Radio Companion(TM) for BlackBerry Smartphones From Mediaguide and Nobex Technologies Shows What Is Currently Playing on Radio Stations Across the U.S.
A Powerful Tool for Music Information and Discovery, New Application Provides Information on Tracks and Links to Purchase Online
| Source: Mediaguide
BERWYN, PA and SANTA CRUZ, CA--(Marketwire - March 31, 2008) - Mediaguide and Nobex
Technologies have launched a unique new entertainment application called
Radio Companion™, which allows BlackBerry® smartphone users to keep
track of what is currently playing on their favorite radio stations
throughout the U.S.
This free, downloadable application -- which operates on such popular
BlackBerry models as the BlackBerry® Pearl™, BlackBerry® Curve™
and BlackBerry® 8800 Series smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM)
(NASDAQ : RIMM ) (TSX : RIM ) -- was developed by mobile application developer,
Nobex Technologies, and is powered by Mediaguide, a top provider of airplay
data drawn from terrestrial and Internet radio, as well as major
peer-to-peer networks.
Through its proprietary fingerprinting technology and network of remote
monitoring stations, Mediaguide currently tracks the real-time airplay of
more than 2,700 terrestrial radio stations in every state in the U.S. This
allows Radio Companion users to see what is playing right now on any of
their favorite radio stations with just a few quick clicks on their
BlackBerry smartphone. They can then select the music track to have its
details sent instantly to their email account, with a direct link to
click-through and purchase the song online.
"The BlackBerry platform is ideal for this kind of entertainment offering,"
said Steve Lubin, CEO of Mediaguide. "It is the mobile device of choice
for millions of Americans and has become a key access point for all types
of information and services. Bringing music-oriented applications into the
BlackBerry ecosystem is a natural evolution in how consumers are using this
smartphone."
Radio Companion is fast to download and set up. Users simply point their
BlackBerry browser to www.nobexrc.com and click the link to download.
During the brief set-up process, users are prompted to select their
favorite radio stations by scrolling through an alphabetical list of cities
and then picking their stations. This list includes more than 2,700
stations from all music formats and genres throughout the country.
Once set-up is complete, users click on a station name to see what is
currently playing. Radio Companion displays the song title and artist, as
well as a thumbnail graphic of the album cover or artist photo. They can
also scroll backwards to view previous songs and artists on the station's
playlist.
"When you're tuned in live to a station but don't know the name of the
specific song that's playing, Radio Companion can tell you in an instant,"
said Gadi Mazor, CEO of Nobex. "Some people listen to a particular station
to get introduced to new music. For them, Radio Companion is a great tool
for scrolling recent playlists to discover tracks they may want to check
out."
Lubin added that Radio Companion is also terrific for people who have a
strong personal connection to a radio station from their old home town,
such as their college station. "They can follow what's on the air, even
though they no longer live in the area," said Lubin.
Radio Companion does not yet stream audio from radio stations directly to
BlackBerry smartphones. Nobex and Mediaguide anticipate adding this
feature in late summer of 2008.
About Mediaguide:
Mediaguide, which was jointly formed in 2002 by the American Society of
Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), has developed, operates and
licenses proprietary audio and video fingerprint technology and monitors
over 2,700 college, non-commercial and commercial radio stations for music,
advertisements and speech. The company provides the most comprehensive,
accurate, timely and reliable airplay data products for advertisers,
broadcasters and content owners. Learn more about Mediaguide at
www.mediaguide.com.
About Nobex Technologies:
Founded in 2007, Nobex Technologies is led by Gadi Mazor, Ron Maor and
Jamie Julius, the founders of Onset Technology, the developer of
METAmessage and a leading application developer for BlackBerry and other
smartphones. The Nobex team has robust technical skills, true understanding
of the user experience that makes or breaks adoption of products by mobile
users, and a large network of connections with device manufacturers and
mobile operators.