Licensing Agreement Struck to Allow Wireless Video Messaging

Geo Interactive Media Group (www.emblaze.com) announced today that it has licensed its Emblaze wireless streaming technology to Commtouch ( www.commtouch.com), a provider of outsourced e-mail and messaging services. The deal was initially valued at $1.2 million, and Geo will earn an undisclosed percentage of future revenue gained.

The new service will integrate streaming audio and video communication with e-mail and messaging services. The combined efforts of Commtouch and Geo will enable individual users and enterprises to send and receive video messages through standard e-mail systems and on mobile devices including PDAs, cell phones and laptops.

The service will be targeted at corporate enterprise, ASPs and the Internet portal markets, and is expected to be available worldwide. After the integration phase, the service will first be available on the standard e-mail systems powered by Commtouch. Service over wireless networks will follow, but the time frame for this deployment has not been announced. GEO's Emblaze technology incorporates a video compression element that enables video streaming over any bandwidth, including current second generation cellular networks and future 2.5 and 3G networks.

In the case of PDAs, software will need to be downloaded to enable the video/audio messaging; however, in the case of cellular handsets, the technology needs to be embedded in the chipset. Thus far, Samsung has licensed Geo's technology for its cellular handsets. According to Ziv Eliraz, vice president of business development of GEO Interactive, the company's future plan is to support every wireless device on the market.

Commtouch serves over 17 million mailboxes and provides integrated messaging solutions for more then 400 corporations including Microsoft, Citibank, Ericsson, Toshiba, Exodus Communications First USA, Go2Net and others.