Interview With NeoMedia's CEO Chip Hoffman

Interview with NeoMedia Technologies' CEO Chip Hoffman at the 2008 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

NeoMedia Participates In Mobile World Congress

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, the leading provider of mobile ticketing technologies and marketing solutions, are participating in one of the world's most important events convening the mobile scene: the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, taking place from February 11th - February 14th. It is the major industry event for companies like NeoMedia and Gavitec who aim to shape the mobile industry future with revolutionary ideas.

Below you will find pictures of NeoMedia's booth, the company's table at the press event, and NeoMedia's CEO William Hoffman being interviewed on the Show Stoppers stage by bnetTV. Please enjoy the following pictures from the 2008 Mobile World Congress.

GS1 Austria & NeoMedia Partner For ITnT

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, and Gavitec AG - mobile digit, the leading provider of mobile ticketing technologies and marketing solutions, have partnered with GS1 Austria and will be joining together for the ITnT Trade Fair in Vienna from February 5th through the 7th.

The ITnT reflects the entire IT & telecommunications market for innovative products, services and solutions. Domestic, foreign and multinational exhibitors gather in the two show halls to present solutions to make everyday work easier and to optimize corporate work flow. Expect all this and much more at the ITnT 2008. Visitors can also benefit from many top quality side events. There will be speeches, discussions and presentations covering all ICT issues.

GS1 is a global organization dedicated to the design and implementation of global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains globally and across multiple sectors. The GS1 System of standards is the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world.

GS1's main activity is the development of the GS1 System, a series of standards designed to improve supply chain management. The GS1 System is composed of four key product areas: Barcodes (used to automatically identify things), eCom (electronic business messaging allowing automatic electronic transmission of data), GDSN (Global Data Synchronization Network which allows partners to have consistent item data in their systems at the same time) and EPCglobal (which uses RFID technology to immediately track an item).

GS1 was formed when the Uniform Code Council (UCC) and the Electronic Commerce Council of Canada (ECCC) joined EAN International. UCC has become GS1 US and ECCC has become GS1 Canada. It has headquarters in Brussels (Belgium) and Lawrenceville, New Jersey (USA). There are also Member Organization offices in over 100 countries globally.

By turning "old" media into "new" media, NeoMedia enables print and broadcast media to become interactive with their target audience using 2D barcodes and mobile networks, by-passing search engines and long URLs, avoiding cumbersome menus, replacing toll-free service and delivering real-time content that can be carried away with the consumer on the mobile. NeoMedia offers the tools and infrastructure for wireless carriers, brands, mobile phone manufactures and media companies to make optical messaging (OMS) and its associated commerce easy, universal, and reliable – worldwide. To provide a robust high-performance infrastructure for the processing of optical codes, NeoMedia extends their offering with award-winning Gavitec technology. Located in Germany, Gavitec AG - mobile digit is an industry leader in the development and distribution of mobile scanners and software for mobile applications. In addition, Gavitec provides standardized and individual solutions for mobile marketing, couponing, ticketing and payment systems.

CTIA Forms Code Scan Action Team

At its October 23 meeting in San Francisco, CTIA’s Board of Directors approved a new initiative of CTIA’s Wireless Internet Caucus (WIC) in the area of Cameraphone Barcode Scanning.

CTIA's Code Scan Action Team, comprised of industry representatives, is currently in the process of evaluating solutions to implement Cameraphone Barcode Scanning on wireless phones in the United States. According to its charter, "The Code Scan Action Team will work together to enable unified communication to external stakeholders (such as consumer goods, media, and retailers) that need to hear of a unified approach (technologically and systemically) prior to committing to their initial capital expenditure, technology selection and marketing resources. These external investments are required to drive actual utilization of the cameraphone scanning technologies infrastructure.

It is proposed that the Action Team be limited to the national U.S. wireless carriers until June 30, 2008. In the intervening months, the carriers will collect and analyze data through trial and analysis, and formulate a plan for Cameraphone Scanning Technologies market development.

