrics for traditional media as well as rich reporting and analytical information.

The barcode's unique identifier, can now be linked to a mobile website using the NeoSphere Code Management Platform.

Consumers can then use their mobile phones to scan printed Data Matrix codes to access specialized mobile content and rich multimedia, such as product information, special offers, coupons, ring tones, and videos. In order to scan Data matrix codes, consumers can download the NeoReader, which is a free mobile code reading application developed by NeoMedia Technologies and Gavitec AG - mobile digit.

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OMA Update On Mobile Code Standards

2008-07-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

The OMA recently published a June 2008 Technical Plenary Summary stating that good progress was being made on mobile code standards requirements, and that a consensus has been reached on the definition of an Indirect Mode Ecosystem. The summary also noted that a candidate release was scheduled for second quarter 2009.

Last December the Mobile Codes Consortium (MC2) announced it had carried out initiatives which lead to GSM Association (GSMA) and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) activities to accelerate mass mobile marketing using 2D barcodes.

The Mobile Codes Consortium, the cross-industry group created to promote unified standards in camera cell-phone barcode reading technology, in conjunction with the GSM Association and the Open Mobile Alliance, continues to bring large scale adoption of mobile codes closer to reality.

The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) delivers open specifications for creating interoperable services that work across countries, operators, fixed and mobile terminals. Driven by users’ needs and the expanding market for data services, the member companies of the Open Mobile Alliance stimulate the adoption of new and enhanced information, communication and entertainment services. The Open Mobile Alliance includes contributors from all key elements of the wireless value chain, and contributes to the timely and efficient introduction of services and applications.

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Streetstylz

Mobile Ticketing Used At Luxembourg Air Show

2008-07-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Gavitec AG - mobile digit, a leading provider of mobile technologies and marketing solutions and a wholly owned subsidiary of NeoMedia Technologies, announced that its mobile ticketing solution was used for the air show in Bitburg, Germany last weekend. Mocom, a Luxembourg-based provider of electronic tickets, offered this innovative ticketing service using Gavitec technology. It was a tremendous success and 15,000 mobile tickets were scanned and redeemed over one weekend.

Prior to the air show, which took place from the 28th to the 29th of June, visitors purchased their tickets online via the Mocom web portal and received them as a unique and encrypted 2D barcode directly to their mobile phone.

At the entrance, visitors simply held their mobile phone to the Gavitec scanners to gain quick and easy access to the event. The mobile tickets were redeemed by 6 Gavitec scanners working in parallel. This service offers visitors an easy and convenient alternative to conventional printed tickets or vouchers.

The Gavitec technology offers visitors and event promoters enormous advantages: with an easy and reliable admission solution, queuing time is reduced and direct access to the event is possible.
Moreover, this service supplies event organizers with detailed response statistics and rich reporting and analytical information on mobile activities. This allows event organizers to improve and optimize their events. Furthermore, customers can be individually addressed with information, promotion materials, offers of other services and marketing activities. For example, vouchers and coupons can be created according to the customer’s individual needs and be validated using the Gavitec solution. The scanners are specifically designed for cost-effective mobile marketing applications and a targeted customer approach with precise response measurement. Therefore, new sales and distribution channels open up for event promoters.

Gavitec AG - mobile digit is one of the leading providers of mobile solutions worldwide. Its code reading technology is an integral part of a large number of mobile ticket and voucher systems in Europe.

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OgilvyOne Adopts NeoReader and NeoSphere

2008-07-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, today announced that OgilvyOne Worldwide has deployed two of NeoMedia’s innovative mobile products: NeoReader (barcode scanning application) and NeoSphere (code management platform) for the launch of neo@ogilvy, its integrated digital and direct media company in Malaysia. The launch has been planned and managed by Rezonanze, NeoMedia’s strategic partner in Asia and a leading interactive branding and marketing consultancy.

For the launch of its new division neo@ogilvy in Malaysia, OgilvyOne Worldwide invited brands and advertisers to attend a special reception. The OgilvyOne invitation featured a 2D barcode that linked to neo@ogilvy WAP pages. By scanning the code with their camera phones, attendees were able to preview the neo@ogilvy profile on their mobile phones. The NeoReader, NeoMedia’s 2D barcode scanning application, was used to capture the codes and instantly deliver the multimedia information about OgilvyOne’s new division on mobile phone displays.

“This project clearly points out the significant advantages our technology brings to the advertising and marketing industry” says Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies, and continues “with the NeoReader, marketers are able to address specific targeted audience segments with precise response measurement”.

To create the 2D barcode and link it to the mobile Web, Rezonanze deployed NeoSphere, NeoMedia’s Code Management Platform. This suite of tools has been designed to easily develop, launch and manage mobile marketing campaigns based upon 2D codes and camera phones. NeoSphere provides a simple way to interact with consumers and offers an enriched mobile experience with brands. Moreover, it allows advertisers, marketing agencies and publishers to better monetize their traditional ad placements, and boost their marketing return-on-investment by providing detailed response metrics for traditional media as well as rich reporting and analytics information.

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Streetstylz

Rezonanze Uses 2D Codes From NeoMedia

2008-07-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, and Rezonanze, a Kuala Lumpur based leading interactive branding and marketing consultancy, today announced that they have entered into a partnership to enhance the brand user experience in the Asian market.

Under the cooperation agreement, Rezonanze will deploy NeoMedia’s Code Management Platform “NeoSphere” to extend its clients’ brand value by providing them with a simple way to interact with valuable mobile customers while establishing an ROI metric for traditional media. The NeoSphere Code Management Platform is a suite of tools designed to easily develop, launch and manage mobile marketing campaigns based upon 2D codes and mobile phones.

Rezonanze is very enthusiastic about this new branding and marketing medium because it offers a new level of interactivity with consumers. Print ads (or any static medium) are transformed into interactive experiences for mobile customers by simply adding a 2D code and linking it directly to the multimedia capability of the mobile Web.

“We are excited by the possibilities gained from the NeoSphere Code Management Platform”, says Anna Chew, Director of Rezonanze. “It takes interactivity to another level, enhancing the traditional media experience, while it also acts as a CRM tool, providing valuable insights into the consumer usage patterns. It will help us to deliver the right offer and right experience to the right customer at the right time.”

In combination with the NeoReader, NeoMedia’s barcode scanning application for camera phones, the interactive channel has become a viable new media platform. This is why Rezonanze intends to roll out NeoMedia’s products and technology to timely and effectively manage and control marketing campaigns for their clients and provide a unique mobile user experience with brands. Rezonanze has a wide variety of clients in key industries, including automotive, banking, insurance and FMCGs.

“The wireless market in Asia is significantly ahead of the U.S. and we believe this partnership with Rezonanze will help establish NeoSphere and NeoReader as an outstanding service solution in Malaysia and the greater region,” said Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies.

OgilvyOne Worldwide Malaysia, the global leader in customer relationship management and interactive marketing, is the first Rezonanze client to use NeoSphere in its new digital and direct media division, neo@ogilvy. Rezonanze is planning future trials with cinema operators, movie distributors and media companies. As a result, movie fans should have the opportunity to watch trailers via mobile phone.

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2D Code Technology Demonstrated At Cal Poly

2008-06-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

A delegation of officials from Shandong, China, visited Cal Poly's College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences May 23 during a tour of California's agricultural areas.

The delegation arrived in California to study the state's agricultural practices and produce tracking technology and applications.

In San Luis Obispo, the group listened to a presentation from Associate Dean Mark Shelton, and toured Cal Poly's organic farm. They also visited Cal Poly's Radio Frequency Identification lab, PolyGait, for a presentation from Engineering Professor Tali Freed.

The Chinese government is interested in produce supply chain security from the small family farms to the market place. Rapid I.D., of San Luis Obispo, is working with the Chinese Government on a tracking system that uses camera phones and two-dimensional barcode labels to track food identification information. The goal of the tracking system is to provide the Chinese citizen assurance that the produce came from an inspected and authorized field, and supply chain.

During the City of King field trip, Rapid I.D. demonstrated the tracking technology using the barcode labels with supporting on-line information. Camera phones were equipped with NeoMedia's NeoReader technology and used to look up produce information. Rapid I.D. Managing Director Rick May was one of the guides for the delegation during their week in-country.

"We have actually patented and created tracking technology to track codes that are created, two dimensional bar codes, and we are doing this in China where it's important to the government to make sure the produce is protected," explained Rick May, project promoter.

The program, pioneered by the university's Global Automatic Identification Technology Center, is revolutionizing the way everything from passports to produce are tracked.

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NeoMedia Appoints New CEO Iain McCready

2008-05-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated barcode transactions for mobile devices, is pleased to announce the appointment of Iain McCready as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Iain joins to take NeoMedia into the next phase of its growth and to be responsible for day-to-day operations and business strategy.

Outgoing CEO Chip Hoffman, who is moving on to new activities, will help Iain during the transition period.

Iain was previously employed as a consultant for NeoMedia and has extensive experience in successfully growing relevant technology businesses. Most recently, Iain spent three years driving the growth of Mobiqa, the world leader in mobile ticketing and mobile couponing solutions based on the creation, optimization, delivery and redemption of barcodes to mobile phones, from a start-up to the world leader in their field. As CEO, he rolled out the company's strategy worldwide, entered new markets and struck major deals with the biggest companies in their field, including Ticketmaster, Major League Baseball and Nokia.

Previously, Iain was Non-Executive Chairman of Scolocate Limited, a provider of co-location and managed services to the IT marketplace, specializing in IT architecture, design and planning, project management and implementation services. Prior to this, Iain was the Non-Executive Director of Concept Systems Limited, a leading supplier of advanced IT systems, solutions and service to the oil exploration and production industry, appointed to manage the business to a successful exit, which he achieved.

In 2003 Iain served as the Interim Chief Operating Officer at Hanon Solution Limited. Before that, he had an almost 20 year career at KSCL, which was Scotland's largest software house and developed customer care and billing applications for the world's leading mobile phone operators, now part of Convergys. Iain had held a number of roles at KSCL including Chief Operating Officer and Customer Services Director.

George O'Leary, board member said, "We are delighted to welcome Iain on board. Iain comes with direct experience and the proven ability to develop and execute business plans, establish companies internationally and build and lead teams. He was the natural choice for CEO. We have been particularly impressed with his ability to assess and assimilate business issues quickly. His extensive experience leading a top barcode and technology company will provide key direction in developing NeoMedia's strategy and driving the company forward."

Iain McCready said, "Having already worked with NeoMedia, I am looking forward to taking the reins and being operational from day one. At the forefront of a rapidly growing sector, the company's innovative products, exciting solutions and its intellectual property for the mobile market in particular offer impressive potential. I look forward to contributing to its future success."

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La Gazzetta Dello Sport Adopts QR Codes

2008-05-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

La Gazzetta dello Sport, a popular Italian newspaper dedicated to the coverage of various sports, has launched a QR code initiative to make print interactive.

The newspaper, published on distinctive pink paper, sells over 400,000 copies daily, with an impressive readership in excess of three million.

Readers of the newspaper can now use their mobile phones to scan printed QR codes to access specialized mobile content, such as sports related video clips.

In order to scan QR codes, users can download the NeoReader, which is a free mobile code reading application.

Based off the award winning Lavasphere technology developed in Germany by Gavitec, the NeoReader features NeoMedia's patented resolution technology combined with Gavitec's ultra-small footprint and platform independent algorithms. It is able to read and decipher all common non-proprietary 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, Aztec) as well as URL embedded 2D codes and all 1D UPC/EAN/Code 128 open source codes. The NeoReader supports direct and indirect code linking, which guarantees maximum interoperability with already existing platforms like 2D Data Matrix Semacodes, and Japanese QR links. This allows the user to click on a variety of codes with a single application installed on their mobile device.

