Along the way, we have seen scores of companies pop up to address different elements of the problems accompanying the headaches that exist for optimizing the high value touch points between brands and their anytime, anywhere audiences and communities. In general, these companies have made decisions about where and how to engage the mobile ecosystem by focusing their mobile solutions on one of three primary areas of headaches: (1) the client side problem of multi-platform application development, (2) the server side problem of mobile application infrastructure, or (3) the original or branded programming problem of mobile content.

The client side problem is one in which software companies, advertising agencies and internal IT departments have opted to create the application experiences representative of the “apps” that are being downloaded in mass. In some cases these groups have opted for religious debates about native coding versus HTML5 coding and purpose-built, custom applications versus write-once, run anywhere template-based applications. On the client side, elements such as user interface, user experience and look and feel are all viewed to be core elements to the features, functionality and utility created for users and consumers of the “apps”.

The server side problem is one in which technology companies, infrastructure companies, service providers, carriers and internal IT departments have opted to create back-end systems to address operational and monetization challenges that exist for these client side “apps” at transactional scale. In some cases these groups have opted to build out custom internal systems and solutions to address these needs, while in other cases these groups have opted to stitch together a wide variety of “best of breed” partners and service providers to provide a “complete solution” that can work on a worldwide basis across disparate languages, engagement requirements and business rules. Operational challenges tend to involve issues such as content management, media streaming, digital distribution management and business intelligence while monetization challenges tend to involve issues such as advertising optimization, cross promotion, loyalty /rewards, daily deals, flash deals and commerce (whether physical or digital in nature).

The original or branded programming problem is one in which media companies, content companies, social media companies, advertising agencies and internal marketing departments have opted to create the content, feeds, offerings and engagement to be consumed by application users and typically come in the form of photos, videos, audio, news, information, blogs, forums, social graphs, products, services and calls to action. On the client side, this programming provides user engagement and interactivity whenever and however desired by the application user and on the server side, this programming provides measurement, management and monetization tools to gauge what works, what doesn’t work and why.

The fundamental problem with addressing any one of these three areas without addressing them all concurrently is that the end result of the anytime, anywhere interaction between the brand and the consumer is failure. Doing the client side front-end well without a strong back-end and engaging content will leave the user frustrated and confused as the application will fail to deliver the content desired whenever and however selected across the networks engaged by the user. Similarly, doing the server side well without a strong front-end and engaging content will leave the user angry that the application is stable and fast, but lacks a desirable user experience or anything of utility, value or interest. And finally, doing the programming well without a strong front-end and back-end will leave the user annoyed that the application has exactly what they want, but they are unable to engage with or enjoy it.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of companies throughout the mobile ecosystem are opting to address just one of the three areas required for successful mobile applications. In each instance, they are citing “focus” as the reason for this choice and are claiming that they want to do one thing and do it better than anyone else in the world. While this answer sounds good, and even alludes to the perceived benefits of both competitive differentiation and putting more proverbial wood behind fewer arrows, it rings hollow and fails to acknowledge that mobile is quite different from anything else that we’ve all experienced in the past. Mobile users are finicky, demanding and have extremely high expectations for their personal engagement and attention. As such, each point solution in the mobile marketplace is simply creating a stand-alone and isolated digital island that has been cut off from the rest of the world. As you work through your mobile strategy and tactical planning, make sure that you can answer all three of these elements openly and comprehensively. As if you don’t, you can expect that the end result will likely take a path of unnecessary risk and potential failure for both your application and your brand.

Read more at businessinsider.com

We have just witnessed year two of a perpetual boom in the demand for content-rich applications.  The more than 5 billion apps downloaded in 2010 was eclipsed by almost three times that number in 2011, and over 1.2 billion of those downloads came in the last week of December alone.  This past year saw every major industry – including the entertainment, automotive, educational, financial, medical, transportation, business and the professional services industries – take a joint next-step towards building long-term mobile infrastructures for each of their respective sectors with apps as the primary method of engaging their customers.