Numerous opportunities are contingent upon standards being agreed upon and communicated in the areas of symbologies, code resolution, priority functions, value added services, and measurement and reporting.

According to its charter, "The Action Team will articulate conventions for code resolution, either directly through the code or indirectly through server translation."

There are two primary methods of 2D barcode symbology encoding: direct encoding and indirect encoding.

In a direct encoding method, the target information itself is directly encoded in a 2D barcode. The code reader on the mobile phone translates the code data and takes an immediate local action.

Indirect encoding is the process of linking the target information to an index (364528) and putting that unique identifier into a 2D barcode. The code reader on the mobile phone reads the 2D code and sends the code data over the Internet to a central resolution server that will tell the mobile phone what action is associated with the index.

The Indirect encoding method offers obvious advantages over the direct method, and presents huge application areas for carriers, handset manufacturers, consumer goods, media, and retailers.

Listed below are just a few of the many advantages of indirect encoding:

* Indirect codes are small: The code size varies depending on the amount of information encoded in it. As indirect codes only compress an index, they have the adequate size to be successfully read and decoded by the mobile phone. However direct codes, containing a URL for example, are mostly too large and not appropriate for printed media.

* Indirect codes compress unlimited information: While direct codes allow limited data to be carried in the code in order to be read by the code reader application, indirect codes can be created limitless. The target information linked to the index contained in the code can vary and be as long as the client or code owner needs it. The variety of inputs possible is lager for indirect than direct codes that can contain UPC, EAN, ISBN and other product codes as well as keywords.

* Indirect codes ensure added durability and maintain advertising continuality: The central resolution server manages the content indexed to each indirect code, allowing clients and code owners to easily update information without having to change codes. New or additional information would simply involve changing the content linked to the index and not the code itself. Indirect codes remain the same and keep linking to the proper data while direct codes are unusable any longer. Using the direct method, if a website changes and a webpage is removed, the URL encoded within the 2D barcode will be incorrect. The direct code will not link to the appropriate website and all materials (e.g. newspapers, ads, billboards, books, etc.) where the direct code has been placed will be erroneous and out of use. However, the index encoded 2D barcode remains the same making indirect codes durable and always up-to-date.

* Indirect codes make the most of the advertisement utilization: Besides their durability and long-term use, small and smart indirect codes can be discreetly placed in any kind of print or attached on any information display surface, such as advertising panels, billboards, walls, enabling any mobile phone user to access digital information and therefore maximizing the advertising utilization. As advertising space costs in given media vehicle are significant and mostly very high, the budget-minded advertiser or agency will not use any ad space for large direct codes which will impact the communication's goals.

* Indirect codes maximize the addressable handset market: Being small, discreet and durable, indirect codes can be read and decoded by a large number of mobile phones currently available on the market and not just a handful of handsets. Depending on the camera lens, optics, resolution and illumination, not every mobile phone is able to read large direct 2D barcodes.

* Indirect codes offer a wide range of exciting applications: The ability for individuals and corporations to interact with the electronic world will allow economies to be much more efficient and consumer-product companies to make their products more attractive. This also will revolutionize the ad industry by providing a one-to-one, permission-based, personalized and profiled dialog with customers. Indirect codes can be used in a wide range of application areas, from commercial to social to educational. For example, indirect codes can be used in grocery stores to get recipes and nutritional information on products. They can be used for advertising purposes, to download a trailer or music off a movie promotional poster, for instance. Or simply to help users to find the nearest cinema or call up an online box office to locate movie times. Indirect codes can be embedded in business cards to link to constantly updated contact information. Moreover, indirect codes can be used in museum and galleries, where visitors can download high-quality audio and visual content about exhibits in multiple languages. Tourists can even retrieve sightseeing information as they walk through a city.

