Nokia acquires Twango to offer a comprehensive media sharing experience
July 24, 2007
Share photos, video and other media through virtually any connected device
Espoo, Finland - Nokia and Twango today announced that Nokia has acquired substantially all assets of Twango (www.Twango.com). Twango provides a comprehensive media sharing solution for organizing and sharing photos, videos and other personal media. By acquiring Twango, Nokia will be able to offer people an easy way to share multimedia content through their desktop and mobile devices. In addition to key assets, through this transaction Nokia is bringing on a seasoned team with strong social media and Web services expertise.
"The Twango acquisition is a concrete step towards our Internet services vision of providing seamless access to information, entertainment, and social networks - at anytime, anywhere, from any connected device, in any way that you choose. We have the most complete suite of connected multimedia experiences including music, navigation, games, and - with the Twango acquisition - photos, videos, and a variety of document types," said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Multimedia, Nokia. "When you combine a Nokia Nseries multimedia computer that is always on, always connected, and always with you together with a rich media sharing destination like Twango, people will have exciting new ways to create and enjoy rich media experiences in real time."
Twango, a privately-owned company founded by former Microsoft veterans, is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA. Twango's versatile platform makes organizing, sharing, and republishing media such as photos, videos and audio clips easy. Unlike many other social media services, Twango supports multiple media types and offers a comprehensive array of options for people to manage, share, and repurpose their personal media content. Twango offers a great destination experience on desktop computers and mobile devices, as well as a powerful platform that allows developers to create companion applications, connect with mobile devices, and integrate with other Web services.
"Nokia's unique vision for social media aligns perfectly with Twango," said Twango co-founder, Jim Laurel. "It's really exciting to imagine what we can achieve by combining our social media experience with the resources of a company that has played such a major role in shaping the mobile landscape. Now, we will have the resources to deliver on our vision to enable people to capture and enjoy their personal media on mobile devices, desktop computers and in all the other places that are important to them."
Twango co-founder, Serena Glover, adds "As a result of this acquisition, we will aggressively build out our team in the Seattle area, allowing us to deliver a superior global media sharing service."
Equipped with high-quality megapixel cameras and mobile broadband connections, Nokia devices have revolutionized the way people create content, blog and participate in online communities. In 2006, Nokia sold over 140 million connected cameras, and its devices are rapidly becoming the world's primary source of images and videos. Nokia offers people new media sharing experiences, such as combining GPS-based location information with photos and videos.
Notes to editors:
High resolution photos of Twango service can be found at: www.nokia.com/press/photos
For further information, please see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) at: www.nokia.com/NOKIA_COM_1/Press/Materials/NokiaTwangoFAQ.pdf
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. Nokia makes a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experiences in music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games and business mobility through these devices. Nokia also provides equipment, solutions and services for communications networks. www.nokia.com
About Twango
Twango is a next generation social media sharing service that offers a comprehensive, integrated solution for people to organize, share, and republish all their personal media, publicly or privately, Twango enables people to share all media types such as pictures, videos, audio clips, and a variety of documents types - more than 110 file types in all. For more information, visit www.Twango.com.
It should be noted that certain statements herein which are not historical facts, including, without limitation, those regarding: A) the timing of product, services and solution deliveries; B) our ability to develop, implement and commercialize new products,services, solutions and technologies; C) expectations regarding market growth, developments and structural changes; D) expectations regarding our mobile device volume growth, market share, prices and margins; E) expectations and targets for our results of operations; F) the outcome of pending and threatened litigation; and G) statements preceded by "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "foresee," "target," "estimate," "designed," "plans," "will" or similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Because they involve risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the results that we currently expect. Factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: 1) competitiveness of our product portfolio; 2) our ability to identify key market trends and to respond timely and successfully to the needs of our customers; 3) the extent of the growth of the mobile communications industry, as well as the growth and profitability of the new market segments within that industry which we target; 4) the availability of new products and services by network operators and other market participants; 5) our ability to successfully manage costs; 6) the intensity of competition in the mobile communications industry and our ability to maintain or improve our market position and respond successfully to changes in the competitive landscape; 7) the impact of changes in technology and our ability to develop or otherwise acquire complex technologies as required by the market, with full rights needed to use; 8) timely and successful commercialization of complex technologies as new advanced products, services and solutions; 9) our ability to protect the complex technologies, which we or others develop or that we license, from claims that we have infringed third parties' intellectual property rights, as well as our unrestricted use on commercially acceptable terms of certain technologies in our products and solution offerings; 10) our ability to protect numerous Nokia patented, standardized, or proprietary technologies from third party infringement or actions to invalidate the intellectual property rights of these technologies; 11) our ability to manage efficiently our manufacturing and logistics, as well as to ensure the quality, safety, security