Venk Reddy, founder and CEO of New York-based ZEO, announced today that his company has launched a wireless guidebook solution and Web site that enables users to plan a trip using a multitude of name brand guidebooks and download a customized guide to their Palm OS device or WAP enabled mobile phone.
In this initial phase of launch, ZEO is focused on providing its unique aggregated travel content service to travel organizations and Web sites that require dynamic destination content to inspire sales of their travel products to consumers.
The travel planning system offered by ZEO seeks to improve upon the familiar “browse, buy and carry” process to which travelers are accustomed. Instead of browsing titles in a bookstore, asking friends and family for recommendations and carrying multiple books on a trip, travelers can now use ZEO. ZEO licenses content from professional guidebook publishers, both print and online, and makes this content available for mobile users by way of its pocketzeo application, ZEO’s proprietary Palm OS application.
Travelers can access and peruse all the info on ZEO.com free of charge. When they are ready to download the information, users pay a small fee for each brand of information they select to bring along in their pocketzeo. For a price of $5 - $20 dollars, travelers can now have multiple guidebook brands and multiple country guides in one easy-to-use mobile application.
“I see this as something that has been overlooked for quite some time,” said Venk Reddy, ZEO’s founder and CEO. “While everyone knows where to buy plane tickets and book hotel rooms online, very few travelers know how or where to find high quality information about their travel destination on the Web.”
ZEO is currently building co-branded destination guides for several high profile travel and media Web sites. Additionally, the company is negotiating with top tier travel companies who wish to license both the ZEO destination content solution and have a private-labeled mobile solution.
“Differentiating on travel content is a proven means of converting lookers to bookers,” said Noah Vadnai, Director of Content for ZEO. “ZEO gives portals and travel sites the ability to save loads of money in their marketing budgets as well as offer their customers the most complete package of guidebook information available.”
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