As cameraphones become increasingly common and cameraphone barcode scanning technologies mature, an alliance of proactive carriers can create conditions that will encourage market growth. Given the aggressive timeline for the CTIA's Code Scan Action Team, we should have a good idea by Summer 2008 of its continued effectiveness in helping the industry reach win-win solutions.

Interview With NeoMedia CEO William Hoffman

NeoMedia Technologies' CEO William Hoffman talks to bnetTV.com's Nicole Scott at CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment 2007.

NeoMedia Technologies' NeoServer™-OMS

NeoMedia’s NeoServer™-OMS (Optical Messaging Service) is a complete infrastructure with services for generating printed codes, reading those codes, and then acting upon the codes by delivering mobile content.

By linking barcodes and brand names to targeted URL’s, the NeoServer™-OMS allows mobile marketers to promote their products and services directly to consumers, anytime, anywhere. Employing the rich media capabilities of the mobile web, the NeoServer™-OMS is the pre-eminent enabler for mobile marketing campaigns. Now mobile marketers can offer the consumer instant and effortless access to any marketing activity, including contests, coupons, tracking, polling, events, ticketing, direct purchases, mobile entertainment, real time information and more. NeoMedia’s NeoServer™-OMS reaches as far as our imagination.

The NeoServer™-OMS is a robust, reliable, scalable, and extensible infrastructure leading the way for universal code support and interoperability. This infrastructure includes solutions of access technology and resolution services using carrier-grade infrastructure, architecture, and interoperability.

Components

NeoServer™-OMS is composed of mobile handset software and several web services, all of which combine to provide mobile users with the ability to directly retrieve content by either automatically scanning barcodes, or manually entering keywords or barcode numbers.

* Gateway for routing
* Link Manager for code linking and resolution
* Directory service

Advantages

* Each customer’s codes can be housed on a different Resolution Service, if desired
* Gateways handle sorting out Resolution Services
* Gateways can be regional or in carrier infrastructure, shortening network delay
* No single service instance is critical for entire world

Technical highlights

* Scalable and reliable
* Handles increases in load well
* No single point of failure

* Localizable
* Services can be deployed regionally
* Customers can “own” their services

* Flexible
* Service widest possible variety of handsets
* Act as “front end” for other services

* Standards-compliant
* Use industry-standard protocols and systems

NeoMedia Adds To Strategic Advisory Board

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, recently announced the induction of new Board of Advisors member Joe Gilbride, who brings with him extensive industry experience and is dedicated to the growth and expansion of NeoMedia Technologies.

Joe Gilbride is a senior financial executive who began his career at Ernst and Young. He is a CPA, and has a MBA in Finance from NYU. He has been the VP Corporate Controller of the Interpublic Group of Companies, which trades on the NYSE. Joe was the VP CFO of the Lowe Group, a Global Advertising Company which had offices around the world. He oversaw budgeting, reporting, IT, treasury, accounting and planning. He has also helped take a company through its IPO, and has significant M&A experience, having completed over 100 transactions around the world. Joe has also worked for MDC and Partners expanding its brand in North America, and acquiring Crispin Porter for MDC. He then went on to Euro RSCG, Saatchi & Saatchi, and the digital Marketing agency Avenue A/ Razorfish, which was recently acquired by Microsoft.

"The development of the NeoMedia Technologies Advisory Board has combined many talented and highly qualified executives with much to offer in the technology and telecommunication fields," states William J. Hoffman, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies. "All the members bring extensive knowledge of the wireless and telecom industries. We are happy to have their commitment to NeoMedia Technologies."

Joe Gilbride joins Rich Cremona from Open Wave, Marc Lefar from AT&T, and Clarence Wesley from Xerox Mobile Solutions.

NeoMedia Adds To Strategic Advisory Board

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, announced today the induction of new Board of Advisors member Rich Cremona, who brings with him extensive industry experience and is dedicated to the growth and expansion of NeoMedia Technologies.

