Eric Petajan, Chief Scientist and Founder, Face2face Animation

Eric Petajan is not the new face of the wireless industry, but it was his job to create it. Petajan is the chief scientist and founder of Face2face Animation, which in 2002 introduced the first wireless streaming MPEG-4 animation player. This summer, the Summit, N.J.-based firm debuted the first three-dimensional animated talking characters for 2.5G and 3G wireless handsets. Targeting mobile carriers, MVNOs and content aggregators, Face2face's digital visages finally put a face with the voice.

“People respond very positively to faces,” said Petajan, a longtime Bell Labs researcher who was instrumental in developing HDTV standards. “We can create characters that look like a particular person, or we can caricature them, or we can even create a model from an inanimate object. Now there is specific imagery that provides a unique identity to the voice you hear.”

The Face2face player allows the delivery of full 30 frames-per-second animation in a streaming file that clocks in at less than 10 kb/s. Facial models can be animated from standard digital video captures and brought to life from a single still image. While wireless gaming is a no-brainer, Petajan also touts the promise of facial animation to create branded characters that companies carefully can control and develop to foster more personal relationships with their customers, as well as use as a means to deliver news bytes and entertainment clips.

“I don't see the business model that supports broad use of video on wireless devices — they're not designed for long-term viewing,” Petajan said. “I think of the wireless phone today more as an entertainment device that people can use to keep boredom away. It's a temporary baby sitter. Now, you could tune into the Cartoon Network and have a little bit of animation to show your child. If nothing else, it will get you to the next rest stop.”