VdopiaTM, the Leader in Mobile Video Advertising, Expands Management Team for Exciting New Product Launches
Vdopia Inc., the leading mobile video advertising company, announced today the expansion of its management team. Joining the company are Robert Palma as Senior Vice President of Network Sales and Joshua M. Kruter as Vice President of Marketing.
According to Saurabh Bhatia, Vdopia co-founder and Chief Business Officer, ”Our iVdopia mobile ad portfolio is now serving upwards of 100 million mobile video advertising impressions a month, along with billions of rich media ads, across iPhone®, iPad®, Android® and BlackBerry® devices.”
“We’re connecting the world’s biggest brands with their target audiences via premium content sites. The addition of these proven leaders enables Vdopia to super-serve our existing clients and partners, while also preparing us to deliver new, game-changing solutions we have planned for 2011.”
About the New Team
Robert Palma, Senior Vice President – Network Sales
Robert joins Vdopia from CafeMom where, as SVP of Sales, he grew the company’s revenues and relationships with the biggest brands and agencies. CafeMom experienced significant revenue growth under Robert’s leadership. Robert was previously Regional VP of Sales at MySpace and District Sales Manager at Microsoft’s MSN property.
Joshua M. Kruter, Vice President – Marketing
Josh’s deep experience spans integrated marketing, strategic planning, sales development and mobile solutions at both clients and publishers. He has delivered measurable results at recognized global brands including Virgin — where he led go-to-market planning and launched new products for Virgin Mobile USA — and Forbes, where he played key roles as Forbes Inc. grew into a diversified media company with digital, television and worldwide print properties.
About Vdopia
Vdopia Inc. is a leader in the online video and mobile advertising space, enabling major brands to engage their desired audiences in premium content environments. Its iVdopia mobile advertising solutions deliver more than 100 million mobile video ad impressions and billions of rich media ad impressions each month for clients including Starbucks, McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers and Miller — making Vdopia the largest mobile video and rich media advertising network. Vdopia is headquartered in Silicon Valley, with offices across the U.S. and in India. Learn more about Vdopia’s mobile solutions at www.iVdopia.com.
American Express launches digital payment platform (US)
American Express has launched its next-generation digital payment and commerce platform dubbed ‘Serve’.
With Serve, customers can make purchases and P2P payments online, via mobile phones, and at millions of merchants who accept American Express cards.
Serve combines multiple payment options into a single account that can be funded from a bank account, debit, credit or charge card, or by receiving money from another Serve account. Serve accounts can be accessed via Serve Apple iOS and Android applications, at the Serve website and through Facebook.
To use the service, users need to set up an online account at the company’s website or via a smartphone app. Funds can then be added from bank accounts, debit cards, credit and charge cards, or other Serve accounts. Customers can use those accounts to send and receive money to friends, pay bills and make purchases online. Customers will be issued a Serve reloadable prepaid card linked to their Serve account that can be used at any merchant or ATM that accepts American Express cards.
Serve users can also create, manage, and specify sub-accounts for their friends, family members or colleagues. Sub-accounts are linked to the master account and allow users to set spending profiles. Serve is available immediately to US customers and is expected to launch into other international markets over the coming year.
Serve is also partnering with five major charities Autism Speaks, Best Friends Animal Society, Malaria No More, Save The Children and Stand Up For Kids to enable each organization to raise funds via a donations widget. Widgets can be downloaded at the Serve website and at the paywithserve page on Facebook, and shared on other Web sites, including Facebook, to encourage donations. Serve will match all contributions via the widget up to USD 100,000 for each charity.
There are two fees for Serve users and American Express will waive the fee to put money into the Serve account for the next six months. Putting money into a Serve account costs 2.9 percent plus US$0.30 per load, discounted to 0 percent for cash, debit and ACH. ATM cash withdrawal (after first one each month free) is charged US$2.
Virgin Mobile starts Nexus S sale (France)
MVNO Virgin Mobile France is set to start the sales of Google Nexus S smartphone, made by Samsung, for US$69.04 until April 12. This offer will be available for customers who sign up for a 4-hour E-Divine, 4-hour Divine Collector or Liberty Plus plan.
This promotional price comes after a US$70.45 rebate on the handset’s new list price of US$139.49. Virgin Mobile France started selling the Nexus at US$209.94 one month ago, and for US$139.49 after a US$70.45 rebate. The Nexus S runs the latest version of Android, Gingerbread, and is one of the first phones on the market with an NFC chip.
