ShowStoppers NewsDesk

At ShowStoppers @ CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2007, HitchCAM introduces the new Wireless SafetyCAM™ rear view cameras, revolutionizing current collision prevention technology installations with its Power Line Communication technology by eliminating the need to run video cables through vehicles and trucks up to 65 feet.

The National Highway Traffic Administration reports that a backing accident occurs every 1.6 minutes in the USA. HitchCAM Corporation in Santa Fe Springs, CA (www.hitchcam.com) is a leading automotive aftermarket company which offers the largest selection of rear view cameras and back up safety technologies with its primary goal of offering solutions to reduce the frequency of backing accidents. One additional way to achieve this is by the launch of HitchCAM’s new Commercial Wireless SafetyCAM™ rear and side view camera technology using Power Line Communication.

Unlike anything in the market today, the Wireless SafetyCAM™ technology is designed to overcome the existing problems that current wireless systems have with interrupted frequency and reliability and by also reducing installation expenses and time. The Wireless SafetyCAM™ uses the truck's existing electrical wiring to transmit video to an LCD video monitor eliminating the extensive task of running video cable. This new wireless Power Line Communication technology does not encounter signal interference, like current wireless systems on the market today, because it does not use a radio frequency for transmission.

The Wireless SafetyCAM™ camera system is E-Mark certified, in compliance with FCC regulations, and comes complete with an IP68 water-proof certified commercial grade rear view color camera. The camera allows the driver to observe and monitor the rear and rear-side lanes behind the vehicle using a 130° wide angle camera with infrared technology. The system also includes the transmitter and receiver, and a 5” or 7” commercial color LCD monitor with dual input. The SafetyCAM™ can be installed on any truck, RV, van, bus, 18 wheeler, or detachable trailer. For fleets with multiple trailer containers, an additional camera and transmitter can be used will the tractor’s receiver. HitchCAM can customize applications with DVR video recoding cameras and multiply cameras to meet specific truck requirements.

At ShowStoppers, Noise Free Wireless introduces Noise Free VoIP (the new industry standard in noise cancellation) -- and a Free Beta Trial Offer Enables CTIA Attendees to Experience the Ultimate in Voice Enhancement Solutions for VoIP Calls.

Noise Free VoIP provides mobile professionals and VoIP clients with a unique, patent pending software solution that effectively cancels distracting and call disabling background noise regardless of the environment allowing callers to experience a near land line quality of service. CTIA show attendees and participants are invited to visit the Noise Free website: www.noise-free-wireless.com and download a FREE copy of the software today.

VoIP is a rapidly growing call service platform, but unfortunately it provides no native noise cancellation or noise filtering capability. This limitation can turn important business and personal calls into lost opportunities and aggravating last minute hunts for alternative calling methods such as pay phones. Noise Free VoIP easily installs and when used at both ends of a call completely removes the challenges presented by uncontrollable environmental noise.

Noise Free VoIP supports a wide variety of VoIP software and services including: Skype, Vonage, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk and soft phones among others. It has been tested and is compatible with Windows™ XP.

Spotlighting Austin, TX., at ShowStoppers

At ShowStoppers, Media Excel Inc. demonstrates the Hera 3200m MobileTV transcoder appliance and sneaks a beta of the Hera 3200.FLO Media FLO MobileTV transcoder.

The appliances bring value to content aggregators and service providers who are challenged in delivering broadcast TV content to mobile devices. The appliances simultaneously transcode live broadcast TV formats into those which are viewable on mobile devices.

Media Excel MobileTV appliances are being used today by the largest unicast MobileTV content aggregators in the world, both in the US and EU.

Media Excel is the Transcoding Company for MobileTV & IPTV, enabling any content to be displayed on any device through affordable, high-performance transcoding technologies targeted at Telecom, Web and Media Broadcasters.

WorldMate Live Protects Travellers with Innovative Mobile Application

Free travel tool signs up thousands of users in the first month

WorldMate, a leading provider of travel services for mobile devices, announces at ShowStoppers the availability of WorldMate Live, the world’s first comprehensive Personal Mobile Travel Assistant.