2011 introduced us to our first pocket-sized personal robot (yes, robot!) named Siri, an intelligent piece of software that will forever change the way we interact with our electronics – products which will one day (in the near-term) cease to be lifeless, becoming instead an extension of our inner circle, like a trusted friend or relative.

2011 also showed us the impact of mobile technology, even in its most basic form, astonishing us all by delivering real time images, videos, texts and status updates from developing nations in the midst of political uprisings.  Mobile phones provided vital health information to remote villages in the poorest parts of the world, and captured the devastation of a natural disaster off the Japanese Coast.  So, while it is safe to say that 2011 was the year that the “smart” device began replacing the ordinary cell phone, it was also (thankfully) a year in which the legacy of mobile technology changed the course of societies and not just communication.

So where do we go from here?  What happens now that mobile has truly connected us all?  What do we say about an industry where convergence is no longer simply a fancy, ambiguous term to include in a company’s mission statement?  But rather a wide open forum of sorts that brings together independent agents (i.e. users, software, media, and so on) – no matter how far apart they are from one another – to a shared space where they can interact without much complications.

At Phunware, we are quickly progressing into a newer, faster, more empowering version of ourselves.  The synergistic approach to our development and design, with each new deployment, is driven by our belief that products must be able to handle the incredible breadth of a user’s expectations, which are becoming more fluid, more exact and more expedient.  We are hell-bent of creating products that are highly adaptable, able to serve multiple purposes.  We recently showcased a device-to-device communications technology – in partnership with Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc. (QuIC)’s AllJoyn™ – that brought together some of the best elements of our development toolset.  This companion application enabled a user’s tablet or smartphone to interact seamlessly and wirelessly with a television broadcast, offering them unique advertising pop-ups related to the content on their TV screen, as well as compelling trivia about the program they were watching.

Just think about what something like this will mean for marketers.  For media companies.  For users.

In one demonstration, the consolidation of these distinct variables (device + user + smart TV + ads + media + trivia + ease of use + design + innovation + multi-screen + interactivity + transactional systems) illustrated the wide array of possibilities.  It also informed us of our next steps, since the next logical iteration of such an app would have an entirely new set of variables, some of which have yet to surface.

And this is what gets us up in the morning.  Convergence, plain and simple, in all its complex splendor.  The union of things.  The connecting of things through technology and creativity.

In 2012, we’re aiming to put forth the most connected entertainment experience in the history of the world – yes, the world! – through a visually stunning app that features layer-upon-layer of discovery for users, powered by unmatched solutions for our clients that leverage our expertise in support services, scalability, content management, ad serving, analytics and monetization.  This is convergence, as we see it: personal, impactful and unbreakable.  It is the cornerstone of what we do.

As a once-television executive, I carried with me the firm knowledge that it was not the size of the television, or the display itself that would garner ratings.  Rather, it was my attempt to understand the audience – their tastes and behaviors – and the subsequent creation of quality content for that audience that would keep them engaged with my programs.  The same can be said of my approach to creative development on mobile today.  Phunware is not in the business of device manufacturing (not yet anyway), but we are at the forefront of developing the best possible user experiences on the planet – for any device.  It’s about what goes into these devices – from content creation, to visual design, to our bulletproof back-end infrastructure.  We balance these variables better than anyone, and connect them all to our industry’s main power source – the customer, the viewer, the user – to achieve (you guessed it) convergence.

2012 is young, but mobile technology is in full maturation mode.  Ordinary objects are now prime destinations for discovery.  Cars, refrigerators, you name it.  And soon they will all be connected, forming a virtual convergence network around every man, woman and child – a fertile ground for retailers, media companies, automakers, etc. to reach and influence consumers in a whole new way.  If the past 12 months have shown us anything, it is that we cannot overstate the importance of mobile innovation.  What the next 12 will show us will be infinitely more powerful than what we have just seen.

The Future of Multi-Screen, Multi-Device Engagement Now on Display

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, JANUARY 10, 2012 –Phunware, Inc., the leader in enterprise branded mobile application infrastructure and experiences, announced today that they will showcase a unique multi-screen television and tablet experience that leverages Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc. (QuIC)’s AllJoyn™ peer-to-peer, proximity-based, device-to-device, communications technology running on a Snapdragon™-powered smart TV platform, along with Phunware’s Hip Hop Official original programming content and brandME™ branded mobile experience framework, during the 2012 International CES from January 10 – 13.

