Free Smartphone Application Takes Hassle out of Universal Orlando® Vacation

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Undercover Tourist, an Orlando, Florida-based discount travel company, is launching a free iPhone and Android application that cuts the wait time for theme park rides at Universal Orlando®.

App users receive a simple, real-time traffic light feature, equating a green with fast access, yellow with short waits and red with long lines for theme park rides. Data is compiled from over 460,000 wait time data points enhanced by real-time user’s submissions.

To help visitors plan their day and create a ride schedule, the new app will feature detailed theme park ride descriptions, including photos, ratings and height and age requirements.

“We want to help visitors to Universal Orlando save time on their vacation, this new app is that tool and it doesn’t cost anything to download and use,” said Ian Ford, president and co-founder, Undercover Tourist.

Leveraging Undercover Tourist’s leading-edge app, users can easily create a tour plan of Universal Orlando® and sort every ride by distance to a current position. The iPhone version takes it a step further and allows users to actually bookmark and sort through their favorite attractions. Without the ability to incorporate favorites, the Android app currently will rank all rides by distance to a user.

App users will also be able to purchase discount tickets to a variety of theme parks through Undercover Tourist, the most trusted name in attraction tickets. Undercover Tourist is contracted, licensed, and an official authorized ticket broker for Universal Orlando®, Walt Disney World®, SeaWorld Orlando® and other theme parks.

The new app was developed exclusively for Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure® and Universal Studios Florida®. It can be used with any iPhone that has network coverage, including offline capabilities for iPod Touches, pertaining to ride information. On the Android, the app is fully functional with version 2.0 or higher.

The new application can be downloaded for the iPhone at the Apple Store and, for the Android, users can find it at the Android Market store by searching for ‘Phunware’. The Undercover Tourist App is not an official app of Universal Orlando®.

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Universal Music Group (UMG) Partners With Free All Music to Offer Free Legal Downloads

/PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, has partnered with ad-sponsored digital music download service FreeAllMusic.com (www.freeallmusic.com) to offer consumers free, legal downloads from UMG's broad digital catalog of chart-topping musical artists. The announcement was made today by David Ring, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Business Affairs for UMG's eLabs, and Richard Nailling, Chief Executive Officer of FreeAllMusic.com.

Through this agreement, thousands of tracks representing many of the world's most prominent artists are being made available now in FAM's current private beta period, where users will be offered up to 20 free downloads per month, five per week, starting every New Music Tuesday. This is based on the usage patterns of a typical "hits-oriented" iTunes customer. FreeAllMusic.com is keeping with its "walk before we run" philosophy in slowly building its user and advertiser base.

FreeAllMusic.com is a new music service that provides consumers with downloadable, high-quality, iPod-compatible MP3s of popular songs that are advertiser-paid, free, legal, and unrestricted (DRM-free). In exchange for watching one brief video commercial per download on the FreeAllMusic.com site, users receive a permanent, high-quality download which they can enjoy anytime, anywhere with no further advertising or restrictions. There is no software required for the service. Users' music selections and sponsoring brands are then promoted externally through an opt-in, consumer-informed digital advertising network.

To download a free track, registered users simply select a participating brand they prefer, and watch a brief video from that brand. After each download, FreeAllMusic.com serves additional advertisements for that brand across targeted websites. Visitors to those sites will see ads displaying information about downloads, supporting brands, and FreeAllMusic.com. Users can also email information about their download to friends, who can also download it legally for free...if they watch the ad, too. Sharing of download activity can also be posted on popular social networking sites.

Charter brands for the private beta period include Coca-Cola®, Warner Bros. TV, Zappos.com, LIONSGATE®, LG, inconcert3D, and Powermat.

Fans get their free music legally, brands gain new loyalties, and artists are compensated no differently than if the tracks were purchased, creating a fair balance for all participants.

"For the first time, a legitimate free music download service is making 'doing the right thing' easier than piracy. Our site is fast, easy and fun for consumers," noted FreeAllMusic.com's Richard Nailling. "The addition of UMG's artists from Lady Gaga and Rihanna to Taylor Swift and Jay Sean means people can count on FAM to offer an excellent selection of DRM-free music for just about every taste."

"Free All Music has created a new advertising model that connects fans, artists and brands," stated Mr. Ring. "It provides an opportunity for fans to support the artists that they love, and brands to build loyalty with existing and new consumers. Universal Music is committed to enabling and supporting services that provide engaging alternatives for fans looking to legally download music."

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