The GravityZoo Company Announces the Release of MediaZoo Beta One and GravityZoo Beta Two - Dedicated to enabling SaaS and the Web beyond Web 2.0

Lanaken, Belgium – June 28th, 2007 – The GravityZoo Company has announced the first release of its GravityZoo music and video management application MediaZoo Beta One and announced simultaneously the release of the latest version of the GravityZoo Framework Beta Two.

The GravityZoo Company is dedicated to enabling Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and the Web beyond Web 2.0 as the GravityZoo Framework enables multi-tenanted SaaS platforms to be developed in a highly networked world.

The company has also signalled its intention to release in the near future CollabZoo, the next generation collaboration environment to be used in the GravityZoo OpenOffice.org porting project. The GravityZoo Company will kick-off the porting project at the OpenOffice.org Conference (OOoCon 2007) to be held in Barcelona, Spain on 19th-21st September 2007.

Marc Vrijhof, The GravityZoo Company co-founder and CEO says, “We’re seeing global economic growth and competitive pressures forcing the increase in SaaS adoption. But global operations need global connectivity, mobility and collaboration and that means that customers are demanding greater access, better support and more specific solutions.”

“This is causing disruption in the current software development value chain with Web enablement as a stop gap solution,” he adds. “The GravityZoo Company, Microsoft, Adobe and Google all recognise this and are addressing the challenge with differing approaches and products in the market. All aim to provide Rich Internet Applications but only The GravityZoo Company is combining this with enabling SaaS adoption.”

MediaZoo

MediaZoo is a prime Open Source showcase application and solves one of the major irritations reported by music lovers - how to deal with scattered music files. MediaZoo provides an integrated Online Media Player that includes a Personal Library that allows the users to manage and enjoy their music - and soon video - using any device on which the GravityZoo Client is installed.

MediaZoo also demonstrates the viability of the free Open Source (FOS) SaaS-based advertising revenue model. For developers this means that for the first time they will be able to provide audiences with a free service while still having the potential to build revenue streams.

One of the many future free Open Source SaaS developments to be offered as part of MediaZoo will be the Music Room. Such a room allows users to invite friends and even friends of friends through social networking to listen together to pre-selected playlists.

Open Source code

The MediaZoo application is built from Open Source code. For building its streaming and audio encoding object, GravityZoo selected the Open Source Ogg Vorbis technology.

“MediaZoo is an example of the sort of always-on, always available rich application, providing a desktop-like experience and accessible from any device - mobile or fixed - that will define Web 3.0,” Vrijhof continues. “To do this requires a built-for-purpose, open SaaS network operating system and development environment such as The GravityZoo Framework with the ability to port legacy and allow the development, distribution and monetisation of applications. It also has to have virtualisation at its core to be able to provide a seamless collaborative development and immediate deployment platform.”

Benefits for users

The GravityZoo Framework has a wide range of benefits for users in providing a convenient, flexible, productive and secure environment. These include:

A familiar desk-top look and feel that delivers networked applications without the constraints inherent in the use of browsers
Instant access - all GravityZoo applications are available immediately to access, resume and for on- and off-line processing
Ability to go global - users can store, access and share data safely, securely and instantly – from any connected location
Secure applications - user security access and rights management is inherent in access to the framework.

Benefits for developers

The GravityZoo Framework has delivered a wide range of benefits for developers including the ability to create richer applications faster and cheaper and with inherently more potential through:

Reduced time to market through the use of a single integrated development and deployment framework and simple porting route for existing desktop applications
Reduced development costs using a single integrated Object Orientated approach to application development; application communication and distribution being handled seamlessly by the framework and automatic cross platform support
Reduced operational costs as access management and charging is handled directly through the framework’s authentication and licensing capabilities. Operational costs involved in back-up are similarly eliminated through optimised storage and inherent redundancy
• Enabling smaller, faster and more regular updates, allowing the developer to focus on fixing core application functionality, tackling bugs and enhancing features in smaller incremental rollouts

• Providing richer SaaS applications than possible through the browser that will enable a superior user experience

• Allowing developers to leverage and participate in Open Source extensions to the framework, actively fostered by The GravityZoo Company.

Chain reaction

“These advantages will foster what we call the GravityZoo `Chain reaction`,” emphasises Vrijhof. “Using The GravityZoo Framework consumers are able to access online applications such as OpenOffice, MediaZoo and CollabZoo which, in turn, will encourage developers to produce new and market-specific applications such as online desktops, games, educational and healthcare applications, supply chain and human resources management as well as a host of vertical market applications such as in the telecommunications and small and medium business (SMB) arena.”

“GravityZoo has already generated huge developer interest with initial client projects underway and a pipeline of new requests for proposals established,” he continues.

Future platform support
Currently MediaZoo can be accessed via the GravityZoo Client for Windows. The GravityZoo Client is designed to be cross platform. Future releases of the GravityZoo Client are planned for the following platforms: Linux; MacOS X; Solaris; FreeBSD; Symbian; Windows CE and VXWorks for embedded devices.

For more information about the GravityZoo Framework or to obtain a copy of the GravityZoo Client visit http://download.gravityzoo.com/ or for MediaZoo application code visit the MediaZoo page at http://mediazoo.gravityzoo.com/.

The GravityZoo Company is a trade name of DitchITall BVBA.

About The GravityZoo Company

Founded in 2006, the GravityZoo Company is a pioneering innovator of Software as a Service (SaaS) enabling technology, ubiquitous computing and ambient intelligence systems. The GravityZoo Framework enables enterprises to deliver SaaS in a quick, unobtrusive and highly interactive way outside of the Browser.

The GravityZoo Framework will enable millions of people around the world to use new applications as a service and connect to information previously not accessible. For application developers worldwide, the GravityZoo Framework will allow the development of truly object-oriented Net applications without the need to invoke techniques such as workarounds or other compromised current solutions to Web development.

For more information on the GravityZoo Company, visit http://www.gravityzoo.com.

Press contacts:

The GravityZoo Company
Marc Vrijhof
+31 (0) 64 212 39 66
marc.v@gravityzoo.com

Mahdi Abdulrazak
+31 (0) 64 803 98 21
mahdi.a@gravityzoo.com

Press and investor relations:

Ariadne Capital
Jonathan Simnett/Julie Meyer
+44 (0) 7976 227224/+44 (0) 7939 038794
jonathan@ariadnecapital.com / julie@ariadnecapital.com

This release was published on openPR.