WEATHERNEWS WINS TOP HONORS FROM BEST STUFF MAGAZINE FOR ITS BREW™-BASED WIRELESS WEATHER APPLICATION
World's Largest Provider of Weather Information Awarded "BEST" in Mobile Software for Its Weather Application
San Francisco, CA, (May 4, 2004) – Best Stuff Magazine, the premier "guide to buying life's best stuff" announced Weathernews as the winner of a "Best Stuff Award" in the mobile software category for its wireless weather application designed for QUALCOMM's BREW solution. The awards were announced at Pepcom's MobileFocus media event in Atlanta, Georgia in March. Now in its fourth year, the highly coveted awards - formerly called the MobileFocus Awards - honor the best in mobile and wireless technology.
"We are excited to receive this award from Best Stuff Magazine," said Richard O'Connell, vice president of marketing and new media at Weathernews. "We worked extremely hard to create an outstanding wireless weather application with colorful graphics and innovative features. It is great to be recognized by a magazine committed to introducing its readers to the 'best stuff'."
The award was presented to Weathernews at MobileFocus, which took place at the Inforum in downtown Atlanta, the evening before the wireless trade show at the Georgia World Congress Center. An exclusive showcase for press and analysts, MobileFocus' attendees included almost three dozen participating companies and industry leaders such as Motorola, Microsoft, Siemens, LG, Samsung, Palm, QUALCOMM, RIM, Sprint, Dell, HP, and Sony Ericsson.
"QUALCOMM congratulates Weathernews on this outstanding achievement," said Mike Yuen, director of BREW developer relations for QUALCOMM Internet Services. "We are pleased that the BREW system is enabling developers to deliver valuable, useful, and relevant services to their customers."
The Weathernews wireless application, which is available on select handsets from leading cellular service providers, delivers weather information for over 60,000 forecast locations around the world. The application costs around $3.00/month and includes these cutting-edge features:
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Visuals of more than 130 major U.S. and international city skylines with current sky conditions |
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Current conditions at top U.S. airports detailing delays and airline phone numbers |
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My Weather – Preset weather information for up to 5 “favorite” cities |
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Weathernews' Wake Up With Weather alarm clock, which plays a specific ring tone based on the current weather in the city for which it is set and also provides an early wake-up on those days when the weather may impact the morning commute |
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A vacation planner with long-term climatological information about specific destinations |
The "Best Stuff Awards" were issued in nine categories: Mobile Computer/Professional, Mobile Computer/Consumer, Mobile Computer/Handheld & Tablet, Mobile/Remote Software, Mobile Messaging Device/Communicator, Mobile Accessories, Wireless Phone/Color, Wireless Phone/B&W, and the Mobile Innovation award.
Publishers and developers worldwide are generating revenue from BREW-based applications and content, and 26 manufacturers have offered more than 135 BREW-enabled device models to consumers.
About Best Stuff Magazine
Best Stuff Magazine is the premier magazine "guide to buying life's best stuff." It is a unique consumer buying resource that targets readers interested in acquiring the finest products and experiences in life. Staffed by contributors to BestStuff.com and various national broadcast outlets, Best Stuff Magazine was launched in 2003 and is published by PRIMEDIA, Inc., the country's leading targeted media company.
Weathernews Americas Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Weathernews, Inc. Based in Japan, Weathernews, Inc. is the world's largest, publicly-traded, full-service weather company (TSE#1, 4825). A global organization with 38 offices in 14 countries, Weathernews delivers customized, risk communication services to businesses and individuals whose lives or livelihoods are affected by the weather. With over 12,000 business customers and 1,000,000 wireless subscribers worldwide, the company consistently evaluates and evolves existing applications for weather information while exploring additional markets and industries which would benefit operationally and financially from specific weather information and delivery methods. Currently, Weathernews delivers weather information, analysis and risk communication services to some of the largest companies in agriculture, aviation, energy, marine, media, offshore oil and retail. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.weathernews.com.
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