FUN TEXT GOES LIVE ON 3 UK HANDSETS
On-device emotional messaging application to be rolled out on 3 UK devices
Fun Text, the emotional messaging service provider, today announces that it has secured a deal with 3 UK for its unique handset-based messaging application to be installed on a range of 3's device portfolio. Under the deal, 3UK customers will be able to access Fun Text's rich media messaging capabilities direct from the messaging menu of their phone, alongside traditional alternatives such as SMS and MMS.
Fun Text is a new mass-market mobile messaging medium that combines the richness of MMS with the ease of use of SMS. The platform enables users to quickly and easily add rich media to their text messages for emotional expression. Fun Text represents a new category of everyday communication in-between user-generated photo-messaging and SMS – 'emotional messaging' where users can deploy professionally created content within messages to clearly express emotional statements.
The Fun Text application will initially be offered as a download to 3UK customers from the Planet 3 portal. At launch, the application will be available on the following handsets: N95, N73, E65 and 6120. Fun Text content will be actively managed to suit the time of day, the date and the season and will include videos, animations and static images.
Fun Text has previously been available as a service on the portals of several major operators but this deal marks the first time that an operator has deployed the newly-launched handset client application. By integrating Fun Text into the heart of the phone's messaging infrastructure and address book, the handset-based application promises to drive significant extra Fun Text traffic and become part of daily messaging for consumers. Early trials show that Fun Text users send 50% more MMS, driving MMS traffic for network operators and leveraging existing network infrastructure investment.
James Pycock, Business Development Director at Image Semantics (ISL), the company behind Fun Text, said: "Fun Text is about giving customers the opportunity to express themselves emotionally through mobile messaging. User generated MMS is great for sharing pictures and SMS is great for 'functional messages' like 'I'll be late for the meeting'. By enabling people to access a range of professionally created multimedia content that can be easily inserted into a message on the handset, Fun Text opens up the emotional messaging category - letting you say 'I really miss you' or 'sorry', 'love you' or the millions of other deeply personal messages we send to each other every day."
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For more information:
Patrick Herridge
Parys Communications
0207 622 9951
About Fun Text
Fun Text is a new mobile messaging service that enables users to quickly and easily add rich media to their text messages for emotional expression. Users can add Fun Text images to their messages through an online content store integrated into the handset's messaging menu structure.Fun Text combines the richness of MMS with the ease of use of SMS.
Fun Text represents a new category of messaging in-between user-generated photo-messaging and SMS – 'emotional messaging' where users can deploy professionally created content within messages to clearly express emotional statements. MMS is generally used occasionally for sending camera phone pictures and SMS is used regularly for brief, 'functional' statements – Fun Text creates a new, high traffic, emotional communication medium as an alternative to both.
Fun Text drives MMS traffic, leveraging historic infrastructure investments for operators. The 'emotional messaging' category gives users new contact opportunities, driving traffic over existing MMS infrastructure. Trials of the Fun Text handset application suggest it can drive an MMS uplift of around 50%.
Fun Text is being adopted by some of the world's leading operators. It already powers portal-based messaging for operators like 3, T-Mobile O2 and Sprint, it is soon to be launched as a handset-based application on a series of major operators. Fun Text is a proven technology and consumer proposition that has demonstrated significant revenue uplift for operators.