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GS1 Launch
EAN Australia evolves
into GS1 Australia
Local custodian of the EAN•UCC system, EAN Australia will
relaunch itself as GS1 Australia during its annual conference,
Impetus 2005, on July 12 this year.
The new identity follows the merger of the world’s supply chain
standards bodies: the Uniform Code Council (UCC), the Electronic
Commerce Council of Canada and EAN International.
The new international body and its 155 member country
organisations will be universally known as GS1.
EAN Australia CEO Maria Palazzolo said GS1
meant far more than a name change.
“It’s the evolution of a body once purely focused on standards
development into an organisation serving the needs of
members striving towards best practice supply chain
management,” she said.
“When EAN Australia becomes GS1 Australia in July, it
not only takes on a new name and a new identity, it
symbolises our global unity and equips us to support the
future demands of over one million companies using our
common global language of trade, the EAN•UCC system.
“GS1 represents the three core pillars essential to the future
development of global collaborative commerce through new
standards andservices: one global system, one global standard
and one standards organisation.”
The familiar EAN Australia icon will be phased out in the months
before its replacement is adopted at the Impetus 2005
conference in July.
“We are very excited about our relaunch and we hope as many
people as possible from Australian industry will join us at
Impetus 2005 to celebrate the last 25 proud years of EAN Australia
and its evolution into GS1 Australia,” Palazzolo said.
In fact, the theme of life and evolution will be central to the
GS1 Australia launch.
“Just as the DNA’s double helix carries the biological code
for all living things, the EAN•UCC system is the foundation
for a common global language of trade,” Mrs Palazzolo said.
The launch of GS1 Australia will take place at the
end of day one proceedings of Impetus 2005, on
Tuesday July 12 at Crown Towers Hotel, Melbourne.
Global eXchange Services and VeriSign Announce Partnership to Enhance GXS Trading GridSM with Electronic Product Codes
Integration to Provide Real-time Supply Chain Visibility and Enhanced
Mountain View, Ca., and Gaithersburg, Md. — November 30, 2004 – VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), the leading provider of intelligent infrastructure services for the Internet and telecommunications networks, and Global eXchange Services (GXS), a leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) integration services, today announced a partnership that extends the GXS Trading GridSM to support the use of Electronic Product Codes (EPC) and integration with the EPCglobal Network. The EPC is the next generation of product identification that was uniquely designed and built to allow companies to share dynamic product information over a distributed network infrastructure.
The agreement will assist GXS to enhance the Trading Grid with Object Naming Services (ONS) from VeriSign, the exclusive provider of ONS services to EPCglobal. The ONS is a key component of the EPCglobal Network that helps companies quickly discover information such as the condition and location of products that move in a globally distributed supply chain. Access to this information assists manufacturers and retailers to improve their execution of high value processes that impact operating performance and customer relationships.
"With the emergence of RFID and EPC technology as a new standard in tracking key inventory, we have strategically aligned our Trading Grid services with a capable partner to deliver the best product for our customers," said Bobby Patrick, senior vice president of marketing at GXS.
"VeriSign's leadership in the provisioning of EPC infrastructure and proven ability to deliver highly reliable services on a massive scale are a perfect match for the Trading Grid and we are truly excited to be working together to make the EPCglobal Network more accessible to our customers."
As companies increasingly pursue real-time inventory visibility and government agencies require product traceability, highly accessible reference information is critical to business processes. Containing product information for more than 60 million items as well as shipment order, and invoice information for millions of transactions annually, the GXS Trading Grid is positioned to leverage the EPCglobal Network's ability to track RFID tagged items. Integrating ONS into the Trading Grid will help enhance the ability of hosted applications to locate and utilize product information that is distributed across trading partner systems.
"GXS is a recognized leader in B2B information exchange and VeriSign is pleased to be supporting integration to the EPCglobal Network through the GXS Trading Grid," said Brian Matthews, vice president of directory services at VeriSign. "The power of the EPCglobal Network depends on each company's ability to access information linked to EPCs, and our work with GXS will help enable this access for their customers."
Long known for its role in operating the critical infrastructure underlying the Domain Name System (DNS), telecommunications networks, and security and payment networks, VeriSign is leveraging its expertise in support of the EPCglobal Network and RFID infrastructure. In addition to operating the root server for the Object Naming Service (ONS) of the EPCglobal Network, VeriSign is also providing managed services to help companies explore the network without requiring extensive investments as standards evolve.
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc., delivers intelligent infrastructure services that make the Internet and telecommunications networks more intelligent, reliable, and secure. Every day VeriSign helps thousands of businesses and millions of consumers connect, communicate, and transact with confidence. Additional news and information about the company is available at http://www.verisign.com/.
Old 2000 PR
NeoMedia Technologies and UDEX Announce Agreement to Provide Easy Access to Thousands of Product Websites
NeoMedia to Provide Increased Visibility and Marketing Support for UDEX in U.S. in Exchange for Access to UDEX Informational Resources and Support in European Markets
FT. MYERS, FL - January 3, 2000 -- NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOM), a leader in print-to-Internet technology, today announced an agreement in principle with UDEX Ltd. which could provide consumers with access to thousands of product websites using its patented PaperClick™ technology.
UDEX, a global standards organization based in the United Kingdom, maintains a database of coded product descriptions linked to Universal Product Codes (UPC) bar codes (EAN codes in Europe). PaperClick enables consumers to access standard product information on any product in one simple step by simply entering its UPC code which links them to a particular web page featuring specific product data information. Ultimately, consumers may be able to purchase the product from an online distributor using PaperClick technology.
"UDEX is providing invaluable information relating to products that consumers will now be able to easily access on the web using PaperClick," explains Chas Fritz, chairman and CEO of NeoMedia Technologies. "We believe that our relationship will facilitate numerous applications in both the consumer and business-to-business e-commerce arenas using PaperClick technology."
"This new alliance will enable UDEX to further establish our product database as the standard throughout the global supply chain," according to John English, managing director of UDEX Ltd. "NeoMedia's PaperClick technology is an ideal vehicle for consumers, manufacturers, retailers and industrial companies to access Internet-based data far more easily than before."
