PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - March 3, 2011) - A new era for the phone begins today with the launch of Thrutu™, a mobile app that fundamentally changes how people communicate with each other. Adding a whole new dimension to the voice call, Thrutu lets you instantly share location, photos, contact details and more during the conversation -- all at the touch of a button.
The Thrutu app is available starting today through the Android™ Market and will soon be ready for iPhone® and BlackBerry®.
"The phone call has not fundamentally changed in the last hundred years, yet we now use our phones to do all kinds of sophisticated things like text, email and interact on social networks," said Liz Rice, vice president, Thrutu. "With Thrutu we're truly changing the conversation, by bringing these activities into the actual phone call. Callers can now share digital information instantly, without the need to navigate through a mass of disparate applications. Thrutu combines conversation and sharing into one experience, making the phone call more enjoyable and productive."
Thrutu allows users to:
- Share their location -- see each other's position updating live on a map
- Snap and share a photo -- letting the other person experience the sights around you
- Send contact information -- contact details appear instantly in the other caller's address book
- Playfully "Prod" the other caller with remote phone vibration
In future releases, Thrutu users will be able to:
- Connect to their favorite social media channels
- Play games (and competitively banter) mid-call
- Plan events or coordinate social activities
- Share video in real-time
- Develop a whole range of new "buttons" to enrich the conversation
"The Thrutu team, a group of the best and brightest from Oxford, Cambridge and Silicon Valley, has developed a technology that adds a whole new dimension to voice calling," said Jim Goetz, Partner at Sequoia Capital. "We love the simple elegance of the experience, as well as the platform's open-ended potential. It really does make the phone call relevant again."
Thrutu is available immediately on the Android 2.1 platform (and above), and accessible on mobile plans with simultaneous voice/data capability, or on Wi-Fi networks.
For more information go to www.thrutu.com, watch the Thrutu video on YouTube or download the app immediately in the Android Market.
About Thrutu:
Thrutu™ is a mobile app that adds a new dimension of fun and function to your phone calls. Now, you can share all kinds of information with the person you're talking to without interrupting the conversation. Based in Silicon Valley, Thrutu is a division of Metaswitch Networks, a leading provider of carrier systems and communication software solutions for network operators, backed by Sequoia Capital and Francisco Partners. Thrutu is available on Android™, with iPhone® and BlackBerry® coming soon and also available from Metaswitch as a branded application for carriers. For more information on Thrutu go to www.thrutu.com.
Thrutu is a trademark of Metaswitch Networks.
Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Use of this trademark is subject to Google Permissions.
Contact Information:
Media Contacts:
Virginia Zimpel or Melissa Biles
LaunchSquad
thrutu(at)launchsquad(dot)com
+1 415-625-8555