HeyPix! Revolutionizes Digital Photography, Links Online Sharing and Desktop Management to Build Interactive Photo Sharing Community
BizWire (12/13/2004 8:33 AM ET)

    Lifestyle Editors/High-Tech Writers

    ARLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2004--

    Wind-Up Labs' HeyPix! first digital photo service to combine desktop organization, Internet sharing, online social networking and blog photo integration

    Wind-Up Labs today announced the launch of HeyPix!, a revolutionary online photo sharing service and desktop application that combines the best attributes of desktop photo organization with advanced online photo sharing and blogging capabilities.

    Digital photography is ubiquitous, but the sharing of digital photos has been limited to sending out slow, cumbersome email attachments or sharing via print-focused Web-based services. HeyPix! represents the next generation in digital photo sharing. By tightly integrating a powerful desktop photo organizer with an online photo sharing service, HeyPix! makes it easy for users to organize their photos on the desktop and create dazzling photo albums on the web. Sharing is a simple one click operation and users manage both the photos on their computer and their online photo albums using a rich desktop interface.

    HeyPix! also adds a social dimension to online photo sharing by allowing users to create a social photo network with their friends and family. Users can easily view the latest photos from their network of friends and be notified via RSS when their friends post new photos or comments. With the industry's most extensive blogging capabilities, HeyPix! users can share stories about their latest photos on their blog.

    "HeyPix! allows people to interact with each other through photos in a way that is not possible in the physical world or through other similar services", said James Park, co-founder, Wind-Up Labs. "Sharing photos is a very social experience, and our goal is not just to replicate that experience online but to use technology to enhance it."

    Unique Features and Capabilities

    HeyPix!'s unique desktop organizer combines tag-based organization and one click sharing into one tool and service. Sharing is done by simply selecting the photos and clicking share. Management of online photo albums is done via a rich desktop interface.

    HeyPix! offers users the unique ability to instantly synchronize desktop and online photo album viewing. Through Accelerated Sync Technology, users do not have to wait for photos to be uploaded to their online albums. This feature also allows a user to manage photos offline, with changes instantly synchronized when the user is next connected to the Internet. Users can extensively customize the look and feel of their online photo albums using a variety of provided templates, themes and other visual options to make albums more personal and creative. Users can also create and use their own templates and themes.

    Using HeyPix!, it is easy to post photos from personal desktops and online albums to blogs and blogging services, including Blogger, TypePad, LiveJournal and Movable Type. Each HeyPix! album has an RSS feed which contains the latest photos and comments posted to that particular album - friends can subscribe to the feed using any RSS aggregator. Subscribers to a user's RSS feed can be instantly notified when a photo has been added to that user's shared album. A photo dashboard feature provides users with a snapshot of the latest happenings in their photo network of friends.

    The service is built around extensive open standards and API's, providing a first of its kind platform that makes it easy for developers of complementary technologies to integrate with HeyPix! and create value-added applications for users. Through this ability to integrate with more third party applications, HeyPix! can offer users a broad set of features and services to view and interact with their photos.

    "The inspiration for HeyPix! came from our own experiences - our frustration with the limitations of online photo services and desktop photo organizers that kept us from sharing photos with friends," said Eric Friedman, co-founder, Wind-Up Labs. "We wanted to come up with a way to make photo sharing easier and more social, and with HeyPix!, we've done just that."

    Pricing and Availability

    HeyPix! is available today at www.heypix.com

    The following sharing plans are available:

    Free - No Cost! - (50MB storage /200MB transfer) The plan allows storage of approximately 50 photos and approximately 4,000 photo views by friends and family.

    Standard - $4.95/mo - (1GB storage / 2GB transfer) The plan allows storage of approximately 1,000 photos and approximately 40,000 photo views by friends and family.

    Pro - $7.95/mo - (3GB storage / 5GB transfer) The plan allows storage of approximately 3,000 photos and approximately 100,000 photo views by friends and family.

    About Wind-Up Labs

    Wind-Up Labs was founded by two software engineers who applied their technical background to solve a problem they and other digital photo enthusiasts faced - making photo sharing easier, more enjoyable and more social. Wind-Up Labs is gaining acceptance as an emerging leader in the next generation of digital photo organization and sharing. HeyPix! is the first digital photo organization and sharing service that addresses the disconnect between the photos users store on their desktops and the photos they share over the Internet. HeyPix! integrates the best attributes of desktop photo organization with the advanced online photo sharing capabilities, accelerating the flow of photos over the Web.

--30--AS/bo* CONTACT: Topaz Partners Terry Frechette, 781-388-7900 Ext. 216 tfrechette@topazpartners.com KEYWORD: MASSACHUSETTS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENTERTAINMENT COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS INTERNET E-COMMERCE PRODUCT SOURCE: HeyPix! Copyright Business Wire 2004