The NeoReader ushers in and inaugurates a brand new era of innovative mobile enterprise and optical code reading solutions for the wireless industry. Visit get.neoreader.com to download the free application, and instantly transform your mobile phone into a universal code reader.

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Streetstylz

Another Step Closer To Mobile Code Standards

2008-05-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Last December the Mobile Codes Consortium (MC2) announced it had carried out initiatives which lead to GSM Association (GSMA) and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) activities to accelerate mass mobile marketing using 2D barcodes.

The Mobile Codes Consortium, the cross-industry group created to promote unified standards in camera cell-phone barcode reading technology, in conjunction with the GSM Association and the Open Mobile Alliance, continues to bring large scale adoption of mobile codes closer to reality.

A work item document entitled "Mobile 2D Bar codes" was created last year by the Mobile Codes Consortium and approved by the OMA Board of Directors.

The approved work item included the following recommendations: (1) Choice of 2D barcode symbologies (2) The data stored in the barcodes and (3) The terminal behaviors in response to reading barcodes, including behaviors with respect to some existing (1D and 2D) barcodes standards. Prime candidates include the industrial standards for barcode symbologies QR and Datamatrix, and the NFC Forum NDEF data structure. The normative specifications to be developed shall ensure backward compatibility with relevant 2D barcode systems, so that mobile devices that are compliant to the specifications to be developed shall be able to recognize and process such existing 2D barcode print-outs or images.

The work item also concluded that, barcode reading software needs to be included in devices supporting mobile codes, and the interface towards back-end servers also needs to be agreed.

The OMA recently published a February 2008 Technical Plenary Summary stating that a 2D barcode white paper has been completed. The summary also noted that work was about to commence on formal standards.

According to Tim Kindberg of HP Laboratories and co-chairman of the MC2, "Barcode reading technology makes it much easier for people with mobile phones to click straight from paper or displays to content and services. You just point the camera and click to connect. This will make the mobile internet much more accessible."

Thomas Curwen of Publicis Dialog and co-chairman of MC2, said: "Mobile barcodes will make advertising much more efficient. Customers clicking straight from, say a poster, to the Internet on their mobile device – will make traditional display advertising as interactive as banner ads. With the added advantage that advertisers can track and measure which ads create the highest click-through rates." Curwen added, "It is unique for an ad agency to be leading technological change on such a scale – and we are doing this because it will help make us more efficient."

The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) delivers open specifications for creating interoperable services that work across countries, operators, fixed and mobile terminals. Driven by users’ needs and the expanding market for data services, the member companies of the Open Mobile Alliance stimulate the adoption of new and enhanced information, communication and entertainment services. The Open Mobile Alliance includes contributors from all key elements of the wireless value chain, and contributes to the timely and efficient introduction of services and applications.

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Streetstylz

Turn Your iPhone Into A Mobile Code Reader

2008-04-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, and Gavitec, the leading provider of mobile ticketing technologies and marketing solutions, have brought their flagship mobile code-reading application NeoReader to the iPhone.

Based off the award winning Lavasphere technology developed in Germany by Gavitec, the NeoReader features NeoMedia's patented resolution technology combined with Gavitec's ultra-small footprint and platform independent algorithms. It is able to read and decipher all common non-proprietary 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, Aztec) as well as URL embedded 2D codes and all 1D UPC/EAN/Code 128 open source codes. The NeoReader supports direct and indirect code linking, which guarantees maximum interoperability with already existing platforms like 2D Data Matrix Semacodes, and Japanese QR links. This allows the user to click on a variety of codes with a single application installed on their mobile device.

NeoMedia was demoing the newly developed iPhone application at CTIA Wireless this past week. According to a representative at NeoMedia, "We are extremely pleased with the new NeoReader iPhone application. In addition to making phone calls, playing videos, and listening to music, your iPhone can now scan 1D and 2D barcodes to connect directly to the mobile web. Mobile codes allow users to by-pass search engines and long URLs to deliver real-time content that can be carried away with the consumer on the mobile phone."

Currently in Beta, a public release of the NeoReader iPhone application is anticipated soon.

The NeoReader ushers in and inaugurates a brand new era of innovative mobile enterprise and optical code reading solutions for the wireless industry. Visit get.neoreader.com to download the free application, and instantly transform your mobile phone into a universal code reader.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Makes Strong Showing At CTIA

2008-04-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, and Gavitec, the leading provider of mobile ticketing technologies and marketing solutions, showcased their innovative optical code reading technology and mobile ticketing solutions at CTIA Wireless 2008 in Las Vegas this past week.

NeoMedia's flagship optical messaging and code reading platform, along with Gavitec's mobile ticketing technologies and marketing solutions were on display in booth #1259.

In addition to ShowStoppers, NeoMedia's CEO Chip Hoffman participated in a CTIA educational session. The panel discussion, Cameraphone Code Scanning Technologies: A Survey, was focused on the devices, software, applications, etc., that enable code scanning via a mobile phone’s camera functionality.

By turning "old" media into "new" media, NeoMedia enables print and broadcast media to become interactive with their target audience using 2D barcodes and mobile networks, by-passing search engines and long URLs, avoiding cumbersome menus, replacing toll-free service and delivering real-time content that can be carried away with the consumer on the mobile. NeoMedia offers the tools and infrastructure for wireless carriers, brands, mobile phone manufactures and media companies to make optical messaging (OMS) and its associated commerce easy, universal, and reliable – worldwide. To provide a robust high-performance infrastructure for the processing of optical codes, NeoMedia extends their offering with award-winning Gavitec technology. Located in Germany, Gavitec AG - mobile digit is an industry leader in the development and distribution of mobile scanners and software for mobile applications. In addition, Gavitec provides standardized and individual solutions for mobile marketing, couponing, ticketing and payment systems.

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia Brings NeoReader To The iPhone

2008-04-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

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CITI Telecom Powers Smirnoff With Gavitec EXIO

2008-03-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Gavitec AG - mobile digit, a NeoMedia Technologies company and the leading provider of mobile ticketing and marketing solutions, in conjunction with CITI Telecommunications, an innovative solutions and services company, partnered for the Smirnoff Experience in Dubai.

The CITI Telecommunications mobile ticketing technology was used along side Gavitec's EXIO scanners to enable 4,000+ participants to enter a drawing via SMS. The participants received an entry ticket on their mobile phone in real time at the venue allowing them a chance to win 2 VIP trips to Paris France.

Gavitec’s flexible and easy-to-use technology offers many advantages such as new channels of distribution, a more targeted and directed sales approach and precise response evaluation. The capabilities of the Gavitec product range allow for many other mobile marketing applications: For example, different data contents like tickets, coupons or discount vouchers can be encrypted in the form of two-dimensional codes and sent to mobile phones via SMS. The code appears in the mobile phone display and is then read by Gavitec scanners (EXIO or MD-20). Codes are automatically and securely validated against a database via GPRS. Gavitec’s code-reading technology turns the mobile phone into an ideal platform for the transfer and verification of electronic tickets.

The event was a first of its kind in Dubai and an overall success. Please enjoy the pictures below:

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Streetstylz

NeoMedia & DIMOCO Partner For DICOM 2008

2008-03-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

DIMOCO, a full solution mobile service provider offering mobile marketing, mobile messaging and payment, as well as mobile campaigns, has partnered with NeoMedia and Gavitec for the 2008 Austrian Dialog Marketing Congress (DICOM) taking place in the Congress Casino Baden on March 13th.

Industry leading presenters will voice their opinions on whether all media is destined to become dialog media in this era of constant technological breakthroughs. The motto: "Dialog or die!" The examples: Community Marketing, interactive TV, Radio 2.0, talking posters, virtual game worlds, dialog-oriented print campaigns, and last but not least, mobile marketing.

In addition to engaging presentations, discussions and expert round tables will offer added insight, for example, about how mobile marketing is used in the Mobile Dialog Lounge. Based on a practical example, attendees will be able to test mobile codes using the NeoReader. Those taking part in the DICOM-Mobile Codes prize game will have an additional chance to win the main prize, a wellness weekend package.

Based off the award winning Lavasphere technology developed in Germany by Gavitec, the NeoReader features NeoMedia's patented resolution technology combined with Gavitec's ultra-small footprint and platform independent algorithms. It is able to read and decipher all common non-proprietary 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, Aztec, Maxi) as well as URL embedded 2D codes and all 1D UPC/EAN/Code 128 open source codes. The NeoReader supports direct and indirect code linking, which guarantees maximum interoperability with already existing platforms like 2D Data Matrix Semacodes, and Japanese QR links. This allows the user to click on a variety of codes with a single application installed on their mobile device.

According to DIMOCO, "Mobile Tagging offers more mobile experience with only one click. Mobile Tagging shows you a brand new method of communicating with your target group. By taking a picture of the 2D code (the tag) the end-user instantly gets the information (news, coupons, sweepstakes) behind it."

DIMOCO's portfolio includes everything from campaign planning through software development, all the way to providing technical infrastructure. Since every Austrian, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovenian, Ukrainian and Swiss mobile provider is their partner, DIMOCO can cost effectively apply the most up-to-date mobile telephone technologies and carrying mediums (SMS/MMS).

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Streetstylz

Gavitec & Omniprime Launch MRT E-Wallet Card

2008-02-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

Gavitec AG - mobile digit, a NeoMedia Technologies company and the leading provider of mobile ticketing and marketing solutions, in conjunction with the Philippines' leading mobile solutions specialist, Omniprime, have launched a new Prepaid E-Wallet Card for Manila’s major public transportation line MRT3.

To answer the more than 500,000 daily MRT commuter's plea for a more convenient ticketing system, Metro Star Express in cooperation with Omniprime, Gavitec, and the three leading Philippine telecom companies, Smart, Globe, and Sun cellular, bring together a new innovative use for the cell phone - to buy and prepay MRT tickets.

Convenience is what MRT commuters get when they activate a Juan Card E-Wallet with their cell phone. The majority of cell phone subscribers in the Philippines are now using prepaid and/or e-loaded cards. Using the Juan Card E-Wallet is no different. One card provides an added advantage because people subscribing to different cell phone companies can simply use one type of e-card to buy their e-loads for calling and texting, while at the same time, empowering them to buy their MRT e-tickets.

Almost a year of hard work in programing, installation, and testing has been conducted by MRT's technicians and consultants, together with Omniprime's management, engineers, and IT professionals to test the end to end mobile ticketing system.

Simeon Kintanar, chairman of Omniprime and former president of the Philippines’ National Telecommunications Commission, and committee chairman of the House of Representatives for telecommunications, explains the decision for partnering with NeoMedia’s Gavitec, "This project is top priority for Omniprime. Due to the high reliability and quality of the Gavitec technology, and following our long and in-depth testing phase, we knew that partnering with NeoMedia's Gavitec was good for both companies."

“The circumstances given in the Philippines hold a considerable potential for development for mobile marketing. We are very pleased to again prove the established performance of the Gavitec technology with the implementation of this mobile ticketing project for MRT3,“ emphasized the COO of NeoMedia, Dr. Christian Steinborn.