UK-based UDEX Limited has spent the past three years developing the infrastructure for a comprehensive master file of structured product descriptions indexed by UPC or EAN codes. UDEX aims to establish this master file as the global standard for product descriptions throughout the supply chain and in market and media measurement. Additional information on UDEX is available at www.udex.com.
NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. develops and markets a patented IDOCs™ (for Intelligent Documents™) family of products that link printed information and objects in bar code form to the Internet. The company also provides proprietary software for document management and production systems. For more information on NeoMedia Technologies' products and services, please visit www.neom.com.
Virgin Territory - old but relevant
Richard Branson invades US with try-before-you-buy kiosks
by Kit Davis, Contributing Correspondent
More than tea was flowing at the Mad Hatter's launch party for the new Boston Megastore.
Web-enabled kiosks that let customers sample merchandise and buy from a vast virtual inventory seem tailor made for selling entertainment and media-a fact British entrepreneur Richard Branson has seized upon on both sides of the Atlantic. His Virgin Group Ltd. spans over 200 businesses from airlines to music stores to cell phones, all coordinated via the Web, despite Branson's personal disinterest in technology (he avoids computers and cell phones himself).
Brash Virgin
Virgin Entertainment Group-the world's leading multi-channel music and entertainment retailer-pioneered the music store "listening post" concept in the 1990s. This application, which allows customers to hear tracks from featured CDs, was subsequently adopted by other music stores across America. So this brash Virgin has taken the concept one step further with a unique, in-store digital preview system.
Virgin Megastore customers can now scan a product's bar code at an IBM NetVista kiosk to download samples from the Web for an in-store preview of more than 250,000 CDs and 11,000 DVDs. Virgin developed the new system in-house with IBM business partner Retail Store Systems, using server and client software technology from Microsoft and entertainment data from Muze and Video Pipeline. Called "MegaPlay," this new system made its debut last summer in Dallas and Los Angeles, where the units were occupied almost two-thirds of the time and getting 32,000 page views a week. Virgin has now installed 20 of the new kiosks in its Times Square Megastore in New York City, as well as 15 in its Boston Newbury Street store. Glen Ward, CEO of Virgin Retail, tells KB: "We plan to roll them out across the chain over the course of the next 12 to 18 months."
When asked about ROI, Jan De Jong, VP of information technology for Virgin Entertainment Group, reports, "We are still going through the evaluation of the results. The hardest part is to prove that a CD that was scanned was actually sold." Each Megastore tracks which items are scanned and compares this data against products sold through the registers within 60 minutes. "The results of this are above expectations," says De Jong. "We have done customer surveys to understand customer reaction and needs, and it is very clear that the system is well appreciated." Results just out show shoppers buying products they've previewed at a rate that's triple Virgin's original expectations.
As with any new project, some tweaking is required. According to one industry analyst, "There's a huge database to build up-so much is not there yet. The content is a mile wide and a quarter-inch deep." Future enhancements are planned to facilitate digital downloads, infrared transmissions to portable MP3 players, and loyalty applications for handheld devices.
Megaplay kiosk users scan barcodes for
an in-store preview of more than 250,000
CDs and 11,000 DVDs.
'V' for Victory
On the other side of the empire, Virgin deployed Web-enabled kiosks to rescue its money-leaking V Shops with a combination of traditional retail and virtual shopping. An average of four "Find and Buy" kiosks per store now offer online access to 110,000 SKUs of music, DVDs, games, and videos; each store stocks no more than 2,000 of the most popular products. By halving its inventory, each store saves around $300,000 a year, and breakeven for the project is expected within two years. Monthly sales are up an average of 40 percent, and staff has been freed up to sell mobile phones and improve customer service. Interestingly, only 10 percent of customers opt to pay with debit or credit card at the kiosk; the rest print a receipt and pay at the till. Home delivery is usually the next day. Says Virgin Entertainment CEO Simon Wright: "Technology has enabled us to put a dying business back on its feet and to make a small store big."
The rollout involved deploying 500 kiosks to 97 stores throughout the UK in a record-breaking 9 weeks-from conception to delivery. Neil Verma, head of new channels for Virgin Retail and V Shop, says over six companies were involved, and the challenge was to implement an integrated solution without its feeling "Webbie." Partners included Kudos for software, ePoint for hardware, and Uovo for the application and interface. "We put a concept into the marketplace that nobody knew about, in a large scale way," explains Verma. "Expectations were quite high. We had three months to purchase kiosks and backend servers, design, develop, and implement the kiosk offering, and review and implement a new wide area network infrastructure."
Another advantage of the V Shop has been integration with other Virgin businesses. "We're developing the kiosk concept for Virgin Megastores in the UK," says Verma. The idea is to import the Megaplay kiosk from the US, offering location maps, news and reviews, digital downloads, and real-time music sampling from in-store CDs-"deep range catalog stuff from 170,000 titles," explains Verma. "Virgin businesses work very closely together. And there's no sense reinventing the wheel." This transatlantic technology trade bodes well for the future of international kiosk projects. Branson plans to expand US operations from the present 21 Virgin Megastores to 40 by 2005.
Neom says GO!
Barcode coupons on the move
Have you ever stopped to wonder just how many coupons are being sent around the globe every year? The figure for the UK alone is in excess of 5 billion a year! That is a lot of paper and there is currently little measure of how they are being redeemed and how many are ineffective and not hitting the right target at the right time. Not to mention that delays of a few days to a few weeks to get them out can mean it happens too late. So imagine the power of being able to target specific users, on the move via their mobile phone and make them an offer for a specific product or service.
With the ever-increasing popularity of mobile phones that seem to be carried everywhere all the time it is an extremely attractive proposition. Imagine you have a large amount of stock that is about to go out of season or is close to a sell by date, paper coupons and posting would be too slow and even doing something via e-mail will not necessarily be fast enough either. However if you can reach the user via the mobile you may well see a far higher success rate and get the immediacy of response you require.
