Gruner + Jahr EMS – Gruner + Jahr’s digital media marketing company – and Vodafone Germany have signed a contract to market advertising on Vodafone live!, Germany’s biggest mobile communications portal. This partnership means that ad placements can be booked on Vodafone live! for the very first time since the portal was launched. Gruner + Jahr EMS will be marketing mobile content ads, TV commercials, radio commercials, sponsorships, microsites and more to potential Vodafone live! advertising partners on an exclusive basis. The focus will be on cross media packages with Gruner + Jahr print and online brands, and on selective expansion into other Vodafone communication channels for integrative cooperation campaigns.

Vodafone live! is by far the most successful and best performing mobile communications portal in Germany. The portal’s comprehensive range of sports, news and entertainment services consists of products such as mobile TV, mobile music, games, live tickers and other services.

Gruner + Jahr EMS will provide a dedicated mobile advertising team that will work with the EMS field service and G+J media sales team to market Vodafone live!. G+J EMS will support the Vodafone live! advertising campaigns with precise market research, just as it does in online and digital TV marketing. The technical implementation of the ads will be realised with the assistance of arvato mobile.

Erik Friemuth, Director Business Unit Vodafone live! said, ” “Mobile advertising is a new, innovative market with high growth potential. With more than six million active Vodafone live! Devices in Germany we have now the necessary reach for mobile advertising. As the mobile multimedia portal market leader, we can profit greatly from the mobile advertising market. It was Gruner + Jahr’s vast expertise in print and online marketing that persuaded us to select G+J EMS as our partner. Another aspect that swayed our decision are the creative cross media packages that G+J EMS can offer to our potential advertising partners.”

Rainer Markussen, CEO Gruner + Jahr EMS said, “Vodafone live! will make Gruner + Jahr EMS the biggest mobile portal marketing services provider in Germany. It gives us another mainstay alongside digital TV that will help us to expand our client business. The incorporation of advertisements on Vodafone live! gives users added value. We want to set new benchmarks for mobile advertising in the German market.”

The delegate for Innovation, Science and Business and the delegate for Equality have presented this initiative, in collaboration with the FundaciГіn Vodafone

The delegate for Innovation, Science and Business, Francisco ГЃlvaro Julio, accompanied by the delegate for Equality and Social Welfare, MВЄ JosГ© Castro and the scientific and cultural Advisor of the FundaciГіn Vodafone, Javier del Arco today presented its training campaign, known as “MГіvil cerca de Ti” [Keeping a Mobile Handy] in the Junta de AndalucГ­a’s Day Centre for the Elderly in Triana, to help the elderly learn how to use a mobile phone. This initiative, which will benefit more than 10,000 elderly people from all over Andalusia, is the result of the co-operation agreement signed in April 2005 between the Department of Innovation, Science and Business and the FundaciГіn Vodafone with the aim of developing the Information Society in Andalusia. The DelegaciГіn provincial Igualdad y Bienestar Social [Provincial Department of Equality and Social Welfare] is also co-operating in this Plan, within the framework of actions established for the Innovation and Modernisation of Andalusia Plan.

Since the signature of the agreement with the ConsejerГ­a de InnovaciГіn, Ciencia y Empresa [Department of Innovation, Science and Business], the FundaciГіn Vodafone has been developing a series of projects in co-operation with the Junta de AndalucГ­a, prominent among which is this campaign to teach the elderly how to use the mobile phone in a friendly environment, eliminating the technological barrier which these devices symbolise for this group of population. To implement this training initiative, approximately one hundred thousand euros have been used of the nine million initially committed by Vodafone and the FundaciГіn Vodafone to conduct projects in Andalusia until 2007, as a result of the above agreement.

The campaign “MГіvil cerca de Ti” aims to develop 400 training courses in 163 Day Centres for the Elderly, in an attempt to explain how to use a mobile properly to almost 10,000 elderly people all over Andalusia. 84 courses are being given in the province of Seville in Day Centres in Macarena, Dos Hermanas, HeliГіpolis, Lora del RГ­o, Utrera, Puebla del RГ­o, Osuna, SanlГєcar la Mayor, Ciudad JardГ­n, Cerro del ГЃguila, Triana, Marchena, La Algaba, San Juan de Aznalfarache, Villanueva del RГ­o y Minas, MorГіn de la Frontera, Arahal, El Viso del Alcor, Mairena del Alcor, Casariche, PeГ±aflor, AlcalГЎ de GuadaГ­ra, Г‰cija, El Coronil, Coria, Lebrija, Carmona, Los Palacios and Camas, spread over the months of April to November this year.

Each course, with a minimum of 12 students and a maximum of 25, will last approximately 3 hours, will be given by two specialised trainers and is divided into four blocks: a brief, theoretical introduction, performing initial actions, training exercises and finally putting into practice the applications taught, with a summary and generalisation.