and timely delivery of our products and solutions; 12) inventory management risks resulting from shifts in market demand; 13) our ability to source quality components and sub-assemblies without interruption and at acceptable prices; 14) Nokia's and Siemens' ability to successfully integrate the operations, personnel and supporting activities of their respective businesses as a result of the merger of Nokia's networks business and Siemens' carrier-related operations for fixed and mobile networks forming Nokia Siemens Networks; 15) whether, as a result of investigations into alleged violations of law by some current or former employees of Siemens, government authorities or others take actions against Siemens and/or its employees that may involve and affect the carrier-related assets and employees transferred by Siemens to Nokia Siemens Networks, or there may be undetected additional violations that may have occurred prior to the transfer, or ongoing violations that may occur after the transfer, of such assets and employees that could result in additional actions by government authorities; 16) the expense, time, attention and resources of Nokia Siemens Networks and our management to detect, investigate and resolve any situations related to alleged violations of law involving the assets and employees of Siemens carrier-related operations transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; 17) any impairment of Nokia Siemens Networks customer relationships resulting from the ongoing government investigations involving the Siemens carrier-related operations transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; 18) developments under large, multi-year contracts or in relation to major customers; 19) general economic conditions globally and, in particular, economic or political turmoil in emerging market countries where we do business; 20) our success in collaboration arrangements relating to development of technologies or new products and solutions; 21) the success, financial condition and performance of our collaboration partners, suppliers and customers; 22) any disruption to information technology systems and networks that our operations rely on; 23) exchange rate fluctuations, including, in particular, fluctuations between the euro, which is our reporting currency, and the US dollar, the Chinese yuan, the UK pound sterling and the Japanese yen, as well as certain other currencies; 24) the management of our customer financing exposure; 25) allegations of possible health risks from electromagnetic fields generated by base stations and mobile devices and lawsuits related to them, regardless of merit; 26) unfavorable outcome of litigations; 27) our ability to recruit, retain and develop appropriately skilled employees; and 28) the impact of changes in government policies, laws or regulations; as well as the risk factors specified on pages 12-24 of the company's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2006 under "Item 3.D Risk Factors." Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Nokia does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
Media Enquiries:
Nokia
Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34900
Email: press.office@nokia.com
Nokia
Communications, Americas
Media Relations
Tel. +1 972 894 4573
Email: communication.corp@nokia.com
Investor Contacts:
Nokia
Investor Relations, Europe
Tel. +358 7180 34289
Nokia Investor Relations US
Tel. +1 914 368 0555
Twango
Michele Mehl
Buzz Builders
Tel. +1 425 205 9444
Email: michele@buzzbuilders.net
Deanna Leung
Buzz Builders
Tel. +1 206 915 0512
Email: deanna@buzzbuilders.net
www.nokia.com
Share photos, video and other media through virtually any connected device
Espoo, Finland - Nokia and Twango today announced that Nokia has acquired substantially all assets of Twango (www.Twango.com). Twango provides a comprehensive media sharing solution for organizing and sharing photos, videos and other personal media. By acquiring Twango, Nokia will be able to offer people an easy way to share multimedia content through their desktop and mobile devices. In addition to key assets, through this transaction Nokia is bringing on a seasoned team with strong social media and Web services expertise.
"The Twango acquisition is a concrete step towards our Internet services vision of providing seamless access to information, entertainment, and social networks - at anytime, anywhere, from any connected device, in any way that you choose. We have the most complete suite of connected multimedia experiences including music, navigation, games, and - with the Twango acquisition - photos, videos, and a variety of document types," said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Multimedia, Nokia. "When you combine a Nokia Nseries multimedia computer that is always on, always connected, and always with you together with a rich media sharing destination like Twango, people will have exciting new ways to create and enjoy rich media experiences in real time."
Twango, a privately-owned company founded by former Microsoft veterans, is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA. Twango's versatile platform makes organizing, sharing, and republishing media such as photos, videos and audio clips easy. Unlike many other social media services, Twango supports multiple media types and offers a comprehensive array of options for people to manage, share, and repurpose their personal media content. Twango offers a great destination experience on desktop computers and mobile devices, as well as a powerful platform that allows developers to create companion applications, connect with mobile devices, and integrate with other Web services.
"Nokia's unique vision for social media aligns perfectly with Twango," said Twango co-founder, Jim Laurel. "It's really exciting to imagine what we can achieve by combining our social media experience with the resources of a company that has played such a major role in shaping the mobile landscape. Now, we will have the resources to deliver on our vision to enable people to capture and enjoy their personal media on mobile devices, desktop computers and in all the other places that are important to them."
Twango co-founder, Serena Glover, adds "As a result of this acquisition, we will aggressively build out our team in the Seattle area, allowing us to deliver a superior global media sharing service."
Equipped with high-quality megapixel cameras and mobile broadband connections, Nokia devices have revolutionized the way people create content, blog and participate in online communities. In 2006, Nokia sold over 140 million connected cameras, and its devices are rapidly becoming the world's primary source of images and videos. Nokia offers people new media sharing experiences, such as combining GPS-based location information with photos and videos.
