Orb Powers Instant Access to Internet Radio and Podcasts From Mobile Phones on Any Carrier Network

Orb Powers Instant Access to Internet Radio and Podcasts From Mobile Phones on Any Carrier Network

Builds on Industry-Leading Instant Mobile Access to Home Audio

EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Orb Networks, the pioneering developer of software for instant enjoyment of content everywhere, today announced support for playing and recording Internet radio and for enjoying podcasts from any mobile device with a streaming Windows Media(R) Player, RealPlayer(R), 3GP player, or Macromedia(R) Flash(TM) Player on any carrier network and WiFi.

No specialized mobile software or mobile fees other than a data plan are required. Anyone can now play and record Internet radio and enjoy podcasts from the native Web browser and streaming media player of their mobile phones and PDAs.

Because Orb(TM) support for instant mobile access to iRadio and podcasts builds on its industry-leading support for instant enjoyment everywhere of home music and Audible.com(R) audiobook collections, users can mix and match home and Internet content to create their own completely personal mobile radio channels.

"The whole point of Orb is to empower our users to instantly 'mycast' all their favorite content to themselves wherever they are," said Ian McCarthy, Vice President of Product Marketing for Orb Networks. "Consumers demand more from mobile radio than an FM tuner in their phones or specialized satellite- radio devices and subscription services. Consumers need to be able to roll their own programming from all their favorite audio content, wherever it is. Orb puts that power in the consumer's hands. Our users can mix and match content from their favorite iRadio stations, podcasts, and home music and audiobook collections to create their own completely personal mobile radio."

Orb removes the media-format and bitrate challenges to making Internet radio and podcasts available to everyone on their everyday mobile devices. The free Orb software on a user's always-connected Windows(R) XP PC acts as the user's personal "mycast" server, serving up content streams in the media format and bitrate appropriate to the user's mobile device.

For example, an iRadio feed of a live FIFA World Cup(TM) match available only in Windows Media Audio format can still be enjoyed live (or recorded to play later) from a Nokia(R) mobile phone's RealPlayer. Similarly, .wma-format podcasts downloaded to the PC running Orb would be streamed from that PC as Real Audio. Content providers can publish iRadio feeds and podcasts in their own preferred media format and bitrate and still be sure that their audiences can enjoy the content on their everyday mobile devices.

"I love the idea of someone being able to listen to podcasts like The Media Center Show on any mobile device without my having to host the show in multiple formats," said Ian Dixon, host of the popular Media Center Show on The Podcast Network. "I can leave the conversions and plumbing to Orb."

Because Orb users have instant mobile access to their favorite podcasts and iRadio stations, breaking-news and other time-sensitive podcasts and iRadio programs can now reach their audiences right away even when their listeners are away from their PCs.

"Grassroots Enterprise is the firm that pioneered the use of podcasting in the political sector," said Arvind Rajan, CEO of Grassroots Enterprise, Inc. "Orb dramatically expands the power of podcasting as an effective medium for our clients to reach people with their messages where and when it matters."

Orb is available now for free download at www.orb.com.

About Orb Networks, Inc.

Orb Networks is the pioneering developer of software and services that give people secure, free, and instant access to all their digital media everywhere. The award-winning Orb software makes it easy for consumers to enjoy their home and Internet TV, music, videos, photos, podcasts, and other digital content from mobile phones, PDAs, and laptops everywhere. Orb is a member of the DLNA and is a privately held company in Emeryville, California. For more information about Orb, please visit www.orb.com.

NOTE: Orb is a trademark of Orb Networks, Inc. All other trademarks and/or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Source: Orb Networks, Inc.

CONTACT: Ann Willey of Orb Networks, Inc., +1-510-903-0944, or
ann.willey@orb.com, or Skype: annwilley

Web site: http://www.orb.com/

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