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Acton co.'s 'Illustrated' cell setup
Jul 23, 2009 (Boston Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Azuki has a hot new product delivering the "world's sexiest app" to mobile-phone users.
Sports Illustrated announced yesterday that its "SI Swimsuit 2009" videos and photos of supermodel beauties is now available for iPhones and will soon be ready for Blackberries, thanks to an app developed by Acton-based Azuki.
Eventually, other mobile operators will be using Azuki's software platform to distribute content on mobile devices.
But for those who want to immediately view Bar Refaeli, Danica Patrick, Brooklyn Decker, Hilary Rhoda and other supermodels in super-skimpy swimwear will have to settle for Apple's iPhones and, next month, Blackberries.
Azuki chief executive Jim Ricotta was more than happy with all the attention garnered yesterday from his firm's technological connection to the swimsuit models.
"It's one of the premier brands out there," Ricotta said of Sports Illustrated's famous annual swimsuit issue.
It's been a good year for the start-up Azuki in general.
The firm raised another $6 million in venture capital funding in March, bringing its total VC investments to $12.6 million.
The mobile-phone business has also continued to have a relatively strong year, despite a recession that's ravaged so many other sectors.
"It's going great," said Ricotta of his 35-employee Azuki, founded in 2007.
Azuki is now working on other deals with major media outlets, including Time-Warner and CBS.
Azuki's SI move overshadowed another local firm's announcement of a deal for its mobile-device applications. Boston's Skyhook Wireless said it's partnering with Staron to provide applications for Nokia, the Finnish maker of cell phones, such as the "I Parked Here" car-parking navigational system.
It's not as sexy as "SI Swimsuits," but it will help you get to where you want to go, the company said.
To see more of the Boston Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.bostonherald.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Boston Herald Distributed by
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email
tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax
to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave.,
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