Mobile multimedia messaging provider conVISUAL announces strategic tie-in with euro philips spin-out m@gic4
16.02.2001, 10:44
OBERHAUSEN (PROTEXT/ots) - conVISUAL, the first German VisualMessaging Service Provider announces a strategic alliance withm@gic4, the UK based software solutions company spun out ofPhilips Electronics, to realize forthcoming messaging servicesbased on m@gic4's g@te technology and Enhanced Messaging Services(EMS). Therefore, conVISUAL develops the Mobile Animated SportsQuiz and the Mobile Picture Postcard demonstrating the excitingcapabilities of these new messaging formats.
"There is a great deal of synergy between conVISUAL andm@gic4 - both in terms of complementary service offerings and interms of our strategic vision" , said Simon Wilkinson, m@gic4'sSales and Marketing Director.
conVISUAL's CEO Dr. Thomas Wolf said: "People want tocommunicate in an expressive way using moving pictures andanimations to express emotions, personal feelings and individuallifestyle - a demand which both m@gic4 and conVISUAL aremeeting."
m@gic4's principal product, g@te, is a thin profile softwareclient which, when embedded into a handset at manufacture, allowsusers to send and receive (user or pre-defined) animated SMSmessages with enhanced sound, graphics and animations.conVISUAL's messaging services such as the Animated Sports Quizand the Mobile Picture Postcard are interactive messagingapplications based on m@gic4's g@te technology and EMS, bothfully supported by conVISUAL's Multimedia Message Broker, theintelligent platform for the creation, personalization,conversion and distribution of multimedia messages.
Using the MMB, conVISUAL operates messaging applications forthe forthcoming GPRS and UMTS networks creating innovative ValueAdded Services. This perfectly aligns with m@gic4's aims toimprove the features and functionality of mobile handsets tobecome a true VAS tool enhancing the end-user experience of ValueAdded Services.
"Paving the way to GPRS and UMTS needs a sophisticatedtechnological basis and professional partners that share ourmission", said Jo m@gic4 was set up in March 2000 in the north west of Englandat Birchwood Science Park, Warrington. A spin out from RoyalPhilips Electronics, who remain an investor, the company receiveda further Ľ9.2 million of investment from 3i, Europe's leadingventure capitalist, in September 2000. The 3i investment hasallowed m@gic4 to consolidate its market position and take anindependent view of marketplace opportunities. m@gic4's primarybusiness goals are to enable the enhancement and enrichment ofcontent and Value Added Services for delivery to wirelessterminals and to enable mobile handsets to become a true VAS toolimproving the end-user experience of Value Added Services. Based in Oberhausen, Germany, conVISUAL was founded inOctober 2000 and is headed by two former Ericsson and MATERNAmanagers: Dr Thomas Wolf (CEO), formerly head of marketing andproduct marketing at MATERNA in Dortmund and Jo Sandra Wiewiorra conVISUAL Marketing & Communication Manager +49 (208) 85 96-807 www.convisual.com John Kitchen m@gic4 Marketing Manager + 44 (0) 1925- 286300 Lisa Bompasso m@gic4 PR + 44 (0) 113-234-5600 www.magic4.com Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug"PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to bepublished under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial serviceproviding distribution of press releases from clients, who areidentified in the text of Protext reports and who bear fullresponsibility for their contents. PROTEXT