US : ShoZu 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.

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 at www.hellomoto.com when the phone is rolled out in Europe. 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 50 mm 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.

he 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.