These live demonstrations will highlight how a person with a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth enabled television and tablet or smartphone can dramatically enhance their viewing experience far beyond the use of a simple companion application. Phunware’s application and content, coupled with AllJoyn, create an immersive, interactive and synchronized viewing experience that allows a consumer to connect and engage with a television broadcast through their personal tablet in order to consume related value-add content; select and view ad-insertions; sing along with their favorite musical artists; and even play a trivia game. AllJoyn allows the fixed television widget and the mobile tablet application to seamlessly and wirelessly communicate with one another so that each device is aware of the other and all content and devices remain completely in synch with no latency.

“Phunware was excited to have the opportunity to work with QuIC on this innovative demonstration,” said Alan S. Knitowski, Chairman and CEO of Phunware, Inc. “We are constantly looking for creative, innovative and entertaining ways to push the device capability and mobile user experience envelope, and we found a powerful way to bring some of our more advanced entertainment ideas to life with AllJoyn.”

“Qualcomm believes that AllJoyn has vast potential for innovative developers like Phunware to further enhance their applications across multiple screens,” said Liat Ben-Zur, senior director of Software Strategy and Business Development for Qualcomm. “This is a good example of how a developer can quickly and easily add proximity based peer-to-peer functionality to their application experiences using AllJoyn without having to manage the complexity of network management.”

To see the fully synchronized companion viewing demonstration at the 2012 International CES, please visit the Qualcomm Booth #30313 in the South Hall 3, Upper Level of the Las Vegas Convention Center from January 10 – 13.

About Phunware, Inc.
Phunware creates brandME™, the best and most powerful branded mobile experiences in the world, PRAISE™, the global industry standard for bulletproof mobile application infrastructure, and PRIME™, the most original content and programming for digital distribution worldwide. Phunware has introduced category defining experiences representing tens of millions of mobile downloads across billions of minutes of usage, challenging the outer limits and capabilities of the best mobile devices on Earth for the largest brands on the planet. For more information, visit Phunware at www.phunware.com.

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AllJoyn is a trademark of Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc. Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and may be registered in other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Apple has perfected the “Always leave them wanting more” product methodology by incrementally rolling out new software and/or hardware features. This methodology typically results in one large hardware/software release per year and incremental releases sprinkled strategically throughout the year (e.g. White iPhone) that keep the buzz going and force users to consider their own upgrade strategy. I have my own little conundrum in trying to figure out if I should adopt the instant gratification upgrade strategy and get the 4GS for my wife or leave her on an earlier model. The core utility of why she uses the phone is for talking, texting and email. However, with the new camera and associated camera software on the Apple iPhone 4GS, the core utility has now expanded to include picture taking and video capture. Core utility is critical when trying to determine why a user might download your application and critical when deciding release schedule.

I could spend much more than a paragraph writing about the Apple methodology (and many have) but how is this applicable to the creation of mobile application experiences for your customers? Alan Knitowski wrote in his blog, “Generation Now and the Mobile Velocity Acceptance,” about how the mobile release budgeting cycles should now be every 2-3 months, versus a traditional model of 1 release per year. This is critical for allocating budget and resources for your initiative. But what about the release cycles? One option in this hyper-active market is to initially focus on the core-utility of your mobile application (e.g. Real-time racing leaderboard) and make sure that the overall experience is tight. Subsequent releases 2-4 weeks later can add new features such as real-time video, then real-time audio and then the ability to control the racers yourself (strictly for advanced users . . . ).

Each release creates “engagement reinforcement” and potentially expands the core utility of the application and may address different segments of the audience who download for different core utility reasons. Additionally, with the proper messaging, each release becomes an event unto itself. Users will start to anticipate these releases and hopefully create viral social media activity (aided and encouraged by the application of course). Messaging can pre-date the release. For example, maybe an in-app message alerts the user to a new set of features that will be released next week and encourages them to check back in a week. Additionally, when the new release comes out, a push notification with deep-linking functionality that takes the user directly to the new feature drives further engagement. Finally, dedicating real-estate on the main screen for new features or “what’s hot” provides the visual cues to try out the new functionality. This real-estate can also be used to remind users of existing functionality that heretofore, may have gone undiscovered.