Serving as the ultimate secret weapon for travellers, WorldMate Live pushes detailed flight alerts, delay and cancellation notifications and flight status updates to users in real-time.

WorldMate Live is a complete system that works with an Outlook™ add-on, Web site and mobile client to manage all aspects of a traveller’s itinerary. Through the integration of Outlook, WorldMate Live automatically reads travel confirmation emails and sends the information to users’ smartphones. In addition, users can view and manage critical travel information and itineraries on the WorldMate Live Web site. Unlike traditional mobile travel applications, the automated application is contextually aware and predicts travellers’ needs while en route.

The best part is the push service that Live provides. As the system knows the traveller’s plans, when any change occurs, that information is pushed to the smartphone. Unlike basic SMS alerts, WorldMate Live notifications are interactive services that provide solutions to the problems presented. It truly acts as a guardian angel to travellers.

(or at least a close friend far, far away)

At Showstoppers, Talkster unveils Talkster’s Free World Dialing™ - - A new FREE long distance, international and group calling service that is actually FREE.

Talkster believes the “race to zero” for long distance charges that companies like Jajah and Barablu are fighting to win is, plain and simple, a losing battle. Let’s face it, somebody has to pay for those calls people are making. While burning through VC funds and enticing users with a promise of free, these companies are not only confusing their customers, they are slowly limiting the scope of their free offers and they aren’t making a penny in revenue.

Talkster’s Free World Dialing represents a whole new approach to long distance, international, and group conference calling that works on any phone on any network…

- Make it FREE, all the time, no limits and no account required
- Use advertising to pay for the actual cost of the calls
- Give advertisers the tools they need to realize real value from their mobile ads (targeting, control, measurement)
- Provide callers with ad offers that are personally relevant, from brands they love, with features like one click to communicate with the advertiser and SMS coupon offers or discounts

Talkster’s Free World Dialing is a WIN / WIN for callers and advertisers.

So Talkster asks you, “When it’s REALLY free, who will you call?”

Spotlighting Austin, TX., at ShowStoppers

digby \DIG-bee\, noun:
Consumer mobile commerce service enabling quick purchase of many popular products.

digby \DIG-bee\, verb:
Digby-ed, Digbied, to have quickly purchased something using a handheld device.

Stop by Showstoppers to see Digby in action on a BlackBerry smartphone. The brand new addition to this free mobile commerce service is the Barnes & Noble entire collection of books, CDs, and DVDs! Digby lets you complete shopping transactions in less than 30 seconds, which is often about as much time as you have to buy flowers for Mom’s birthday or to get that book your boss told you about. Now you can shop on your BlackBerry from premier retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Godiva, FTD.com, Best Buy, Fossil, RedEnvelope, and more.

and launches Locker for Online Mobile Content Storage and Sharing

Thumbplay, the largest and fastest growing mobile entertainment content destination, will be talking about the following deals and new service and content offerings during ShowStoppers @ CTIA:

- AOL Integration: Thumbplay was recently selected by AOL as its exclusive mobile entertainment content provider for ringtones, games and more. Thumbplay will be showing how its extensive catalog of mobile entertainment content is being integrated across the AOL network, which reaches 114 million unique visitors a month in the U.S. Through Thumbplay’s contextual integration on these sites, which include AOL® Music, AOL® Games, the AIM® instant messaging service, Winamp.com, Spinner.com and the new AOL® Mobile online destination (http://mobile.aol.com) and AOL’s mobile search engine, consumers can easily register their mobile phone and effortlessly download relevant mobile content over-the-air to their mobile devices.

- Locker: Thumbplay will also be demonstrating its newest offering for consumers who are looking for a free way to manage, store and share all their mobile content. Accessible via the Web, the Locker is an online, hosted storage location for consumers’ photos, videos, games and ringtones which are traditionally stored on their mobile devices. It will give consumers a single, trusted place where they can view, organize, store and share their personal mobile content with their friends, family and over 200 million mobile phone users across all major carriers.