Gavitec’s flexible and easy-to-use technology offers many advantages such as new channels of distribution, a more targeted and directed sales approach and precise response evaluation. The capabilities of the Gavitec product range allow for many other mobile marketing applications: For example, different data contents like tickets, coupons or discount vouchers can be encrypted in the form of two-dimensional codes and sent to mobile phones via SMS. The code appears in the mobile phone display and is then read by Gavitec scanners (EXIO or MD-20). Codes are automatically and securely validated against a database via GPRS. Gavitec’s code-reading technology turns the mobile phone into an ideal platform for the transfer and verification of electronic tickets.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

Gavitec's Mobile Check-In At Barcelona Airport

2008-02-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

Gavitec AG - mobile digit, a NeoMedia Technologies company and the leading provider of mobile ticketing and marketing solutions, partnered with Spanair to launch a new mobile boarding pass service.

The state of the art technology was tested at two Spanish airports - Madrid and Bilbao - and has been extended to Barcelona due to it's overwhelming success.

November of last year, Spanair launched its new Mobile Boarding Pass service, thus becoming the first airline to offer its passengers this type of mobile ticketing service.

To obtain a mobile boarding pass, passengers will be required to check-in using the web-based check-in service at spanair.com, or by connecting to the internet with a mobile phone via the new mobile check-in service at spanair.mobi, which was launched in tandem with the mobile boarding pass service. At the end of the process, the passenger is asked for his or her mobile number, to which Spanair will send the corresponding multimedia message (MMS) free of charge. The multimedia message contains an image with a two-dimensional barcode, which transmits all the information necessary to execute automated boarding, as well as a text information section with all travel details.

In order to use this system, passengers simply need to pass the 2D barcode sent to their mobile phone over the Gavitec EXIO scanners at the Madrid, Bilbao, and Barcelona airports. In doing so, they will obtain a paper receipt with which they will be able to pass through security and proceed to boarding.

Pablo Sánchez, Director of E-Commerce at Spanair, stated that, "Spanair is laying the foundations for the implementation of a boarding card system in the near future that will be 100% paper-less; thereby ensuring greater passenger comfort and a substantial saving of time."

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

NeoMedia Participates In Mobile World Congress

2008-02-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, the leading provider of mobile ticketing technologies and marketing solutions, are participating in one of the world's most important events convening the mobile scene: the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, taking place from February 11th - February 14th. It is the major industry event for companies like NeoMedia and Gavitec who aim to shape the mobile industry future with revolutionary ideas.

Below you will find pictures of NeoMedia's booth, the company's table at the press event, and NeoMedia's CEO William Hoffman being interviewed on the Show Stoppers stage by bnetTV. Please enjoy the following pictures from the 2008 Mobile World Congress.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

GS1 Austria & NeoMedia Partner For ITnT

2008-02-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, the leading provider of mobile ticketing technologies and marketing solutions, have partnered with GS1 Austria and will be joining together for the ITnT Trade Fair in Vienna from February 5th through the 7th.

The ITnT reflects the entire IT & telecommunications market for innovative products, services and solutions. Domestic, foreign and multinational exhibitors gather in the two show halls to present solutions to make everyday work easier and to optimize corporate work flow. Expect all this and much more at the ITnT 2008. Visitors can also benefit from many top quality side events. There will be speeches, discussions and presentations covering all ICT issues.

GS1 is a global organization dedicated to the design and implementation of global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains globally and across multiple sectors. The GS1 System of standards is the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world.

GS1's main activity is the development of the GS1 System, a series of standards designed to improve supply chain management. The GS1 System is composed of four key product areas: Barcodes (used to automatically identify things), eCom (electronic business messaging allowing automatic electronic transmission of data), GDSN (Global Data Synchronization Network which allows partners to have consistent item data in their systems at the same time) and EPCglobal (which uses RFID technology to immediately track an item).

GS1 was formed when the Uniform Code Council (UCC) and the Electronic Commerce Council of Canada (ECCC) joined EAN International. UCC has become GS1 US and ECCC has become GS1 Canada. It has headquarters in Brussels (Belgium) and Lawrenceville, New Jersey (USA). There are also Member Organization offices in over 100 countries globally.

By turning "old" media into "new" media, NeoMedia enables print and broadcast media to become interactive with their target audience using 2D barcodes and mobile networks, by-passing search engines and long URLs, avoiding cumbersome menus, replacing toll-free service and delivering real-time content that can be carried away with the consumer on the mobile. NeoMedia offers the tools and infrastructure for wireless carriers, brands, mobile phone manufactures and media companies to make optical messaging (OMS) and its associated commerce easy, universal, and reliable – worldwide. To provide a robust high-performance infrastructure for the processing of optical codes, NeoMedia extends their offering with award-winning Gavitec technology. Located in Germany, Gavitec AG - mobile digit is an industry leader in the development and distribution of mobile scanners and software for mobile applications. In addition, Gavitec provides standardized and individual solutions for mobile marketing, couponing, ticketing and payment systems.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

NeoReader Now Supports 115 Handsets

2008-01-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, are pleased to announce they have expanded the number of supported mobile phones for their co-developed code-reading application – NeoReader – designed to turn a camera phone into a universal 1D and 2D barcode scanner providing one-click access to mobile content.

In addition to the already 100 supported devices, the NeoReader now supports 115 mobile handsets with the addition of the following 15 Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung Smartphones:

Motorola:
V980, E1000

Sony Ericsson:
Z525a, K850i, K858c

Nokia:
6500 classic, 6500 slide, 5310 XpressMusic, 5610 XpressMusic,
6301, 6555, 7500 Prism, 7900 Prism

Samsung:
Z400v, Z140

Based off the award winning Lavasphere technology developed in Germany by Gavitec, the NeoReader features NeoMedia's patented resolution technology combined with Gavitec's ultra-small footprint and platform independent algorithms. It is able to read and decipher all common non-proprietary 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, Aztec, Maxi) as well as URL embedded 2D codes and all 1D UPC/EAN/Code 128 open source codes. The NeoReader supports direct and indirect code linking, which guarantees maximum interoperability with already existing platforms like 2D Data Matrix Semacodes, and Japanese QR links. This allows the user to click on a variety of codes with a single application installed on their mobile device.

The NeoReader ushers in and inaugurates a brand new era of innovative mobile enterprise and optical code reading solutions for the wireless industry. Visit get.neoreader.com to download the free application, and instantly transform your mobile phone into a universal code reader.

Courtesy:
Streetstylz

Take-Off With Gavitec: Spanair Tests Mobile Plane Tickets

2007-12-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

Gavitec AG - mobile digit, a NeoMedia Technologies company (OTCBB: NEOM), implements mobile ticketing for Spanair Airlines. The revolutionary technology will be tested in two Spanish airports. The airline plans to convert its current system to allow for completely paperless ticketing which is highly cost efficient for check-in and boarding procedures.

Paper tickets are replaced by an electronic 2D code that can be read directly from the passenger's mobile phone display. Passengers of Spanair are able to use their mobile phone for check-in and as a data carrier for plane tickets.

During the test phase, passengers receive a mobile ticket in the form of a 2D code on their mobile phone. NeoMedia's Gavitec EXIO scanners are installed to read the 2D codes at airport terminals in Madrid and Bilbao. After the scan, passengers receive a paper ticket, which contains flight information in the form of a PDF417 code. A printed boarding pass is still required by Spanish authorities. The test phase is being undertaken for two airlines and will evolve into the next rollout phase.

In the rollout, check-in and boarding processes will be entirely paperless. Passengers will receive a 2D code on their mobile phones, which would function both as ticket and boarding pass. This code is scanned at security and at the boarding gate and is validated via an online database.

The IATA "International Air Transportation Association" will institute 2D codes as well. In 2008 classical magnetic stripes on boarding passes that hold passenger data, will be replaced by 2D codes.

VERIZON WIRELESS CUSTOMERS CAN SCORE BIG WITH NHL MOBILE VIDEO ALERTS

2007-12-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

In an exclusive and a first for all professional sports leagues, Verizon Wireless, the leading wireless company with the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, and the National Hockey League (NHL) today announced the launch of NHL game video alerts, enabling hockey fans to receive video messages of game highlights on their mobile phones, moments after they happen on the ice.

Verizon Wireless customers who sign up for the game highlights video alerts package can stay on top of their favorite team's on-ice performance through 15-second mobile video alerts with accompanying audio that highlight key goals and remarkable plays. Mobile video alerts are sent after each period -- including overtime -- for every game, allowing fans to stay informed throughout the competition. Hockey fans will receive a maximum of four video alerts in one night.

Customers can purchase the NHL game highlights video alerts package for $2.99 per month/per team by going to www.verizonwireless.com/nhl and clicking on the Alerts tab. Verizon Wireless customers can also sign up via text message by sending the keyword representing the team of their choice (ex. DUCKS or SENATORS) to the short code 7825 (PUCK).

"The immediacy with which we receive information has grown significantly thanks in part to the introduction of mobile phones and the Internet," said Keith Ritter, President, NHL Interactive CyberEnterprises. "Teaming with Verizon Wireless to offer mobile video alerts fulfills a desire for immediate information by bringing the game to our fans through a device they are already using."

Ryan Hughes, vice president of digital media programming for Verizon, said, "The immediacy of mobile makes it a perfect partner for sporting events like NHL games -- our customers get to stay connected to the entertainment they love, but with the freedom and flexibility of mobility. Wireless is the driver that enables fans to keep connected to their favorite teams and players."

Courtesy: Verizon

South Africa’s Vodacom Launches Mobile Social Networking Services

2007-12-03T06:24:00.000-08:00

South African mobile network Vodacom has launched two mobile social networking services. The first product Meep is a real-time mobile instant messaging service. It allows the usual messaging between users, as well as the ability to set up private group chats and to show a member’s availability. Users can also chat with non-Meep members, which is done through SMS. The service also works between PCs and mobile phones, and between other networks with whom Vodacom has interworking agreements. The service is free until the end of January.

The second service, TheGrid, is being billed as a location-based social network service. TheGrid, once loaded onto a handset, uses network-positioning systems to map the location of the user’s cellphone. Users who sign in to the service can find friends in their immediate vicinity and start up a chat, or through its blogging service leave each other notes, share photos and video clips. TheGrid is currently in beta and is built on an open platform to allow users to link to internet IM services.

By Dianne Morrison

Ticketmaster Launches New Mobile Ticketing Service

2007-12-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

Ticketmaster, the world’s leading ticketing company is launching a new ticket delivery service, MobileTicket at the much anticipated V Festival Australia in 2008.

Virgin Mobile customers purchasing tickets to V Festivals in Sydney, The Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth will be the first to benefit from the new service that enables customers to receive their tickets on their mobile phone. Expecting a huge response from music fans, the line up for the 2008 V Festival will include The Smashing Pumpkins, Duran Duran, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Mika and more.

MobileTicket offers the ultimate in convenience and security to customers, eliminating the need to wait for postal delivery or queue at the box office. Customers can choose the service as a delivery option online at Ticketmaster.com.au and a 2D unique barcode is generated and sent within 24 hours of purchase. Front of house staff at the V Festival venues will have the ability to scan the customer’s mobile phone display screen with special hand held scanners using AccessManager, Ticketmaster’s access control solution.

A resend facility is also available should customers accidentally delete their MobileTicket and lost or stolen tickets may be cancelled and replaced securely by invalidating the old barcode and re-issuing a new MobileTicket.

This new MobileTicket technology follows on from the great success of Ticketmaster’s TicketFast online ticket delivery service where tickets can be printed at home. In venues offering TicketFast, currently 70% of customers prefer the convenient email distribution as their ticket delivery method.

