Mavs AR Mobile Application Now Available Via Android Market

Mavs AR Mobile Application Now Available Via Android Market

— Qualcomm and Big PlayAR Team with the Dallas Mavericks to Launch Augmented Reality Application Unveiled at American Airlines Center during First Round of NBA Playoffs —

DALLAS — April 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) and Big PlayAR are working with the Dallas Mavericks to add a unique twist to the NBA Playoffs by bringing game tickets to life through augmented reality (AR). Mavs AR, a game developed by Big PlayAR using augmented reality technology pioneered by Qualcomm, is now available for download in the Android Market. This marks the first commercial AR application released based on Qualcomm’s vision-based technology. Mavs AR is designed for Android-based smartphones and tablets, and creates a virtual basketball court in the palm of your hand. Fans attending the Mavs playoff games at American Airlines Center can point their smartphone or tablet running the Mavs AR application at their ticket to play the game.

“Augmented reality is an exciting new feature for mobile devices and Qualcomm has developed technology that takes ordinary 2D surfaces, such as game tickets, and brings them to life with rich 3D graphics,” said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Qualcomm. “We are pleased to work with Big PlayAR and the Dallas Mavericks to bring the first Qualcomm vision-based AR application to market and enrich the NBA Playoff experience for Mavs fans.”

As part of the launch, “AR Phone Zones” will be positioned throughout American Airlines Center during the Mavs’ first-round playoff series, beginning April 16th. At the AR Phone Zones, Mavs fans can learn more about and play the Mavs AR game. The Zones will also feature experts to demonstrate the Mavs AR application on the latest Android devices and a large-scale game ticket replica.

“Some of us still keep our tickets in scrap books, so imagine the fun of bringing your scrap book to life as well,” said John Robison, founder and president of Big PlayAR. “Big PlayAR is thrilled to be launching this Qualcomm-enabled technology with great names in entertainment like the Mavericks and Mark Cuban. This is only the beginning of a fun way to interact with fans, and I think they’re going to love it.”

“We are excited to bring this new, fun technology to our fans and add to the Playoff experience,” said Mavs owner Mark Cuban. “Augmented reality will allow our fans to become one of our players through the ticket. Using AR technology from Qualcomm, the app was designed by Big PlayAR specifically for the Mavs and is now available for download through the Android Market. We anticipate using this AR technology in future projects and expect to have all platforms supported.”

Leading device manufacturers are providing handsets and tablets based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon™ processor for fans to use at the AR Phone Zones, including the Dell Streak 5, HTC Inspire™ 4G, HTC ThunderBolt™, and Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY.

For more information about Qualcomm and Augmented Reality, please visit:

www.qualcomm.com/ar
www.mavs.com/ar
www.bigplayar.com

About Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are part of the 30 team National Basketball Association (NBA). The club, which plays at American Airlines Center, began as an expansion franchise in 1980 and competes in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The team’s 2010-2011 record of 57-25 was the tenth consecutive season with more than 50 wins, which is the third longest streak in NBA history. In addition to on-court success, the Mavs are also committed to making a difference in North Texas through community outreach programs and the Dallas Mavericks Foundation. More information on the Dallas Mavericks and their community involvement can be found at mavs.com.

About Big PlayAR
Big PlayAR, Inc. was formed to bring the best Augmented Reality (“AR”) functionality available to the market by providing compelling interactive games allowing users and brands to Awaken the Mobile Device. The Big PlayAR business eco-system strives to integrate next generation CRM with AR for lead generation that grabs, retains and closes the marketing loop. It seeks to unite teams and fans, buyers and sellers, members and organizations and many others using the Big PlayAR games like Mavs AR. Look for more campaigns like the Mavs “BRING THE TICKET TO LIFE” from Big PlayAR as a part of its AWAKEN YOUR PHONE ™ program. For more information, visit us at the following websites:

www.facebook.com/bigplayar
www.twitter.com/bigplayar

About Qualcomm
Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is a world leader in 3G and next-generation mobile technologies. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other. Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere. For more information, visit Qualcomm around the Web:

www.qualcomm.com
Corporate Blog: www.qualcomm.com/blog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/qualcomm
Facebook: www.facebook.com/qualcomm


Qualcomm is a registered trademark and Snapdragon is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Other trademarks are property of their respective owners



Big PlayAR Contact:
John Robison
1-310-300-4033
jrobison@bigplayar.com
Dallas Mavericks Contact:
Gina Calvert
1-214-658-7177
gina.calvert@dallasmavs.com


Qualcomm Contacts:
Emily Kilpatrick
Corporate Communications
1-858-845-5959
corpcomm@qualcomm.com
Warren Kneeshaw
Investor Relations
1-858-658-4813
ir@qualcomm.com

Gray-Market Handsets Continue to Plague AME Mobile Markets, Pyramid Finds

• Gray-market handsets are cell phones manufactured in China that are not recognized or licensed by government regulators. Makers of these products generally do not pay China’s value-added taxes and, therefore, profit illegally from their participation in the market.

• China’s gray-market cell phone shipments will amount to 255 million units in 2011, up 11.8 percent from 228 million in 2010. This compares to a rise of 43.6 percent in 2009.



