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ShoZu Adds Support for New WiFi-Enabled Camera Phones, Expands Capabilities of Mobile Media Service

Posted on: Wednesday, 18 October 2006, 12:00 CDT

ShoZu Inc. today announced that its media service for mobile phones has added support for select WiFi-equipped phones, enabling consumers who purchase the next-generation handsets to reduce the cost of sending and receiving photos, videos and other files from their mobile devices. The WiFi support is part of a broader upgrade to ShoZu's one-click 'Share-It' image uploading and direct-to-the-handset 'ZuCast' media delivery services. The ShoZu application can be downloaded for no charge at www.shozu.com and a variety of other websites.

With support for the new Nokia Series 60v3 handsets and other WiFi-equipped phones, ShoZu allows users who do not have a flat-rate mobile data plan to save money by sending and receiving multimedia files over their home, office or hotspot WiFi connection (or AirPort connection for Mac users) rather than the cellular network. This can significantly cut the cost of data transfers associated with uploading large images from the handset to Web destinations such as photo and video sharing sites, as well as receiving ZuCast files with audio or video content.

In conjunction with the new WiFi support, ShoZu has also added a new "least-cost routing" feature allowing users to request that ShoZu attempt to upload images using lower-cost WiFi connectivity before transmitting data over their mobile operator's network. If users choose this option, ShoZu will utilize the cellular network only if WiFi connectivity is not available.

Other new features include:

The ability to select preferred image upload sites and ZuCasts from the handset, eliminating the need to visit the ShoZu website to configure personal preferences.

The ability to specify any web destination for one-click image upload, including the ability to designate different one-click destination sites for photo and video transfers. Previously, the one-click feature was only available with select partner websites.

Two-way messaging with Flickr, enabling users not only to receive comments about photos posted to the Flickr community on their handsets but also to reply from the phone without waiting to get home, boot up the computer, open a browser, and sign on to the site. Previously, two-way messaging was available only for images uploaded to Buzznet.

Easier access to ShoZu's contact backup service, which automatically backs up the user's mobile contact list to the ShoZu server to prevent data loss if the phone is misplaced or stolen.

Streamlined activation of the ShoZu application from the handset, eliminating extra steps such as entering one's email address.

ShoZu's ZuCast service allows media files from various sources to be downloaded invisibly in the background without the need to open a mobile phone browser, wait for pages to load, interrupt phone calls, start over in the event of a dropped connection, or sync to a PC or Mac. Users simply click the ShoZu icon on their handset, and the latest ZuCasts will be waiting.

ShoZu's Share-It image uploading service allows images to be shared from camera phones more quickly and easily, at a higher resolution and with more Web destinations than any alternative method. It eliminates the need to transfer the files to a PC or Mac, deal with complex commands and loss of image quality, or suspend phone calls or photo taking while an image is transferring. Current destination options include Buzznet, Flickr, Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Textamerica, YouTube and Webshots as well as various blogs and citizen-contributed photo galleries, plus any FTP site or email address of the user's choice.

The new ShoZu features are available on Symbian Series 60v2 and 60v3, Microsoft Smartphone 2003 and Microsoft Windows Mobile phone-type devices, including the Motorola Q. A version for Java-based handsets will follow later this year. A complete list of handsets supported by ShoZu can be viewed at www.shozu.com.

About ShoZu

ShoZu is a mobile media service enabling consumer and media brands to connect with their consumers by mobile phone, driving increased usage of content and web-based services by seamlessly bridging the mobile subscriber to the media world. The company's patented technology allows consumers to download and upload photos, videos, music, text and other digital content without the need to open a mobile phone browser, wait for pages to load, interrupt phone calls, start over in the event of a dropped connection, or sync to a PC. Services include innovative ZuCasts that deliver content to the handset automatically, one-click uploading of camera phone images and video clips to community websites and other destinations, and two-way mobile-to-web messaging and interactivity. For more information, visit www.shozu.com/corporate.

Source: Business Wire

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