“We offer our clients the best in ticketing technology. With the success of TicketFast, now MobileTicket offers further convenience to customers who no longer have to wait for their tickets to be delivered and importantly the unique barcode and access control system means it is secure and deters counterfeiting or fraudulent use”, said Matt Huxley, Chief Operating Officer Ticketmaster Australia and New Zealand.

Ticketmaster is working with Mobiqa, a world leader in mobile ticketing and mobile couponing solutions, to deliver this ticketing solution.

Iain McCready, CEO of Mobiqa comments, “We’re delighted that Ticketmaster, the world’s leading ticketing company, are offering their customers this mobile ticketing service. The V Festival is an excellent event to launch this exciting new delivery option and we believe that it will add greatly to the gig going experience for music fans.”

A special agreement was formed between V Festival Australia and Ticketmaster to offer this new MobileTicket technology exclusively for Virgin Mobile customers for all four V Festival events across Australia. Following this initial launch of MobileTicket, Ticketmaster will provide access to this new ticket delivery service to customers of other communications providers for future events.

Courtesy: FM

dotMobi Chooses BrandMuscle to Simplify Customized Marketing Efforts

2007-11-29T12:24:00.000-08:00

BrandMuscle, Inc. has been chosen by dotMobi, the company behind .mobi -- the first and only Internet domainexclusively for mobile phones -- to implement its BrandBuilder(R) marketingsolution.

The dotMobi Marketing Mobi-lizer solution provides domain registrars andresellers around the world with access to customizable marketing andadvertising materials to promote registration and use of the .mobi domain.This no-cost tool eliminates the need for expensive agency and designresources so that registrars of any size can launch campaigns easily andinexpensively.

"For registrars used to selling standard Internet domains, the uniquenessof .mobi can present a challenge because the .mobi domain offers a completesolution for companies looking to go mobile. Our partners needed an equallyunique tool to maximize their marketing efforts around .mobi. BrandMuscle'sBrandBuilder was a perfect choice to give our registrars the depth of toolsthey needed with an easy-to-use interface," said Trey Harvin, CEO, dotMobi.

The dotMobi Marketing Mobi-lizer offers a variety of customizableadvertising options including web banners, magazine inserts and more.Additionally, the dotMobi Marketing Mobi-lizer provides a Mobility Educationcenter that houses a wealth of information that users can access to helpinform potential .mobi domain buyers of the benefits of owning and maintaininga .mobi site.

Courtesy: Reuters

Neomedia Technologies' NeoReader Upgrade Available For Download

2007-11-29T12:09:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, recently released an upgrade to their co-developed code-reading application – NeoReader – designed to turn a camera phone into a universal 1D and 2D barcode scanner that provides one-click access to mobile content.

Based off the award winning Lavasphere technology developed in Germany by Gavitec, the NeoReader features NeoMedia's patented resolution technology combined with Gavitec's ultra-small footprint and platform independent algorithms. It is able to read and decipher all common non-proprietary 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, Aztec, Maxi) as well as URL embedded 2D codes and all 1D UPC/EAN/Code 128 open source codes. The NeoReader supports direct and indirect code linking, which guarantees maximum interoperability with already existing platforms like 2D Data Matrix Semacodes, and Japanese QR links. This allows the user to click on a variety of codes with a single application installed on their mobile device.

The updated version includes new features and improvements for issues observed just after the release of the previous version of the NeoReader. The new version is free and immediately downloadable for all available handsets. If you already have a former Java version of the NeoReader on your mobile phone, please uninstall it before you download and install the new version.

The NeoReader ushers in and inaugurates a brand new era of innovative mobile enterprise and optical code reading solutions for the wireless industry. Visit get.neoreader.com to download the free application, and instantly transform your mobile phone into a universal code reader.

Courtesy: StreetStylz

Bharti Airtel and Western Union to Pilot Mobile Money Transfer in India

2007-11-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

In a first-of-its-kind agreement, Bharti Airtel and Western Unionhave decided to jointly develop and pilot a Mobile Money Transferservice in India. This pioneering agreement will usher in the possibility of sending money to India via a mobile phone.
The MobileMoney Transfer service is subject to regulatory approval.

According to The World Bank, the number of migrants globally is 200 million - approximately three percent of the world's population.The World Bank also identifies India as the number one remittancerecipient market. Statistics from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)suggest that the inward annual remittance into India stood at over $26billion for the fiscal year 2006 - 2007, accounting for approximately 10 percent of the global inward remittance market.(1) "We are delighted to work with Western Union in this path-breakinginitiative and be at the forefront of enabling international remittance over mobile for our 50 million mobile phone customers inIndia. This will help us move money via mobile in a fast andconvenient way, supporting low-value transactions," said Mr. GopalVittal, director marketing and communications, Bharti Airtel Limited.

Bharti Airtel has an extensive footprint across India and WesternUnion, together with its affiliates Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, has morethan 320,000 Agent locations in more than 200 countries andterritories.

In India, Western Union operates through 45,000 Agentlocations, including 8,500 post offices and more than 14,000 bankbranches across 5,000 towns and cities. This program will enable Indians living abroad to send remittances to their families in Indiain an easy and convenient fashion through the vast networks of bothcompanies. "Our association with Bharti Airtel for the Mobile Money Transferservice is an important step in expanding the range of WesternUnion(R) global services to a new category of consumers across theworld," said Matt Dill, General Manager, Western Union Mobile. "Thisis a very exciting development, especially given the expanse and reachof mobile services in the Indian subcontinent." The reach and accessibility of mobile networks in developing economies create new opportunities to extend the benefits of financialservices to many families for the first time.

Mobile networks now cover the majority of the world'spopulation.(2) Applications that allow a mobile subscriber to view andmanage funds on their handsets are emerging in select countries as afoundation for phone-based financial services. The relationship with Bharti Airtel follows a landmark agreementbetween Western Union and the GSM Association (GSMA), a global tradeassociation representing over 700 GSM mobile phone operators, tofacilitate the development of cross-border mobile money transferservices. Bharti Airtel chairs the steering committee of the GSMA'sMobile Money Transfer program. Thirty-five mobile networks operatorsare participating in the program, which is designed to stimulate thedevelopment, trials and commercialization of mobile remittanceservices.

Source: RBI and GSMA

Social Networking Company, College Tonight, Inc., Finalizes Merger With Simex Technologies,...

2007-11-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

Social Networking Company, College Tonight, Inc., Finalizes Merger With SimexTechnologies, Inc.College Tonight Becomes One Of First Social Networks To Enter Public Marketplace. College Tonight, Inc., the evolution of collegiate social networking, announced today the completion ofits merger with Simex Technologies, Inc.

Zachary R. Suchin, the founder of College Tonight, and the new President &CEO of Simex, said "We are elated to begin writing the next chapter of notonly College Tonight, but also of the social networking revolution. As partof a public company, College Tonight intends to continue its mission ofpromoting actual social interactivity, rather than the sedentary lifestyle towhich most sites relegate their users. Through diligent execution of ourinnovative mobile strategy, implementation of our unique privacy protection,and matchless local focus, we are leading college students across the countryand the sector as a whole, towards what social networking should have evolvedinto by now -- taking the experience from computer interface, to face-to-face."

Over the next several months, as College Tonight's national"Disorientation" college tour continues, College Tonight will introduce itsmembers to an array of fresh and unique features including mobility. Throughthis dual online/offline marketing platform, sponsors will have an opportunityto expose their product to what has been called the most difficult to reachand fragmented audience in history, and to introduce their brands to studentsin ways that are inherently a part of the college experience. As othercompanies battle to maximize online utility, College Tonight will take thenetworking experience far beyond.

College Tonight is a social networking experience and marketing platform,which is designed to promote actual social interactivity among collegestudents. Due to the mobile nature of the site, the service's design is alsostructured for the mobile user, focusing on nightlife events and socialopportunities both directly on a student's campus and within their broadercommunities. College Tonight's platform intends to allow advertisers anopportunity to tap into the world of active, outgoing and socially motivatedcollege students - the "trendsetters" and "tastemakers" of society.

Information in this release regarding Simex or College Tonight'sforecasts, outlook, expectations and beliefs are forward-looking statementsthat involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements includedin this release are based upon information available to Simex or CollegeTonight as of the date of this release, which may change, and we assume noobligation to update any such forward-looking statements. These statements arenot guarantees of future performance and actual results could differmaterially from our current expectations.

Courtesy: Reuters

Gavitec Powers Mobile Ticketing For Spanair

2007-11-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

Spanair and Vodafone Spain have joined forces with NeoMedia's Gavitec to save their customers time with a new mobile boarding card service.

At the beginning of November, Spanair launched its new mobile boarding card service, thus becoming the first airline to offer its passengers this type of mobile ticketing service. The Madrid-Bilbao route will deploy this service up to the end of the year, at which point the company will begin rolling out the mobile boarding card on all of its domestic routes.

Focusing primarily on business passengers, this innovative system facilitates receiving a Spanair boarding card via a multimedia message (MMS) sent to a mobile phone. The multimedia message contains an image with a two-dimensional barcode, which transmits all the information necessary to execute automated boarding, as well as a text information section with all travel details. Thus, to obtain their boarding cards, passengers will just need to proceed to the special check-in desks and pass the 2D code over a Gavitec EXIO scanner.

To obtain their mobile boarding card, passengers will be required to check-in using the web-based check-in service at spanair.com, or by connecting to the internet via their mobiles via the new mobile check-in service at spanair.mobi, which will be launched in tandem with the mobile boarding card service. At the end of the process, the passenger is asked for his or her mobile number, to which Spanair will send the corresponding multimedia message (MMS) free of charge.

In order to use this system, passengers simply need to pass the 2D code sent to their mobile phone over the scanners at Madrid and Bilbao airports. In doing so, they will obtain a paper receipt with which they will be able to pass through security and proceed to boarding.

Vodafone's director of innovation and business development, Pedro Fuertes, commented that, "The mobile boarding card and, in general terms, ticketing systems based on mobile handsets, are further evidence that mobile telephones, in addition to facilitating voice-based communication, are making life easier for us by allowing for secure access to endless services, at any time and from anywhere."

Spanair piloted this system in June during the Vodafone innovation show, which also served as the launch for this new service. Pablo Sánchez, Director of E-Commerce at Spanair, stated that, "With this advance, Spanair is laying the foundations for implementation of a boarding card system in the near future that will be 100% paper-less; thereby ensuring greater passenger comfort and a substantial saving of time."

Courtesy: StreetStylz

MapQuest Brings Mobile Turn-by-Turn Navigation Directly to Mobile Handsets

2007-11-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

MapQuest, in partnership with Telmap, today announced that the newest version of its voice-guided, GPS-enabled wireless application, MapQuest Navigator 5.0, is now widely available to consumers through a new direct-to-consumer storefront on MapQuest.com. Customers, including the 50 million monthly MapQuest.com users(1), who sign up for new version 5.0 at navigator.mapquest.com between now and December 31, 2007 can download the application directly to their handset and purchase the service for the promotional price of $4.99 per month for the life of the subscription.

In addition, MapQuest(R) Navigator 5.0 includes feature enhancements such as live traffic, gas price and station locator, and City's Best(R) ratings from AOL(R) CityGuide.

"Consumers now have immediate access to GPS navigation on compatible devices at a fraction of the price of competitive products," said Alan Beiagi, Director of MapQuest Wireless. "In addition, the enhancements to MapQuest Navigator 5.0 provide consumers with enhanced local content to more confidently explore the places in which they live and visit."