13 Apr 2011 18:00 Africa/Lagos


Gray-Market Handsets Continue to Plague AME Mobile Markets, Pyramid Finds

PR Newswire

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 13, 2011

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of gray market handsets sold across AME will remain steady through 2015, however the sharp increase in legitimate handset sales during that period will reduce the percentage of gray market handset units sold in AME to 13 percent, according to a new report from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com).

Squashing Gray Markets for Mobile Handsets describes the reasons behind the emergence of gray markets in the African handset markets and addresses some initiatives by handset manufacturers, network operators and government agencies to counteract these trends. It observes that concerted efforts are necessary if gray markets are to be challenged and provides examples from Turkey, Nigeria and South Africa to illustrate the arguments in more detail.

Download an excerpt of this report here: http://www.pyramidresearch.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PRN041311_INSAME3.3

Purchase the report here: http://www.pyramidresearch.com/store/ins_ame_110407.htm?sc=PRN041311_INSAME3.3

"Pyramid believes that shrinking gray markets in Africa depends on manufacturers and operators providing the right incentives for end users to buy authentic handsets, rather than solely branding gray markets as illegitimate," says Kerem Arsal, Analyst at Pyramid. "This requires handset manufacturers to work with network operators to develop affordable handsets, while government agencies should implement policies to encourage the sale and domestic distribution of legitimate handsets," he indicates.

Many African end users can afford only the cheapest of handsets. "Even in cases where income is not an immediate obstacle, limited mobile network capabilities in most markets suggest that phones that are rich in features are not urgently needed," says Arsal. "In response to the gray market handsets, handset manufacturers are aiming for clever combinations to appeal to end users by providing affordable and simple phones, while staying more in touch with the usage realities of the African markets when coming up with relevant features," he adds.

"In African markets where mobile operators have a degree of subscriber loyalty, they should be employed as the primary channel for handset distribution," Arsal says. "Where mobile operators achieve some degree of loyalty, then handset manufacturers are better off using network operators' channels at the expense of sharing some revenue," he notes. "In fact, any loss of revenue due to selling indirectly can easily be counteracted by the scale and certainty provided by powerful mobile operators, as well as by recovering the loss of market share to gray markets," Arsal adds.

Squashing Gray Markets for Mobile Handsets is part of Pyramid Research's Telecom Insider Report Series and is priced at $595. Download the excerpt here: http://www.pyramidresearch.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PRN041311_INSAME3.3. It can be purchased online here (http://www.pyramidresearch.com/store/ins_ame_110407.htm?sc=PRN041311_INSAME3.3 ) or by emailing us at info@pyr.com.

Contact: Jennifer Baker, +1-617-871-1910, jbaker@pyr.com

SOURCE Pyramid Research

Web Site: http://www.pyramidresearch.com

Advantages of Nokia messaging devices over BlackBerry

Nokia E72




No additional fee for data on top of service plan; works with any service plan/data provider.

Average cost of paid app $3.47
Easy set up of work and personal email in only 3 steps
Out of the box access to consumer email accounts such as Hotmail and Gmail
Stay connected to 10 personal email accounts at once
Immediate access to most popular IM communities
(Yahoo, Microsoft Live and Gmail)
High-quality 5MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens and one touch auto focus
Free Ovi Maps with Walk and Drive navigation
Ultra slim line design with Stainless Steel and Brushed Aluminum
Create separate, customized home screens for work and personal life.


BlackBerry Bold 9700




Must have additional BlackBerry data plan
($4+ for RIM vs $1.85 for Nokia)
Average cost of paid app $8.26
Over 10 steps to set up email on BlackBerry
Dedicated app needed for instant messaging
3.2MP camera
No free maps and navigation
BlackBerry 8mm thicker than Nokia E72
No ability to separate/tailor home screens





Advantages of Nokia messaging devices over BlackBerry




It is important that everyone in Nokia is aware of advantages of Nokia messaging devices so that we as ambassadors of the messaging range can engage in discussions about the difference between the BlackBerry and Nokia offering. Here’s where we think we are stronger:


• While BlackBerry wants you to be a BlackBerry person with their own communications tools, Nokia lets you to be you and work the way you like by using your choice of messaging solutions - Nokia offers a wide variety of ways to communicate including email & instant messaging and to update social networks. Wide range of devices in a variety of styles. Nokia’s portfolio carries over 100 email-enabled models. The BlackBerry range of devices only includes six QWERTY devices in the UK, and one touch device. For smaller budgets BlackBerry offers nothing.





• Affordable and predictable pricing - With Nokia Messaging, all consumer email and IM is included into the operator data plan There are no hidden costs, taxes, license fees like there are for BlackBerry. Research has shown that companies can save an average of £215 per year per employee by using a Nokia Eseries handset with Mail for Exchange or IBM Lotus Notes Traveler instead of BlackBerry. (Source Nokia Internal Research).



• Easy Email and IM set-up - Nokia messaging devices have an easy 3 step email set up, directly from the home screen of the device. No downloading the application, installing it and configuring the account like on BlackBerry. With Nokia you can directly access 90% of the world’s corporate email and IM through partnerships with Microsoft Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes.



As an example, the Nokia E72 wins over the BlackBerry Bold 9700 in some important areas: It has easier email setup with more email and IM service options, it’s less expensive, has a better camera, comes with OVI Maps with free walk and drive navigation and premium travel guide content, has faster web browsing speed, features a thinner design and stainless steel build, and allows for two tailored home screens.