Rich Cremona will be a new member on the Board of Advisors for NeoMedia Technologies. He is a well-rounded and talented telecommunications and sales executive. He has had P&L experience and international exposure, as well as comprehensive operational stints in field services and human resources. Mr. Cremona brings 18 years of management experience from AT&T as Sales Manager, GM, International Development Director, and GM of National Sales and Service division. Following AT&T, Cremona was Field Services VP and Region Sales VP of Lucent Technologies in, St. Louis Missouri. In 2000, he became President of Business Sales for Sprint PCS Wireless division where he was accountable for leading Sprint PCS' combined business sales channel distribution and marketing organizations for advanced wireless technology applications. Next, he became executive VP for McLeodUSA where Cremona developed, deployed, and led the strategic sales organization. Prior to NeoMedia Technologies, he was Sales VP of Openwave Systems where he was a member of the sales management team of Openwave and responsible for the sales of advanced software applications, hardware configurations, and professional services engagements.

"NeoMedia Technologies is proud to develop a team with experienced individuals like Mr. Cremona. I believe that with his background knowledge and strategic leadership ability, NeoMedia Technologies will continue to be the global leader in optically initiated transactions and lead the way to interoperability in the industry. We are proud to have him," stated William Hoffman, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies.

Rich Cremona joins Marc Lefar from AT&T and Clarence Wesley from Xerox Mobile Solutions who joined NeoMedia's Strategic Advisory Board last month.

William Hoffman Presents At Mobile Summit

Presentation by William J. Hoffman, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies at the October 22nd Mobile Entertainment Summit, in which he discusses how to enable reliable, secure wireless transactions in the mobile environment.

NeoMedia Confident About Patent Reexamination

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted the Ex-Parte Re-examination of U.S. Patent No. 6,199,048.

NeoMedia has a large portfolio consisting of U.S. and foreign patents and pending applications relating to various inventions surrounding the processing of "machine readable codes over wireless networks." NeoMedia expects the '048 patent will be confirmed by the USPTO in course of the re-examination. According to publicly available statistics, only about 10% of patents that are re-examined have all their claims declared invalid.

NeoMedia's CEO, William J. Hoffman, states, "Regardless of the outcome of the re-examination, NeoMedia's inventions and the patent portfolio that protects them will continue to effectively serve the creation of a global and interoperable infrastructure that enables large scale adoption of mobile codes as triggers of optically initiated transactions." He added, "NeoMedia's main motivation is to use its inventions to make this wireless ecosystem a reality and create advantages for the global value chain."

Additionally, in an effort to focus its energy on building a profitable ecosystem, and not to be distracted by time-consuming and costly patent litigation, NeoMedia has agreed to stay the current patent litigation against Scanbuy pending the re-examination's outcome.

NeoMedia's CEO affirms, "NeoMedia will use the 'stay period' to develop and to deploy our turn-key solutions for reading and processing a multitude of barcode formats that are ISO certified. Our patents have been reviewed and granted by appropriate government agencies, subsequently challenged, then licensed by numerous multinational companies deeply versed in Intellectual Property Rights. At the appropriate time, NeoMedia will move forward vigorously with the litigation and protect the rights we have been granted by patent offices worldwide."

William Hoffman To Attend Monaco Media Forum

NeoMedia Technologies' CEO William J. Hoffman will be in attendance at this years Monaco Media Forum. The 2007 edition of the Forum will be held in Monte Carlo from November 8th through the 10th.

The Monaco Media Forum brings together leaders of old and new media for high-level discussions about the future of print, broadcast and online communications. Hosted by HSH Prince Albert II, the invitation-only event focuses on opportunities in emerging media, as well as the implications for marketing, advertising and finance. Aggressively global in outlook, The Monaco Media Forum provides essential perspective for strategic leadership in the digital revolution.

