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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
WaveMarket's Crunkie Puts Mobile Social Networks on The Map
EMERYVILLE, Calif., Nov. 15 -- WaveMarket,
(http://www.wavemarket.com), a pioneer in location-based services, today
introduced Crunkie, a revolutionary new location-based mobile blog virtual
community service that allows users to find friends and post location-tagged
messages, pictures and other media instantly retrievable by friends and other
Crunkie users.
Crunkie is a service that enables users to participate in a mobile social
network -- combining location-based friend search, messaging and user-
generated (or blog) mobile content. Users create, update and location-tag
public blog entries via their wireless phones. Users may add blogs, comments,
rankings and categories to specific locations and public places, like
restaurants or nightclubs. All of this content is meant to be shared with
friends or communities. Those reviewing posts may then look up blog entries
based on their relation to a specific vicinity using a map-based interface, in
addition to the more traditional categorical menu.
The service is designed for young, mobile users who want to keep up-to-
date on the hottest venues and in touch with their ever-widening circle of
friends. Crunkie users can check for messages or photos posted from
nightclubs, bars and restaurants to search out the most happening scene, or
read messages recently posted by friends who are close by.
"Social networking in the mobile context is really about where your
friends are and what they are doing right now," said Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO of
WaveMarket. "Today's mobile youth carry their wireless phones wherever they
go, and these devices contain messaging and photo capabilities, which they use
to instantly and constantly, record the events of their lives. Crunkie taps
the connectivity of these same devices and allows users to share their life
experiences when and where it happens."
Crunkie supports the following features:
A Find Me and Friend Finder applications for users to locate either
themselves or family and friends on a map-based interface
Mobile J2ME (Java) & BREW application with vector-based map-based
interface
Advanced location capabilities such as pan and zoom controls,
sophisticated visualization and navigation
Location-based Messaging (to SMS) and blogging to friends -- from both
Web and mobile phone
Multiple search criteria such as location, category, author popularity,
time
Additionally, Crunkie users can create a "mobile profile" or "virtual
persona" that may include photographs, biographies and lists of family,
friends, favorite bloggers and membership to affinity groups. Users are
encouraged to invite friends and, so when those additional users create their
own profile pages, a "living journal" is created linking a wide variety of
friends, locations and interests. Crunkie supports this community concept by
allowing users to create, view, and join different affinity groups, and
through a community page that is an aggregated view of all the blog posts from
the users' favorite communities.
Crunkie will also be offered in Asia, Latin America and Europe in 2005.
The Crunkie suite utilizes WaveMarket's WaveIQ technology, a location-
based software suite offering high compression vector mapping for mobiles,
location-based alerting and blogging. It also supports a web interface, a WAP
interface, free standing mobile-handset applications interaction protocols
supporting SMS, MMS, WAP push, and email.
About WaveMarket
WaveMarket Inc. is a pioneer in location-based alerts, mobile social
networking and blogging. WaveIQ, the company's software product suite, enables
users to receive notifications based on user movements or location triggers.
It is the world's first carrier-grade location trigger solution. WaveIQ also
allows any mobile-handset user to spot and broadcast text and rich media to
peers, groups or the world. Marketing to mobile carriers in the United States,
Europe and Asia, WaveMarket's customers include, AT&T Wireless, SK Telecom,
Korea's leading wireless carrier and Bell Mobility, Canada's leading wireless
provider. Headquartered in Emeryville, CA, WaveMarket has offices in Korea.
Founded in 2000, the company is financed by a group that includes Nokia
Venture Partners, Intel Capital, and Telecom Italia.
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