Lights, Camera, Action! Sprint Introduces Video Mail
03 December 2003 - 4:01PM
PR Newswire (US)
Lights, Camera, Action! Sprint Introduces Video Mail Sprint Becomes
the First Carrier to Deliver an Easy-to-Use, Affordable And
Nationwide Video Mail Service at a Flat-Rate Price Powered by
LightSurf; Customers Can Now Take and Share Up to 15 Seconds of
Video Directly From Select PCS Vision(SM) Phones OVERLAND PARK,
Kan., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Sprint becomes the first
carrier to truly deliver a Video Mail service for the masses by
offering an easy-to-use, affordable and nationwide service for
customers to communicate via video -- all at a true flat-rate
price. Video Mail from Sprint, which is powered by LightSurf,
allows customers to capture, view and share 15 seconds of everyday
moments directly from their PCS Vision Video Phones to any email
address or select PCS Vision Phones while on the Sprint Nationwide
PCS Network. Video Mail is the latest PCS Vision(SM) service and
compliments the popular Picture Mail service from Sprint. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO ) In the
third quarter, Sprint customers shared and uploaded more than 23
million pictures. Sprint introduced wireless pictures in the United
States with its simple pricing plans and easy-to-use handsets and
service. Video Mail customers will enjoy the same simplicity with
the two initial handsets from Sprint: the PCS Vision Video Phone
VM4500 by Sanyo and the PCS Vision Video Phone VM4050 by Toshiba.
"Sprint changed the way people communicate with the launch of
Picture Mail earlier this year. With the introduction of Video
Mail, we are giving customers multiple ways to share life as it
happens," said Jeff Hallock, assistant vice president of consumer
product marketing for Sprint. "In the same way that customers have
their choice between a camera and a camcorder, they now have their
choice of instantly sharing an image of a group of friends at the
beach or a video of one of those friends catching their first
wave." Video Mail allows customers to take up to 15 seconds of
video directly from their PCS Vision Phone and share to any e-mail
address or PCS Video Phone. The service is an additional $5 per
month to the $15 PCS Vision Pictures Pack, which together includes:
-- Unlimited Video Mail and Picture Mail taking and sharing:
Customers can share life as it happens with their choice of videos
or pictures that can be sent to any e-mail address or select PCS
Vision Phones. -- Easy to use service: It only takes a few steps to
take and share a video. Simply select the video/camera button on
the phone, push the soft key to record and instantly share everyday
moments. -- Online storage: Sprint customers can conveniently
manage their videos and pictures at the same site (
picturemail.sprintpcs.com ). The website lets users pick from
various enhancement options that include cropping and
lightening/darkening or adding fun effects such as comic bubbles,
cartoons and line drawings, and picture frames and stickers. --
Unlimited web browsing and up to $5 in credits toward premium
downloads such as ringers, screen savers and games. PCS Video Mail
builds on the success of PCS Picture Mail with a familiar look and
feel and a tightly integrated design. Like Picture Mail, Video Mail
is powered by a customized application service built on the
LightSurf 5 Open Standards MMS Platform, a comprehensive suite of
scalable and secure Multimedia Messaging software components.
LightSurf 5 technology enables a seamless exchange of digital
pictures, audio and video using any visual communications system or
any other Internet-ready, graphics-capable wired or wireless
network. In 2003, Sprint expects to add two Video Mail handsets to
compliment its existing line-up of six camera phones. The PCS
Vision Picture Phone VM4500 by Sanyo is currently available at
Sprint Stores and select third party retailers. In addition to PCS
Vision and Video Mail, the phone supports Sprint's recently
announced nationwide walkie-talkie service: PCS Ready Link. The PCS
Vision Picture Phone VM4050 by Toshiba is expected to be available
before the end of the year. The VM4050 will feature a large screen
with a detailed 260K full-color screen and 310/350 pixel primary
display. Like the VM4500, the VM4050 includes both camera and
camcorder functionality, giving customers the ability to take
either still or moving images. Sprint announced 2.7 million PCS
Vision customers through the end of 3rd quarter and leads the
industry in adoption of advanced wireless data services. PCS Vision
from Sprint includes services that allow customers to take and
receive pictures from select PCS Phones; browse the Internet at
speeds faster than most dial-up connections; check personal and
corporate e-mail; watch clips and stream audio for news and music;
download polyphonic, animated and voice ringers, and full-color,
graphically-rich games and screen savers, all on the enhanced
Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. About Sprint Sprint is a global
integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million
customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 68,000
employees worldwide and nearly $27 billion in annual revenues,
Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and
deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the
United States' first nationwide all- digital, fiber-optic network
and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint provides
local communications services in 39 states and the District of
Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide
PCS wireless network in the United States. For more information,
visit http://www.sprint.com/ .
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Sprint CONTACT: Jenny
Stevens, +1-913-794-2941, , or Nancy Sherrer, +1-913-794-2942, ,
both of Sprint Web site: http://www.sprintpcs.com/
http://www.sprint.com/
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