By turning "old" media into "new" media, NeoMedia enables print and broadcast media to become interactive with their target audience using 2D bar codes and mobile networks, by-passing search engines and long URLs, avoiding cumbersome menus, replacing toll-free service and delivering real-time content that can be carried away with the consumer on the mobile. NeoMedia offers the tools and infrastructure for wireless carriers, brands, mobile phone manufactures and media companies to make optical messaging (OMS) and its associated commerce easy, universal, and reliable – worldwide.

William Hoffman joins Maurice Levy of Publicis Groupe, and Rishad Tobaccowala, Nick Pahade, Tim Hanlon, and Tim Harris of Denuo – Among others who will also be in attendance.

NeoMedia Technologies Launches New Website

Click here to visit the new website

NeoMedia & Gavitec Launch The NeoReader

NeoMedia Technologies and its wholly owned subsidiary, Gavitec AG - mobile digit, unveiled today their co-developed code-reading application – NeoReader – designed to turn a camera phone into a 1D and 2D barcode scanner that provides one-click access to mobile content.

Navigating the mobile Internet today can be a difficult task. Typing in web-addresses using small mobile keypads or navigating through mobile menus on the small screens can be time consuming and confusing, to the users. Imagine a world where camera phones could read a small barcode allowing immediate access to active content. Users can be directed instantly to advertising pages, location-specific information, direct-to-call access, or direct-to-text message access. With the NeoReader, users can read barcodes directly from product labels that are already printed on millions of packages, and be directed to additional information and promotions.

The NeoReader allows users to scan 1D and 2D barcodes from enabled product packages, ad campaigns, retail displays, publications, or any variety of medium. Mobile users are able to link directly to a specific web page, access services, retrieve real-time information, or place orders by bypassing long URLs, search engines, and avoiding cumbersome menus.

Providing an unparalleled and enriched interactive experience, the software provides limitless mobile phone applications that can enhance mobile marketing efforts. The NeoReader provides businesses, consumer-oriented companies, and enterprise organizations the ability to create interactive products and services. Any product package, ad campaign, retail display, publication, or other variety of medium can be linked directly to the multimedia capability of the mobile Web, anytime and anywhere.

Consumers that download the NeoReader on their handsets will have the advantage of a ubiquitous and easy to use program that is both interactive and versatile. Many forms of information and online content can be embedded in barcode symbologies. The NeoReader can scan codes including all common non-proprietary 2D codes, including Data Matrix, QR, Aztec, as well as URL embedded 2D codes, and all traditional 1D UPC open source codes. This allows the NeoReader to function as a universal code reader and allows the user to click on a variety of codes with a single application installed.

The technologies behind the NeoReader application combine NeoMedia’s patented resolution technology, and Gavitec's ultra-small footprint and platform-independent code scanning algorithms, Lavasphere. Gavitec's award winning mobile code reading technology, Lavasphere, has been employed in the past few years to recognize 2D codes used in the BBC's Coast Mobile project as well as in other public trials in the UK, namely Hewlett-Packard Laboratories’ Active Print projects in Bristol. Currently, 3 major out of home media companies including UK’s affiliate, Clear Channel, are using the Lavasphere version of the code-reading technology to manage and control their billposting, and reach groundbreaking process optimization through camera phones.

The NeoReader ushers in and inaugurates a brand new era of innovative mobile enterprise and optical code reading solutions for the wireless industry. Visit NeoReader.com to download the free application, and instantly transform your mobile phone into a universal code reader.

NeoMedia Launches Optical Messaging Service

NeoMedia Technologies, the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for wireless devices, is proud to announce the launch of its ground-breaking Optical Messaging Service.

Through the company's patented products and services, NeoMedia enables traditional one-way media such as print, packaging, labels, outdoor and broadcast TV, to generate incremental revenue from their existing offerings through interactive advertising business models. NeoMedia does so by enabling camera phones to directly connect consumers to brand advertisers using a barcode embedded in an advertisement of any kind. NeoMedia's patented platform also ensures that the two-way transactions are reliably completed, controlled, recorded, and billed. The platform ensures that all parties involved in the transaction are accurately compensated by predefined business rules.

