VEEKER Makes Mobile Video Communication Easy

LOS ANGELES & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VEEKER announced today the Beta launch of the first mobile-to-internet service that enables U.S. consumers to simply and effectively communicate with one another using the video cameras in their mobile phones. According to market research firm Telephia, over 8 million U.S. consumers currently use their mobile phones to shoot video. VEEKER is positioning itself to help these and other consumers evolve their mobile communication habits from audio and text to video.

“Mobile phones with video cameras quickly are becoming standard issue. Mobile phones have evolved from communication devices that transmit audio only, to audio and text and photos, and now the most effective communication medium, video,” stated Alex Kelly, Chief Executive Officer. “Communicating with mobile video is extraordinarily powerful — a 30 second video message conveys a lot of information. But, until today, there has been no service that compels consumers to communicate with one another using mobile video.”

The company’s name refers to the term “Veek,” a video peek into life, shot with a mobile phone’s video camera, and sent to VEEKER. Veeks sent to VEEKER are viewable within seconds at VEEKER.com, and (using the embedded VEEKERplayer) on any website that accepts embedded codes, such as MySpace, Xanga, and Blogger. Veeks are sent from mobile phones as MMS messages, using the MMS message composer resident on every mobile phone equipped with a video camera. Consumers do not need to install special software, and they do not need a data plan from their cellular provider. With over 1 billion MMS messages sent in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2006, major carriers such as Cingular are beginning to treat MMS video messages the same as SMS text messages.

“Mobile videos are shorter, more immediate, more personal, and more privileged than the sorts of videos you might see on sites like YouTube and IFILM, which is why VEEKER doesn’t look or feel like sites of that nature,” said Rodger Raderman, Chief Marketing and Product Officer. “VEEKER has been designed to facilitate easy and instant mobile video communication amongst people already known to each other. When people log in to VEEKER on a daily basis, the brain cells that fire are similar to the ones that make them want to check their email or IM or voicemail.”

VEEKER’s co-founders are Alex Kelly, former head of new media at 20^th Century Fox, Rodger Raderman, Founder and former Chairman/CEO of IFILM.com, Raj Singh, creator of ToneThis, a Top 10 mobile software download on CNET, and Marcus Yoder, a business development leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Oblix Software, and Agile Software. Singh, with over 7 years of mobile industry experience at mobile companies like Kodak Mobile, MobiTV, PlayPhone, and Cellmania, says of VEEKER: “Our team brings a lot of online and mobile experience to the challenge of developing a categorical mobile video communication service. We’ve created a very powerful, but simple and fun-to-use service that we think will set the standard in this exciting new space.”

The company reports that early test users have been using VEEKER in multiple ways, including: showing and inviting friends to a party in progress, sharing a wedding with family members who can not be there, leaving others video messages instead of voicemails, asking for advice from friends while shopping alone, creating a real-time video travelogue, archiving one’s life as a video diary, leaving video notes-to-self, capturing and sharing interesting sights with video or photos — VEEKER accepts mobile photos too — and more.

“We’ve been watching the ways people are using VEEKER, and, as a result, are gaining a good understanding of not only their needs at VEEKER.com, but also how VEEKER can partner with other websites to incorporate mobile video communication into their users’ experiences,” said Marcus Yoder, SVP of Operations. “Our strategy is to enable members of existing online and real-world communities to begin communicating with one another using mobile video. We think we have the team, the product, the vision, and the experience necessary to execute that strategy.”

ANYONE CAN START VEEKING IN 5 EASY STEPS

1. Shoot a VEEK using the video camera in your mobile phone

2. Send the VEEK from your phone to v@veeker.com

3. Visit www.veeker.com and enter your phone number on the homepage

4. Create a VEEKER account and get your VEEK

5. Invite your friends to begin Veeking with you!

ABOUT THE COMPANY

VEEKER was founded in September 2005 to lead the evolution of mobile communication from audio and text to video. According to IDC, during the period between 2005 and 2009, 2.4 billion mobile phones equipped with video cameras will enter the global marketplace. VEEKER believes that mobile video communication will become pervasive, and intends to help the VEEKER Generation discover and define this exciting new form of communication. VEEKER is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and operates a wholly owned subsidiary in Beijing, China. The company’s team includes executives, technologists, and artists from the entertainment, Internet, mobile, and advertising industries. For more information visit www.veeker.com.