Specifically, the monitors – engineering students, particularly from fields of Telecommunications or I.T. – will demonstrate practical skills such as making and receiving a call, sending and reading SMS messages, configuration of the address book, etc. On top of this, at the end of each course, there will be a draw where the prize is a Vodafone Simply mobile.

Among the main aims of the FundaciГіn Vodafone EspaГ±a is promoting the implementation of projects to help use new mobile communications technologies to aid in the integration of vulnerable groups into social life and the labour market, and promoting and performing studies and activities which will spread knowledge and awareness and bring certain groups closer to the information society (with publications, courses, seminars, post-graduate courses…).

Palm Experience Delivered on Windows Mobile With Push Email, 3G/UMTS Speeds

Palm (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced the Palm(R) Treo(TM) 750v smartphone, the first Treo smartphone to take advantage of Vodafone’s 3G/UMTS network. The Treo 750v brings the Palm experience on Microsoft(R)’s Windows Mobile(R) 5.0 to Europe for the first time. The new Treo 750v will be available first to Vodafone customers in the following countries: Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and other regions by the end of the calendar year.

“The new Treo 750v smartphone — made available first in Europe — on the Vodafone 3G/UMTS network is Palm’s latest salvo to reach more customers in more regions with an ever-expanding line of compelling Treo smartphones,” said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer from Palm. “Expanding the Treo footprint globally is a key focus for Palm, and with collaborative marketing investments in Europe from Palm, Vodafone and Microsoft, we are confident we can captivate mobile professionals and businesses and help them be more productive in the office and on the go.”

The Treo 750v combines the hallmark Palm experience of a multifeatured mobile phone with email, messaging, web browsing and organization software all in a new compact design.(1) The new smartphone comes with Microsoft’s Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) for Windows Mobile 5.0, which includes Direct Push Technology and enhanced security features free and out of the box.(2) It is also fully compatible with Vodafone Business Email, giving remote access to enterprise and Internet-based email accounts. These business-ready solutions address the need for a robust push-email solution that can be deployed easily by small businesses to global enterprises.

Unique to the Treo smartphone on Windows Mobile 5.0 is a suite of software enhancements developed by Palm that underscores its brand promise of fast access, ease of use and simplicity. Examples include the following:

– Today Screen enhancements, which feature the ability to “dial by name” with a few keystrokes on the keyboard, perform a web search directly from the Today Screen and perform one-touch dialing with personalized photo speed dials;

– Ability to manage a call directly from the Today Screen and stay on top of voicemail with on-screen, VCR-like icons, such as rewind, delete and fast-forward controls for easy navigation;

– Ability to ignore a call and quickly compose a text message, such as “In a meeting” or “Can’t talk”; and

– Dedicated messaging application for SMS/MMS that is organized in a “chat thread” so users can reference prior messages and use emoticons for a personal touch.

“The new Treo 750v smartphone, when combined with our high-speed 3G/UMTS network and push email, makes an invaluable tool for our business customers,” said Oliver Mauss, global director of Business Marketing, Vodafone. “Our commitment to help customers increase their productivity and make the most of their business and personal time will be further enhanced by the addition of this new innovative device to our range of business solutions.”

“We’re excited to team up with Palm and Vodafone to launch a Windows Mobile-based Treo in Europe. We’re seeing significant adoption of mobile applications among business users in the region, and the Treo is an attractive proposition for organizations considering mobile deployments,” said Nick Barley, business and marketing officer, Microsoft U.K. Limited. “The Treo 750v builds on the power and flexibility of Windows Mobile, Palm’s unique design and user experience, and service through one of the world’s leading mobile operators to deliver a winning solution that connects professionals to their critical information while on the go.”

Benefits of Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition

The Windows Mobile-based Treo smartphones from Palm provide customers with a compelling combination of powerful software, an award-winning form factor, and the ease of use long associated with the Palm experience. Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition provides many user benefits:

– Touch screen: Makes surfing websites, gathering data and navigating forms and applications much easier;

– Copy and paste: Additional functionality provides added productivity;

– Built-in viewers and editors: Ability to view and edit Microsoft Word and Excel(R) files and “roundtrip” those edits back to original files on the user’s desktop, and view PowerPoint(R) presentations and PDF files;

– Breadth of applications: More than 18,000 commercial applications available for Windows Mobile; and

– Saving: Ability to save images and sounds from a website.

Treo 750v Features and Benefits

– Powerful Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 with Palm enhancements;

– Integrated SMS/MMS with chat view and dedicated inbox;

– Mobile access to multiple business and personal email accounts;

– 3G/UMTS network for fast data access;

– 1.3-megapixel digital camera that also captures video;

– Windows Media(R) Player 10 Mobile for music and video;

– Built-in Bluetooth(R) wireless technology enhanced to support Bluetooth enabled stereo headsets;

– Mini-SD expansion slot; and

– 240×240 transflective (TFT) touch screen.