Blackboard Launches Expanded Technical Services for Mobile Campus Application

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) today announced an expanded technical services offering to help institutions using its Blackboard Mobile^™ Central applications take their mobile vision to the next level. A new team, Blackboard Mobile Technical Services, will help institutions enhance their existing mobile campus apps with deeper integration and customizations.

Blackboard Mobile Central brings university life and campus services to users through smartphones at more than 100 higher education and K-12 institutions worldwide. With the app, users can navigate campus maps, access course catalogs, event calendars, campus news, sports schedules, and even a campus directory that allows users to call or email instructors and classmates directly from the app.

With the new offering, institutions can leverage the cross-platform technical expertise and insight of Blackboard's innovative development team to create one-of-a-kind app features designed specifically for their institution. Clients can create new custom modules that are not part of the standard Blackboard Mobile Central offering, modify the functionality of existing application features, and even redesign the user interface layout of their Android, BlackBerry, or iOS mobile applications.

Blackboard's Mobile Technical Services team has already worked with clients to build unique features that enable users to add or drop courses and access their ID card accounts as well as create authenticated modules and develop customized springboards for distinct campus populations within an existing application.

"Stanford is looking forward to seeing this newest innovation coming from Blackboard Mobile," said Tim Flood, Senior Technology Consultant and Stanford Mobile Program Manager at Stanford University. "The ability to customize our mobile functionality is very important to our campus."

While institutions already have the ability to develop and customize their apps on their own using the Blackboard Mobile Software Development Kit (SDK), the Blackboard Mobile Technical Services team will also offer training on the SDK to better support client development efforts.

"Blackboard Mobile Central offers a compelling experience in its own right, but we want to make it easier for our clients to further develop their applications to fit their mobile vision and meet the demands of their community," said Kayvon Beykpour, Vice President of Blackboard Mobile. "Building on our own commitment to rapid development and innovation, we're offering them a mix of resources and technical expertise that can help bring their ideas to life, whether they're doing the development work or we are."

Developed by Blackboard's dedicated mobile team, Blackboard Mobile Central is currently available in native applications designed for some of the world's leading mobile platforms and devices including Android^™, BlackBerry^® and iOS for the iPhone^® and iPod touch^®. The application is also available in a mobile web version to support a broader range of browser-enabled devices.

After being enabled by an institution, the application is free to students, faculty, prospective students, parents, alumni and anyone else interested in staying connected to an institution. The apps can be downloaded from smartphone app stores.

For more information about Blackboard Mobile Central, please visit: http://www.blackboard.com/Mobile/Mobile-Central.aspx

For more information about Blackboard Mobile Technical Services, please visit:  http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Mobile/Services/Blackboard-Mobile-Technical-Services.aspx

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-Q filed on November 5, 2010 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of January 19, 2011. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to January 19, 2011.

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Apple, iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.

SOURCE Blackboard Inc.