FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — July 22, 2010
Palo Alto Weekly launches “Palo Alto” apps for
iPhone, Android
(Palo Alto, CA July 22, 2010)
The Palo Alto Weekly and Palo Alto Online today announced mobile phone
applications that will give iPhone and Android phone users unique access to
Palo Alto news, sports and other local information and the ability to submit
highly personalized news, photos and story tips.
The free applications (named
“Palo Alto”) are now available in the iTunes Store and Android Market.
Applications for Apple iPad and Blackberry devices will be released soon, according
to William Johnson, Palo Alto Weekly publisher and Embarcadero Media president.
The apps include real-time
news and sports feeds from Palo Alto Online, as well as quick access to the
Palo Alto Online Twitter feed and videos. Those who download the application
will be able to see the same news and sports information, including photos, appearing
on Palo Alto Online, but formatted specifically for the mobile phone and
without needing to open a web browser.
In addition, a user can use
the “360News” tool to submit anything from a breaking news item to a report of
a pothole in the road to a video of their daughter’s winning goal in a soccer
match. Once approved, submitted material appears on the app, on Palo Alto
Online and, where appropriate, on YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, 360News and
CNNireport sites with credit going to the user. The applications also feature
push notifications to users for breaking news or special offers.
“The
Palo Alto mobile applications will evolve and improve in the weeks ahead, but
they already bring a level of interactivity and engagement that goes beyond the
functionality offered in most mobile news applications,” Johnson said.
The applications were
developed by SachManya, a Silicon Valley start-up and creators of award-winning
YAPPER (Your APP makER),
an online, easy-to-use self-service mobile application maker, and 360News, an
interactive geo-aware program that allows users to keep up with local news and
submit and comment on news, photos and videos
When introduced earlier this
year, YAPPER won the distinguished 2010 Macworld DEMO Best of Show award and
showcased its revolutionary WYSIWYG app creation technology on the main stage.
“YAPPER is a platform for
news organizations and other publishers to easily build mobile applications
with rich functionality,” said chief YAPPER and CEO of SachManya, Chintu Parikh. SachManya
is based in Santa Clara and was founded by veterans of Yahoo!, Apple, Hewlett
Packard, NeXT, Infosys and Wipro.
In
minutes and without a single line of code, anyone can build their own native
iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry mobile application starting at just $299.
YAPPER is an end-to-end solution for publishers and includes many options, including
in-app purchases, advertising support, analytics, app store submissions,
publish under the company’s account as well as relevant components such as
crossword puzzles, horoscopes and more.
The
Palo Alto Weekly and its parent company, Embarcadero Media, have long been
pioneers in online publishing. It was the first newspaper in the United States
to publish its contents on the Web in 1994, and has developed numerous online
features, including local sports and real estate websites, video advertising, a
popular community discussion forum (Town Square), a classified website
(Fogster), and a daily e-edition distributed by email (Express).
For
more information contact:
William Johnson, Publisher, Palo Alto Weekly 650.326.8210/bjohnson@paweekly.com
Nicole DeMeo,
SachManya
415.533.2599/nicole@sachmanya.com
