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

April 28, 2006

Builds on Industry-Leading Instant Mobile Access to Home Audio

    EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 28 /Xinhua-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
http://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
http://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. 

    For more information, please contact:

     Ann Willey of Orb Networks, Inc.
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]
     Skype: annwilley

SOURCE  Orb Networks, Inc.