Imagine the opportunity to send an offer to a whole lot of potential customers for a theatre that evening that still had tickets left for a performance. Or perhaps there is a sudden heat wave and you want to let everyone know you have a special deal on a particular drink and attract them to your store. You may not want to make it a general offer but a more special offer to a specific set of clients. The system sends them a coupon but this time it is via SMS text messaging direct to their mobile phone.
The recipient can then turn up at your store (or theatre) and present their mobile phone with the barcode displayed on the screen to the checkout operator who will scan the barcode and it will apply the offer in just the same way a traditional paper coupon would. The barcode can also be linked directly to the user via an ID barcode and user code so the direct success of each offer can be measured.
The system is already installed with a number of clients including Virgin and Jacksons a northern-based grocery retailer and many others are in the early stages of implementation. The system was also trailed in The Gadget Shop with a very high level of success.
The system is designed and developed by a company called M-bar-go who can be found on the web at www.m-bar-go.com who have been involve in this market place of direct marketing and the use of technology fro many years now.
So why does this get a mention on the PDT web site?
When the project started some years ago there were a lot of concerns over the readability of the barcodes being sent and at the time there was a limited amount of tests done into this area. However there are few people in the UK who really know about barcodes and scanning technology and this is where PDT Ltd comes in.
Jon Critoph has over 22 years of experience in the Barcode and Auto ID industry where he has had both technical and sales roles and has a specialisation in the field of barcodes, scanners and printers. Jon was invited into M-Bar-Go by Matthew McGuinness the Chief Technical Officer to provide valuable skills to go and look at the various ranges of scanners available from many different manufacturers along with a whole wide range of mobile phone with different screen technology employed to see how wide a population of phones could actual support the project. The work culminated in the production of a report on the findings for the team at M-Bar-Go.
If you need a barcode expert please give Jon a call and he will be happy to impart his vast knowledge on the subject. He can be contacted on either 01494 488219 or e-mail.
precision design technology ltd
+44 (0)1628-78 24 13
info@precisiondesign.co.uk
Nice catch by PP
V2 Music Group is a fast-growing independent record label with a diverse roster of artists, including Tom Jones, Heather Nova, Moby, and the White Stripes. It is part of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
Call Fritz CRAZY :)
A look back.
Business Editors
Frontline International Supply Chain Week 2003
FORT MYERS, Fla. & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2003
NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: NEOM), a leader in innovative technologies which make information easier to access, said today that its next patented auto-link to Internet content would be for the rapidly-growing field of radio frequency identification (RF-ID).
RF-ID employs "tags," electronic chips which hold information similar to information held by UPC/EAN bar codes, but can also track specific parts, pieces or items from manufacturer to user, through the supply chain. RF-ID tags communicate automatically, without human intervention, with scanners, readers and computers.
Speaking from Frontline's International Supply Chain Week and the Electronic Product Code Executive Symposium in Chicago, NeoMedia Chairman Chas Fritz said, "as the MIT Auto-ID Lab and other leaders set RF-ID standards, our patented PaperClick(TM) technology and architecture will be compatible with how individual products are identified using RF-ID."
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Direct Link the Internet
Pioneered and patented by NeoMedia, PaperClick will communicate with RF-ID tags, similarly to how it reads UPC/EAN and other bar codes, and then provide an automatic link to specific content on the Internet. It employs a standard browser, optional client software, and a network of online service and application servers.
"NeoMedia's robust, patented technology connects physical items carrying RF-ID tags or bar codes simultaneously and directly to supply chain components across the Internet," Fritz said. "As the Auto ID and many other industries worldwide embrace the many advancements in RF-ID, NeoMedia is in the enviable position of being ahead of the curve, ready and able to license our technology."
Fritz said he was "excited about how RF-ID and the PaperClick technology platform have evolved together, greatly enhancing the power, promise and profit potential of our IP portfolio. Our technologies are in demand, and NeoMedia is pro-actively protecting and licensing patents as part of our overall business plan, ensuring our shareholders' investment in patents and other IP is protected and a viable generator of income," he said.
Last week, NeoMedia announced the first in a new series of applications of a patented wireless technology, which links camera phones directly to the Internet (see "New 'Killer Wireless App' for Nokia(R) Camera Cell Phones 'Turns Internationally-Popular Toys Into Internet-Enabled Business Tools'," Business Wire, Sept. 8.). Fritz said "cell phones, too, will be enabled for RF-ID in the future, with NeoMedia providing technology."
About NeoMedia Technologies
NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (www.neom.com), is an innovator and international leader in print-to-Internet and other technologies, which make information faster and easier to access, with expertise in homeland security and e-authentication applications. NeoMedia markets services which link physical information and objects to the Internet under the PaperClick trademark, and its Systems Integration Group specializes in Open and Storage System solutions and automating print production operations. NeoMedia has announced plans to acquire and merge with Loch Energy, Inc., of Houston, an energy company with proven and probable reserves of 13.97 million barrels of oil, and Secure Source Technologies, Inc., of Silver Spring, Maryland, a provider of security solutions and a pioneer in covert security technology for the manufacturing and financial services industries.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. With the exception of historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release involve risk and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement
PaperClick is a trademark of NeoMedia Technologies. Other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
Vodafone outgrows rivals
Michael Sainsbury
JULY 26, 2005
THIRD-RANKED mobile phone company Vodafone is set to outgrow its rivals for the second straight quarter, after grabbing 160,000 new customers for the three months to June 30.
Vodafone now has 2.89 million directly connected customers in Australia - 3.2 million including its wholesale customers - as the market pushes past penetration of 90 per cent. Second-placed Optus has 6 million customers.
An increasing number of the company's customers - 71 per cent - are using prepaid services, with more than 15 per cent using popular monthly capped rate calling plans.
"We've had another strong quarter result, adding more than 160,000 net customers for the June 2005 quarter and increasing our customer base by almost 6 per cent," Vodafone Australia managing director Russell Hewitt said.
"There's no doubt that the market is heating up, so we're pleased to have continued our momentum and are tracking better than we expected."
