Comcast Announces Plans to Launch Interactive SmartZone(TM) Communications Center

Partners with HP, Plaxo, Zimbra and Other Industry Leaders to Create

Innovative Web-based Communication Application

    PHILADELPHIA, May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Comcast Corporation
 ( CMCSA; CMCSK), the nation's leading provider of cable,
 entertainment and communications products and services, today announced
 plans to launch the SmartZone(TM) communications center, which will give
 its customers free access to many of the most innovative and popular
 communications tools, via the industry's first fully integrated, Web-based
 communications center. For the first time, Comcast customers will be able
 to go to one central location to send and receive email, check voicemail
 online, send instant messages and manage a new smart address book. Comcast
 is partnering with a number of industry-leading technology companies to
 design and create this simple and easy-to-use communication application.
     "With the SmartZone communications center, we continue to provide
 superior value to Triple Play customers by putting a suite of
 communications tools right at their fingertips. From one central dashboard,
 they will now be able to manage all of their communications needs as well
 as customize their experience," said Greg Butz, Senior Vice President,
 Product Development for Comcast.
     Scheduled to begin rolling out later this year, Comcast customers will
 be able to access the message center via the award-winning Comcast.net to
 do things like:
     -- Experience "Visual" Voice Mail, which means customers can listen to
        their voicemails online and forward voice mail messages via email to
        anyone.  Customers can also view, save and print Call History just as
        they can with email.  Customers can also manage calling features such
        as call forwarding, do not disturb and voice mail playback options.
     -- Easily merge their contacts into a single Smart Address Book that
        synchronizes with and is accessible from a wide range of tools,
        services and Web-enabled devices.
     -- Send Instant Messages and Video Instant Messages that enable customers
        to connect with friends and contacts online in real time.
     -- Personalize their SmartZone communications center with other features
        like weather, news reports and video clips.
     -- View, send and receive voicemail integrated with email, all on one,
        easy-to-navigate Web application.
     To create the new service, Comcast chose to work with best-in-class
 companies that are leaders in their respective fields. Mr. Butz added, "We
 are delighted to be working with forward-looking technology innovators like
 HP, Plaxo and Zimbra to create an exceptionally simple and intuitive
 communications application that will enable our customers to keep in touch
 with anyone, from anywhere."
     "We're excited to be leading Comcast's team of partners and to be
 selected as the primary implementer to design, build and manage this
 communications center, which will be accessible to Comcast's 12 million
 plus high-speed Internet customers as well as their Digital Voice
 customers," said John E. Evers Jr., Vice President and General Manager,
 Outsourcing Services Americas, HP Services. "HP Services' proven expertise
 in designing, managing and hosting complex IT environments will be an asset
 in helping Comcast more easily and cost-effectively integrate data, voice
 and video services on this innovative SmartZone communications center
 platform."
     Other key partners involved in the project include Plaxo, creator of
 the leading address book service, used by over 15 million members
 worldwide. Plaxo pioneered the "smart address book" that gives users a
 single, self- updating address book they can use within a wide variety of
 communication tools, services and mobile devices. "We're honored to be
 chosen by the market-leader Comcast to provide the strategically important
 address book component of their exciting new communications platform. By
 giving users easy access to contact information for all of the important
 people in their lives, we can help create true integration across Comcast's
 triple play and mobile services, and make them even more convenient and
 compelling," said Ben Golub, President and Chief Executive Officer of
 Plaxo.
     Zimbra, the award-winning provider of next-generation unified messaging
 and collaboration software, was chosen by Comcast for SmartZone. "Zimbra is
 thrilled about teaming up with Comcast to deliver a rich, integrated email
 and Visual Voice Mail communications platform," said Satish Dharmaraj,
 co-founder and CEO of Zimbra. "With our combined expertise and Zimbra's
 innovative Web 2.0 technologies we are delivering a powerful, unified, and
 effortless experience that brings Comcast Triple Play to the web. SmartZone
 represents the future of communications and we look forward to working
 together and expanding on this vision."
     Beyond control and ease of use, Comcast's SmartZone communications
 center will also set new standards for safety and security. It will
 incorporate Bizanga's email anti-abuse system, Cloudmark's email anti-spam
 and anti- phishing tools and Trend Micro's anti-virus software.
     Comcast customers will be able to access the SmartZone communications
 center through Comcast.net, the Company's portal, which is also a top-10
 site on the Internet.
     About Comcast Corporation
     Comcast Corporation ( CMCSA; CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is
 the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications
 products and services. With 24.2 million cable customers, 12.1 million
 high-speed Internet customers, and 3.0 million voice customers, Comcast is
 principally involved in the development, management and operation of
 broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
     Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment
 Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, AZN Television,
 PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, four regional Comcast SportsNets and Comcast
 Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet business.
 Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major
 holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia
 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in
 Philadelphia.
     About Plaxo
     Plaxo is the creator of the "smart address book" service that now helps
 15 million people around the world stay organized, up-to-date, and in touch
 with their friends, family, colleagues, and customers. Founded in 2001,
 Plaxo is a privately held company, funded by leading investment and
 technology firms - Sequoia Capital, Globespan Capital Platforms, Harbinger
 Venture Management, DAG Ventures, and Cisco Systems - and by individual
 investors Ram Shriram and Tim Koogle. More information on the company is
 available at www.plaxo.com.
     About Zimbra
     Zimbra is the leading provider of open source messaging and
 collaboration software for consumer and other hosted service providers in
 addition to businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies.
 The Zimbra Collaboration Suite features a rich web-based user interface
 built with AJAX technology that dramatically improves the messaging and
 collaboration experience for end users. Zimbra's flexible system supports
 users of Windows, Apple, and Linux desktops. The Zimbra Collaboration Suite
 was voted one of the 20 Most Innovative Products of 2006 by PC World, Best
 Messaging Project in the inaugural 2006 SourceForge.net Community Choice
 Awards, received a SIIA Cody award for Best Communication or Collaboration
 Solution and won InfoWorld's 2007 Application Innovator Technology of the
 Year Award. More information and software downloads are available at
 http://www.zimbra.com/.
 
 

SOURCE Comcast Corporation