19th February , 2004

Europe UK : Users of the latest camera phones can now point-and-click to mobile content with the launch of technology from Bango.

A Bango Spot is a circular symbol that holds data like a two dimensional bar code.

Users simply point the camera phone at the symbol, click and a mobile Internet site opens on their phone in a matter of seconds, providing a fast and simple way to reach content such as ringtones, games, videos and pictures.

Consumer trials using Bango Spots show an increased user response rate and higher customer satisfaction compared to other common access methods such as Premium SMS, search or voice navigation.

Bango Spots provide a strong visually appealing call to action on ads, fliers and websites. This innovative technology can be seen on the catwalk at next week’s 3GSM Fashion Show being held in Cannes on 23-24 February.

"Bango Spots are a good way for anyone with a camera phone to acquire info or a link to something they see that interests them," said Ken Blakeslee, Chairman of WebMobility Ventures and Director of the 3GSM Wearable Technology Fashion Show. "The fact that these can also be used in interesting ways on tee shirts, hats and even built into tattoo designs qualifies this technology as wearable"

"The simplicity of the Bango Spot system means mobile content is now immediately accessible for camera phone users on any network," said Anil Malhotra, VP of Alliances and Marketing at Bango.net. "This is great news for content providers who need a fast, simple way of driving people to their Premium content."

The technology behind Bango Spots has been developed by High Energy Magic, based on research conducted at the University of Cambridge. The reader software uses advanced image processing techniques and probabilistic error detection to compensate for the low resolution and fixed focal length of current camera phone optics.

Each Bango Spot holds a numeric identifier. The reader software extracts this number, and sends it to the Bango servers, where it is mapped to content. This content is then displayed in the phone's browser.

The Bango Spot reader software works on any camera phone equipped with the Symbian operating system including the Nokia 7650, 3650 and 6600, and the Sony Ericsson P800 and P900. Support for second generation Java phones, including the Nokia 6230 and Sony Ericsson Z1010, will be added in Q2 2004.

To encourage the widest possible uptake of Bango Spots, Bango is making the reader available free of charge. High Energy Magic has also put the specification for the Bango Spot symbols into the public domain so anyone can create their own Spot symbols and reader to interpret the information contained in the design.

To download the Bango Spot reader, users can either go to http://bango.net/spot for free or txt go spot to 87121 in the UK – message costs £1.50.

With Bango.net, content providers can easily promote and charge for their mobile services on any network, anywhere in the world. With Bango, content providers can charge for mobile Internet content to anyone on any network yet have the flexibility to charge at whatever price point makes sense for their business. Revenue monitoring tools provide real-time results of marketing campaigns with the option to change pricing at any time and see the impact of this.

The Bango service identifies individual phone users, storing information on the currency they wish to be charged in, whether the phone is barred from accessing adult content and their payment history.

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