Lenovo starts LePad sale in China
China’s Lenovo Group Ltd. has started the sale of its first tablet PC, LePad in China.
Lenovo’s move comes after other major electronics companies like Dell Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. have begun selling tablet devices to compete with Apple Inc.’s iPad. BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. will start selling its PlayBook in North America next month.
The LePad has a 10.1 inch screen and runs Google Inc.’s Android software. Lenovo is selling four versions, starting at US$533 for a version with Wi-Fi wireless Internet connectivity and 16 gigabytes of memory. A version with 3G cellular connectivity and the same amount of memory starts at US$700.
As per Lenovo spokesman Jay Chen, the LePad went on sale in China on Monday and will go on sale outside China by June.
Google to delay open availability of Android Honeycomb (US)
Google has announced that it will limit the access of its latest version of the Android OS which has been designed for use on tablets, stating that it is not yet ready to be altered and customized for a variety of devices.
The version 3.0, also known as Honeycomb has been built from the ground up to be optimized for tablets, and is a step-change away from v2.x which is optimized for smartphones.
The decision to delay the public release of Honeycomb will not affect device-making partners such as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Dell Inc., HTC Corp. and Acer Inc., which are expected to soon start releasing new tablets built with the software. Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. already launched the Xoom tablet last month.
Android head Andy Rubin confirmed that the company does have concerns about some handset manufacturers releasing Android based handsets that were not ideally optimized for the OS. A consumer buying such a low-cost phone could be put off the Android platform in future.
Google stated that it remains committed to providing Android as an open platform across many device types, adding that it will make Honeycomb available as open-source software as soon as it is ready.
Third-party developers that make games and other applications for the Android operating system also won’t be affected because they do not need access to the source code to build their products.
Axiom Telecom and Samsung stage new product preview for UAE customers
Axiom Telecom and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a leading mobile phone provider, today staged their first ever Product Preview event together to reveal the new Samsung Galaxy Pro smartphone that will go on sale in the UAE during the second week of April 2011.
The preview is yet another initiative that strengthens the existing regional partnership between Samsung Electronics and Axiom Telecom. The two companies came together today to introduce the Samsung Galaxy Pro smartphone to select customers and media during a special demonstration.
During the event, select Axiom Telecom customers had the opportunity to experience live units of the new Samsung Galaxy Pro first hand and join discussions with representatives from both Samsung and Axiom Telecom about this latest Samsung smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy Pro is the latest user-friendly device from the company with a QWERTY keyboard and is powered by the Android Operating System that gives access to a vast array of applications. With advanced messaging, social networking capabilities and business solutions, the Samsung Galaxy Pro can handle both high business demands and the requirements of a very active social lifestyle.
“Axiom’s Telecom’s retail experience, reach and ability to bring new products first into the market complement with Samsung’s legacy of innovation, creative designs and constantly bringing new products that fit into consumers’ lifestyles in a meaningful way,” said Young Woo Jun, Director at Samsung Gulf Electronics.
Today’s session is in response to growing consumer demand to experience new phones and gain even more information before making a purchasing decision. This helps consumers to make the very best choice for their individual requirements in an increasingly complex, rapidly-moving and cluttered marketplace. Recognizing this need, Axiom Telecom is the first telecom retailer to offer such Product Previews and will continue to work with Samsung in the future to bring consumers the opportunity to experience tomorrow’s technology today.
This is particularly needed in the more sophisticated Smartphone sector, which Axiom Telecom explained has grown significantly since last year. “Our retail experience has shown the importance of high levels of knowledgeable staff to give customers guidance and the need for live phones and dedicated space within stores to allow customers to try-out products before purchase,” said Matthew Ramljak, Group Retail Manager at Axiom Telecom.
“Today’s event is part of our broader strategic partnership with Samsung and we look forward to supporting Samsung in bringing unique products, services and experiences to UAE consumers,” added Matthew Ramljak.
Currently Axiom Telecom provides specialized Samsung ‘Solution Bays’ across numerous Axiom Telecom retail outlets in the UAE. The Samsung Solution Bays will showcase the brand’s devices and demonstrate various mobile solutions such as navigation, music, email and messaging. In addition, Samsung will train in-store staff to provide customers with expert advice about Samsung’s offerings. Additionally, Axiom Telecom distributes Samsung’s wide range of mobile handsets and accessories across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Axiom Telecom currently has 900 retail points across the Middle East in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.