Recent research has shown the high value that consumers place on Location Based Services, particularly personal navigation. According to a recent J.D. Power and Associates survey, 40% of smart phone users want their phone to have GPS.(2)

New features in the latest version of MapQuest Navigator 5.0 include:

-- Live Traffic - Powered by INRIX(R), the leading provider of traffic flow information in the U.S., MapQuest Navigator lets users see the latest traffic flow along their route, get traffic alerts, and even be rerouted according to live traffic conditions in more than 106 markets across the United States.

-- AOL CityGuide Content including City's Best Ratings - AOL CityGuide provides MapQuest Navigator users with local listings and ratings of restaurants and nightlife information for nearly 40 of the top cities nationwide.

-- Gas Prices - Find the lowest fuel prices nearest to your location, and search by station brand, distance or fuel type, including diesel and alternative fuels.

-- Text to Speech (TTS) Technology - Street names and navigation instructions are voice-announced along the route in advance of turns; while each maneuver and cross-streets are conveniently labeled on the display. The voice interface will even specify the destination as "on the left" or "on the right" upon arrival.

-- 3D Map View - Full-color 3D moving maps, allowing users to gain an above-view and forward-looking perspective as they travel.

Coming soon, users will be able to leverage a new "Send to Navigator" feature, enabling them to research and plan their trips on MapQuest.com(R) and send locations from the site to MapQuest Navigator.

"We believe that making more local content available for the consumer through mobile navigation will increase the use of these services in day-to-day life activities," said David Singer, Vice President and General Manager of Telmap Inc. "In partnership with MapQuest, our goal is to enhance consumer satisfaction with an application that offers much more than navigation."

MapQuest Navigator 5.0 is based on the next generation technology Mobile Optimized Navigation Data, ("MOND") from Telmap, a world-leading provider of mobile mapping and navigation solutions. MOND enables users to be re-routed in the event of a missed turn without the need to contact the mapping server when the user is located within the downloaded route corridor, resulting in more rapid and reliable re-routing.

Courtesy: Allie Burns

NeoMedia Adds To Strategic Advisory Board

2007-11-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, announced today the induction of new Board of Advisors member Rich Cremona, who brings with him extensive industry experience and is dedicated to the growth and expansion of NeoMedia Technologies.

Rich Cremona will be a new member on the Board of Advisors for NeoMedia Technologies. He is a well-rounded and talented telecommunications and sales executive. He has had P&L experience and international exposure, as well as comprehensive operational stints in field services and human resources. Mr. Cremona brings 18 years of management experience from AT&T as Sales Manager, GM, International Development Director, and GM of National Sales and Service division. Following AT&T, Cremona was Field Services VP and Region Sales VP of Lucent Technologies in, St. Louis Missouri. In 2000, he became President of Business Sales for Sprint PCS Wireless division where he was accountable for leading Sprint PCS' combined business sales channel distribution and marketing organizations for advanced wireless technology applications. Next, he became executive VP for McLeodUSA where Cremona developed, deployed, and led the strategic sales organization. Prior to NeoMedia Technologies, he was Sales VP of Openwave Systems where he was a member of the sales management team of Openwave and responsible for the sales of advanced software applications, hardware configurations, and professional services engagements.

"NeoMedia Technologies is proud to develop a team with experienced individuals like Mr. Cremona. I believe that with his background knowledge and strategic leadership ability, NeoMedia Technologies will continue to be the global leader in optically initiated transactions and lead the way to interoperability in the industry. We are proud to have him," stated William Hoffman, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies.

Rich Cremona joins Marc Lefar from AT&T and Clarence Wesley from Xerox Mobile Solutions who joined NeoMedia's Strategic Advisory Board last month.

Courtesy: StreetStylz

Blyk Claims Up To 43 Percent Click-Through On First Mobile Ads

2007-11-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Six weeks after launching, Blyk - the mobile virtual network giving free calls and texts in return for receiving ads - has given us some numbers indicating its progress.

- Response: Sales director Jonathan MacDonald told me the ads users receive have so far got a click-through rate of between 12 and 43 percent, depending on the format (Blyk does SMS, text-and-picture MMS, photos, animations, video and a bespoke format).

- Demographic: While Blyk is available to those in the 16-to-24 age bracket, the biggest band of users so far is between 17 and 20, while 19-year-olds are the most prevalent in the subscriber base, MacDonald said. It’s a 52/48 percent split in favour of men. At 57 percent, university students are currently the biggest demographic base, with six-formers, college students and school pupils behind.

- Numbers: He wouldn’t reveal the total number of subscribers at this early stage but reiterated the 12-month target of getting 100,000 users before upscaling, “rather than dropping millions of SIMs on to market”.

Meanwhile, Blyk has launched a weblog called Shift6 (the keyboard code for the arrow figuring in its logo). For anyone still confused about Blyk’s hands-off approach to its own brand identity, brand and design head Marko Ahtisaari (ex Nokia (NYSE: NOK) design director) posted there to explain “open-code” approach to marketing: “Our goal is to create the Blyk brand together with our members, to invite them to take part. (The logo) means ‘insert here’, symbolising the fact that Blyk relies on its members’ willingness to participate ... because, on Blyk, in terms of relevance, you get out what you put in.

By Robert Andrews

Bashing, Pumping, and Manipulation of Stocks on Investment Boards and More

2007-11-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

For the Jonesies out there....

The bashing, pumping, and manipulation of stocks on the various investment boards is rampant. Threads to pump stocks are started daily, with the sole intention to drive the stock share price higher or lower.

There are threads and investment sites that are respectable, which are intended for serious discussion about companies, goods, services, technology, and intellectual property. Unfortunately, there are many stalkers that surf through these threads, disguising themselves as 'long' shareholders who have a genuine concern and desire for the specific company being discussed. Many of these proclaimed 'longs' are nothing but daytrading vultures who are deliberately trying to 'pump' or 'bash', depending on which way they want to see the stock price head. There are certain pumpers and bashers that stay with one company and on a company thread for years, appearing to be shareholders. Take a closer look.

At the very moment they sell their shares of a specific company, they appear on a investment board and the company's thread, and begin their negative, harmful rant. This rant always seems to lack truth and substantiated fact, and is typically dim-witted. While 'bashing' they are always critical of other posters who are supporting the company.

As the stock price drifts lower, these charlatans buy back their original shares at a much lower share price. Of course, these daytraders appear back on the same threads, sometimes under a different alias, and start 'pumping up' the stock, having nothing but positive feedback about the company and its standing. If you are clever, you will be able to find posters fluctuating with 'bashing' and 'pumping', and it will always coincide with the fluctuation of a stock's price per share. The fluctuation is not normally affected much by these fools.

There are however institutions and players who do have a heavy involvement in the manipulation of the stock market. Stock manipulation is not limited to these investment boards. Market makers have been practicing the art of hyping, pumping, and manipulation of stocks for a very long time. These organizations have done considerable damage to small companies and individual investors throughout the history of the stock markets.

The following article will shed some light on the market makers' manipulation.
Market Makers' Methods of Stock Manipulation

NeoMedia Hires New VP Of Marketing

2007-11-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, is pleased to announce that it has hired Terry Griffin as the company's new Vice President of Marketing.

Terry Griffin is a multi-dimensional marketing expert who brings over 23 years of diverse industry experience to NeoMedia. Before joining the company, Terry was the Vice President of Marketing for EarthLink and was responsible for the stewardship of the EarthLink brand, and the development and execution of all consumer facing communications and programs designed to increase EarthLink’s overall awareness and profitably through the acquisition of new subscribers. Terry was also the Group Director of National Consumer Promotions for the Coca-Cola Company where he was responsible for providing strategic vision and leadership for a team of 40 marketing professionals who developed and executed world class, strategically integrated national consumer marketing programs for Coca-Cola North America.

A results-oriented senior marketing executive with a successful career in leading change, building and directing organizations, developing innovative marketing strategies and executing programs with distinction to deliver bottom-line results for blue-chip brands, Terry Griffin is looking to jump right in and get his feet wet.

"I am thrilled to be part of the NeoMedia team and think you'll see major progress over the next 6 months as we clarify our vision and begin operationalizing this technology in the marketplace in a meaningful way," Terry exclaimed. "The team that Chip has brought together are aligned and ready for the good fight. I am immersing myself in the many facets of the NeoMedia world to enable a running start when I come on board."

Courtesy: StreetStylz

Chinese Ticket Brokers Go High Tech

2007-11-20T06:39:00.000-08:00

BEIJING -- When Zhang Rui heard her favorite singer, Chinese pop star Faye Wong, would have a concert in Beijing three years ago, she was ecstatic. Knowing that the best seats would be for sale in Beijing, she drove two hours to get there from her home in neighboring city Tianjin.

But instead of having more options for seating, the then-29-year-old manager at a real-estate development firm realized the concert was already sold out at the box office, and many of the ticket resellers were actually con artists peddling fakes. With no other option, she gave 100 yuan, about $13.50, to a security guard who gave her a space on the steps of the concert hall, which was packed with people.

Now, a number of ticketing companies in China are trying to turn around the industry as China plays host to an increasing number of high-profile events -- from the Summer Olympics next year to Faye Wong concerts and Broadway musicals. Ticket brokers and ticketing-systems companies are hoping modern ticketing technology will equalize access to tickets for consumers around the country, reduce shady ticket dealings and make the industry more profitable.

"Along with the improvement of people's living standards, there will be more performances and sports events held in China, so the market will expand," said Xue Liping, general manager at CPAA Oriental Marketing & Planning Ltd., a ticketing company under the Ministry of Culture that sells tickets both offline and online at Piaowutong.com.

Local ticket sellers say demand for concerts and events and the recent crashing of the online-ticketing system for the Olympics -- which has become notorious throughout the industry -- illustrate the need for a push for modern ticketing technology, including automated ticketing services that are commonplace in the U.S. Industry insiders said massive venues, which for years have resisted hiring outside companies to help them set up ticketing systems, are starting to see the value in investing in ticketing companies' expertise. Western companies, including Ticketmaster and Tickets.com Inc., also are jumping in.

China Ticketing.com Ltd., a Shanghai ticketing-systems company, just launched a retail Web site that allows ticket buyers to view seating charts and real-time ticket availability online. Piao.com.cn, a ticket broker in China, said it sells millions of tickets annually via the Web.

CPAA also encourages buyers to use e-tickets, a service it said already is on the rise, so they can reserve tickets for pickup at the theaters or stadiums. Cityline (Hong Kong) Ltd. hopes to eventually distribute tickets to buyers in mainland China through text messages on their mobile phones.

The ticketing industry in China is making a slow turnaround from a culture in which government agencies controlled events and ticket supply. For the past several years, as the number of private, live-entertainment events has increased and management of those events has been deregulated and privatized, hundreds of ticket sellers -- legitimate and counterfeit -- have sprung up. But the industry still depends on manual ticketing systems; even though people can reserve tickets by phone or online, their purchases aren't confirmed until brokers get the physical tickets and then deliver them to buyers.

"It's the typical old archaic way of doing ticketing," said Ajmal Samuel, general manager of Cityline. With paper ticketing, "you'd have to walk up to the box office and pick up the paper ticket, so you'd have long queues."

In many cases, because it is difficult to determine the source or authenticity when using a printing system, consumers also get scammed. Ticketing companies are dealing with this by using special papers, bar codes and technologies including radio-frequency identification, known as RFID.

The traditional system is more problematic for event holders, who have no way to track inventory or get reliable sales information. Without information about who is buying tickets and where they are getting them, it is much harder for ticketing companies to gain repeat customers or do any meaningful marketing.

"There is so much potential in making the ticketing process better by simply putting it on a technology platform," said China Ticketing Chief Executive Joseph Chiang.

