i3 Mobile Introduces Platform for Next Generation of Wireless Services
Stamford, Conn., September 27, 2000 — i3 Mobile (Nasdaq: IIIM), a leader in innovative wireless media solutions since 1991, from personalized, localized information to m-commerce and advertising services, today introduced the i3 (m)Power Portal, a highly customizable, integrated wireless and wired platform architecture that offers seamless, device-independent access to a feature-rich set of content and services on both wireless devices and the Web.
The i3 (m)Power Portal was developed with a focus on the wireless perspective. It was built with the primary purpose of providing unified access to highly customizable content and services via WAP and SMS to mobile phones, pagers, PDAs, other wireless devices, and the Web. The i3 Mobile (m)Power Portal is i3 Mobile's platform for its next generation of wireless services, and is now being offered as a full-service solution to both new and existing i3 Mobile partners.
The i3 (m)Power Portal allows users to create a fully-integrated, personalized suite of mobile services that can be accessed at any time from the Web or any wireless device with a microbrowser. SMS services can be received on any phone with text messaging. Through the portal, users can choose from a wide range of services and content including finance, sports, weather, entertainment, e-mail, an address book, comparison shopping and news. On the Web, users can create a personalized home page by customizing the content, layout and colors. Home pages can also be configured on browser-enabled phones. In addition, customers with two-way SMS phones can request and receive information such as stock quotes and weather forecasts right from their wireless devices.
Planned enhancements to the i3 (m)Power Portal include a voice gateway, which will give users the option to interact with content and services using speech recognition technology on their wireless devices, as well as maps, driving directions, and personal calendars.
The i3 (m)Power Portal solution offers easy integration into existing systems, customer billing capabilities, reporting, and systems support. In addition, data mining capabilities are planned that will enable wireless carriers and enterprises to extract valuable information about their customers' activities and preferences.
"We've leveraged our nine years of experience in wireless data to create a powerful portal that combines the best parts of the wireless and wired environments to deliver a unique, personalized experience for each user that allows them to interact with the information that's important to them in a whole new way," said Stephen G. Maloney, president and CEO of i3 Mobile. "Carriers and enterprises alike now have access to a platform that allows their customers seamless access to what they want both on the Web and on their device, and provides them with the back-end support and services that makes for virtually effortless implementation."
Proprietary Technology, World Class Partners
Behind the i3 (m)Power Portal is a combination of proprietary technology and best-of-breed partnerships, creating a solution that is both extremely flexible and powerful.
i3 Mobile's proprietary filtering and parsing technology enables it to efficiently monitor large quantities of data, identify information matching each user's individual profile, and format messages to conform to each user's wireless device.
Technology from Critical Path, Inc., the leading provider of Internet messaging infrastructure solutions, powers the i3 (m)Power Portal's PIM capabilities, which allows users to access email, address books, personal calendars and more on the Web or their wireless devices using Critical Path's InScribe™ e-Mail Messaging services (including Web-based, POP3, and IMAP4 e-mail), InScribe Groupware Hosting (Exchange hosting), and InSchedule™ Calendaring.
The power behind the portal's provisioning systems and customized Web display capabilities is provided by Vignette® Corporation. The portal utilizes Vignette's V/5 eBusiness Application Platform™, which provides a scalable, reliable, high-performance foundation for delivering content, profiling, and managing interactions across multiple communication channels such as the Web, wireless phones, pagers, and e-mail. The Vignette V/5 eBusiness Application Platform utilizes XML (Extensible Markup Language), a versatile markup language that enables i3 Mobile to design and implement services using a single markup language, rather than the multiple presentation languages that are required today to convey information to users.
About i3 Mobile
i3 Mobile (www.i3mobile.com) is a leading provider of wireless media solutions that enable wireless network operators, Web sites and enterprises to extend personalized, location-based information, m-commerce and wireless advertising services to their customers. As of the end of second quarter of 2000, i3 Mobile had more than 875,000 users receiving personalized information on mobile phones, pagers, PDAs and other wireless devices. i3 Mobile's services are available to more than 55 percent of the North American market of wireless phone users through relationships with more than 25 leading wireless network operators and new media distributors, including AT&T Wireless Services, Bell Mobility, Qwest Wireless, Rogers AT&T Wireless, U. S. Cellular, and weather.com. i3 Mobile is included in Upside magazine's "e-business 150" for 2000.