WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard Inc.
(Nasdaq: BBBB) today announced an expanded technical services
offering to help institutions using its Blackboard
Mobile™ Central applications take their
mobile vision to the next level. A new team, Blackboard Mobile
Technical Services, will help institutions enhance their existing
mobile campus apps with deeper integration and customizations.
Blackboard Mobile Central brings university life and campus
services to users through smartphones at more than 100 higher
education and K-12 institutions worldwide. With the app, users can
navigate campus maps, access course catalogs, event calendars,
campus news, sports schedules, and even a campus directory that
allows users to call or email instructors and classmates directly
from the app.
With the new offering, institutions can leverage the
cross-platform technical expertise and insight of Blackboard's
innovative development team to create one-of-a-kind app features
designed specifically for their institution. Clients can create new
custom modules that are not part of the standard Blackboard Mobile
Central offering, modify the functionality of existing application
features, and even redesign the user interface layout of their
Android, BlackBerry, or iOS mobile applications.
Blackboard's Mobile Technical Services team has already worked
with clients to build unique features that enable users to add or
drop courses and access their ID card accounts as well as create
authenticated modules and develop customized springboards for
distinct campus populations within an existing application.
"Stanford is looking forward to
seeing this newest innovation coming from Blackboard Mobile," said
Tim Flood, Senior Technology
Consultant and Stanford Mobile Program Manager at Stanford University. "The ability to customize our
mobile functionality is very important to our campus."
While institutions already have the ability to develop and
customize their apps on their own using the Blackboard Mobile
Software Development Kit (SDK), the Blackboard Mobile Technical
Services team will also offer training on the SDK to better support
client development efforts.
"Blackboard Mobile Central offers a compelling experience in its
own right, but we want to make it easier for our clients to further
develop their applications to fit their mobile vision and meet the
demands of their community," said Kayvon
Beykpour, Vice President of Blackboard Mobile. "Building on
our own commitment to rapid development and innovation, we're
offering them a mix of resources and technical expertise that can
help bring their ideas to life, whether they're doing the
development work or we are."
Developed by Blackboard's dedicated mobile team, Blackboard
Mobile Central is currently available in native applications
designed for some of the world's leading mobile platforms and
devices including Android™, BlackBerry® and
iOS for the iPhone® and iPod touch®. The
application is also available in a mobile web version to support a
broader range of browser-enabled devices.
After being enabled by an institution, the application is free
to students, faculty, prospective students, parents, alumni and
anyone else interested in staying connected to an institution. The
apps can be downloaded from smartphone app stores.
For more information about Blackboard Mobile Central, please
visit: http://www.blackboard.com/Mobile/Mobile-Central.aspx
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) is a global leader in enterprise
technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of
millions of students and learners around the world every day.
Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12,
professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend
teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and
security, and communicate more effectively with their communities.
Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia
and Australia.
Any statements in this press release about future
expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other
statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans,"
"expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements
as a result of various important factors, including the factors
discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-Q filed
on November 5, 2010 with the SEC. In
addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press
release represent the Company's views as of January 19, 2011. The Company anticipates that
subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views
to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company
specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These
forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as
representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to
January 19, 2011.
Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Use of this trademark is
subject to Google Permissions.
The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and
symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In
Motion Limited.
Apple, iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple
Inc.
SOURCE Blackboard Inc.