i-MATE MOBILISES CJAQ 30/11/2004

I-mate brings us one step closer to TV in our pockets with the launch of CJAQ, the first drama series for mobile devices. The first episode of the ten-part series is available today on the Club i-mate website and a new episode will be released daily. CJAQ is a sci-fi thriller set in a futuristic nightclub where five twenty-somethings have been trapped after receiving a mysterious text message invitation. The opening scene features one of the characters awaking in the club to find a dismembered hand clutching a PDA.

Each episode is less than two minutes and can be downloaded free as a WMV file for playback on Windows Media Player. I-mate owners will have access to the entire series, whereas owners of any Windows-based mobile device will have access to the first three episodes. CJAQ can be downloaded on a PC and transferred using ActiveSync or streamed over the air using GPRS, although the resolution is lower with the latter method.

I-mate specialises in PDAs and smartphones running the Windows Mobile operating system, and has designed devices for UK operators such as O2 and T-Mobile. The i-mate JAM, the company’s first branded device in the UK, was unveiled in early November. In addition to CJAQ, Club i-mate members have access to free email accounts and interactive games.

If the first ten episodes of CJAQ prove to be popular, the producers plan to turn it into a longrunning series. In a similar vein, Vodafone is offering 24 one-minute “mobisodes” of the popular TV series 24 as part of its 3G service. However, CJAQ is the first drama series created exclusively for mobile devices. Although i-mate plans to release a 3G device, it has not yet set a date.

Contact: www.clubimate.com