NeoMedia's Optical Messaging Service consists of three core components:

* NeoMedia Optical Messaging provides end-to-end solutions for producing, reading and processing optical codes for wireless transactions.

* NeoMedia Access Technology is a complete suite of products including award winning software and hardware for reading and scanning barcodes in the mobile environment.

* NeoMedia Resolution Services provide a robust and reliable set of services and applications behind its Optical Messaging Service.

Through NeoMedia's complete solution, Media companies, Consumers, Businesses, Wireless Operators, and OEMs can harness wireless networks to perform commerce more efficiently and securely. Using camera enabled mobile phones, barcode-reading software (NeoReader) and an interoperable billing, clearing, and settlement infrastructure (NeoServer - OMS/OMI), NeoMedia embraces open standards, full interoperability, and is barcode symbology agnostic. The company's main purpose is to ensure that all transactions requested by end users work as intended, all parties are compensated correctly, and that the technology achieves mass-adoption.

NeoMedia's mobile phone technology, NeoReader, reads and transmits data from 1D and 2D barcodes to its intended destination. The company's Optical Messaging and interchange platforms (OMS and OMI) create, connect, record, and transmit the transactions embedded in the 1D and 2D barcodes, like web URLs, text messages (SMS), and telephone calls - ubiquitously and reliably. NeoMedia provides the industrial and carrier-grade infrastructure to enable reliable, scalable, and billable commerce.

NeoMedia stands out from its competition by embracing existing and developing standards for wireless and barcode technologies, and provides a global infrastructure to resolve these barcodes across multiple wireless providers. NeoMedia also creates the necessary technology to read barcodes presented on phone displays for redemption at points of sale and ticket counters. In doing so, NeoMedia enables a seamless, secure, and industry leading platform for mobile commerce, advertising, and communication.

NeoMedia To Present At Smartphone Summit 07

Smartphone Summit Presents 'Smartphone Enterprise Solutions 2007' San Francisco - An exclusive conference event beginning October 22, 2007 with CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment, dedicated to bringing you the top Smartphone based Enterprise Solutions from all Smartphone O/S platforms including Symbian, Microsoft, Palm, Linux, and beyond. The focused attendee demographic includes enterprise executives as well as wireless developers and I.T. professionals.

Throughout the conference attendees will be given the inside track on the ways their business can benefit from the latest Smartphone technologies, solutions, hardware, software, and accessories. The amount of requests for speaking opportunities have been staggering, yet only the most innovative and informative sessions will make it to the conference. Keynote by Platinum Sponsor Symbian.

Please join us in room C2 from 5:00pm - 5:50pm for 'Smartphone Interactivity (Social Networking & Personal Communications) with a special session introduction by NeoMedia Technologies' CEO William J. Hoffman. Join the pioneers taking social networking wireless for an in-depth look at the implications of this technology, including how it may be monetized for ROI of those enabling these experiences, as well as security of the experience.

I had the esteemed pleasure of catching up with NeoMedia Technologies' CEO William J. Hoffman and asked him what people can expect from NeoMedia at this years CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment.

"NeoMedia is excited to introduce a clean and fresh image as the 'global leader in optically initiated transactions for mobile devices.' The future is now, and NeoMedia will lead the industry with their complete offering of mobile solutions.

NeoMedia is very pleased to be participating in CTIA at San Francisco this October because it is the first time NeoMedia will be integrating and showcasing our hardware from Gavitec AG - mobile digit and introducing the long awaited NeoReader, a universal code reading application. NeoMedia Technologies will be very visible at speaker events on the 22nd, including the Smartphone Summit and Mobile Entertainment Summit. At the booth, 1351, there will be live demos of the EXIO for mobile ticketing and couponing, code readers, and company professionals to meet with.

Visit a summit speech and stop by our booth to see what we are all about."