- Universal Pictures’ Movie Clips: Thumbplay will be showing some of the 100 movie clips from new and classic blockbuster movies in Universal Pictures’ extensive film archive that it is now delivering to mobile users as a result of a partnership with Universal Pictures and I-play. Movie clips include scenes from Gladiator, King Kong, The Bourne Identity, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Animal House, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, all three films from The Fast and the Furious franchise and more than a dozen other popular classic movies.

Spotlighting Austin, TX., at ShowStoppers

At ShowStoppers, BrainMedia brings music to mobile networks, demonstrating the only over-the-air music solution to provide carrier-centric branding and control, a simplified on-device user experience, and improved network bandwidth utilization.

BrainMedia’s complete end-to-end solution deliver a rich download and streaming experience across Symbian, Java, Windows Mobile and BREW handsets. Unlike psychoacoustic based codecs which are subject to on-going legal and patent issues, BrainMedia’s patented, Neural Encoding Model™ (NEM™) codec is based on leading edge neuropsychological approaches that deliver the highest quality and fidelity at the lowest possible bandwidth.

At Showstoppers, Winplus launches its new Yada Collection of hands-free mobile products for the automobile. Leveraging Bluetooth technology, the Yada Collection allows drivers to operate their vehicles safely and hands-free with easy-to-use products for their mobile phones. The first product in the Yada lineup is the YD-V1 Hands Free all-in-one universal handset holder with a Bluetooth headset, a car charger and both a dashboard and air vent mounting attachment.

Winplus differentiates itself in the mobile market by offering an easy-to-use product for the everyday consumer at an affordable price. The YD-V1 is easy to set up with a few simple steps. A universal phone holder adjusts to fit any mobile device and the Bluetooth headset combo stays charged when mounted in the holder by plugging into the car’s 12V cigarette lighter or power port. Equipped with the latest Bluetooth 2.0 technology, the headset automatically answers incoming calls when removed from the charging cradle and automatically ends the call when placed back on the cradle. It also turns off when the handset is not being charged and when no Bluetooth connection is established for more than an hour. The device will then automatically power on and connect to the mobile phone once the engine starts.

i-mate™ Launching the Ultimate Windows Mobile Experience

i-mate is launching its Ultimate range of devices in North America from CTIA I.T. & Entertainment, and will have a sneak peek of the 6150, 8150, 8502 and 9502 handsets available at ShowStoppers.

The Ultimate range features four unique form factors coupled with powerful features, including integrated GPS, XGA Direct Video Out and Windows Mobile 6 Professional.

i-mate will also be demonstrating its world-class “i-Q” services that protect and support its devices, including Custom i-Q, Secure i-Q and Support i-Q. Combined, the i-Q services provide a superior out-of-the-box experience, along with enhanced management and security for every device.

At Showstoppers, MobileData Now Limited unveils for the first time its mobile data access solution for the mobile workforce. MobileData Now (MDN) provides users with remote access to database applications from any mobile device using simple messaging for quick access to critical data needed while working remotely in the field, from home or while traveling. MDN provides small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) with an affordable, flexible and reliable mobile data access solution that seamlessly integrates into existing databases and Web services without software development on the server-side, and works with all existing mobile devices without having to install software on those devices.

Because most transactional and database applications are complex and difficult to integrate and deploy wirelessly to mobile devices, many companies have found it challenging and expensive. Business applications that have been traditionally accessed by the desktop do not easily translate to a mobile device without time-consuming compiling and re-coding of software, purchasing new mobile devices and downloading software to those devices, or having to use a mobile Internet browser, which tend to be slow and frustrating for users. MobileData Now solves these problems.

Using any existing mobile device that has text messaging (SMS), mobile instant messaging (IM) or email capabilities, MDN users gain instant access to their company information using two-way communication between their mobile device and the company's databases and Web services. Since MDN uses simple messaging, there’s no staff training or learning needed, no software to install on mobile devices, no passwords to remember and no menus to navigate. Users can be up and running in as little as ten minutes. MobileData Now consists of two components – MDN Server and MDN Administrator – and works seamlessly with databases or other business applications that contain critical data that's needed in the field. Whether users need to send and receive customer information, check pricing or inventory data, log work hours, or access other critical data, users with MDN can easily have the information securely sent to and from their mobile devices in an instant.

