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Affordable solution brings popular applications, including
email, Web browsing and voice, to German consumers and small
businesses
CeBIT, HANNOVER, Germany, 09 March 2006
– IXI Mobile, Inc., developer of the Ogo™ family
of mobile messaging solutions for the mass market, which recently
entered into an agreement to merge with a subsidiary of Israel
Technology Acquisition Corp. (ITAC) (OTCBB: ISLT.OB), and
1&1, one of Europe’s leading Internet providers
with activities in Germany, the UK, France, Austria and the
US, today announced the launch of Ogo in Germany. Ogo will
operate on the Vodafone Germany network and will be available
in Germany starting in April 2006 under the name “1&1
Pocket Web.”
Ogo devices are designed to bring mobile data to the mass
market, via a combination of functional design, appealing
applications, and affordability. Ogo delivers a true on-the-go
mobile messaging experience with its full screen, QWERTY keyboard
(QWERTZ in Germany), easy-to-use interface and clamshell design.
The German version of the Ogo CT-17, marketed as “1&1
Pocket Web”, includes the following services: email,
PIM (contacts and calendar), Web browser, GSM voice, gaming
and SMS. The email offering includes IMAP4 email access, attachment
viewing and push email. The browser optimizes Web pages for
ease of display and navigation. The device also delivers mobile
voice, with voice service available to consumers who choose
to activate it. All required back-end services are hosted
by IXI Mobile, enabling seamless integration with the 1&1
and Vodafone networks.
The device will be sold for 49.99€ with a 9.99€
monthly flat fee for unlimited mobile email and Web access
in Germany. An optional SMS package of 100 SMS messages is
available for 9.99€ per month. Customers who sign up
for the SMS plan can purchase the device for only 1€.
Per minute voice charges will range from 29 euro cents to
59 euro cents.
1&1 is part of the United Internet group (www.unitedinternet.com).
United Internet's product brands, 1&1, Web.de., GMX and
Schlund+Partner, position the group as Europe's largest Internet
presence provider with over five million customer contracts
and 56 million email user accounts. Andreas Gauger, CEO of
1&1 Internet AG stated, "In Ogo we have found a solution
that extends our powerful Web and email presence into the
mobile world, at an affordable price.”
Amit Haller, Co-Founder, President and CEO of IXI Mobile
commented, "We are thrilled to be working in conjunction
with 1&1 and Vodafone D2, market leaders and innovators,
to bring Ogo to the robust German market."
This release further extends Ogo’s global reach. Ogo
was originally launched in the United States by AT&T Wireless
(now Cingular Wireless), in Switzerland by Swisscom Mobile,
the leading mobile operator in Switzerland, and in Turkey
by e-kolay.net, a leading ISP in Turkey. To support Ogo deployments,
IXI Mobile provides a turn-key solution, including the device,
all necessary gateways and backend servers, launch services,
and over-the-air (OTA) provisioning and upgrade services.
All services are designed to manage significant throughput
and deliver a high quality of service, providing a carrier
grade hosted solution.
-ends-
About IXI Mobile
IXI Mobile, Inc. offers solutions that bring innovative, data-centric
mobile devices and services to the mass market. IXI Mobile’s
Ogo devices are designed to improve the mobile user experience
and increase mobile voice and data usage. The company provides
a turn-key solution to mobile operators and Internet service
providers worldwide to launch and support Ogo products.
IXI Mobile is headquartered in Redwood City, California,
and has research and development facilities in Israel and
Romania. IXI Mobile also maintains regional sales offices.
For more information on IXI Mobile, please visit www.ixi.com.
On February 28, 2006, IXI Mobile and Israel Technology Acquisition
Corporation (ITAC) (OTCBB: IXMO, IXMOW, IXMOU) entered
into a definitive agreement pursuant to which a wholly owned
subsidiary of ITAC would merge with and into IXI Mobile, with
IXI Mobile surviving the merger and becoming a wholly owned
subsidiary of ITAC. Upon consummation of the merger, ITAC
will change its name to IXI Mobile, Inc. and IXI Mobile will
change its name to IXI Mobile (USA), Inc.
About Ogo
The Ogo family of devices delivers popular applications, including
email, instant messaging, SMS, RSS, voice and Web browsing
on optimized, easy-to-use handheld devices for a true on-the-go
mobile messaging experience. Ogo was launched in the United
States by AT&T Wireless (now Cingular Wireless), Switzerland
by Swisscom Mobile and Turkey by e-kolay.net. More information
on Ogo is available at: www.ogo.com.
About 1&1 InterNet AG
1&1 Internet AG is a subsidiary of United Internet, a
profitable public company with 5,300 employees and a market
cap of $2 billion. 1&1 was established in 1992 and hosts
more than 5 million domain names, while 30,000 servers run
on the company's four state-of-the-art data centers. 1&1's
global community is some 5 million customer contracts strong.
More information on the German Ogo launch can be found at:
www.1und1.de/pocketweb.
Contact
Lee Roth
KCSA Worldwide
Lroth@kcsa.com
(212) 682-6300
Todd Fromer
KCSA Worldwide
Tfromer@kcsa.com
(212) 682-6300
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995, about IXI Mobile. Forward looking statements are
statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking
statements, based upon the current beliefs and expectations
of IXI Mobile’s management, are subject to risks and
uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ
from the forward looking statements. The following factors,
among others, could cause actual results to differ from those
set forth in the forward-looking statements: fluctuations
in customer demand; management of rapid growth; intensity
of competition from other providers of mobile communications
products and services; timing, approval and market acceptance
of new products; changes in prevalent technologies; regulatory
changes; general economic conditions and geopolitical events.
IXI and IXI Mobile are trademarks of IXI Mobile, Inc. Other
product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks
of their respective owners.
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