ProductsOur ServicesContact Us

press


<< back

Media Contact:
Charles Oliva
Vindigo Studios
pr@vindigo.com

Christine Mohan
The New York Times Company
212-556-7078
mohan@NYTimes.com

Jeffrey Nelson
Verizon Wireless
908-306-4824
Jeffrey.Nelson@verizonwireless.com


NYTIMES.COM LAUNCHES PAID MOBILE NEWS SERVICE WITH VINDIGO STUDIOS AND VERIZON WIRELESS


Vindigo Brings New York Times News, Reviews and Photos to Verizon Wireless Get It NowSM Customers


NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2003 - NYTimes.com today announced that it is partnering with Vindigo Studios, one of the best-known developers and publishers of consumer information and entertainment applications for mobile devices, to launch NYTimes.com Mobile News with Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless service provider.

The new subscription service, priced at $3.75 monthly access, is available to Verizon Wireless customers with select Get It NowSM-capable phones. These customers can now download The New York Times's award-winning news coverage in an easy-to-read format, to read on their phones via a fast and flexible interface. Updated hourly, NYTimes.com Mobile News provides full text of most of each day's newspaper, including:

Subscribers can also e-mail articles to friends and download New York Times color photos to use as wallpaper on their phones. An overview and instructions on how to download the application are available at www.nytimes.com/nytmobile.

"Our application's format and speed make it possible to read full-length news articles on a phone," said Jason Devitt, chief executive officer of Vindigo Studios. "We were selected to bring The New York Times's content to next-generation phones as a result of our proprietary technology, which will allow us to launch NYTimes.com Mobile News on multiple models of phones simultaneously."

"We are pleased to expand our long-term partnership with Vindigo Studios to offer our high-quality news and analysis to Verizon Get It Now customers," said Ira Silberstein, director of business development, New York Times Digital. "We know there is a demand from our readers to access NYTimes.com on the go, and we are committed to providing New York Times content in whatever platform our readers want to access it."

NYTimes.com Mobile News is currently available to Verizon Wireless customers on select LG and Audiovox mobile phones and will soon be accessible through select Samsung and Motorola models. Verizon Wireless customers can download a free one-day trial of NYTimes.com Mobile News by going to the "Download Shop" on their handsets, selecting the getGOING category, then selecting "The New York Times" option.

"We are excited to offer our growing number of Get It Now customers premium content from one of the world's leading news sources," said Jim Straight, vice president of wireless data and multimedia services, Verizon Wireless. "Our distribution arrangement with Vindigo and NYTimes.com expands our growing list of brand-name content and helps us to provide up-to-the-minute news and information to our mobile customers."

New York Times Digital has partnered with Vindigo since March 2000 to provide PDA users with restaurant, nightlife and film reviews from NYTimes.com and Boston.com. NYTimes.com Mobile News is the latest offering in the Web site's premium suite that includes Times News Tracker, a highly customizable e-mail notification service; Premium Crosswords, the exclusive online source for the daily Times crossword and 2,000 archived crosswords; and paid archives of articles more than seven days old.

About New York Times Digital
New York Times Digital is the digital business unit of The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) and includes market leaders NYTimes.com and Boston.com, and an archive distribution business. NYTD's mission is to provide a high-quality, worldwide online audience with trusted editorial content from The New York Times and The Boston Globe.

About Vindigo Studios
Vindigo Studios is one of the best-known developers and publishers of consumer information and entertainment applications for mobile devices in the U.S. Vindigo Studio's proprietary technology and network of content partners power compelling applications on every major mobile platform including BREW™, Java, Palm Powered™, and Pocket PC devices. Vindigo Studios enables people to explore, enjoy, and connect to the world around them. More information can be found at www.vindigostudios.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 34.6 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com.

About Get It NowSM
Get It Now from Verizon Wireless puts a virtual software store inside a wireless phone. Customers with Get It Now-capable phones can download applications over the air and purchase them from their phones. getTXT, getIM and getEMAIL help customers stay in touch and communicate with others. getGAMES keeps customers entertained, while getGOING applications, made for today's mobile lifestyle, offers restaurant location services with maps, directions and more. View and share digital photos with getPIX, check out Web cams with getFLIX or identify incoming callers by assigning a unique ring with getTONES. getALERTS keeps customers informed while getBROWSING lets them access the Web from their wireless phone.

###

Vindigo is a registered trademark of Vindigo, Inc.
All names may be the trademarks of their respective companies.