Zumobi debuts first customized widget with Lenovo for Olympics

By Mickey Alam Khan

August 12, 2008

A perfect 10

Chipmaker Intel Corp. and Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo have launched a free mobile widget for the ongoing Olympic Games in Beijing.

The widget, powered by Zumobi, is available for Apple iPhone, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry users through mobile browsers pointed to http://lenovo.zumobi.com. Zumobi worked with Lenovo ad agency NeoatOgilvy for the mobile widget.

“This is our first foray into a customized widget experience for brand partners,” said Ken Willner, CEO of Zumobi, Seattle.

The widget features content from Lenovo’s Voices and Olympic Podium Web sites. The objective is to keep mobile users au courant with athletes and news from the Summer Olympics in China’s capital.

Lenovo is a sponsor of the Beijing Olympics. Lenovo and Intel are partners in this Olympics effort.

Smooth sailing for widget

The application features the Zumobi 4 interface and an on-phone tile gallery for Windows Mobile and BlackBerry phones. It also boasts a smaller footprint for quicker movement.

In another milestone, this is Zumobi’s maiden work for the iPhone.

“This is Zumobi’s first iPhone application and we’re very enthused about the potential of the downloads from the iTunes store,” Mr. Willner said.

Courting news

The Lenovo launch comes a month after Zumobi named a new public relations agency, Global Results Communications in Irvine, CA, to raise its market profile. It also comes soon after Mr. Willner took over as CEO Aug. 1, succeeding Eric Hertz.

Zumobi has created mobile widgets for PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew soft drink brand, credit card CapitalOne and online retailer Amazon. 

The Lenovo widget for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phones launched Aug. 8, just prior to the inauguration of the games.

Zumobi debuted the iPhone version yesterday.

In a departure from its typical widgets, Zumobi’s Lenovo application has only four tiles versus the standard 16 for direct-to-consumer clients.

This streamlined version enables mobile consumers to access Olympic athletes’ blogs, biographies, news feeds and photographs.

“We’ve created a very focused four-digit application that is a lot lighter, faster and more dedicated to one topic,” Mr. Willner said.

“I think the unique proposition of our application is the level of engagement and convenience for the user,” he said. “It’s just a much more compelling multimedia experience.”