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Macquarie Equities analyst Tim Smart said: "The result was a bit stronger than we thought."
The gains were part of the highest customer growth numbers in five years for Vodafone Group Plc, the world's largest mobile phone company, which added 4.14 million new customers in the quarter to June 30. That is the most since the first three months of 2000 and beat analysts' expectations of 2.83 million users.
Armed with slick advertising and the market's widest range of discount plans, in the first three months of the year Vodafone added 200,000 new users -- more than the two biggest players, Telstra and Optus, combined. Despite booming customer numbers, Mr Hewitt will be happy to hold revenues and profits steady for the group's financial year, which ends on March 31.
In its latest results, Vodafone's revenues only rose 7 per cent, despite increasing subscriber numbers.
In the June quarter, Vodafone's average revenues per user - the industry benchmark for the value of a customer base - continued to fall. Prepaid users spent, on average, $320 a year with the company, down from $326. The diminishing number of Vodafone's contract users spent an average of $1054 annually, up from $1005 in the previous year.
But the company saw its profit margins fall by 10 per cent last financial year.
This underscores the revenue slowdown in the Australian mobile market, caused by increasingly widespread discounting.
Mr Smart said: "All their growth is in prepaid, so you have to temper the enthusiasm to see how sticky that base is in a couple of quarters."
Vodafone Australia has just started a commercial trial of third-generation handsets.
The Australian
Les, if you look at the top of page,
you will see the last price for BSDS was July 13.
Neom's s4a is dated July 15.
Insight from an experienced investor would be appreciated.
Opps - this post may be deleted.
Les,
looks to me like we get the announcement this week.
Maybe today.
Makes sense if they are to get it done by July 31.
I don't see a chart on ETrade.
Sabre's GetThere Capitalizes On Federal E-Travel Efforts May 12, 2005
GetThere's technology provides a Web-based booking engine and is part of an E-travel application that's included in a contract with the General Services Administration.
By Tony Kontzer
InformationWeek
The federal government's E-travel initiative is proving to be a boon to Sabre Holdings Corp.'s GetThere unit. In the past few months, the initiative, which requires that all federal agencies have a desktop application that lets employees book travel online, has resulted in more than a half-dozen government agencies using GetThere's Direct Government booking tool.
GetThere's technology is part of CW Government Travel's E2 E-Travel application, one of three options chosen in November 2003 to be part of a 10-year, $450 million E-travel services contract with the General Services Administration. Three companies -- CW, EDS, and Northrop Grumman Mission Systems -- are competing for as much of that contract as they can win. So far, CW, a Carlson Cos. unit, has won sub-contracts with more than a half-dozen agencies, with the majority of agencies yet to select one of the E-travel providers.
Just 5% of government travel has moved online thus far, indicating there's a lot of business to be had, estimates travel industry consultant Norm Rose, who's also an analyst for research firm PhoCusWright. "It's very early in the game," Rose says. "By 2007, they want to have government travel completely automated." That means a lot of potential business for GetThere, depending on how successful CW is in beating out EDS and Northrop Grumman as agencies awarded subcontracts.
"Being able to have access to a large government population is a great opportunity for us," says Bev Heinritz, general manager of GetThere. "If we're saving companies in the private sector millions, I'm assuming we'll be able to do the same thing in the government sector."
So far, GetThere has only been able to study the impact on airfares, and it says agencies using the E2 app are saving 15% on air-travel costs. Agencies also are reporting improved compliance with travel policies, Heinritz says.
In working with a larger government customer base, GetThere is tapping its experience in the private sector, where nearly half of the Fortune 2,000 is using the company's Corporate Direct booking tool. GetThere's technology essentially provides a Web-based booking engine that can access airfares and hotel and car-rental rates from global distribution systems, as well as from travel suppliers that don't list inventory in those systems. It also takes into account travel policies that corporate and business travelers must comply with, and it triggers approval processes. Government agencies can configure the CW E2 app to pre-approve travel requests if all the conditions are met and budget dollars are available. The E2 app then links bookings with back-end financial and human-resources systems. Whenever a traveler books through the system, user information is compiled to build a profile that speeds the booking process. GetThere also is working with CW to build the capability to comply with the government's Fly America program, which is essentially a set of rules dictating what airlines should be flown from what markets to ensure that domestic carriers are used whenever possible.
Among the E-travel benefits the GSA is touting are around-the-clock access to travel services through a single interface, single-contact customer care, and automation of what had been manual, paper-based processes. All told, E-travel is expected to save federal agencies as much as $50 million a year during the course of the contract by cutting travel-management costs in half.
Holy Cow, these guys are no small potatoes.
http://home3.americanexpress.com/corp/pc/2004/travelocity.asp
http://www.sabre-holdings.com/
http://www.getthere.com
http://www.getthere.com/products/directcorporate/
A PaperClick code to the Corporate portal.
American Express Rewards portal next.
Just keeps getting bigger.
Thanks JP, It’s what teamwork is all about.
Getting There was right in front of me, and I didn’t see it.
Dig, dig, dig it.
Hey check this out.
I found this code:
75372955 It takes you here:
http://wcorp.itn.net/cgi/get?itn/cb/sprint_hd/index
It looks like a private membership portal.
If you shorten the address, check out where it takes you.
http://wcorp.itn.net
http://www134.americanexpress.com/travel/CTNWTServlet?request_type=travelhome
HUGE - IMO!
FT. MYERS, Fla., Sept. 13, 2004 – NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (OTC BB: NEOM), a developer and international marketer of software and patented technologies which link products, print, and physical objects directly to targeted online data, today announced the signing of a business development and investment agreement with IPoint-Media Ltd. of Tel Aviv.
Charles T. Jensen, president, CEO and COO of NeoMedia, said his company will immediately begin a co-development effort with IPoint (www.ipoint-media.com), which was founded in April 2001 as a spin-off from Imagine Visual Dialog Ltd. by Muki Geller, who also founded Imagine.
