Choose from a wide range of backgrounds, animated characters and
voice effects to deliver amusing, memorable messages
Company Website:
http://www.sprint.com
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- (Business Wire)
Rather than leave a typical, run-of-the-mill voice mail message,
starting today, Sprint customers with select Android devices can begin
to upgrade to the latest Visual Voicemail software to grab the attention
of their friends, family members and co-workers with personalized voice
messages that feature talking characters (including animals, aliens,
zombies and sock puppets), scenic backgrounds and voice effects. Sprint
is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Avatars within Visual
Voicemail.
Built using award-winning animation software from Smith Micro
(NASDAQ:SMSI), the new service, available to Sprint, Boost Mobile and
Virgin Mobile USA customers with select Android smartphones and Visual
Voicemail, offers a wide range of content from world-renowned digital
artists, allowing users to express themselves through multiple personas.
The launch will include 12 free Avatars and 12 free backgrounds. The
service allows customers to use Visual Voicemail to record and send
animated messages with unique characters, backgrounds and voice effects.
Other features include:
- Celebrate a Special Occasion: Avatars are lip-synched with the
user’s audio message of 20 seconds (standard) or up to two minutes(premium:
subscribers to Visual Voicemail to Text service*). Choose from a wide
range of backgrounds (for example, Happy Birthday, Love, Thank You,
Congratulations, Thinking of You) to convey your mood and sentiment.
- Get Noticed: Flight delayed? Meet up for Happy Hour? Need to
send a reminder? Avatars get attention.
- Updated Often: Diverse content library offering dozens of
characters and backgrounds, with new content added every week. Some
are free and others range in price, starting at $0.99.
- Have Fun with Your Voice: Use your own voice or optional voice
effects with variable pitch control.
- Express Yourself with Scenery: Choose from a wide range of
backgrounds (for example, airport, beach, bar or office) to set the
stage about where you are (or wish you were!) or choose your own
background photos from the phone gallery (premium).
- Share with Everyone: Avatar messages can be shared via
voicemail, email, SMS, or posted to Facebook. Send messages to any
subscriber on any network. The message can be viewed on the Web via
any desktop browser, tablet or smartphone. If the receiver is not a
Sprint customer or is a Sprint customer without Visual Voicemail (for
instance, customers using a non-Android phone), they will receive an
SMS message with a link to view the animated message.
“Integrating Avatars into our Visual Voicemail is yet another industry
first from Sprint, because we strive to offer our customers innovative,
fun and unique services that set us apart from the competition,” said
Wayne Ward, vice president-Business and Product Development at Sprint.
“Smith Micro is thrilled to support Sprint as the first U.S. wireless
carrier to launch Avatar messaging for their customers,” said William W.
Smith, Jr., CEO of Smith Micro Software. “We are cultivating a fantastic
library of content from an extensive artist community, including unique
Avatar characters exclusively for the Sprint network.”
Availability
Sprint prepaid and postpaid customers with select Android smartphones
will start to receive notifications to update their Visual Voicemail
this month and next month, which will install the new version of the
application with Avatars. Upon opening the new Visual Voicemail they
will see two Avatar introduction videos and a happy face and plus sign
icon on the lower right to get started.
The service is first available to Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile
USA customers with Samsung Galaxy S® 5 and Samsung Galaxy S®
3, and to Sprint customers with Samsung Galaxy S® 4,
Samsung Galaxy Note® 2, HTC EVO 4G LTE and HTC One®.
Other Android devices, both prepaid and postpaid, Ice Cream Sandwich and
above, will be eligible for the update beginning mid-September.
To watch a video about how Avatars works, click here.
Calling all students: Avatar design contest
Now through Oct. 31, educators from any accredited secondary school,
college or trade school will be able to register for free copies of
Smith Micro’s award-winning Anime Studio® animation software
for themselves and their students. The Avatar Challenge allows students
to use Smith Micro’s animation software to create Avatar characters with
the chance to have their creations viewed and used by millions through
Sprint Visual Voicemail. To learn more, read this press
release. Get contest details or register for the Avatar
Challenge program here.
About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more
and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about
most. Sprint served more than 54 million customers as of June 30, 2014,
and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying
innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a
national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands
including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless;
instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a
global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction
Index rated Sprint as the most improved U.S. company in customer
satisfaction, across all 43 industries, over the last six years. Sprint
has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North
America in 2011, 2012 and 2013. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com
or www.facebook.com/sprint
and www.twitter.com/sprint.
*Available on select phones. Visual Voicemail is a free service from
Sprint. Subscription to Visual Voicemail-to-Text costs $2.99/mo.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140828005105/en/
Contacts:
Sprint
Amy Johnsonbaugh, 949-748-3389
amy.johnsonbaugh@sprint.com
Source: Sprint
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