ShoZu Inc. today announced a broad agreement for download and
pre-installation of its mobile media services on the new generation of
Motorola handsets that is being launched with the just-unveiled
MOTORIZR Z8 hi-def. The contract is a cornerstone in ShoZu's strategy
to bring its Share-It one-click image uploading and ZuCast
direct-to-handset media delivery services to the mass market through
alliances with handset manufacturers.
Initially, the client software that powers ShoZu's services will
be available for free download to the MOTORIZR Z8 hi-def at
www.hellomoto.com when the phone is rolled out in Europe in March.
Beginning later this year, the ShoZu software will come pre-installed
on selected Motorola devices as they are released worldwide.
The ShoZu services will help Motorola deliver on its vision of
providing a rich ecosystem of applications.
"This agreement is a milestone for the mobile industry, both
because of the pre-installation component and because of Motorola's
massive footprint in the market," said Dean Wood, Senior Vice
President, Commercial, for ShoZu. "It clearly puts multimedia services
in general and ShoZu services in particular on the 'must-have' list of
mobile applications."
The Motorola MOTORIZR Z8 hi-def is the first multimedia phone to
offer high definition quality video and high fidelity audio, allowing
consumers to easily download and enjoy the latest music and movies
wherever they are. Motorola has also redefined the slider phone
category with its revolutionary KiKR design. The new form factor
improves handset ergonomics and usability and at 15.3mm is the
slimmest smartphone currently available on the market.
The MOTORIZR Z8 hi-def has a 35mm by 50mm QVGA 16 million colour
full screen display and delivers video playback speeds of up to 30
frames per second, which allows consumers to view video content at
broadcast quality. Audio playback is through a wired headset or
optionally via a Bluetooth stereo headphone, letting consumers listen
to high quality audio without the inconvenience of wires.
The micro SD card slot can support up to 4GB for storage of larger
media files, and a full length feature film will be preloaded on to
the supplied 512 MB card. The smartphone uses HSDPA (High-Speed
Downlink Packet Access) to enable faster speeds for downloading
content from a rich ecosystem of applications and content providers.
The handset also features a 2MP digital camera with 8x zoom and
auto flash for taking normal, indoor, outdoor and sports shots. With a
dedicated side camera key, the MOTORIZR Z8 hi-def can quickly and
easily capture the moment, while the onboard video and audio system
records in mpeg 4 and 3gp (for MMS), completing the handset's imaging
package.
ShoZu's Share-It service enables users to upload photos and video
clips captured on their camera phones with fewer clicks, at higher
resolution and to more Web destinations than any other method. Users
also have the unique ability to add titles or tags after uploading,
exchange comments between Web and phone, and upload any image to
multiple destinations for a single data fee. Current destination
options include online communities such as YouTube, Buzznet, Flickr,
Kodak EasyShare Gallery, MSN's Windows Live Spaces, Textamerica,
Webshots, Pikeo and Moblog.uk; personal blogging sites Blogger,
TypePad and WordPress; citizen-contributed photojournalism sites such
as CNN, the BBC and Scoopt; and any FTP or email address.
The company's ZuCast media delivery service provides automated,
zero-click delivery of videos, photos, music, games, news and other
user-selected content directly to the mobile phone. ShoZu's
proprietary data replication technology allows files to be downloaded
invisibly in the background without the need for users to open a
mobile phone browser, perform complex multi-click navigation
sequences, wait for pages to load, interrupt phone calls, start over
in the event of a dropped connection, or sync to a PC.
For handset manufacturers, these ShoZu services offer an efficient
way to provide consumers with wide-ranging, user-friendly multimedia
capabilities. Other advantages include the ability to generate
revenues from ShoZu's mobile advertising platform, go to market with
pre-installed ShoZu clients in a matter of weeks because ShoZu has
already completed partner/brand integrations, support an infinite
number of media and Web partners with a single client, and receive
automatic over-the-air client upgrades when new partners join the
ShoZu ecosystem.
About ShoZu
ShoZu is a mobile media service that enables consumer and media
companies to interact with customers on their mobile phones through
fast, easy exchange of multimedia content and web-based services. The
company's patented technology allows consumers to download and upload
photos, videos, music, text and other digital content to and from the
handset without the need to open a mobile 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/aboutus.
