Nokia’s been Twango-ed


25 Jul 2007

Mobile maker Nokia has acquired the assets of a US company for an undisclosed sum that was founded by former Microsoft veterans and specialises in making the sharing of videos, pictures and audio clips easy.

The mobile giant described the acquisition as a step closer to its vision of being a conduit for mobile internet services.

Privately-owned Twango makes the organising, sharing and republishing of social media easy. The service is ideal for personal desktop computers and mobile devices and its platform allows developers to create companion applications for connecting mobile devices and integrating with other web services.

“The Twango acquisition is a concrete step towards our Internet services vision of providing seamless access to information, entertainment, and social networks – at anytime, anywhere, from any connected device, in any way that you choose,” said Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice president and general manager, multimedia, Nokia.

“We have the most complete suite of connected multimedia experiences including music, navigation, games, and – with the Twango acquisition – photos, videos, and a variety of document types.

“When you combine a Nokia Nseries multimedia computer that is always on, always connected, and always with you together with a rich media sharing destination like Twango, people will have exciting new ways to create and enjoy rich media experiences in real time,” Vanjoki said.

Nokia did not disclose how much it paid for the Redmond, Washington-based company.

“Nokia’s unique vision for social media aligns perfectly with Twango,” said Twango co-founder, Jim Laurel.

“It’s really exciting to imagine what we can achieve by combining our social media experience with the resources of a company that has played such a major role in shaping the mobile landscape.

“Now, we will have the resources to deliver on our vision to enable people to capture and enjoy their personal media on mobile devices, desktop computers and in all the other places that are important to them,” Laurel added.

By John Kennedy