FunMail announced today that they have successfully sent FunMail animated messages over-the-air between two mobile phones, as well as between desktop computers and phones, completing another milestone in their successful beta test program. During the transmissions of these instant messages, the content was automatically scaled to the appropriate format and bandwidth for optimum performance on the receiving platform. Animated messages sent from an wireless phone, such as a DoCoMo i-mode, J-Phone or KDDI EZ-Web, were scaled up in length and had relevant sound tracks added for viewing on computers. Likewise, animated messages sent from computers were automatically scaled to the correct size and format for wireless phones. FunMail animated messages are scaled in less than a second, and take virtually no time to arrive at their destination.
"People who have tried FunMail in Japan have told me this is a great application for mobile services like i-mode, J-Sky and EZ-Web," said FunMail CEO Adam Lavine. "When FunMail launches, I think it will be a popular service."
A wireless FunMail user can quickly enter their message in Japanese using keypad shortcuts, then chooses from a cast of animated characters. A natural language processing component analyzes the message, then builds an animation starring the chosen character which is displayed on the wireless device.
After approving the animation, the user sends the FunMail message just as they do with plain text messages, and almost immediately the message is received at the receiving device, either a computer, a PDA or another mobile phone. "Our tests are going extremely well," said Akio Kogane, CEO of FunMail Japan, "The messages are very easy to send, and colorful and entertaining, ideally suited to the needs of Japanese mobile users."
"People spend almost half their time on a data enabled phone sending messages," added FunMail CEO Adam Lavine. "FunMail is a killer app that takes wireless messaging to an entirely new level - and today we've shown that it really works."
As soon as the scheduled testing period is completed, FunMail will be distributed throughout Japan via a wide selection of service providers. FunMail Japan, a partnership between FunMail Inc. and Mobile Internet Capital, is currently negotiating these agreements.
[ Home | Contact | MobiChat | Experts database | Let's do it ]
Comments to the content of this page can be posted on the MobiChat discussion group