SAN
FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 2005--JiWire, the leading
provider of information and services to help people connect to the
Internet without wires, today announced that Nintendo has licensed
JiWire's hotspot directory for its new wireless gaming service, Nintendo®
Wi-Fi Connection. The partnership with JiWire will allow Nintendo DS
users to quickly find free hotspot locations, so they can connect and
play Nintendo's cutting-edge portable games anytime, almost anywhere.
Nintendo
DS users can search for public hotspot locations by country, state,
region, street address or zip code at the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
website (www.nintendowifi.com). This service is available for users in
the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Panama, and
Chile.
"Through
our partnership with JiWire, we are able to offer thousands of Nintendo
DS users an easy way to quickly find free hotspot locations," says
George Harrison, senior vice president of marketing at Nintendo of
America. "By making wireless gaming more convenient, we make
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection accessible to a wide range of gaming
fans."
"With
the number of worldwide hotspots growing another 100% this year, Wi-Fi
is more accessible than ever and many new devices are truly beginning to
leverage this," says Kevin McKenzie, CEO of JiWire. "Just as
individuals now expect music to be available anytime on their portable
players, online gamers are taking advantage of the growing number of
devices
that
allow them to play anywhere by leveraging wireless broadband
connectivity."
According
to In-Stat/MDR, almost 50% of the U.S. population will participate in
online gaming by 2008.
About
Nintendo The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of
interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan,
manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home and
portable video game systems. For more information about Nintendo, visit
the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.
About JiWire
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Founded
in 2003, JiWire provides information and services to help mobile
professionals and computer enthusiasts find and connect to the wireless
Internet. Through relationships with 400 Wireless Internet Service
Providers (WISPs) and thousands of independent venues, JiWire offers the
most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to free and commercial hotspot
locations around the world as well as unbiased how-to guides, product
reviews, and industry news. This critical information, combined with
services to manage and securely connect to any wireless network, offer
users everything they need to safely and easily connect without wires --
anywhere. Customers include AvantGo, CNET Networks, iPass, USATODAY.com
and the Wi-Fi Alliance®, among others. JiWire.com was named one of the
"50 Coolest Websites" by Time Magazine and is a recipient of a
2005 Mobility Award presented by MobileTrax. With over one million
people using JiWire's services, the company has created one of the
world's largest Wi-Fi communities. To learn more, please visit www.jiwire.com.