Another interesting side effect of these incremental releases is the ability to measure individually the impact on usage and engagement. Perhaps a release is generating significant incremental usage. In order to take advantage of this wave of usage, the next release might get pushed out until the engagement numbers start to level out. If the opposite happens and a new feature is not generating incremental usage, the next feature can be staged and released ahead of schedule to keep engagement and interest level high.

The velocity of the changes required to satiate the mobile user’s appetite doesn’t have to be overly burdensome. Assuming the proper budgeting and resource allocation, it can simply change the frequency of releases, not necessarily the overall quantity of features. Plan for a full release but trickle out the functionality incrementally to whet the appetite of the passionate fan base and drive them into a frenzy. After all, isn’t it better if your fans ask for more instead of ignoring you?

As devices become smarter and more intuitive, so will the programming. The age-old adage of “Content is King” is already reclaiming its crown as the ruler of the mobile airwaves. Back in 1996, Bill Gates predicted, “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.” And here we are, just fifteen years later, touting that same mantra on the mobile side, living through the next great phase in humanity’s ever-evolving fascination with moving pictures. Only this time, it’s the viewer that’s on the move, and the content needs to keep pace.

It is expected that video consumption will near 700 billion minutes by 2015, which advertisers are certainly seizing on. With faster loading times, more robust connectivity and a public that is now beyond the early educational years of mobile, video will soon become the preferred method of receiving information across mobile, just as it did online. And it will be driven by YOU – the average citizen whose appetite for a more personal, customized experience will create a crescendo.

Users expect more, and we as an industry must provide it. For instance:

When we first started to play in the mobile space, we were way ahead of our time. We were one of the few companies leading the way in a medium that allowed what traditional television could not: untethered consumer viewing. The ability of people to engage the content they want, when they want it, wherever they are was (and remains) nothing less than revolutionary.

But like every revolution, there were challenges. And for us, these challenges boiled down to content and production costs, distribution and delivery, audience tracking, and the 600 pound gorilla: monetization!

We solved these challenges. So well in fact that we now have hundreds of millions of video views, we are on hundreds of devices, we know exactly who is watching us, and we’ve launched successful campaigns that have led to millions of targeted brand impressions across multiple platforms.
Content and production costs we figured out: find creative young talent with something to say and give them a place where they could run wild. In exchange for their content, they got a platform. Think Roger Corman, or Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland “putting on a show!” — but with some serious technical geekdom thrown in.
Speaking of tech geeks, ours, and I use that term with TREMENDOUS respect and affection, figured out the distribution and delivery of the bazillion smart and feature phones, websites, and pad devices. They didn’t just figure it out. They nailed it. And because of them, Phunware has ShoBot, a distribution system that can deliver a single piece of video content to an infinite number of platforms in the same number of specs – simultaneously.

But perhaps the greatest things about what we do, aside from creating killer content and inventing an economical and seamless distribution system is that we can track who our viewers are and monetize them better than anyone else.

We do this because every time someone downloads a mobile app or one of our awesome, specifically-targeted music channels, we learn who our viewers are, what they watch, how long they watch, what time of day they watch and if they’re coming back to watch again and again. And being able to track your viewers this closely provides advertisers with:

Think about it! For years, advertisers have been working in the broadcast medium, casting a wide net and spending big dollars to reach the most vital demographics. It’s a hit or miss proposition because traditional broadcast campaigns are geared to the people advertisers and programmers “think” are watching. But in the on-demand, easily-trackable world of mobile, we know. So we can deliver an advertiser’s specific message directly to their targeted demographic; a message that will always be waiting when the viewer selects content, that costs little or nothing to create (no expensive commercials that require production), that will be carried by a 15 second pre-roll or post roll, pop up banner or branded “bug” in the corner of the screen during the program, that can be sent to multiple platforms simultaneously for maximum impressions (and virtually no distribution costs), that doesn’t alienate the viewer by interrupting their experience and that delivers a greater ROI to the client.