Spotlighting Austin, TX., at ShowStoppers

At ShowStoppers, edioma Inc. previews bilingual mobile education products targeted to Spanish-speaking cell phone users that will become available Q4 2007 via AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon.

The Problem: Vastly Underserved Hispanic Education Market

• 38.5 MM Spanish speakers throughout the United States with little/no access to
traditional Internet content, poor English language skills, and no computer experience.
• Hispanic population is growing by 2.1MM per annum, composed primarily of laborers with
less than high school diploma equivalency.
• Traditional language instruction (CD/DVD, classroom) doesn’t work: improper focus on
“why’s” like grammar, syntax, etc., when “what’s” of everyday work phrases are needed.

The Facts: English Language Capability and Hispanic Mobile Trends

• Studies indicate fluency in English adds over $1MM lifetime earnings capability.
• 82% of US Hispanics own a mobile phone.
• Hispanics download mobile content 3-4x more often than other ethnic groups.
• Hispanic mobile ARPU exceeds national average by 15%.

The Solution: Mobile Education Products Subsidized by Embedded Advertising
• Hispanics are number one target population for future advertising campaigns among
Fortune 500 brands.
• Mobile advertising market slated to reach $11B by 2011.
• Hispanics click-through 2x more often than other ethnic groups.

At ShowStoppers, Smith Micro Software "sneak-peaks" its new multi-media application for smartphones slated to launch on November 5th called Revue -- and demos QuickLink Mobility mobile VPN and Insignia mobile device management solutions designed for enterprise security and productivity.

With changing needs and increasing crossover between the two worlds of consumer and enterprise, Smith Micro also discusses trends and how to solve the problems of everywhere wireless connectivity - no matter if you're looking to download songs and movies or manage a fleet of smartphones.

At ShowStoppers, Pelago Inc. launches Whrrl, the first seamless mobile and web social discovery service that uses proprietary location-based technology to create a unique intersection of social networking, local discovery and user-generated content.

Whrrl uses location-based technology to catalog a person’s activities, chronicling an individual history of the restaurants, clubs, shops, live music events, movies or any other visited place or event. Users may augment this history with more in-depth content, like reviews and photos, and they may share all of this with others in their social network.

The information is available in real-time to Whrrl members and any updates to the information appear in a member’s “Whrrld Feed” instantly, creating a persistent “always on” conversation among the members of anyone’s personal community. Not only can users can “remember” for the future places that appear in their Feeds with one click, the “Whrrld Lens” and “Whrrld Sifter” let members combine other trusted members’ visit histories and ratings with factual information, like open hours, distance from current location, cuisine type (for restaurants) and so on to quickly filter down to a small number of highly relevant options. For the first time, discovery questions like “I want to find a fun place to go out tonight” are answered quickly and easily from either the Whrrl website or downloadable mobile application.

Whrrl’s patent-pending, location-based service technology called “Passive Visitization” represents one of the most significant innovations ever developed for mobile form-factors. This technology can identify the location of Whrrl members with such precision that it can discern whether a member actually entered a store, restaurant or other venue, rather than just passed by the storefront. This not only allows users to effortlessly capture the places they visit and events they attend but also provides Whrrl’s business partners with real, actionable customer information that is highly relevant for targeting local advertisements.

This innovative new technology will benefit consumers, carriers and local businesses. The free service will be available nationally with an initial, deep content focus in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington, DC and Atlanta.

At ShowStoppers, Kingston Technology debuts its Mobile Memory Configurator.

With increasingly available content for mobile phones, Kingston has the memory to handle music, videos, ringtones and other data. The MMC is just a small part of the Mobile Phone Village, Kingston's microsite that is chock full of tips, content and information available at www.kingston.com.