But there are potential limitations with online ticketing in a nation of 1.3 billion, where demand for some events exceeds supply. Beijing Olympic Committee officials have admitted to being unprepared for the explosion of ticket requests when they launched a round of ticketing in October.

The system they used buckled under too much traffic and possibly a faulty link between the Web site and the Beijing Olympic Committee's ticketing system. IAC/InterActiveCorp's Ticketmaster and its partners in China were contracted to work with Beijing officials on the ticketing system, but they have declined to comment.

Mr. Samuel of Cityline said the problem could have been avoided if Beijing officials had used proper traffic control, such as throttling, or redirecting visitors when the system receives more traffic than it can handle -- a technique he said is widely used in the industry.

The chaos that ensued was a telling sign of how the challenge in China is more complex -- if only by sheer volume. The Olympics Web site received eight million hits within the first hour after sales started, with more than 200,000 orders received every second before it crashed, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Beijing Olympic officials have since decided to revert to a lottery process to sell the remaining domestic tickets.

In addition to the Olympics, China is playing host to high-profile events, including mega pop-star concerts and Broadway musicals. Mr. Chiang said that just this fall, Hong Kong pop singer Jacky Cheung held two concerts in Shanghai that sold out 86,000 tickets three months in advance. Eager fans who couldn't get tickets tried to get in by jumping fences around the concert.

Consumers also are willing to pay premiums for entry to these events; tickets to the Shanghai run of "Mamma Mia!" were sold out, with prices as high as 1,600 yuan, about $215, as were showings of the "Transformers" movie when it hit theaters, which went for 160 yuan. The average annual income in 2006 for China's urban residents was 10,346 yuan, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics.

"The market has taken off in terms of the number and quality of events and consumer demand," Mr. Chiang said.

Ticket buyers welcome the new services. Wang Zihe, 37, said that to attend a Shanghai concert by singer Alan Tam in 1996, he had to call in a favor to his friend in Shanghai to wait in line at the box office for him because he lived in another province. This year, he was able to reserve tickets to a Jacky Cheung concert in Guangzhou and pay cash for them at a pickup center; his seat was just 65 feet from the stage.

Even without high-tech ticketing, he said: "It's very convenient to make the order online...[I can be sure I'll] get the tickets and get the seat I want. I don't lose sleep over ticket shortages for those hot concerts anymore."

Courtesy: Loretta Chao

Virgin's Branson says has India telecoms partner

2007-11-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

British billionaire and chairman of the Virgin Group [VA.UL] Richard Branson said on Monday he had found an Indian telecoms partner and also wanted to enter the country's domestic airlines market.

"We have a (telecoms) partner now, and I will reveal all in two months' time," Branson told reporters at a conference to mark the first anniversary of Virgin Radio's tie-up with HT Media Ltd (HTML.BO: Quote, Profile , Research) for a local radio channel.

India, the world's fastest growing telecoms market, has received 575 applications from 46 domestic and foreign firms to launch mobile services in some or all of the 23zones that make up the country's wireless map.

Rules restrict foreign holdings in telecoms service providers to 74 percent, which means foreign firms need a local partner to offer services.

British mobile phone company Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L: Quote, Profile , Research) entered India by buying a controlling stake in mobile carrier Hutchison Essar.

Southeast Asia's top phone firm, SingTel (STEL.SI: Quote, Profile , Research), has a 30.8 percent stake in private market leader Bharti Airtel Ltd (BRTI.BO: Quote, Profile , Research).

Branson, founder of Virgin which has interests from airlines to music, said he was waiting for India to relax its airlines policy, which prohibits foreign players from investing in the domestic air transport sector.

"We'd love the right to fly domestic in India, but the market is currently protected. If the market opened up, you will find Virgin competing alongside local carriers," he said.

India's domestic airline passenger traffic grew 36.74 percent in first nine months (Jan-Sept) compared with the year ago period, according to government data.

Although domestic airlines have been posting losses due to heavy initial investments and low air fares due to competition, analysts estimate the trend will reverse in 2008 helped by consolidation and better capacity utilisation.

"With a middle class population of 300 million, India offers a huge potential for domestic airlines. Foreign airlines have been looking forward to enter India for the past 10 years," Kapil Kaul, chief executive of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, said.

Courtesy: Reuters

Big Lots and Lifetime Serve Up a Mobile Advertising Program With Limbo to Drive Holiday Sales and Increase Viewership

2007-11-19T06:49:00.000-08:00

Big Lots, America’s largest broadline closeout retailer, and Lifetime Television, the top-rated women’s network on basic cable, are partnering with LimboTM, the world’s largest mobile entertainment community, to drive engagement with an interactive, mobile advertising campaign during the week of the Thanksgiving holiday. The program is designed to drive purchase intent for Big Lots in the key week leading up to Black Friday.

“Previous campaigns have generated more than a half million text messages from the Lifetime Television audience as viewers played the game via their cell phones as they watched the featured programs,” said Jonathon Linner, CEO and co-founder of Limbo. “Unlike other interactive programs that require players to leave the television and go to a computer to enter and play, it’s easy to watch Lifetime and play Limbo at the same time so viewers tend to stay and watch programs for longer durations of time.”

The interactive program, beginning Sunday, November 18 and culminating on Thanksgiving Day, will integrate on-air promotional spots on Lifetime Television with Limbo’s integrated, full-service platform, including SMS, WAP, Internet and Email. The promotional spots will feature two prominent calls to action, for mobile and Internet entrants, to play an interactive Limbo Unique game to win a grand prize of $5,000 and one of five $500 Big Lots gift cards. While interacting with Limbo’s free game service, players also will receive branded Big Lots messaging. Previous Limbo campaigns have garnered advertisers an average conversion to purchase of seven percent, an average of more than 50 branded interactions per SMS player and an average of 15 minutes per web gameplay session per online player, according to third party research conducted post-campaign.

Lifetime Television and Limbo introduced the weekend and holiday campaigns early in 2006. Kathy Zanewicz of Apollo, PA discovered the programs, and Limbo, through LifetimeTV.com during a campaign last Thanksgiving, and later won $500 toward a diamond necklace. Since then, Kathy has become an avid Limbo player: “In the morning, I get the kids off to school and then sit down with a big cup of coffee and Limbo. My computer is right beside the TV, so I make all of my picks for the day while I watch Lifetime.”

Courtesy: BusinessWire

Mobot uses images rather than QR Codes or NFC tags to connect mobile user to marketers

2007-11-19T06:41:00.000-08:00

If a matrix barcode is not your thing, maybe a Mobot is more to your liking. From the end user perspective, QR Codes and Mobots work similarly – the user snaps a photo of the Mobot using a camera phone and the captured image is sent via the web to retrieve some special offer, product info, or initiate some type of transaction. But the Mobot isn’t a barcode but a realistic image with visual meaning for the user.

Mobot uses visual search and recognition technology to take the captured image from the mobile device and ‘find’ the associated URL to initiate the desired action. It was launched in 2004 to help marketers, content providers and carriers interact with the world’s 1.5 billion mobile phone users.

"There is no relation between Mobot and QR Code," says Russell Gocht, CEO of Mobot, except the fact that they both use a camera phone to connect consumers to marketers. "Code based solutions are decoded on the phone," Mr.Gocht added. "Mobot is server based, so all image processing is done 'in the cloud.' And with Mobot no changes are required to the logo, advertisement, package, etc."

Mobot works simply be capturing an image and redirecting a browser to gain more information. "The call to action (telling consumers to take a picture) comes through any media which is part of the campaign, from (magazine) copy, to radio spots, to web sites." Mr.Gocht also added, "with camera phone penetration passing 75%, Mobot is poised to capture critical mass in the United States."

“Think of using Mobot just as you would your photo-blog,” Mr. Gocht explained. “Take a picture with your phone and sent it to a machine. To reach this machine you either use a well known email address such as pix@vzw.com (verizon's proprietary photo service) or a phone number (short code) such as 66268 (MOBOT). All images arrive at Mobot servers via MMS messaging (technically, MM7 protocol) - each of these messages includes the user's mobile number. Once decoded and uniquely identified, the appropriate response is sent back to the user as a message. In some cases, the user will 'click-through' a link in the message to get to a WAP site (mobile web site).”

Courtesy: Ryan Kline

Mobile Advertising Industry Growing In Response To Changing Consumer Behaviors

2007-11-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

The advertising industry, while once slowed by the Internet and other shifts in media consumption, has found new promise in mobile advertising.

As new trends emerge and consumer behaviors and lifestyles change, mobile advertising offers new channels, platforms and networks to reach consumers as they shift their media consumption behavior.

A whitepaper by Multimedia Intelligence, sponsored by iHollywood forum, notes advertising's shift into the mobile marketplace can be attributed to the emergence of mobile media and mobile Internet.

This is especially true as the Internet makes its way onto more mobile devices and networks and as more and more mobile devices offer rich media (and advertising) experiences.

“The traditional media industry is under assault from rapidly changing technology and user behavior. The digital video recorder has empowered consumers and is toppling traditional TV advertising models. The result is advertisers putting their cross-hairs on the world’s 3 billion cellular subscribers. New cellular based advertising techniques will not only deliver display ads but also integrate community, participation and interactivity into the media experience.” Rick Sizemore, Chief Strategy Officer for MultiMedia Intelligence commented.

According to an earlier prediction by Strategy Analytics (News - Alert), the global market for mobile advertising is slated to reach $14 billion by 2011.

ABI Research also predicted that the global market for mobile marketing and advertising would reach $3 billion by the end of 2007, and will expand to reach $19 billion in 2011.

Also, a survey conducted by Harris Interactive noted a growing number of opportunities for mobile advertising that caters to a growing demographic of mobile phone users in the U.S.

Courtesy: Stefania Viscusi

Africa: Promotion Without Borders Goes Mobile

2007-11-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

Cape Town

Borders have been no barrier to Brandscape Marketing's delivery of mobile proximity marketing campaigns with Exp as the rollout of Castle Lager's brand activity launched recently in Zambia and Tanzania. The campaign is now rolling out to another four sub-Saharan countries.

In response to a brief by the SABMiller Africa & Asia marketing team to raise the bar and improve the standard of in-bar activation in its markets, Brandscape partnered with EXP, 'the activation on demand agency', to improve consumer activation for SABMiller in Africa. Consumers are being engaged in top-end and mainstream venues to download free, rich media content and instant win prizes directly to their mobile phones via Hypertag, using Bluetooth and infrared.

The rollout activity follows the successful trial carried out by SABMiller during the IRB Rugby 7s in Zambia. Fifty seven percent of the visible Bluetooth audience chose to accept content at this trial. Instant spot prizes were used to incentivise the uptake of content, which included ringtones and wallpapers - the content then becomes similar to a small mobile billboard, the brand on the consumer's mobile phone.

Volume drive mechanic

Trained Castle Lager Brand Ambassador teams with wearable Hypertags are running the current activity. In order to create activity around the brand with a volume drive mechanic, consumers are encouraged to purchase Castle Lager in order to enter. Participating consumers download free content that includes Castle Lager-branded wallpaper, a short video, a ringtone and three random instant win vouchers.

Level one of the instant win vouchers contains a secure 2D pixel matrix barcode. Consumers use this barcode to receive a free Castle Lager by scanning their phones at the bar using Brandpoint scanners. The scanner prevents fraudulent or repeat redemptions by going online using GPRS to check the validity of the voucher. Prize stock is managed and cross-checked using printouts generated by the scanner.