In short, we’re a great solution to anyone who wants to get their programming (and their message) to the right audience, with the greatest probability of successful engagement, and within the most sensible cost structure around.

Yes, it’s a revolution. But it’s one in which everyone wins.

And isn’t that the way it should be?

“Whether your headaches are operational in nature or monetization in nature, we will assist you with increasing your return on investment in mobile and the engagement underlying your users’ experiences by leveraging the infrastructure solutions and tools that we have built and used heavily across hundreds of our own original and branded mobile applications at transactional scale,” said Luan Dang, President and CTO of Phunware.

Phunware’s first private beta release includes access to its PRAISE™ Ad Optimization SDK for first and third party banner, interstitial and video pre / mid / post roll advertising, PRAISE™ PhunDeals™ Daily Deals SDK for daily product and service offers in more than 100 cities across the United States, PRAISE™ Cross Promotion SDK for proactive application download yield management and PRAISE™ PocketShare™ Mobile Analytics SDK for detailed data and business intelligence to make more intelligent sales, marketing, promotion and advertising decisions across mobile application portfolios.

“While our initial private beta offerings will only include these four areas of capability, we expect to release a large number of additional PRAISE™ infrastructure solutions and tools over the coming months and quarters ahead,” said Alan Knitowski, Chairman and CEO of Phunware. “We have learned a lot over the past several years and we are now productizing that learning for the benefit of mobile application developers everywhere.”

PRAISE™ modules represent key mobile application building blocks for iOS and Android platforms to support enterprise class, carrier grade, geographically redundant and hyper-scalable mobile application experiences and are ideally suited for carriers, enterprises and application developers requiring millions of simultaneous interactions and transactions across complex global deployments dependent upon multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-channel demands and requirements, including monetization acceleration.

For more information, or to enroll in the Phunware Private Beta Program, please visit developer.phunware.com.

About Phunware, Inc.
Phunware creates brandME™, the best and most powerful branded mobile experiences in the world, PRAISE™, the global industry standard for bulletproof mobile application infrastructure, and PRIME™, the most original content and programming for digital distribution worldwide. Phunware has introduced category defining experiences representing tens of millions of mobile downloads across billions of minutes of usage, challenging the outer limits and capabilities of the best mobile devices on Earth for the largest brands on the planet. Visit us at www.Phunware.com.

What struck me fifteen years ago during my time in Silicon Valley was the speed with which technology cycles changed. First it was Moore’s Law and the imminent changes I witnessed year over year in terms of processing / computing power and the associated cost / price that accompanied it. The velocity of this technology change and the product cycles that resulted from it were truly breathtaking.

But then along came the Internet and it made these technology changes look like they were simply standing still. Literally anything could be created from scratch … or evolved from concept to production … and fast. But over the past decade, and through the migration from technology to the Internet and from circuit switching to packet switching, I have now witnessed something that has made the prior cycles seem like glaciers in comparison. This new cycle is the mobile cycle and it completely demands your attention and respect.

Mobile is evolving at a blistering rate, measured in term of quarters, months and even weeks in some cases versus years before hand. Annual budgeting simply does not work on mobile and all of the business rules, processes and procedures need to be completely rethought from A to Z. Anytime, anywhere audiences are the equivalent of global real-time focus groups … and these groups wants to be engaged and satisfied wherever and whenever they want … at their own choosing and on their own terms. If you are unable to engage and satisfy them in the time frame that they require, then they will simply go elsewhere … to those that can and will.

Your participation in this cycle is completely optional to them. Nice to have, but by no means required. To them, the proverbial train has already left the building and they believe that you need to find a stop ahead of them to jump on board if you’re not already there since their one way trip to Generation Now has no plans to go back and pick you up.

Currently we see these new mobile cycles completing themselves every two to three months. This means that in a single year we are watching between four and six of these mobile cycles come and go.

