North American Debut for Palringo Announced

 

Palringo today announced its North American market debut of its “Rich Messaging Service,” described by company officials as “the first messaging service to extend the functionality of PC-based services to most modern mobile phones and PDAs,” regardless of “operating system, network or mobile operator.”

 

The product lets mobile users exchange text, voice chat-style messages and pictures across PC-based IM services, such as AOL AIM and Google (News - Alert) Talk, whether at a computer or using a mobile phone or PDA.

 

The free Palringo service is made possible by “integrating previously separate messaging services” into a single interface, Palringo officials say, “eliminating the need to continually switch between multiple IM tools.” Its dynamic voice messaging combines walkie-talkie style voice chat with the text chat functionality of IM and the ability to share pictures within the context of a discussion, officials say.

 

The service supports both one-on-one and group discussions and enables real-time conversations that can incorporate users from any mobile network, any connected computer and most popular mobile devices, according to the company.

 

Kerry Ritz, chief executive officer of Palringo, said “in short, it’s all about messaging the way people communicate in real life -- through sending text, voice or picture messages.”

 

Ritz joined Palringo as CEO in January 2008. Prior to his work at Vonage (News - Alert), he held a number of positions at global companies, including 3 (Hutchison 3G); InterMatrix, one of the United Kingdom’s oldest strategy consulting firms; Finnish multinational Huhtamaki; and Kraft General Foods.

 

Palringo’s Rich Messaging Service is available now for download at www.palringo.com. The service is compatible with Windows Mobile, Symbian and Java-based clients, including devices from Nokia, Motorola, LG, Samsung, HTC (News - Alert) and SonyEricsson.

 

Company officials say they will soon introduce compatibility with Apple’s Mac OS and the popular iPhone (News - Alert), as well as BlackBerry and Facebook.