Jensen said NeoMedia will immediately receive 7 percent of the stock in IPoint, which is privately-held, and will also acquire an additional 10 percent of IPoint for a $1 million investment.
Among other shareholders in IPoint are the Nisko Group, a leading Israeli holding company, Keppel T&T of Singapore, a member of the Keppel Group of companies, one of Southeast Asia's largest conglomerates, and WWP of London, a leading communications services group.
Shared Synergies in Products and Mission
Jensen said NeoMedia and IPoint “share synergies in both product and mission. We are both innovators who have created leading-edge solutions for a worldwide, world-class customer base,” he said. “NeoMedia’s patented PaperClick® platform, which provides automated links to targeted online data via bar-coded physical objects, perfectly complements the IPoint product line and is currently being marketed to many of the same companies in the U.S., Europe and around the globe,” he said.
Among the IPoint products on which the two companies will co-develop are:
– The Visual Theater application, which enables a distribution of interactive two-way video and audio from a presenter to multiple viewers in a One2Many mode;
– The Visual Chat application, which enables multiple participants to engage in a video chat with multiple video previews, and instant messaging integration;
– The Visual Lecture application, which enables a distribution of interactive two-way video, audio and documents to multiple viewers, with shared documents controlled and synchronized by the presenter, and
– The Visual Workgroup application, which enables enterprise users to engage in a conference with video, audio and integrated document sharing, with users able to launch sessions and invite other users using instant messaging.
About NeoMedia Technologies, Inc.
NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (www.neom.com), is a developer and international marketer of software and patented technologies which link products, print, and physical objects directly to targeted online data, with expertise in homeland security and e-authentication applications. NeoMedia markets PaperClick and PaperClick for Camera Cell Phones™, which link physical information and objects to the Internet, and its Systems Integration Group specializes in providing expert-based IT consulting, hardware, and software solutions.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. With the exception of historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release involve risk and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement
PaperClick is a registered trademark and PaperClick for Camera Cell Phones a trademark of NeoMedia Technologies, Inc.
iPoint-Media Completes Interoperability Testing on Dilithium’s Gateway
Petaluma, CA.— May 18, 2005 — iPoint-Media, the leading vendor of Hosted 3G Video Telephony CENTREX Platforms, announced the successful completion of 3G interoperability testing (IOT) on Dilithium Networks DTG 2000 multimedia gateway. Tests were performed between the DTG 2000 and iPoint-Media's Vitrage 3G Video Telephony Applications and Services Platform in both the UK and Israel, and in challenging environments including international roaming.
iPoint-Media’s Vitrage 3G Video Telephony Applications and Services Platform enables service organizations and Enterprises to provide Interactive Video Services such as Video Interaction Centers, Contact Centers, Help Desks and other quality video services. iPoint-Media and Dilithium co-market the combined solution for the enterprise and 3G markets.
Avi Sless, CTO of iPoint-Media: “This is the best multimedia gateway we have seen to date. The video and audio quality is impressive, and I am sure that our customers will be impressed as well."
Lee Ellison, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales & Support for Dilithium Networks, added: “IPoint-Media has a demonstrated strength in interactive video applications. We are pleased to work with iPoint-Media in extending their new platform's capabilities to provide advanced applications and services for 3G environments."
About iPoint-Media
iPoint-Media recently launched it's new platform - Vitrage which is a suite of Video Telephony Interaction Center (ipVIC) and a Multimedia Interactive Video Response (ipMIVR) that enables provisioning of advanced interactive video telephony services. Vitrage is also built as a CENTREX solution to provide Hosted Video Telephony Services. Vitrage can provide Multi-Tier services and on-Demand provisioning through its Service Partitioning technology. Vitrage is targeted at 3G Video Telephony Mobile Operators, Service Providers, ASPs, Aggregators, Brokers and Enterprises (using video telephony to enhance their business) and sold through System, integration partners and Brokers of video services.
iPoint-Media was founded in 2001 with extensive know-how and experience in Video applications. Its share holders are the Israeli based Nisko group, NeoMedia technologies, Cornel Capital and the employees.
For more information please visit our website at http://www.ipoint-media.com.
About Dilithium Networks
Dilithium Networks is the leader in 3G video telephony solutions for the world’s mobile and broadband industries. Products include multimedia transcoding gateways, 3G-324M protocol analysis test tools, protocol stacks and video telephony client solutions. Dilithium Networks serves a global customer base including the majority of the leading network equipment suppliers, terminal manufacturers and mobile operators. www.dilithiumnetworks.com
For more information contact:
Karen Birnie, Dilithium Networks
karen.birnie@dilithiumnetworks.com / Tel: +1 707 792-3927
Avi Sless, iPoint-media
avis@ipoint-media.com / Tel: +972 – 54 4343 207
Cornell, NeoMedia, BSD - something big is cooking?
INVITATION FOR TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION
Company: IPOINT - MEDIA LTD.
DOCUMENT STRUCTURE:
General information
Available R&D capabilities
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTACT DATA Organization: IPOINT - MEDIA LTD.
Contact: Name: Mr. Muki Geller
Position: President & CEO
Address: 2A Habarzel St., Nisko House, 3rd Floor
Tel Aviv
ISRAEL, 61580
Telephone: 03-7657275
Fax: 03-7657139
Email: josephd@ipoint-media.com
WEB site: www.ipoint-media.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENERAL INFORMATION
Established: 2001
Ownership: Private
Parent: Main shareholder - the Nisko group (TASE: NSKO)
Core business
Developer of the two Mainstream Rich media delivery technologies:
Videoconferencing and Streaming.
Overview
IPOINT - MEDIA was founded on April 2001 as a spin off from
Imagine Visual Dialog Ltd. It is a company with extensive
know-how and experience in Customer Interaction Management.
IPOINT - MEDIA provides a complete applications platform for
service providers, mobile operators, content providers and
enterprises who wish to enhance their value chains by adding
interactive video telephony services for 3G mobile handsets or IP
broadband users.
