Acquisition Further Establishes OZ as the #1 Enabler of Mobile IM, Email and
Social Networking Solutions with Unparalleled Number of Mobile Operator and Handset
Manufacturer Customers
MONTREAL-- OZ, the leading consumer mobile messaging solution provider, today
announced that it has acquired Thumbspeed Inc. from Hands-On Mobile Inc., for
an undisclosed amount. This acquisition, which closed on April 20, 2007, will
expand OZ’s expertise and offering for the mobile messaging market. With OZ’s
technology and market leadership, and Thumbspeed’s strength in mobile client applications
and innovation, a new and more formidable mobile messaging solution provider is
formed.
Together, OZ and Thumbspeed will continue to deliver innovative and advanced
mobile messaging solutions that will continue to lead the industry and deliver
what mobile operators and handset manufacturers demand – shorter time-to-market,
faster product innovation and unique next generation mobile messaging solutions.
With Thumbspeed, OZ has solidified its position as the mobile messaging market
leader.
“Thumbspeed has done a great job in building some of the most innovative and
advanced Mobile Messaging Clients in the world. We are very excited to welcome
Thumbspeed customers, partners and employees to OZ,” said Skuli Mogensen, CEO
and Founder of OZ. “Joining forces with Thumbspeed will allow OZ to fulfill our
vision: to give consumers what they want - easy and affordable access to their
existing and favorite IM, Email and Social Networking services on their mobile
phones. As consumers expect and demand more from their mobile phone, together,
we will fulfill this demand with easy to use mobile clients, and offer an unique
integrated messaging experience that includes next generation SMS, IM, E-mail
and Social Networking with rich-media and personalization capabilities.”
Founded in 2004, Thumbspeed is headquartered in Bellevue Washington, and has
a research and development facility in Mumbai, India. Thumbspeed develops and
publishes messaging, photo sharing and personalization applications for mobile
phones and smart devices. Thumbspeed Clients are available on leading mobile operator
networks, such as Cingular, Rogers Wireless and TeliaSonera; offering popular
services from AOL®, MSN® and Yahoo! ®.
“This acquisition is designed to leverage the strengths of both companies,” said
Hank Skorny, President and CEO of Thumbspeed. “This acquisition means accelerated
growth for Thumbspeed, more solutions for our customers and even brighter futures
for our employees. Together, OZ and Thumbspeed will deliver products and services
that drive growth and innovation; thus enabling our partners and customers to
empower their subscribers to do more with mobile messaging.”
Thumbspeed’s products, technology and services will be integrated with OZ’s mobile
messaging solutions, delivering increased management and client prowess to mobile
operators’ subscribers across a variety of device types, namely, Java, BREW®,
Symbian, Windows®, RIM® and Palm ®.
About OZ
OZ empowers consumers to stay connected with the most popular messaging solutions
– IM, Email and Social Networking – on their mobile phones. Working with the leading
mobile operators, handset manufacturers, portals and online communities, OZ delivers
innovative and standards-based solutions that provide rich and fully integrated
messaging experiences on millions of mobile devices.
Leading companies that are Powered by OZ™ include: 3 Scandinavia, Alltel, AOL®,
Bell Mobility, Boost Mobile, Bouygues Telecom, Cingular, Dobson, KPN, Microsoft,
Motorola, Nokia, Pantech & Curitel, Samsung, Siemens, SonyEricsson, Sprint,
TCL & Alcatel Mobile Phones, Telefónica Móviles España, Telenor Group, Telus
Mobility,
T-Mobile USA®, Virgin Mobile USA and Yahoo!®. OZ is a privately held company
headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with regional offices in the United States,
Europe and India. For more information, visit the OZ website at www.oz.com. |