Backflip Extends its Personal Navigation Service to Wireless

Announces New Personalization Service Bridging the PC and Wireless Web Worlds

SAN FRANCISCO, May 22, 2000 -- Backflip, Inc. (www.backflip.com), a free Web service that allows users to easily create their own personal Yahoo-style search engine of favorite Web pages, today announced their wireless strategy. Capitalizing on their acquisition of a competitor last month, Backflip has integrated wireless capability allowing mobile phone Web surfers the ability to pre-program their Web-enabled phones.

"Let's face it -- typing URLs into cell phones sucks," said Tim Hickman, CEO and co-founder of Backflip. "The biggest frustration for wireless Web-enabled phone owners is navigating to new wireless enabled content and services because that aren't already pre-programmed into their phones."

In answer to this frustration, users can organize content they want to access while on their Web-enabled phones and easily get back to it at their PC using the free Backflip service. Backflip Wireless saves time for users that live in both the PC and wireless worlds because it provides a single personal navigation mechanism to organize, search and share valuable Web pages.

Immediately available from Backflip Wireless is access to fresh content from users' favorite sites, such as Red Herring, Cnet and Salon. The new "Backflip Blurbs" let users get a listing and brief description from their favorite content sites. Backflip connects the wireless users' experience back to the Web by automatically adding viewed stories to their Backflip account for future retrieval.

Backflip Blurbs work as a mobile-appropriate way to deliver content to cell phones. Using Backflip Blurbs make it possible to scan the day's news while traveling and later, get the full story delivered to a distinct "Wireless Inbox" when they gets back to their PC.

"The new service bridges the gap between small screen, text-only content currently available on most cell phones and the conventional PC Web interface most users have become familiar with," said Hickman. "Backflip's future wireless efforts will focus on providing more functionality for connecting and personalizing the user experience on both the PC and wireless Web.

For Our Partners

Backflip is also announcing a new program and services that extends its existing offering to the more than 150 partners in the Backflip Network. With the "Backflip Blurbs" program, content providers now have a service that makes their content mobile-friendly without needing to change a single line of code.

Backflip's technology does all the work, and Backflip's service drives users to the partner's Web site when the user is back at their PC. This program extends Backflip's commitment to supporting its partners' business models by providing useful services to Web consumers that benefit partners as well.

"Cnet is excited to be part of the Backflip Network and we are excited to have our News.com headlines available to Backflip users through their cell phones," said Backflip Wireless partner Charles Barzun, Product Manager, Cnet Wireless.

In addition, Backflip is also introducing Backflip Wireless for Carriers -- an OEM-ready personal navigation platform that allows carriers to offer their users the ability to customize and organize desired content on their phone under the carrier's brand.

About Backflip, Inc.

Backflip, Inc. (http://www.backflip.com) is dedicated to giving people the best, easy-to-use personal search engine that helps them better navigate the Web. Backflip was founded in June 1999, by Netscape veterans Tim Hickman and Chris Misner. The company's investors and board of directors includes three prominent Silicon Valley leaders: Jennifer Bailey, former senior vice president of Netscape; Ron Conway, general partner of Angel Investors; and J. Neil Weintraut, general partner at 21st Century Internet Venture Partners. There are more than 150 partners within the Backflip Network including SF Gate, Red Herring and MP3.com. Headquartered in San Francisco, Backflip currently has more than 40 employees.
 

Contact Information:

David Goldman
Backflip, Inc.
Public Relations Manager
Tel: 415-932-5341
Email: david@backflipcorp.com