Notes to editors:
High resolution photos of Twango service can be found at: www.nokia.com/press/photos
For further information, please see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) at: www.nokia.com/NOKIA_COM_1/Press/Materials/NokiaTwangoFAQ.pdf
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. Nokia makes a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experiences in music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games and business mobility through these devices. Nokia also provides equipment, solutions and services for communications networks. www.nokia.com
About Twango
Twango is a next generation social media sharing service that offers a comprehensive, integrated solution for people to organize, share, and republish all their personal media, publicly or privately, Twango enables people to share all media types such as pictures, videos, audio clips, and a variety of documents types - more than 110 file types in all. For more information, visit www.Twango.com.
It should be noted that certain statements herein which are not historical facts, including, without limitation, those regarding: A) the timing of product, services and solution deliveries; B) our ability to develop, implement and commercialize new products,services, solutions and technologies; C) expectations regarding market growth, developments and structural changes; D) expectations regarding our mobile device volume growth, market share, prices and margins; E) expectations and targets for our results of operations; F) the outcome of pending and threatened litigation; and G) statements preceded by "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "foresee," "target," "estimate," "designed," "plans," "will" or similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Because they involve risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the results that we currently expect. Factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: 1) competitiveness of our product portfolio; 2) our ability to identify key market trends and to respond timely and successfully to the needs of our customers; 3) the extent of the growth of the mobile communications industry, as well as the growth and profitability of the new market segments within that industry which we target; 4) the availability of new products and services by network operators and other market participants; 5) our ability to successfully manage costs; 6) the intensity of competition in the mobile communications industry and our ability to maintain or improve our market position and respond successfully to changes in the competitive landscape; 7) the impact of changes in technology and our ability to develop or otherwise acquire complex technologies as required by the market, with full rights needed to use; 8) timely and successful commercialization of complex technologies as new advanced products, services and solutions; 9) our ability to protect the complex technologies, which we or others develop or that we license, from claims that we have infringed third parties' intellectual property rights, as well as our unrestricted use on commercially acceptable terms of certain technologies in our products and solution offerings; 10) our ability to protect numerous Nokia patented, standardized, or proprietary technologies from third party infringement or actions to invalidate the intellectual property rights of these technologies; 11) our ability to manage efficiently our manufacturing and logistics, as well as to ensure the quality, safety, security and timely delivery of our products and solutions; 12) inventory management risks resulting from shifts in market demand; 13) our ability to source quality components and sub-assemblies without interruption and at acceptable prices; 14) Nokia's and Siemens' ability to successfully integrate the operations, personnel and supporting activities of their respective businesses as a result of the merger of Nokia's networks business and Siemens' carrier-related operations for fixed and mobile networks forming Nokia Siemens Networks; 15) whether, as a result of investigations into alleged violations of law by some current or former employees of Siemens, government authorities or others take actions against Siemens and/or its employees that may involve and affect the carrier-related assets and employees transferred by Siemens to Nokia Siemens Networks, or there may be undetected additional violations that may have occurred prior to the transfer, or ongoing violations that may occur after the transfer, of such assets and employees that could result in additional actions by government authorities; 16) the expense, time, attention and resources of Nokia Siemens Networks and our management to detect, investigate and resolve any situations related to alleged violations of law involving the assets and employees of Siemens carrier-related operations transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; 17) any impairment of Nokia Siemens Networks customer relationships resulting from the ongoing government investigations involving the Siemens carrier-related operations transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks; 18) developments under large, multi-year contracts or in relation to major customers; 19) general economic conditions globally and, in particular, economic or political turmoil in emerging market countries where we do business; 20) our success in collaboration arrangements relating to development of technologies or new products and solutions; 21) the success, financial condition and performance of our collaboration partners, suppliers and customers; 22) any disruption to information technology systems and networks that our operations rely on; 23) exchange rate fluctuations, including, in particular, fluctuations between the euro, which is our reporting currency, and the US dollar, the Chinese yuan, the UK pound sterling and the Japanese yen, as well as certain other currencies; 24) the management of our customer financing exposure; 25) allegations of possible health risks from electromagnetic fields generated by base stations and mobile devices and lawsuits related to them, regardless of merit; 26) unfavorable outcome of litigations; 27) our ability to recruit, retain and develop appropriately skilled employees; and 28) the impact of changes in government policies, laws or regulations; as well as the risk factors specified on pages 12-24 of the company's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2006 under "Item 3.D Risk Factors." Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Nokia does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
Media Enquiries:
Nokia
Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34900
Email: press.office@nokia.com
Nokia
Communications, Americas
Media Relations
Tel. +1 972 894 4573
Email: communication.corp@nokia.com
Investor Contacts:
Nokia
Investor Relations, Europe
Tel. +358 7180 34289
Nokia Investor Relations US
Tel. +1 914 368 0555
Twango
Michele Mehl
Buzz Builders
Tel. +1 425 205 9444
Email: michele@buzzbuilders.net
Deanna Leung
Buzz Builders
Tel. +1 206 915 0512
Email: deanna@buzzbuilders.net
www.nokia.com
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