MSN Mobile Launches "MagicTXT" Visual Wireless Messaging Service Based on FunMail and conVISUAL Technology
FunMail and conVISUAL team up once again to provide new service for MSN Mobile subscribers in the UK. 14 January 2003 -
Oberhausen/Pleasanton, CA, USA MSN Mobile has launched a brand-new visual messaging service called "MagicTXT" which automatically "thinks" of an appropriate graphic for any SMS message, based on technology provided by FunMail Inc. of California and conVISUAL of Germany. The MagicTXT service will be launched through MSN Mobile to subscribers of Orange UK, Vodafone UK, O2 UK and T-Mobile UK on the shortcode 86101, reaching over 49 million wireless users.
"We think FunMail is a great application that will be of high interest to MSN Mobile and wireless subscribers in the UK," said James Leaver, Director of Business Development for Manager, MSN MobileUK. "We are pleased to be working with FunMail and conVISUAL to bring this service to our users."
MagicTXT enables users to type in any text message, which is automatically converted to compelling relevant images starring characters such as Garfield and South Park. The image is then combined with the user's original message and sent to a recipient. For example, if a user types in "Let's go out for lunch" an image related to food or lunch would be selected, automatically combined with the original text, and passed to a recipient.
"We are delighted to be working with MSN Mobile and conVISUAL to launch this new MagicTXT service in the UK," said FunMail CEO Adam Lavine. "The UK market holds huge potential for FunMail's peer-to-peer visual messaging technology, and MSN Mobile is a great partner for us to work with to unlock this potential."
"MagicTXT enhances mobile communication with emotions and fun," added conVISUAL CEO Thomas Wolf. "With FunMail and MSN we joined a fantastic partnership that offers the MSN UK subscriberuserbase a new and unique quality of messaging."
MSN, the UK's most visited web destination,1 will launch and market the service from their portal website and through direct marketing to MSN Hotmail subscribers, as well as through their portal site at www.msn.co.uk/msnmobile/magictxt.
1 Nielsen At Home and At Work, September 2002
How to Use MagicTXT
Type in your friend's telephone # and a message ("07812345678 THINKING OF U") and send to 86101 (Works on all networks) To send to yourself, leave off the telephone number. For more information Txt "HELP" to 86101 or visit www.msn.co.uk/msnmobile/magictxt
About FunMail:
FunMail Inc. provides carrier-grade content-driven visual messaging solutions for wireless operators worldwide. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Pleasanton, California, FunMail's unique patent-pending technology integrates with existing SMS and MMS messaging networks to upgrade their capabilities to include visual messaging. For more information visit www.funmail.com
About MSN.co.uk
MSN attracts more than 250 million unique users worldwide and 11.2 million visitors per month in the UK. Available in 34 markets and 18 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and digital marketing solutions to businesses worldwide. The most useful and innovative online service today, MSN brings consumers everything they need from the Web to make the most of their time online. Best of breed services available on msn.co.uk include MSN Hotmail, the UK's most popular free web-based e-mail service with 7.4 million users in the UK and over 110 million users worldwide (MSN Internal data); MSN Messenger Service, the UK's number one instant messaging service on the internet with 4.5 million monthly users (MSN Internal data 2002) and MSN Search, the UK's number one search engine with 10 million users per month (MSN internal data). MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.co.uk/>.
About conVISUAL:
conVISUAL is the first WASP focusing on Visual and Multimedia Messaging Services for today's and tomorrow's mobile networks. With its messaging-platform "Multimedia Message Broker" conVISUAL realises messaging services in a full service approach - from the initial concept and development to operation and further development of services. With profitable value added services conVISUAL allows its customers to enable all mobile users to benefit from mobile multimedia feelings within GSM, GPRS and UMTS networks. Please visit www.convisual.com.
Press Contact:
FunMail
Aiko Nomura
+1 (925) 455-1200
conVISUAL
Sandra Wiewiorra
+49 (208) 8596-807