Availability of technology and infrastructure on one hand, and
the customer expectations on the other hand, create new
opportunities for an innovative and exciting range of value added
and differentiated video telephony services over 3G and IP
networks. The end-to-end solutions developed by iPoint-media were
designed to bridge the gap between infrastructure and
applications, and to allow Carriers, Mobile Operators, ISP's and
Content Providers to deliver interactive rich media to their
customers.
IPOINT - MEDIA platform is called Vitrage - a 3G/IP Video
Telephony Applications and Services platform, localized or
hosted. Vitrage is a high quality platform that is easy to
deploy, manage, and use and deliver an experience that attracts
users for more.
Vitrage - video applications and services platform The Vitrage
platform brings voice applications to the interactive video era.
It can be implemented as an independent video contact center with
all the capabilities of a robust Contact center, including ACD,
CRM and Multimedia IVR, or as an add-on to an existing legacy
contact Center. Vitrage is designed to provide CENTREX-based and
also hosted video services.
The platform includes three main components: ipMIVR, a multimedia
interactive video response system, ipVIC, video interaction
center system and ipO2M, a Live Video One-to-Many casting system.
Applications for inbound and outbound uses are such as Video
Helpdesk and Customer Support, Campaing Management, Video
Point-of-sales (Personalized sales through video), Video Banking,
Video Real-estate, Video Healthcare, Entertainment, Leisure,
Video Front End and Enterprise Video Termination solution.
IPOINT - MEDIA's patent pending One2Many technology allows a live
and interactive session between a presenter and an unlimited
number of on-line viewers. Viewers hear and see the presenter,
each viewer in turn can talk with the presenter, and all event
participants can hear the conversation (Scalable as Streaming and
interactive as chatting is unique to this technology, unavailable
with streaming solutions).
IPOINT - MEDIA is the world's 1st developer of Video Call Centers
for Deutsche Telecom. Among share holders are the Israeli based
Nisko group, a leading Israeli holding company, Singapore based
Keppel T&T and World leading Marketing, Advertising group WPP and
Neomedia Technologies.
This is exciting.
ALL NEW VIDEO SELECTS IPOINT-MEDIA'S 3G VIDEO CENTREX PLATFORM FOR 3G VIDEO TELEPHONY SERVICES OFFERING
iPoint-media’s 3G Video Centrex Platform Enables Provision of Advanced 3G Live Video Telephony Services to Consumers and Corporations
Tel Aviv Israel, February 11th 2005
iPoint-Media, the leading vendor of Hosted 3G Video Centrex Platforms, today announced that its 3G video Centrex platform was selected by All New Video (ANV) UK for 3G and IP video services portfolio. iPoint-Media’s 3G video services platform will enable ANV to provide Video Interaction Call Centers, help desk, Interactive Video Response and other video services.
One of ANV’s custom services, which debuted in late December 2004 is called Video Answerphone; this is used today by Orange UK. ANV has also entered into a contract with other major European 3G operators to supply Video services.
In addition to using iPoint-media's Centrex platform as a part of its hosted 3G Live Video Interaction Call Center and live video help desk services to cellular operators, ANV will also use iPoint-media's live video Centrex platform to offer hosted 3G live video communications services to business customers.
“We found iPoint-media's solution to be a working solution from day one. The Centrex platform enables us to provide Live Video Response such as video call center and helpdesk services to our clients", said David Atkins, CEO of All New Video. “As the broadband IP and 3G market continues to grow, the goal of All New Video is to deliver interactive video services over wire line, wireless and mobile networks. iPoint-media's technology provides us with a powerful architecture that enables us to develop new innovative live video services for the market".
“All New Video is an innovator and first to offer live video telephony services in the market place," said Muki Geller, CEO for iPoint-Media. “The deployment and mass availability of 3G video telephony handsets and IP Video desktops creates the need and hunger for new and advanced services to people who buy them. Companies like All New Video are developing advanced skills for the provision of multiple 3G live video services. We expect service providers, 3G and IP, to require companies like All New Video to provide advanced live video services on their behalf."
About iPoint-media
iPoint-media was founded on 2001 as a spin off from Imagine visual dialog LTD, with extensive know-how and experience in Customer Interaction Management and the world’s 1st developer of IP Video Call Center for Deutsche Telecom, among share holders: Israeli based Nisko group, Singapore based Keppel T&T and media giant WPP. NeoMedia technologies and Cornel Capital have recently invested in iPoint-media,and joined its share holders.
iPoint-media’s mission is to become the 3G Live Video Centrex Platform and interactive application engine of choice for service providers.
For more information please visit our website at www.ipoint-media.com.
About All New Video
Established in 2002 by David Atkins, All New Video, based in Newbury, Berkshire, is the first and only Managed Services Company to offer live multi party 3G video calling, PC to video phone calling, and video mail. The applications for this technology are endless and include security (police, ambulance), video dating, chat rooms, enterprise conferencing, adult services and more. For further information please visit www.allnewvideo.co.uk
http://www.ipoint-media.com/PressANV0205.doc
Voice recognition,
Digital Rum has partnered with FluencyVoice who provide a powerful voice recognition engine, ideal for offering content and commerce when the user is unable to interact via WAP or SMS. Example applications are car park space booking (whilst driving) and ordering fast food. All user dialects can be supported to ensure the widest customer base.
Our platform interacts with third party voice recognition services using our intelligent conversation manager, which understands context in sentences. We translate the user requests into the appropriate response (e.g. for a ticket order) which is then spoken back to them in a human sounding voice.
Transactions are handled in the normal way using our backend payment services so the only difference in experience for the consumer is that they are speaking to our platform instead of texting or using WAP.
For more information on our architecture please contact us.
Event in London, UK, rescheduled : TechNet Spotlight: The Mobile Opportunity - are you missing it?
July 21, 2005 [General]
Due to current events in London, UK, the mobility event organized by Microsoft UK has been rescheduled and will take place on September 2, 2005. Information from Microsoft follows.
* * * * *
02 September 2005 09:30 - 02 September 2005 16:30 (GMT) GMT, London Welcome Time: 09:00
This TechNet Spotlight event will interest IT Professionals who are either trying to understand the potential of mobility or tasked with the implementation of it.