The online scanner identifies the 2D barcode, authenticates and validates the code in seconds before the consumer receives a printed voucher from the unit that is then handed to the bar staff in return for a free Castle Lager. Consumers redeem other downloaded win vouchers directly from the Castle Lager Brand Ambassadors.

Damian Hardy, MD of Brandscape, comments, "Delivering secure vouchers with Bluetooth allows us to close the loop on Bluetooth marketing, delivering a seamless promotional mechanic. The level of excitement by the venue managers and consumers engaging with the Hypertags is fantastic to see. The experience puts sub-Saharan countries at the forefront of technology, a perception which strengthens the Castle Lager brand."

The objectives of the campaign are to build and enhance the Castle Lager brand visibility and drive additional volume through the venues. By introducing a voucher redeemed from the online Brandpoint scanner, the campaign is measurable and accountable, allowing SAB Miller to have much more control over malredemption by consumers and vendors. The Hypertag is also fully measurable reporting on the date, time and number of interactions, the content delivered to individual handsets and the make and model of handsets that interacted.

Justin Howard of Exp commented that "SAB Miller set high standards and insisted that we go beyond 'show and tell' promotions to actively engaging the consumer in a brand conversation." He added that "effective measurement was key to the success, something that Hypertag delivers effortlessly."

The content that is downloaded from the Hypertag can contain a mix of cross channel media including a TV ad (video), signature music theme (ringtone), static ad (wallpaper), a web and WAP link and finally a reward mechanic to drive consumer behaviour. The value to client brands is the permission-based exposure that is measurable, transparent and trackable.

Bango makes mobile Web downloads easy

2007-11-16T06:17:00.000-08:00

A company called Bango is trying to make it easier to get content onto your mobile phone.

On Thursday, the company, which specializes in providing back-end technology for mobile Web sites, introduced a link that users can put on regular Web pages to link their content to mobile phones.

The Bango Button, which is free for download on the company's Web site, is designed to be used with blogs and social-networking sites. The way it works is that a user puts the icon or "button" on a Facebook page, which then enables friends who visit the page to get photos, music clips, or other files that appear on that page on their handsets.

Bango formats the regular-size Web pictures for mobile phones. But it also allows users to link directly to a mobilized version of a Web site. Content providers can charge mobile consumers for the content they download, or they can make it available for free.

Bango Buttons should work on any cell phone that can access the mobile Web and allows downloads. Andrew Bovingdon, vice president of product marketing for Bango, said that most phones from most U.S. carriers, with the exception of Verizon Wireless, should work with Bango Buttons. Unfortunately, Verizon blocks many of its phones from downloading content from the mobile Web, which means that the Bango Button won't work.

Today finding content on a mobile phone is cumbersome and clunky. The way most people find ringtones or other content to download is to send a message to an SMS text code. The Bango button greatly simplifies that process, but it's not the ideal answer to making the Web more accessible on handsets.

Most Web sites accessed on a mobile device are simply stripped-down versions of regular Web sites. And the experience for users who surf these pages or try to find content on the mobile Web is excruciatingly painful. And the problem isn't likely to go away over night.

Apple has greatly improved the Web-surfing experience on its iPhone, which renders real Web pages on a full browser and lets people blow up images on the touch screen to read them. And Google with its new Android software and Open Handset Alliance also promises to improve Web surfing on handsets. But with nearly 3 billion cell phone subscribers in the world, it will be a long time before most people have access to handsets with better user interfaces or mobile browsers.

Bango's Bovingdon agrees that the mobile Web has a long way to go, but he says Bango's solution can serve as an interim solution.

"Eventually, I think the experience will be more like what we get on the PC," he said. "But we're not there yet. For right now, the Bango Button can help people find and download content they want today."

Courtesy: Marguerite Reardon

Qualcomm to Acquire Mobile Banking Leader Firethorn

2007-11-16T02:35:00.000-08:00

Qualcomm Incorporated , a leading developer and innovator of Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and other advanced wireless
technologies, today announced it has agreed to acquire Atlanta-based
Firethorn Holdings, LLC, an industry-leading mobile banking enabler.

The addition of Firethorn's expertise in the financial industry and key
relationships with wireless operators, financial institutions and
payment processors supports Qualcomm's broader strategy to enable
end-to-end wireless services that enhance the mobile experience and to
deliver compelling applications that drive increased consumer adoption
of new mobile data services. Qualcomm will pay approximately $210
million in cash for Firethorn. Completion of the acquisition, which is
subject to certain closing conditions, is expected within 30 days.

Firethorn's employees will remain in Atlanta supporting its
existing financial institution and operator partners for mobile
commerce applications. The Firethorn team will continue to be led by
Firethorn's current CEO, Tripp Rackley, and will be overseen by Len
Lauer, executive vice president and group president of Qualcomm.
Firethorn's expertise in financial services and telecom, commercially
deployed platform and early market leadership in mobile banking
complement Qualcomm's expertise in enabling wireless services across
networks and devices. The acquisition is intended to help financial
institutions accelerate consumer adoption of mobile banking services,
such as viewing account balances and history, bill pay and money
transfers, while also driving the development and delivery of mobile
payments and mobile marketing services.

"The acquisition of Firethorn will allow Qualcomm to help drive the
evolution of mobile banking by leveraging Firethorn's industry
expertise, reputation and success in developing relationships with
financial institutions, wireless operators and payment processors,"
Lauer said. "The combination of Firethorn's mobile banking experience
and market recognition with Qualcomm's technology strength, global
reach and operator relationships make this an extremely powerful
development in the world of mCommerce. The acquisition solidifies
Qualcomm's commitment to the emerging mCommerce marketplace and builds
upon a foundation established by Qualcomm Enterprise Services, a
business unit focused on providing integrated wireless systems and
services to businesses around the world."

"Qualcomm is a recognized technology leader and this acquisition is
a strong endorsement of the strategic importance of mobile commerce,"
said Tripp Rackley, chairman and chief executive officer of Firethorn.
"The team at Firethorn will now join this industry leader as we
continue to evolve mobile commerce solutions and bring new and exciting
functionality to the mobile handset, including expanded payment
options."

As a result of the acquisition, Qualcomm expects approximately
$0.02 dilution to pro forma earnings per share in its fiscal year
ending September 2008 and a neutral impact on fiscal year 2009 earnings
per share.

Courtesy: Yahoo Business

AT&T Launches Mobile Banking Nationwide

2007-11-16T01:30:00.000-08:00

AT&T Inc. today announced the launch of a comprehensive, easy-to-use mobile banking platform that will enable consumers to view account balances and history, transfer funds and pay bills from their AT&T mobile handsets.

Through an innovative relationship, AT&T, Wachovia Corp. , SunTrust Banks Inc. and mobile banking and payment enabler Firethorn Holdings LLC -- and Firethorn's strategic partner, CheckFree Corp. -- are providing a mobile banking solution that is accessible to millions of Wachovia and SunTrust customers.

"The ability to perform banking functions using a wireless handset is attractive for people who need to make financial decisions on the go -- business travelers, college students and anyone who desires the flexibility that wireless delivers," said Mark Collins, vice president, Consumer Data, for AT&T's wireless unit. "Value-added services such as mobile banking and payments to the mobile device are part of our ongoing strategy to enrich the customer experience."

The mobile banking application will be pre-loaded on future AT&T handsets beginning later this year. Because the mobile solution is embedded on the handsets, it is easy for users to locate the mobile banking icon in the applications folder on the device and access the service. The mobile banking application is also available for download on more than 30 of AT&T's most popular handsets -- representing approximately 30 million devices in the market today.

Enrolling in mobile banking on AT&T is simple, secure and similar to today's online banking experience for most consumers. Customers first sign up at their financial institution's online banking Web site and are issued a one-time initialization code. After accessing mobile banking on the AT&T handset, customers use the code to link their account to the mobile application on their device. Customers then create their own personal identification number (PIN) to provide secure access to the application.

All data is encrypted, and customers can deactivate the service immediately if handsets are misplaced. For additional security, new bill payees can only be added from customers' online banking accounts.

AT&T customers pay no additional fee to access mobile banking and, because the application resides on the handset, the service is optimized to reduce the number of new page views necessary to complete a transaction. Minimal data usage charges apply and vary based on individual use. AT&T recommends a data plan (starting as low as $9.99 a month) for customers who plan to use mobile banking and other data services frequently.

"The innovative and unique partnership between AT&T, Wachovia, SunTrust and Firethorn may be the tipping point to widespread adoption of mobile banking solutions by consumers," said Jeff Kagan, noted telecommunications industry analyst.

According to Celent, a research and consulting firm focused on the application of information technology in the global financial services industry, approximately 46 million households currently bank online. By 2010, 17 million households will use mobile banking for similar functions.

"This is the year that mobile banking is moving into the mainstream," said Red Gillen, senior analyst, Celent. "We expect consumer adoption rates to mirror those of online banking and for mobile banking functionality to expand as consumers become increasingly comfortable with this entirely new banking channel."

Service Differentiator for Banks

Early signs are promising.

BancorpSouth was the first bank in the United States to go live with mobile banking on AT&T handsets earlier this year. Adoption rates have been higher than expected and have resulted in a 15 percent traffic increase to the bank's Web site.

Wachovia expects similar acceptance as it continues to position itself at the forefront of the mobile banking industry.

"From our experience as the first major U.S. bank to offer a mobile banking solution -- Wachovia Mobile -- the demand for mobile capabilities is clear; people want to bank when and where it is convenient for them," said Ilieva Ageenko, director of Emerging Applications, Wachovia. "AT&T takes mobile financial solutions to the next level by extending the capabilities to a much broader base and provides Wachovia customers with an innovative new method of ubiquitous access to their financial information."

SunTrust Bank believes that mobile banking capabilities will soon be a standard expectation for the increasingly tech-savvy population.

"The first adopters of online banking were innovators, but now it is a part of standard operating procedures for many customers who depend on the flexibility to access banking capabilities after hours," said Gene Kirby, executive vice president and head of Retail and Commercial Lines of Business, SunTrust. "Mobile banking will follow a similar path, and we are pleased to be one of the pioneering top 10 banks to partner with AT&T to deliver this application to customers across the U.S."

FirstBank, based in Lakewood, Colo., is also offering mobile banking on AT&T's network to its customers, and Synovus (NYSE:SNV) has started implementing the service within its 37-bank network in the Southeast. Additional financial institutions that have signed mobile banking agreements with AT&T include Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), America First Credit Union and Arvest Bank Group.

Wachovia, SunTrust and the other banks use CheckFree for online banking, bill payment and presentment, giving consumers the same functionality online on their mobile devices.

Carrier Innovation

When several financial institutions were designing their own mobile banking applications to run on carrier networks, AT&T intentionally chose a different path.

"One of AT&T's core strengths is discovering great applications and driving mass adoption," said Collins. "AT&T works closely with the development community and content providers to wirelessly enable applications that provide convenience, enhanced communication and richer entertainment options for customers. With mobile banking, we quickly realized that we had an opportunity to help develop the market, if executed properly."

AT&T and Firethorn announced a partnership last year to launch the Firethorn application, which provides a secure, easy-to-use interface that performs well on wireless networks and a broad group of mobile handsets. Financial institutions quickly realized the value in the strategy of adopting an application that was carrier-certified yet flexible enough to brand and customize to their requirements. This approach also reduces the internal development and application-management time for the banks.

"Mobile banking is the first step in introducing mobile financial applications to customers," said Tripp Rackley, chairman and chief executive officer, Firethorn. "We have already begun working with carriers and financial institutions to develop future applications that equip customers with a fully functional mobile wallet -- everything from gift card and coupon redemption to contactless payment capabilities."

