inLighten® Launches Apollo™: The One Ounce, Android Digital Signage Player

CLARENCE, N.Y., Feb. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- inLighten (www.inlighten.net), a recognized leader in the field of digital signage, interactive, self-service and audio solutions today announced the release of Apollo™, an ultra-compact, full-featured, solid-state Android digital signage player for commercial applications. While the potential of Android for digital signage has been recognized by the industry for several years, it has never been realized, until now, according to inLighten CEO, Dan Snyder.  He added, "Apollo is the result of a multi-million dollar development effort that finally delivers a true, full-function digital signage solution built on Android."

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At the press unveiling, Snyder explained, "Our goal from the beginning was nothing less than to create a complete paradigm shift within our industry – away from dependence on expensive, equipment-laden systems in the field, to a powerful, cloud-based solution that relies on almost no hardware at the screen.  Apollo not only achieves that goal – it clearly surpasses it." During the presentation, Snyder reached into the breast pocket of his suit and removed a small box, about the size in which a cell phone is packaged.  He opened the lid and pulled out a thumb-sized device, little more than an inch tall by three inches long, and, holding it in his hand, said, "Meet Apollo."  He then walked to an 80-inch HD display and plugged Apollo into its side.  Within a few seconds, the screen came alive with a brilliant presentation of crystal-clear HD video programming, featuring a variety of announcements and news content. From a tablet, Snyder logged into a web-based Apollocast™ Manager account and, within moments, the news mix on the screen had changed, text on several sample commercials had been updated and links to both live Twitter and Facebook feeds were activated.

inLighten VP, Jeff Taylor commented after the presentation that installing Apollo really is as simple as 1, 2, 3.  "All you have to do is plug Apollo into the HDMI port of any display, supply power via a USB port or standard wall outlet, provide Internet access using wired or wireless connectivity – and you're done."  According to Taylor, "Apollo automatically phones home" to inLighten's hosted Apollocast network to retrieve content and instructions placed there by clients using their secure Apollocast Manager account.

"Apollocast Manager is the most comprehensive suite of network management utilities available today," stated Matt Welter, inLighten Director of Communications.  He pointed out that users receive inLighten's professional Studio™ design suite; unlimited access to an expansive Gallery of ready-to-edit campaigns and graphics in English, Spanish and French; utilities to display user-defined Twitter, YouTube, RSS and other live data feeds; access to inLighten's specialized news bureau to compose tailored programming using the world's leading sources; a complete scheduling module providing down to the moment playback; controls to optimize bandwidth and display usage; network monitoring as well as archiving of content and much more.  Welter concluded by saying, "With Apollocast, everything you need to operate the most powerful digital signage network is now in the cloud and accessible from any computer, any time, day or night."     

inLighten SVP, Doug Braun noted that Apollo eliminates the barriers to smaller organizations that want to deploy digital signage for the first time. "All they need is a display and Internet and they're good to go."  For larger organizations, he explained, "They can now roll out a network in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost – and significantly minimize ongoing maintenance because, regardless of a client's size, our hosting service includes a lifetime Apollo unit replacement warranty.  No client will ever have to pay for digital signage hardware again."

After a demonstration of the Apollo solution, inLighten CEO, Dan Snyder's claim of a revolution within the digital signage industry may not only be accurate – it may be understated.

inLighten is an industry leader in networked digital media solutions including digital signage, self-service kiosks, on-hold and environment audio services and speech privacy solutions that empower clients to effectively and securely communicate with their audiences. Powered by inLighten digital media management software that enables customized content creation, scheduling and distribution controls, inLighten solutions are scalable, cost-effective and exceptionally reliable. Industry-leading consulting, installation, technical support and creative services deliver a superior customer experience and provide a single point of accountability for all aspects of implementation, day-to-day management and continuing network operation.  inLighten's headquarters are in Clarence, NY.

SOURCE inLighten