Mobeam releases OmniBeam Mobile Shopping Application, Partners with SavingStar

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, mobeam™ in partnership with SavingStar released the OmniBeam mobile application on Google Play and Samsung Apps -- the first app that uses mobeam's patented beaming technology to connect smartphones to laser scanners.  The OmniBeam app lets consumers use mobeam's beaming technology to beam standard barcodes from their loyalty, membership, and gift cards directly from their smartphone to any laser scanner.  Mobeam's partner, SavingStar, keeps the OmniBeam app stocked with a wide variety of valuable digital grocery coupons from major brands.  Consumers can select, manage and redeem these eCoupons when they beam their store loyalty card from the OmniBeam app on their smartphone at over 25,000 grocery and drug stores throughout the country.

Mobeam's beaming technology solves the key problem that has limited the progress of mobile commerce: widely available retail laser scanners are unable to scan a barcode presented on a smartphone screen.  Mobeam overcomes this obstacle without requiring retailers to invest in new scanner hardware or system upgrades.  Mobeam converts barcodes into beams of light that can be read by the tens of millions of laser scanners in use today by retailers worldwide.  In March, mobeam announced that the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone would be the world's first mobile device that integrates mobeam's light based communications (LBC) technology so S4 handsets can beam traditional 1-D barcodes.  Other handsets are expected to follow.

"We are extremely excited that we can help customers save time and money by putting this revolutionary technology right in the palm of every customer's hands as their life companion," said mobeam President and CEO, Kang M. Lee. "With the OmniBeam app and SavingStar partnership customers will be able to use their phones to easily scan the barcodes of their loyalty cards and redeem grocery coupons at thousands of retail outlets all across the country. Barcodes are universal and with the OmniBeam app, retailers don't need to upgrade their existing POS systems to make barcodes mobile."

A recent report found that in 2012, over half a billion dollars was spent through mobile transactions in North America.  This is despite the inability of laser scanners to read barcodes presented on a cell phone screen.  By making barcode beaming available through the OmniBeam app, mobeam and SavingStar foresee even more consumers enjoying the ease and simplicity of mobile transactions.

"The partnership between SavingStar and mobeam is a perfect match," said David Rochon, SavingStar's CEO. "We currently provide exclusive eCoupons, redeemable at over 25,000 grocery and drug stores throughout the country. By partnering with mobeam on the new OmniBeam app, SavingStar adds mobile convenience for its customers. Essentially, mobeam is the last piece of the mobile commerce puzzle, and we are thrilled to be working with them."

After testing mobeam's technology, mobile commerce blogger Jeb Brilliant said mobeam's technology has the "potential to change the way we shop and pay for items," and that it "will change mobile payments by enabling current POS scanners to scan a phone."

Coincidentally, this month marks the 39^th anniversary of the first scanned commercial barcode. On June 26, 1974, at Marsh's Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, customer Clyde Dawson gave cashier Sharon Buchanan a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum, who made history at 8:01 am, by scanning the barcode for purchase. Retail shopping would never be the same.

Mobeam and SavingStar hope to do the same with OmniBeam, bringing the grocery and retail industry one step closer to phasing out paper coupons entirely.

Mobeam is also excited to announce the appointment of Kang M. Lee as its Chief Executive Officer.  Lee is a recognized global industry leader in wireless technology solutions and services.

The company also announced today that they have opened an office in Palo Alto, CA, the heart of Silicon Valley.

To download the app from Google Play visit: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobeam.wallet

To download the app from Samsung Apps visit: http://www.samsungapps.com/appquery/appDetail.as?appId=com.mobeam.wallet

For screenshots of the app visit: http://mobeam.com/media-resources

For more information on mobeam visit: www.mobeam.com

To watch a "How It Works" tutorial of mobeam's technology, visit: http://www.mobeam.com/how-it-works/

About Mobeam

Mobeam, Inc. is transforming mobile commerce with its unique and patented light based communications technology. The company was recently named one of the hottest technology companies in San Francisco for 2013 by business research firm Lead411. Overcoming the technical barrier preventing mobile phones from interacting with laser scanners at checkout, mobeam's technology provides universal access at point of sale (POS), enabling the transmission of coupons, loyalty offers, gift cards, tickets and other barcode data at retailers worldwide. Mobeam's technology creates new capabilities for existing mobile phone designs, and requires no changes to retailer POS infrastructure. Mobeam is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. For more information, visit www.mobeam.com.

About SavingStar

SavingStar is the first and only national, fully digital, grocery savings service, available for free at Savingstar.com and on iPhone® and Android® mobile apps. The company enables consumers to choose where they shop and how they save. Redeemable at over 25,000 stores, SavingStar's offers are linked to shoppers' grocery and drug store loyalty cards and provide a more convenient and eco-friendly way to save on groceries than paper coupons. SavingStar automatically adds the value of each offer redeemed into users' SavingStar accounts, enabling them to pick their payout from cash back to gift cards to charity donations. SavingStar also powers white-labeled grocery savings services, including Upromise, Fuel Rewards Network, and NutriSavings. SavingStar is backed by Edenred, American Express Ventures, DCM, Flybridge Capital Partners, First Round Capital, IA Ventures, and other investors. The company is based in Waltham, MA. For more information, visit https://www.savingstar.com.

SOURCE Mobeam