[June 29, 2010]

Brainshark Launches Brainshark Mobile for On-The-Go Access to Multimedia Presentations on Smartphones and the iPad

Brainshark, Inc., the leader in on-demand multimedia for business, today announced Brainshark Mobile, enabling smartphone and iPad users to view Brainshark-delivered communications on their mobile devices. Now, Brainshark's enterprise customers, as well as users of the free myBrainshark.com site, can create content that can be viewed anywhere, anytime and on almost any device.

"With businesspeople and consumers increasingly 'always-connected,' there's an expectation that content of all types will be continuously available," said Brainshark CEO Joe Gustafson. "Brainshark Mobile underscores our commitment to enabling easy, cost-effective communications with maximum reach and impact."

As smartphones continue to rise in usage - with Gartner (News - Alert) reporting 54.3 million unit sales in the first quarter of 2010 alone, an increase of almost 50% over the same period last year - they've become even more critical for keeping today's highly dispersed workforce and on-the-go users connected, in-the-loop and productive. By making Brainshark presentations - already viewed every 3.5 seconds in locations all over the world - available for mobile consumption, users can ensure that their content is always accessible to the people they need to reach and can let their audience choose the most convenient way to experience it.

Brainshark presentations combine voice narration, PowerPoint slides, video and more for a multimedia experience that is proven to maximize knowledge retention and viewer interest. The presentations play as streamed video files when viewed on mobile devices. Through Brainshark's analytics capabilities, users can see when their presentations were viewed, who viewed them, if content was viewed on a mobile device and what type of device was used. Platforms and devices supported by Brainshark Mobile include the BlackBerry (News - Alert), Palm Pre, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android; all must support streaming video.

myBrainshark Users

Content created on the myBrainshark site - where you can create, narrate, share and track multimedia presentations for free - or using the myBrainshark Pro service are automatically mobile-nabled, letting users promote themselves and their businesses, and share expertise with an always-on, mobile audience. myBrainshark registration and usage are free, and presentations can be shared as a link over e-mail, SMS text message, mobile IM, etc., for viewing on the mobile Web. Mobile users can also access presentations directly from myBrainshark.com and from blogs and other social sites where they've been embedded or linked, such as LinkedIn and Facebook (News - Alert).

The current catalog of myBrainshark content - spanning professional learning topics, sales and marketing presentations, "talking" résumés, photo albums, real estate listings and more - is also available for mobile browsing and consumption.

Enterprise/Multi-User Editions

For Brainshark's enterprise users, Brainshark Mobile is included at no additional cost as part of Brainshark's core platform. Presentations created are automatically mobile-enabled - letting companies reach their mobile workforce, customers, prospects and partners with high-impact, convenient and secure communications.

For Nancy Himmel, manager of national sales services for clothing giant Wrangler and a current Brainshark customer, this means better internal alignment around organization-wide initiatives.

"It's important that our sales associates on the retail floor are all in sync, and well-versed in our upcoming promotions and point-of-sale displays," Himmel said. "By making our Brainshark presentations available on mobile devices, we can deliver communications in a convenient, compelling format and ensure that all employees are aligned and engaged with Wrangler."

With more than 1 billion people expected to access their e-mail via mobile by 2013 according to the Radicati Group, Brainshark Mobile helps companies immediately reach employees in the field and support greater enterprise mobility. Additional uses include:

• Sales support - Salespeople can brush up on a presentation right as they're walking into a big meeting or even give a pitch on-the-fly from their mobile device.
• Mobile learning - While waiting at the airport or in between meetings, road warriors can catch up on new product details and other training materials. In addition, companies can deliver compliance training, messaging updates and more - reaching employees, customers and partners on the many types of devices these groups use every day.
• Corporate communications - Important corporate and HR messages can be disseminated and consumed securely by geographically dispersed employees, without having to wait for a scheduled Web conference or meeting.
• Mobile marketing - Companies can create powerful marketing content that customers and prospects can interact with instantaneously on the devices at their fingertips.
• Critical in-the-field uses - In industries where workers don't have instant access to a PC - such as those on retail or manufacturing floors or at a client's location - employees can immediately view tutorials and updates on the devices they carry with them. In addition, healthcare professionals and physicians can view presentations on new compliance procedures or prescription drug information anytime, 24x7.

"In today's fast-paced climate, more and more business is conducted outside the traditional office setting," explained Ira Weinstein, senior analyst and partner at Wainhouse (News - Alert) Research. "Providing mobile workers with access to the information they need, when and where they need it, is a key part of maximizing efficiency and productivity. The Brainshark platform, with its new mobile capabilities, allows organizations to keep their global audience 'up-to-date' at all times in a scalable, cost-effective, high-impact way."

For more information on Brainshark Mobile and its uses, including a multimedia presentation demo and mobile FAQ, please see http://presentation.brainshark.com/products/mobile.aspx.

About Brainshark, Inc.

Brainshark is the leader in on-demand multimedia for business, transforming static business content into high-impact communications. Delivered via Software-as-a-Service (SaaS (News - Alert)), Brainshark enables audiences to access and engage with business content when and how they want. More than 1,200 companies - including a third of the Fortune 100 - rely on Brainshark software and services to help sales, marketing, training and HR experts cost-effectively deliver measurable results. In addition, organizations and individuals use the myBrainshark site to create, share and track multimedia presentations for free. For more information on these offerings, visit www.brainshark.com.

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