Unfortunately, we are also seeing that many of the accompanying corporate budgeting cycles, business rules, processes and procedures are continuing to follow an annual, once per year budgeting and operating model. As a result, and quite simply put, there currently is a complete corporate disconnect between the velocity demanded for mobile and the associated planning and budgeting cycles accompanying it.

While everyone can make their own choices on what is the “right approach” to address this disconnect, we believe that people and companies alike ignore it at their own peril. We don’t see anything that can’t be addressed or remedied here, but we do think that the first step to “fixing” the disconnect is acceptance. Acceptance requires every individual at every company to understand and internalize that the velocity of mobile is different and that it has no plans to slow down at all. If anything, it intends to further accelerate until it ultimately achieves a real-time, anywhere, anytime state that allows immediate engagement and satisfaction … on the terms and conditions established by the individuals choosing to use and leverage the devices, applications and tools that have been provided.

At Phunware, we have embraced this speed. We enjoy it, we covet it and we respect it. As such, we structure everything that we do to put Generation Now front and center to the DNA of every facet of our business. We suggest that you too do the same as the traffic shift to mobile already occurring is going to do nothing but accelerate over the coming months, quarters and years ahead. The real question he is whether or not your core business is going to thrive or struggle as a result of this new reality.

Our advice is quite simple … embrace this challenge, engage this velocity and grow comfortable with this speed … as once your business and teams accept this, you will find that it becomes natural, stimulating and highly profitable. More importantly, it will become a key competitive differentiator for you and allow you to take market share from those that fail to understand just how critical this shift is and has become to future business success. All aboard and warp speed ahead!

Read more at BusinessInsider.com

AUSTIN, TEXAS, JULY 12, 2011 – Phunware, the leader in enterprise branded mobile application infrastructure and experiences, announces today that it has acquired GoTV Networks, the industry’s largest mobile media network. The acquisition was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors for both companies and officially closed today. Through the acquisition, Phunware adds new offices in both Northern and Southern California, including San Francisco, Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles) and San Diego.

“We are extremely excited to add GoTV Networks to the Phunware Phamily,” said Alan Knitowski, Chairman and CEO of Phunware. “Through this acquisition, we have accelerated our operational growth, strengthened our financial position and achieved critical mass on a global scale, including an array of customers and brands unparalleled in the industry.”

Phunware’s representative customer list now includes the following key verticals and brands:

• Education – allCanes (University of Miami), Cambridge, Discovery Education, William & Mary and US Education TV
• Entertainment – Astrology Zone, Crackle (Sony), Discovery Communications (Discovery Channel Latina, DMAX, MythBusters and Tudiscovery), G4 (NBC Universal), Hitfix, MobiTV, National Geographic, Oprah, The Karaoke Channel, Univision and Young Hollywood
• Internet – AllClearID.com, Bikini.com, HomeAway.com, Petfinder.com, PetsMD.com and YouSendIt.com
• Music – Amplified Pop, ES Música, Hip Hop Official, LAMC, Lollapalooza, Revolver TV, Rock the Bells, SXSW and True Country
• News – Daily News, Fox 7 WHDH Boston and Fox 7 WSVN Miami
• Original Branded Programming – AEG, ASICS, Gibson, Johnson & Johnson, Lexus, Proctor & Gamble, Rolling Stone, Secret, Sesame Street, Tide and US Weekly
• Retail – Cricket Communications, McDonald’s and User Friendly Media
• Sports – Callaway Golf, ESPN, NASCAR, NFL, NHRA and Peter Jacobsen Sports
• Travel – Animal Kingdom, Disney World, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Universal Studios
• Technology – AMD, AT&T, Freescale Semiconductor, HP, Nokia, Samsung, Sprint and Verizon Wireless

Platform support includes Apple iOS, BREW, Google Android, HP / Palm webOS, Java, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Nokia Symbian, RIM Blackberry, Samsung Bada and WAP. Mobile and broadband video distribution includes Amazon, AOL, Apple iTunes, Babelgum, Bebo, Blackberry Application World, Boost Mobile, Cricket, Daily Motion, Google Android Marketplace, Handmark, Joost, Meta Café, MSN, MySpace, Pocket Gear (Handango), V CAST and YouTube. Carrier distribution includes AT&T, LEAP Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile.