Mobility is a hot topic in the industry and also an area of confusion for many with technology solutions and acronyms galore. During this event, we will discuss the Microsoft mobile strategy, the technologies that underpin it, review the challenges such as security and management and finally explore the latest and greatest devices.
Places on this full day event are free of charge, however it is expected to be over subscribed so ensure you reserve you space early to avoid disappointment.
They were both at CTIA March 2005.
APC is also partners with IBM.
Looks like 12snap has a new website.
http://www.12snap.com/
Mobot / Ellegirl / Loreal,
If you register for the prize, you will see that you have to take a picture of the ad and email it to eg@mobot.com.
No magic or image recognition there. I can here them now, "Yup, that looks like the ad, email a response that she is entered"
Heck, just copy the ad on the registration link, and email that.
KGR - nice catch,
Elle PaperClick code is live.
Don't forget EA Games, Cingular, Citibank.
I believe there are a few FCB clients on that list.
I'll say.
Who the heck is Mobilrelay?
Must be one of those QP issues.
PR Vs S/4,
PR:
While terms were not made public, Charles W. Fritz, founder and chairman of NeoMedia, said the agreement calls for AirClic to compensate NeoMedia and set a schedule for future compensation by AirClic, with the companies dropping their respective lawsuits while leaving open the possibility of future collaborative efforts.
S4:
During July 2005, NeoMedia and AirClic settled the case out of
court, with AirClic agreeing to compensate NeoMedia for past and future activities.
Is there a lawyer in the house?
S4/A's
This is new. LOL
PAPERCLICK(R) DEVELOPMENTS
On January 23, 2004, NeoMedia filed a patent infringement lawsuit against
AirClic, Inc. During July 2005, NeoMedia and AirClic settled the case out of
court, with AirClic agreeing to compensate NeoMedia for past and future
activities. AirClic did not receive a license to use NeoMedia's patented
PaperClick(R) technology.
On January 2, 2004, NeoMedia filed a patent infringement lawsuit against
Virgin(R) Entertainment Group, Inc., Virgin Megastore Online and Virgin
Megastore (collectively, "Virgin"). During June 2005, NeoMedia and Virgin
settled the case out of court, with Virgin agreeing to purchase a license to use
NeoMedia's patented PaperClick(R) technology platform through 2016.
At this rate, by the time BSDS gets SEC approval, we may see a few more amendments. LOL.
Amend away! :)
I'll take this as great news.
JP & KGR,
I just got back from a few days vacations with my wonderful wife.
Very nice Jeep catch by KGR.
Hey, JP. We at least know that BBC owns one PaperClick Code.
68341851
Mobile marketing has to wait patiently for its day in the sun
The technology is in place but, as Julia Fields reports, ad agencies remain sceptical about reaching customers through their phones
Peel back the sticker on a packet of McDonald’s twisty fries; watch the Orange Wednesdays previews in almost any cinema in the country; or click onto the website of a major beer brand and chances are a special promotion will be inviting you to text in and receive a free wallpaper, branded ringtone or two-for-one tickets.
The UK’s largest consumer and entertainment conglomerates have been testing the marketing possibilities of the British preoccupation with being constantly connected to their mobile phones for close to three years now – surpassing their American cousins in terms of advertising ingenuity.
Scotland, in particular, has become a breeding ground for the leading-edge technology used in mobile campaigns.
But while the UK may be a year ahead of the US, the medium has recently hit a wall. Beyond consumer goods multi nationals and entertainment companies, mobile marketing has failed to register as a mainstream advertising channel. Statistics are scarce, but most observers agree that the medium accounts for less than 2% of total UK advertising spend. Only 18% of UK advertising agencies use mobile communications.
Martin Copus, whose mobile marketing company 12snap is based in Munich and London and has devised British campaigns for McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Metro news paper and Tango, says: “We’re there technically and in terms of creativity but I don’t think the marketing industry appreciates what it can do”.
“We have yet to see mobile established as one of the main media that a media planner would automatically put on their schedule for a campaign. The mobile will have arrived when that starts happening.”
Vivienne Maclaren, account director at Dowcarter inter active advertising agency in Edinburgh, says that less than 5% of the firm’s clients in Scotland and England incorporate the medium into their campaigns. Dowcarter, whose clients include HBOS, Aberdeen Asset Management and ScottishPower, explains that mobile marketing faces the same cynicism that dogged online advertising for years, and in some boardrooms, still does.
Maclaren explains: “Mobile marketing is a bit of an unknown at the moment. It’s about raising awareness of what mobile can do.”
Wireless Innovation, a Scottish Enterprise-backed agency to boost the growth of companies developing mobile products, recently brought Scottish technology providers, advertising and media firms together for that purpose.
With more than 50% of phones in the UK capable of downloading photo content and the advent of 3G networks, new possibilities beyond text messaging are opening up, such as cartoon and video messaging. But Maclaren says technology firms often fail to show how innovations translate into sales or, for example, convince someone to switch energy providers. Edinburgh-based Mobiqa, which attended the conference, says it is easy to measure campaigns’ effectiveness. It recently used its mobile bar code ticketing to drive sales for three different companies through the same marketing campaign in Australia.
The Metro Theatre, one of Sydney’s most popular live music venues, wanted a system where concert goers could order tickets by phone and internet and have them delivered in the form of a scannable bar code to their mobiles within minutes, eliminating the need for paper tickets. At a recent concert by punk/grunge group Grinspoon, 52% of tickets were delivered in this way. The Mobi-tickets were also redeemable as coupons at the bar, boosting sales of one drinks brand by 42%. More than 35% of concert goers also visited their HMV store later to use their Mobi-ticket to order the Grinspoon CD and get a free baseball cap.
Despite the obvious economic advantages, Mobiqa founder Ronnie Woods says UK companies have been slow to jump on the mobile bandwagon. While Mobiqa has worked with Orange, O2, Miller and Coors over here, much more of its business is now done overseas with distributors in India, Israel and the Philippines. Woods believes the UK will catch on as it sees more higher profile campaigns.
