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mobeam Delivers Redemption on Smartphones
Innovative light based communications technology now available to manufacturers and carriers that want to produce smartphones with complete mobile commerce functionality that includes mobile coupons that work everywhere
CUPERTINO, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, Oct. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CTIA Enterprise & Apps -- Mobeam® (http://www.mobeam.com) today announced its light based communications (LBC) technology is now available to mobile handset manufacturers for easy integration on new smartphone devices. Mobeam's patented LBC technology removes the technical barrier that limits smartphone applications for mobile coupons, gift cards and tickets. By leveraging the light emitting sources that smartphones already use for other purposes - message waiting and battery charging indicators, proximity sensors, camera flashes, among others - mobeam technology can beam a barcode that works virtually anywhere.
"Because no phones today can reliably display a scanable barcode that existing retail point of sale technology can 'see,' a major gap in mobile commerce has emerged," said Brian Kang, director of investment for of Samsung Ventures. "To fix this problem, the mobile commerce ecosystem has two choices: either retailers can replace their point of sale infrastructure with new scanners that can read existing smartphones, or smartphone OEMs can find a way to make their devices work with the widespread existing technology in use the world over. With an inexpensive firmware solution that won't change the physical designs of phones, mobeam is delivering the fastest path to universally available digital commerce."
Mobeam technology converts barcodes, just like the ones used on every item sold in retail stores as well as the more than 300 billion coupons distributed every year, into a beam of light that can be read by every one of the estimated 165 million red laser barcode scanners already found at point of sale in stores all around the world. With it, traditional barcode information is "mobeamed" to the laser scanner directly from a mobile phone, with no new equipment required whatsoever by the retailer and no new design elements required by the handset manufacturer. With mobeam enabled smartphones, mobile coupons can at last become a reality, with easy coupon redemption at virtually every POS.
For handset manufacturers, embedding mobeam is simple and quick. Mobeam APIs are added to the firmware, allowing mobeam technology to utilize the LED light sources already planned for the device. These embedded APIs also allow application developers to create apps that leverage mobeam. Because mobeam requires no changes to handset component technology, it adds no incremental cost to the manufacturing of the handset. Mobeam works with any LEDs used in phones, including infrared LEDs often used with proximity sensors.
This advancement promises to transform the traditional coupon redemption, gift card, loyalty and ticket services that have yet to fully break into mobile, and as a result have been consigned to antiquated paper based formats. Just as smartphone use is transforming banking and payments, mobile and digital formats will bring important new innovations to these services impacting every link in the value chain including consumers, CPG manufacturers, retailers, handset makers and mobile operators.
Already proven to work through the company's proof of concept numi® key device, mobeam technology is available immediately to handset manufacturers. Manufacturers and carriers looking to learn more about mobeam technology should contact oem@mobeam.com. To learn more about mobeam visit http://www.mobeam.com.
About mobeam
Mobeam, inc. is transforming mobile commerce with its unique and patented light based communications technology. Overcoming the technical barrier preventing mobile phones from interacting with laser scanners at checkout, mobeam's technology provides universal access at point of sale (POS), enabling the transmission of coupons, gift cards, tickets and other barcode data at retailers worldwide. Mobeam's technology powers new capabilities for existing mobile phone designs, and requires no changes to retailer POS infrastructure. Mobeam is headquartered in Cupertino, California. For more information visit http://www.mobeam.com.
SOURCE mobeam
mobeam
CONTACT: John Sidline, Mobility Public Relations, +1-503-946-3311, mobeam@mobilitypr.com, Press kit: http://mobeam.mobilitypr.com, Twitter: @mobeam
Web Site: http://www.mobeam.com
mobeam Delivers Redemption on Smartphones
Innovative light based communications technology now available to manufacturers and carriers that want to produce smartphones with complete mobile commerce functionality that includes mobile coupons that work everywhere
CUPERTINO, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, Oct. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CTIA Enterprise & Apps -- Mobeam® (http://www.mobeam.com) today announced its light based communications (LBC) technology is now available to mobile handset manufacturers for easy integration on new smartphone devices. Mobeam's patented LBC technology removes the technical barrier that limits smartphone applications for mobile coupons, gift cards and tickets. By leveraging the light emitting sources that smartphones already use for other purposes - message waiting and battery charging indicators, proximity sensors, camera flashes, among others - mobeam technology can beam a barcode that works virtually anywhere.
"Because no phones today can reliably display a scanable barcode that existing retail point of sale technology can 'see,' a major gap in mobile commerce has emerged," said Brian Kang, director of investment for of Samsung Ventures. "To fix this problem, the mobile commerce ecosystem has two choices: either retailers can replace their point of sale infrastructure with new scanners that can read existing smartphones, or smartphone OEMs can find a way to make their devices work with the widespread existing technology in use the world over. With an inexpensive firmware solution that won't change the physical designs of phones, mobeam is delivering the fastest path to universally available digital commerce."
Mobeam technology converts barcodes, just like the ones used on every item sold in retail stores as well as the more than 300 billion coupons distributed every year, into a beam of light that can be read by every one of the estimated 165 million red laser barcode scanners already found at point of sale in stores all around the world. With it, traditional barcode information is "mobeamed" to the laser scanner directly from a mobile phone, with no new equipment required whatsoever by the retailer and no new design elements required by the handset manufacturer. With mobeam enabled smartphones, mobile coupons can at last become a reality, with easy coupon redemption at virtually every POS.
For handset manufacturers, embedding mobeam is simple and quick. Mobeam APIs are added to the firmware, allowing mobeam technology to utilize the LED light sources already planned for the device. These embedded APIs also allow application developers to create apps that leverage mobeam. Because mobeam requires no changes to handset component technology, it adds no incremental cost to the manufacturing of the handset. Mobeam works with any LEDs used in phones, including infrared LEDs often used with proximity sensors.
This advancement promises to transform the traditional coupon redemption, gift card, loyalty and ticket services that have yet to fully break into mobile, and as a result have been consigned to antiquated paper based formats. Just as smartphone use is transforming banking and payments, mobile and digital formats will bring important new innovations to these services impacting every link in the value chain including consumers, CPG manufacturers, retailers, handset makers and mobile operators.
Already proven to work through the company's proof of concept numi® key device, mobeam technology is available immediately to handset manufacturers. Manufacturers and carriers looking to learn more about mobeam technology should contact oem@mobeam.com. To learn more about mobeam visit http://www.mobeam.com.
About mobeam
Mobeam, inc. is transforming mobile commerce with its unique and patented light based communications technology. Overcoming the technical barrier preventing mobile phones from interacting with laser scanners at checkout, mobeam's technology provides universal access at point of sale (POS), enabling the transmission of coupons, gift cards, tickets and other barcode data at retailers worldwide. Mobeam's technology powers new capabilities for existing mobile phone designs, and requires no changes to retailer POS infrastructure. Mobeam is headquartered in Cupertino, California. For more information visit http://www.mobeam.com.
SOURCE mobeam
mobeam
CONTACT: John Sidline, Mobility Public Relations, +1-503-946-3311, mobeam@mobilitypr.com, Press kit: http://mobeam.mobilitypr.com, Twitter: @mobeam
Web Site: http://www.mobeam.com