Phunware’s mobile experience portfolio now exceeds 150 applications in more than 100 countries and 4 languages. Application users within this portfolio have downloaded tens of millions of applications, consuming billions of minutes (or thousands of years) of App engagement, on its mobile experience platform.

Siemer & Associates was advisor to GoTV Networks on the transaction, while Phunware was self represented.

About Phunware, Inc.
Phunware creates brandME™, the best and most powerful branded mobile experiences in the world, along with PRAISE™, the global industry standard for bulletproof mobile application infrastructure. Phunware leads the mobile application revolution globally and is reinventing the mobile application experience for the benefit of consumers everywhere. Phunware has introduced category defining applications that challenge the outer limits of the best mobile devices on Earth and is defining the future standard for mobile application experiences. Visit us at www.Phunware.com.

About GoTV Networks, Inc.
GoTV Networks enables media owners and brands to deliver compelling, personalized, highly engaging content experiences through feature-rich smart applications distributed to the widest audience possible. Visit us at www.goTVnetworks.com.

Contact:
Melissa Anthony
anthonyBarnum Public Relations
Ph: (512) 619-9454
Melissa@anthonybarnum.com

Yeah, we do live streams on mobile. A lot of them. We’ve even rattled our teeth a couple of times early on. But eventually we got good enough to get bored with it.

Just a few months ago, putting 3D content on a cell phone carried the highest degree of difficulty. And we nailed it, creating video and developing the key encoding solution for the debut of Sprint’s HTC Evo 3D phone at this year’s CTIA conference.

If degree of difficulty wasn’t enough, we also tacked on a few style points, letting viewers leave the geeky cardboard glasses at home. 3D. On a phone. Without glasses. Sweet.

In March, we moved on to high fives and chest bumps. Corona and Jack all around. Today, it’s a wheelie. And please don’t poke your eye out with that umbrella in your drink.

A live 3D stream is the new holy grail … and the Travis Pastranas of tech are biffing … trying to squeeze all that data through a larger, but still not-yet-big-enough, pipe. They’re close, but not yet. So far nobody’s been able to quite stick the landing. But they will. Hell, we will.

It will make us some money as people hire us for projects both epic and inane. Having Lady Gaga or the Super Bowl “pop out” of your mobile device or tablet will be a burly visual experience. In time, in very short time, however, the thrill will be gone and it will become just another wheelie. Something any six-year-old with brittle bone syndrome can feel safe in attempting and secure in pulling off.

So why does it matter? Why all the noise about something that will flare like a supernova and fade faster than Lou Diamond Phillips’ career?

It isn’t about entertainment. It never has been. Entertainment is part of the toolkit; a commodity created to keep people busy while we go back and take our lumps working on gnarlier moves.

It matters because it’s proof that it can be done. It matters because it’s the next step … in TV (whatever that means these days), in communication and in the way that we share information, anytime and anywhere. Most importantly, it matters because it enhances the way we experience life. And it’s all about the experience – whether you’re getting big air or landing a crazy face-plant.

First came the printing press, then the telegraph, then the telephone, then the radio, then the television, then the satellite, then the Internet and now the mobile devices. Each new development was better, faster and more impactful than the one before it. Every “point-whatever” upgrade makes it possible to more deeply engage both our world and each other, bringing us a more complete life experience than the legacy version we try to dump on eBay.

Pushing the edge makes it possible for us, the grand “US”, to walk through time and space, providing an almost infinite number of people, places and ideas that we can visit or summon. In doing so, we are bigger, better, smarter and stronger. And we are incrementally closer to fully realizing the limitless potential that we are confronted with every day.

It’s why we do what we do here at Phunware. It’s why we focus on the experience, not the feature sets, when developing our apps and stretching the limits of both our tech and creative teams alike.

It’s why we’ll stick the landing of live 3D streams. It’s why we’re alive. And looking damn good on the highlight reel we might add.

Be sure to check out our awesome Phunware Studios Reel for highlights of our work with Wrigleys, Lexus, Austin City Limits, the MLB and more!