Copus is determined to continue to deliver on that front by breaking into the motor and financial services industries. “In the motoring world, there’s major opportunities for timely communication with potential car buyers or existing customers. It could be promotions for new car launches or alerts to tell you your car is ready for service,” he says.
“In the financial services sector, banks and building societies are running promotions for their products all the time. They should be using mobile marketing to send messages while customers are in the city centre and able to act then and there.”
20 February 2005
Wasn't there a Warner Brothers Go-Window link?
Yea Baby,
Free POS mobile "tags" promotes New Order
The love affair between the music and mobile industry continues with an innovative UK campaign to promote the latest New Order album.
Warner Bros Records has teamed up with mobile marketing technology company Hypertag to offer New Order fans free music clips, ringtones or wallpapers by interacting with special Hypertag point of sale displays in HMV stores in London and Manchester.
The campaign represents the first time such technology has been used by the music industry to promote an album release.
Nielsen/NetRatings launches mobile tracking
Research firm Nielsen/NetRatings is creating a ratings system to measure the number of people who are accessing news, entertainment and other services on their mobile phones.
Nielsen//NetRatings will measure audiences for mobile soaps, news and information services and other entertainment services to provide television-style audience share rankings, showing the highest-rating mobile services at particular times of the day.
“Metrics and analytics are clearly a core competence of ours, thus mobile is a natural extension,” said Jerry Argyriou, Business Development Director at Nielsen//NetRatings Australia.
"Many of the lessons learnt in the online space are applicable, however content and service providers are keen to understand customer interaction in the mobile space as there are differences such as the smaller screen, data charges, convenience-due-to-mobility, small keyboard, location-based services, etc."; he said.
The data will take a similar form to Nielsen/NetRatings’s internet ratings, counting page impressions and unique visitors. Mobile ads will also eventually be measured in terms of impressions viewed and click-throughs, similar to how internet ads are measured.
ADMA’s Mobile Marketing and Advertising Awards
NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday 14th June 2005
The search begins for Australia’s best mobile marketing campaigns for ADMA’s Mobile Marketing and Advertising Awards 2005
The Call for Entries campaign has begun for the 2005 Mobile Marketing and Advertising Awards (MMA Awards), run by the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) and its Mobile Marketing Council.
Aimed at celebrating and promoting the best use of mobile marketing in Australia, the MMA Awards will recognise the outstanding mobile marketing campaigns and applications that have successfully incorporated the use of SMS, MMS and other new mobile technology within their campaigns over the past 12 months. The MMA Awards also play a key role in raising the benchmark for the booming mobile marketing industry.
Formed in 2002, the MMA Awards have asserted themselves as one of the most coveted industry awards to win. Last year’s winner, Virgin Mobile’s ‘Warren’ campaign, went on to receive international recognition winning a number of major advertising and direct marketing awards.
Meanwhile, over the past year, mobile marketing has continued its evolution, offering marketers and advertisers a range of creative and interactive platforms to help them reach their customers, providing new and exciting communication opportunities. Recent research from IDC Australia into mobile phone use shows that before the end of 2008 there will be 100% penetration in Australia. The rapid growth of this sector, and widespread adoption of mobile marketing and SMS communication by companies of all sizes, clearly demonstrates the success this medium is currently enjoying.
Categories for this year’s MMA Awards have been changed from last year, with the aim of reflecting the ever-evolving nature of this sector and related technologies. Categories for 2005 include:
· Best use of mobile in CRM
· Best use of emerging mobile technology
· Best promotional or marketing campaign
· Best use of interactive media with mobile
· Most effective business application
· Best application of mobile payment
· Most creative mobile solution
· Best of show
· The ‘One to Watch’ award
Entries close on Friday 29 July 2005 and a template for entries including all instructions will be available on www.mmaawards.com from Thursday 16th June 2005.
A high profile panel of senior leaders in the telecommunications and advertising sectors will be judging the awards, with Oscar Trimboli, Business Manager Real Time Collaboration - Microsoft, announced as the Chair of Judges for 2005. Logica CMG, a supporter of this event since its conception, has confirmed their continued Platinum Sponsorship of the awards and Mobile 365 as the Best of Show award sponsor.
Rob Edwards, CEO of ADMA said: “ADMA is committed to recognising and promoting the growth of all direct marketing channels and sectors and the MMA Awards form a key part of this. For the second consecutive year ADMA will be running these Awards in conjunction with the ADMA Mobile Marketing Council, and I am excited about the new and innovative campaigns that we will no doubt see in this year’s entries. Last year we saw how influential the ‘Warren’ mobile campaign was, both locally and internationally, demonstrating the integral role the MMA Awards play in the industry.”
Chairman of Judges, Oscar Triboli of Microsoft said: “Over the past three years, major brands and innovative marketers have proven that a mobile component in their marketing mix extends and enhances their brands and provides real time data to drive their sales. Mobile marketing has grown up; the industry has transitioned from youth focused brands into mainstream markets across all age groups.”
This year’s Awards presentation will be held in Sydney on Thursday 15 September 2005. For further information visit www.mmaawards.com
- ends -
Encl: Category criteria and background.
For media enquires, please contact:
Lara Shannon - ADMA Press Office
T: 03 9592 4001 M: 0415 076 015 E: lara.shannon@adma.com.au
EDITOR’S NOTES
About ADMA and the Mobile Marketing Council
ADMA is Australia's principal body for information based marketing. Formed in 1966, ADMA has evolved to become the nation's pre-eminent marketing association representing over 500 member organisations. A national non-profit organisation based in Sydney, ADMA has State Branches in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.
Launched in 2002, the Mobile Marketing Council focuses on issues and developments in the field of mobile marketing. This includes marketing and regulatory issues that arise in relation to current technologies such as SMS and WAP, as well as emerging wireless technologies such as 3G. Currently the Council is working with industry on ensuring that consumer protection measures are incorporated into the new regulatory frameworks surrounding the use of premium rate messaging.