Mobile banking is supported on AT&T's third-generation (3G) network in more than 200 markets for supercharged access to this and other feature-rich data applications. The service also runs effectively on AT&T's nationwide(1) EDGE network, the largest high speed national wireless data network in the U.S., with availability in more than 13,000 cities and towns and along some 40,000 miles of major highways.

Courtesy: BusinessWire

Mobile Ticketing - Choosing the Right Technology Platform is Critical

2007-11-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

A major trend in the evolution of ticketing is "mobile ticketing," where a bar-coded electronic ticket is sent to a buyer's mobile phone or PDA via short message service (SMS). That bar code is then scanned off of the device's display at the point of admission.

Not all bar code symbologies or scanning technologies are equally suited for accurate and reliable readability in the mobile ticketing environment-specifically reading bar codes from an electronic display. This unique application presents challenges unlike those encountered when reading traditional printed bar codes and not all scanning technologies can meet these challenges.

The combination of the right bar code and data collection technology will enable you to read the bar codes on today's preprinted and home-printed paper tickets, as well as give you the ability to read mobile tickets from electronic displays -- protecting your investment for the future while improving customer service and maximizing your operation's efficiency.

Mobile Ticketing Evolution

Ticketing has evolved from preprinted tickets, to tickets printed at a ticket window at the time of purchase, to Internet sales where customers print their own bar-coded tickets. The latter method is becoming increasingly popular, since it allows ticket buyers to avoid long lines and enables ticket sellers to eliminate printing and distribution costs -- ultimately providing better service to their customers.

The next step in the evolution of ticketing will be to replace home-printed and preprinted paper tickets with an electronic ticket that can be sent to a mobile phone or PDA via short message service (SMS). This mobile ticket (m-ticket) consists of a bar code that can be quickly read and validated directly from the mobile device's display screen.

With entertainment venues, ticket suppliers and public transportation authorities facing fiercer competition every year, m-ticketing's ability to reduce costs, improve customer service and improve ticket validation efficiency will make it an increasingly attractive option for concerts, sporting events, movie theaters, theme parks, trains and other public transportation.

Addressing the Challenges of M-Ticketing Products & Equipment

Whatever method is used to create and distribute tickets, all of them need to be efficiently and reliably validated at the point of redemption to prevent fraud and slow-moving lines. Technology for reading paper bar codes is well established, but the advent of people printing their own tickets at home adds complexities because various papers, inks and printers result in bar codes of varying qualities.

Reading bar codes from an electronic screen adds additional challenges due to variations in screen resolution, specular reflections coming from the displays, and backlighting. Mobile phones and PDA displays being brightest in the middle and dimmer at the edges is a specific challenge.

With these new and emerging variables, the choice of the right bar codes and the right bar code scanning technology is critical to developing a successful ticketing operation that will provide the best possible customer service plus reduce costs and fraud.

Choosing the Best Bar Code Symbology.

The type of bar code used is a major factor in the performance of the entire m-ticketing system. There are several symbologies you can choose from. Each has important attributes that need to be considered before being employed in an m-ticketing application.

Linear Bar Codes

Linear bar codes are not ideal for m-ticketing applications for several reasons. First, linear bar codes quickly grow large as you add data -- considering the typically small display size of a mobile device, this severely limits the amount of information that can be included in the code. In addition, the start and stop areas of the bar code that indicate where the information is contained are located on the outer edges, leading to scanning problems since electronic displays are generally dimmer at the edges. Finally, the error correction of linear codes is far less than that of 2D codes, leading to greater potential for misreads or unreadable data.

PDF417

Portable Data File 417 (PDF417) is a stacked linear bar code with built-in redundancy and error correction. The start and stop areas of this bar code are on the outer edges, as are the necessary white spaces surrounding the boundaries of the bar code -- this can lead to potential problems when reading from digital displays because these are generally dimmer at the edges. In addition, the way PDF417 is built up makes it very difficult to display correctly on an electronic display.

Data Matrix

Data Matrix is a 2D matrix symbology containing dark and light square data modules. It has a finder pattern of two solid lines and two alternating dark and light lines on its perimeter that indicates where the information in the bar code is located. This can make it difficult to decode on digital displays that are poorly illuminated at the edges. Data Matrix code needs a white space around the code to be able to read it.

QR Code

QR (Quick Response) code provides high-speed, omnidirectional reading with error correction. But once again, the finder patterns are on the outer edges, which can lead to difficulties when reading from an electronic display. The QR code finder pattern also requires inefficient white space around the code before it can be read.

Aztec -- Your Best Choice for All Mobile Ticketing Applications

This high-density, two-dimensional symbology is built on a square grid with a bulls-eye pattern at its center. Scanning is orientation-independent and no white space is required beyond the boundaries. The finder pattern is in the middle and the most critical data can be placed near the middle -- where display screens are brightest. Aztec code is then read layer by layer from the inside to the outside. That, plus sophisticated error correction, makes Aztec the best choice for m-ticketing. In addition, Aztec is an excellent choice for paper tickets because its built-in error correction also allows even wrinkled and stained tickets to be read.

Choosing the Best Technology.

When deciding on a data collection technology for your ticketing operations, it's important to look for a solution that will allow you to be flexible and adapt to industry changes. Ten years ago, few imagined people would be using their mobile phones as tickets for admission to events and access to public transportation, but today it is approaching industry-standard levels in many parts of the world. The same is true of the bar codes used in ticketing applications -- for many years, linear bar codes have sufficed, but as ticketing applications evolve,

2D bar codes are becoming the preferred type. As an example, Europe's International Union of Railways (UIC) has worked out a standard for home printed train tickets called IRTHP (International Rail Tickets for Home Printing). In this standard, special attention is focused on the usage of 2D Aztec coding. Traditional laser bar code scanners are only able to read linear bar codes, so you're immediately limited to one type of symbology in your ticketing operations. Linear bar codes are not ideal for use on mobile phone displays because of the amount of space required for the code. In addition, laser scanners cannot read from the self-illuminated displays found on PDAs and mobile phones, making them unsuitable for mobile ticketing applications.

2D imagers provide a level of flexibility beyond that of any other bar code scanning technology because they allow you to read any linear or 2D bar code. Therefore, regardless of what bar code symbologies your ticketing process uses today, 2D imaging will work and enable you to adapt to changes in the future.

In addition, 2D imaging technology lets you use one solution in mixed bar code environments -- if your paper tickets utilize one type of bar code while your m-tickets use another, you can still rely on one solution for all of your needs.
There are also several other benefits to deploying 2D imaging-based solutions for m-ticketing applications:

The ability to read bar codes in low-light conditions makes them ideal for reading from dim displays.

Aggressive reading through advanced decoding algorithms provides fast performance.
High tolerance to hand motion makes 2D imagers easy to use in high-traffic, scan-intensive environments.

Unlike fragile laser scanners, Adaptus 2D imagers are 100 percent solid-state with no internal moving parts, providing unmatched durability.
Because of these attributes, solutions based on 2D imaging technology are easier to use and provide better performance in challenging real-world mobile ticketing applications.

When Calculating Cost, Consider the Big Picture.

While reliable scanner performance in difficult environments is critical, there are other factors to consider when evaluating mobile ticketing solutions: How difficult is it to integrate into my existing IT environment? Will my investment be protected against obsolescence? Is it cost-effective?

With these questions in mind, it's important to choose a technology platform that enables you to adapt as your business requirements change. 2D imaging technology provides you with the functionality to handle all of your
ticketing applications today and prepares you for emerging applications -- like m-ticketing -- with no requirement for new hardware. That protects your investment and provides you with a low total cost of ownership. In addition,
as imaging-based solutions become the industry standard for data collection, their cost is now equal to traditional laser-based solutions -- a technology that doesn't afford you the flexibility and functionality you'll get with a 2D imaging solution.

Cut Costs, Maximize Efficiency, Keep Customers Happy -- and Make the Right Technology Investment.

M-ticketing is bringing new opportunities to reduce expenses, increase operating efficiencies, prevent fraud and set yourself apart from the competition. However, m-ticketing also brings the challenge of finding a system that meets your needs today while cost-effectively adapting when technology and transaction modes inevitably shift. The choices you make now -- of bar code symbologies, scanner technology and the supplier that brings it all together as a true solution -- can have a significant impact on your operation's future.

Hand Held Products has been developing and deploying image-based technology into real-world applications for more than 30 years. This experience has culminated in our fifth generation of imaging innovation -- Adaptus™ Imaging Technology 5.0. The inherent flexibility of Adaptus Imaging 5.0 means your investment will be protected for years to come. You'll be able to easily read virtually all linear and 2D bar code symbologies -- even damaged and specialty codes -- from paper tickets and a wide range of displays.

In addition, this technology enables digital image capture, opening the door for a host of other unique and innovative applications including electronic signature capture and more -- all with one device. Adaptus Imaging 5.0 is available in a host of equipment solutions (mobile computers, handheld imagers, image kiosks, etc.) suitable for the m-ticketing market, built by various select manufacturers. By choosing Adaptus Imaging 5.0, you can be confident that you're investing in a solution that will evolve with your changing needs.

Courtesy: Airport International

The Future is Now - How to Make it all Mobile

2007-11-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

Presentation by William J. Hoffman, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies

USPTO Grants the EFF's Request for Re-Examination of NeoMedia Technologies' Patent

2007-11-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

The Future is Now - How to Make it all Mobile.
NeoMedia's CEO, William J. Hoffman Video

NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: NEOM), the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted the Ex-Parte Re-examination of U.S. Patent No. 6,199,048.

NeoMedia has a large portfolio consisting of U.S. and foreign patents and pending applications relating to various inventions surrounding the processing of "machine readable codes over wireless networks." NeoMedia expects the '048 patent will be confirmed by the USPTO in course of the re-examination. According to publicly available statistics, only about 10% of patents that are re-examined have all their claims declared invalid.

NeoMedia's CEO, William J. Hoffman, states, "Regardless of the outcome of the re-examination, NeoMedia's inventions and the patent portfolio that protects them will continue to effectively serve the creation of a global and interoperable infrastructure that enables large scale adoption of mobile codes as triggers of optically initiated transactions." He added, "NeoMedia's main motivation is to use its inventions to make this wireless ecosystem a reality and create advantages for the global value chain."

Additionally, in an effort to focus its energy on building a profitable ecosystem, and not to be distracted by time-consuming and costly patent litigation, NeoMedia has agreed to stay the current patent litigation against Scanbuy pending the re-examination's outcome.

NeoMedia's CEO affirms, "NeoMedia will use the 'stay period' to develop and to deploy our turn-key solutions for reading and processing a multitude of barcode formats that are ISO certified. Our patents have been reviewed and granted by appropriate government agencies, subsequently challenged, then licensed by numerous multinational companies deeply versed in Intellectual Property Rights. At the appropriate time, NeoMedia will move forward vigorously with the litigation and protect the rights we have been granted by patent offices worldwide."

About NeoMedia Technologies, Inc.

NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: NEOM) is the global leader in optically initiated wireless transactions, bridging the physical and mobile world with innovative direct to web technology solutions. To provide a robust high-performance infrastructure for the processing of optical codes NeoMedia extends their offering with award winning Gavitec technology. Located in Germany, Gavitec AG-mobile digit is a leader in development and distribution of mobile scanners and software for mobile applications. In addition, Gavitec provides standardized and individual solutions for mobile marketing, couponing, ticketing and payment systems. To learn more visit www.neom.com, www.neoreader.com, and www.mobiledigit.de.