Verizon Wireless launches easy-to-use picture messaging service

BEDMINSTER, NJ — Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless service provider and operator of the nation's best wireless network, today announced its customers now have an easy way to communicate visually with its picture messaging service.  With just four easy "clicks" — taps of the keypad — picture messaging from Verizon Wireless lets customers share special moments.  

Customers simply snap a picture with their camera phone, enter a Verizon Wireless phone number or any e-mail address, type a TXT message, add a sound and hit send to send a picture message to another Verizon Wireless customer, any e-mail address or virtual photo album.  They can also add cool elements to their picture messages, such as frames, voice recordings and more.  Verizon Wireless customers also have access to dedicated storage space on the Web at Pix Place to compose, share, manage and save virtual photo albums.

Picture messaging from Verizon Wireless is convenient, intuitive and easy to follow, requiring just a few easy clicks to take and send a photo.  Customers can use the service on their own time, on their own terms, since the 'out of the box' experience was designed with the user in mind — there is no need to sign up for a service plan, as users can snap and send on a pay-as-they-go basis.  

"If you want to share photos with your friends and family members right on your wireless phone, picture messaging from Verizon Wireless is the perfect choice," said John Stratton, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless.  "The combination of this intuitive service and the nation's best wireless network gives our customers the ability to send photos directly from one phone to another person's phone or e-mail."

Picture Messaging — Phone-to-Phone or Phone-to-E-mail

When a Verizon Wireless customer sends a picture message from their camera phone, the recipient receives the photo and message on their Verizon Wireless camera phone or in their regular e-mail box.  Verizon Wireless picture messaging users can send picture messages to any Verizon Wireless customer with a phone capable of receiving TXT messages.  Those who do not have a picture messaging (Multimedia Messaging Service; MMS)-enabled phone will simply receive a TXT message that will direct them to a Web page to view new picture messages from their PC. 

Pix Place — Online Gallery and Message ComposerPix Place (http://www.vzwpix.com/), the companion Web site for picture messaging, gives customers dedicated storage space to share, manage and save pictures.  The online Gallery offers several categories of content that customers can use to spice up their picture messages.  Choose from Just for Fun, Love/Flirt, Nature, Songs, Sounds and Sports.The Pix Place Message Composer allows customers to create picture messages online.  Customers can use their own pictures or select from the online Gallery.  They can add sounds and text to their messages — and even preview them before sending.  The Message Composer also lets them create slide shows to send to other Verizon Wireless customers.

Pricing

Customers have the option to pay as they go for each picture message, $0.25 for each message sent or received, plus airtime, or select from bundled picture messaging Pix Paks:

• $2.99 per month for 20 messages, and only $0.25 for each additional message sent or received, plus airtime
• $4.99 per month for 40 messages, and only $0.25 for each additional message sent or received, plus airtime

If the picture message is sent to a phone that can only receive a TXT message, the cost to receive the message is just $0.02, as the recipient receives a short text message directing them to the Pix Place Web site where they can register to view new picture messages. And whether a message is sent from phone to phone, phone to e-mail or phone to the Internet, picture messages sent to up to 10 addresses are billed as only one message sent.  Through August 3, 2003, Verizon Wireless customers who sign up for the $2.99 per month (plus airtime) Pix Pak get unlimited picture messages to send and receive until January 1, 2004.    Verizon Wireless customers can access Pix Place at no additional charge, where they can store pictures in their own dedicated storage space.

An extension of Verizon Wireless' Get It NowSM service that falls under the Flix & Pix aisle, picture messaging is available on Get It Now picture messaging-enabled phones.

Devices

At launch, picture messaging is available on the LG VX6000 camera phone, a top-of-the-line wireless handset with an integrated camera that offers one of the only zoom control features available.  The LG VX6000 camera phone lets users zoom in on their subjects and adjust the resolution of the photo with three settings: Low (160x120), Medium (320x240) and High (640x480).  Additional picture messaging-capable camera phones will be available later this year. The LG VX6000 is offered for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year customer agreement.  Verizon Wireless products and services are available in more than 1,200 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, at participating RadioShack locations and on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com.