For about one-fourth the cost of comparable systems, neighborhood-based sign owners work with RedPost’s easy-to-use Corktop software to create, distribute, promote and manage the system through the Internet, relying on Wi-Fi access at the signs’ locations to pickup their neighborhood-specific feed.

Press Release

San Francisco, Calif. -- The Goshen, Ind., software start-up RedPost inc. today flipped the switch on the first installation of its newest signs at The Bently Reserve, a world-class, newly-renovated conference center located in the heart of San Francisco's financial district in the former Federal Reserve building.

Set for a public unveiling on April 9 and 10, owners Christopher and Amber Marie Bently will introduce the new Bently Conference Center during a series of gala events open to business associates, media, clients, and the hospitality industry. Occupying the entire second floor of The Bently Reserve, the conference center features the latest high-definition digital technologies, including RedPost's Signs, and the most advanced building control systems to accurately monitor energy consumption and increase efficiency.

The Bently Reserve is starting with six signs, one outside each conference room, and plans to triple that number over the next three months. Brady Frey is the Art and IT Director for Bently Holdings, the company who owns The Bently Reserve: "We looked the world over for a display that would fit our specific needs and after weeks of searching the only product that we found that fit our requirements was RedPost. We love it -- it does exactly what we want. They were also a great group to work with and really came through for our launch event."

Eric Kanagy, CEO of RedPost, is present for the launch festivities and oversaw the installation. "We're excited to be part of this amazing project. They've succeeded creating a breathtaking space that feels like it must have when the bank first opened in 1924 -- with the addition of incredible amount of technology, blended seamlessly into the environment. It's been a joy to work with a company that share the design philosophy and ideals that RedPost aspires to."

RedPost's new Sign(beta) follows up on the success of the RedPost/Kit, a do-it-yourself, hackable digital photo frame, that shipped to 4 continents and across the U.S.

Kanagy oversaw the design and manufacture of the new Sign. "Last June we launched our Kit. It was unlike anything else available -- yet had a few drawbacks, including its weight and processor speed. The new Sign is lighter, faster, prettier and no longer takes a computer expert to use. Plug it in, go through the 5 minute config process, and you're up and running."

On the hardware side, the Sign(beta) combines a 19-inch LCD screen with 1280 X 1024 resolution with a low power, VIA C7 carbon-neutral processor and built-in 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi. The Sign(beta) runs Wicker, RedPost's customized implementation of Ubuntu, the popular open source Linux operating system. Wicker allows the user to either connect their Sign(beta) to Corktop, load a website or display images from the local drive if no Internet access is available.

RedPost's focus is software, not hardware. But the lack of simple, low-cost, good-looking options led RedPost to develop the Sign(beta), while continuing to seek out hardware companies with the vision to build the perfect Sign at the right price.

The new Sign(beta) retails for $599 and is being beta tested at a range of sites to confirm its practical and broadbased appeal in the digital sign market, including at Goshen College; Purdue University; the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory; in a Google engineer's cubicle and Health Care Clinic; on the island of Maui, Hawaii; and by Attraks, an advertising agency based in Toronto.

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RedPost uses simple, proven, off-the-shelf technology to link digital signs throughout a local “neighborhood” that can include a few city blocks or a corporate office. For about one-fourth the cost of comparable systems, neighborhood-based sign owners work with RedPost’s easy-to-use Corktop software to create, distribute, promote and manage the system through the Internet, relying on Wi-Fi access at the signs’ locations to pickup their neighborhood-specific feed.

RedPost aims to replace the world's bulletin boards with digital signs.

About Corktop

Corktop is the software brains of RedPost, designed to create an iTunes-easy structure that makes advertising and other communication simple and effective for anyone to do. At its most basic, Corktop allows any user with a Web browser to create digital posters, organize them into playlists, and deliver these playlists to a particular locale of digital signs. Essentially it’s like managing a bulletin board through your Web browser.

Corktop users connect to the RedPost website to transmit a poster playlist to the appropriate “neighborhood” or locale where digital signs are installed. The software can automatically create posters from different kinds of Web content, from RSS to Flickr to HTML pages. It also helps users create their own ad-sales website to enable their customers to upload, pay for, and schedule an ad; the user simply approves the ads as they come in. Payment processing and a monthly check for total sales is provided by RedPost.

About RedPost Signs

The digital sign that is hardware heart of the RedPost consists of a 19” LCD display and integrated PC with built-in 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi.

There is no limit on the number of these signs that can be posted throughout a particular locale. They respond to a secure code connecting them to the correct Corktop account from which they receive their wireless feed. They can also operate without a Corktop account in the same manner as a digital photo frame.

Source: RedPost inc.