Mobile Music

Sprint's iPhone killer to debut June 20

Sue Marek — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:02:09 -0400

The rumors are true. Sprint confirmed that it will debut the Samsung Instinct on June 20. The phone, which has been pegged as the carrier's answer to the iPhone, is expected to cost between $200 and $300 and will be available initially to Sprint's "Simply Everything" rate plan customers.

The EV-DO Rev. A phone features a camera, video camera, music player and a turn-by-turn navigation. It comes with a touchscreen and has Web browsing capabilities. Click here to check out pictures of the Instinct.

For more:
-See this story

Related stories:
Sprint's iPhone-killer: Hardly a killer Instinct? See this Instinct editor's corner.
Sprint Wireless Toolkit 3.3 debuts. See this Samsung Instinct piece.

ALSO NOTED: Mobile social networks; RealNetworks' casual games; and much more...

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Here's how to make social networks work.

> RealNetworks set to spin off casual games business.

> Warner Music Group's mobile music revenues slip in Q2.

And Finally... Switzerland, Poland and Spain may be getting the iPhone soon. Article

ALSO NOTED: Tuning out mobile music; Smartphones drive browser growth; and much more...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Two-thirds of U.S. consumers tune out mobile music. Article

> Samsung to embed new CNN mobile news application. Article

> Muze debuts new music samples service. Article

> Smartphones driving mobile browser growth. Article

> Mobicious unveils new mobile social media site called SnapMyLife. Article

And Finally... The Post-it note of the future. Article

ALSO NOTED: Fixing mobile music; iPhone traffic flattens; and much more...

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> How do we revitalize mobile music? Article

> LiveWire buys Groove Mobile for $14.5 million. Article

> Report: iPhone traffic flattened last month. Article

> SendMe snags $15 million in venture capital. Article

And Finally... German driver says he was just using his phone to keep his ear warm. The court believed him since his itemized bill showed no phone call around the time he was issued a ticket. Article

ALSO NOTED: Time is of the essence for Sprint-Clearwire; Voda to launch femtocells soon? and much more...

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> Time is of the essence for Sprint-Clearwire. Article

> Start-up looks to jumpstart the secondary spectrum auction market. Article

> NextWave introduces mobile TV platform for WiMAX carriers. Article

> Vodafone to launch femtocells this year? Article

> Verizon launches new Eisner series The All-for-Nots. Article

> NextWave debuts MXtv. Article

> Loopt, Filter team for location-based SXSW content. Article

> Myxer intros Mobile Music Toolkit. Article

> MobiTV, HowardForums avoid legal skirmish. Article

And Finally... Carrier executives say mobile data revenues are in trouble. Article

ALSO NOTED: Mozilla courts carriers; How low can unlimited go? and much more...

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Sprint's Simply Everything plan makes mobile data cheap but not free. How much lower should it go? Opinion

> Priceline.com goes mobile with a travel site. Article

> Mozilla courts carriers for mobile browsing. Article

> Melodia debuts mobile music search application. Article

And Finally... Google gives homeless phone numbers and voicemail for free. Article

ALSO NOTED: Microsoft WM-Zune phone? iPhone Australia; and much more...

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Yahoo at work on multi-platform digital ad effort. Article

> Mobile music revenues should hit $17.5 billion by 2012. Article

> Admob and Unicast have partnered on mobile advertising. Article

> Microsoft mulling Windows Mobile Zune phone? Article

> Understanding Motorola's troubled search for a buyer for its handset division. Video

> Symbian CEO Nigel Clifford on the 53 percent jump in Symbian OS-equipped devices. Video

And Finally... Exclusive deal for the iPhone could be illegal in Australia. Article

ALSO NOTED: Sarin profile; Rogers Q4; and much more...

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> The WSJ has a profile piece on Vodafone's Arun Sarin. Article

> Rogers reports a strong Q4. Release

> Can MySpace become a mobile music mogul? Opinion

> The Oscars really like the mobile platform. Article

> Study: Usability is hampering mobile content adoption. Article

> Trend: People prefer shopping over actually buying via mobile phones. Article

And Finally... Will mobile phones someday come with a warning like tobacco products do today? Article

Mobile World Congress: SE's Windows device

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:59:57 -0500

On the eve of the 2008 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson debuted a series of new devices, including the Xperia X1, a high-end Windows Mobile slider phone with a qwerty keyboard and a nine-panel touchscreen interface. The phone is available in GSM, GPRS and EDGE in the 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands. It is available in UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA in the 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1700 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz bands. The phone, which features WiFi connectivity and AGPS capability, will debut in the second half of 2008.

This is the first Sony Ericsson Windows Mobile device--a surprise since Ericsson is a shareholder in Symbian and has launched 10 phones using the Symbian OS platform. At the press conference last night, Sony Ericsson executives tried to downplay the use of Windows Mobile on its Xperia device, however it caused quite a stir among the media in attendance.

But Xperia X1 isn't the only device Sony Ericsson debuted. The company also announced two new Cybershot phones--the G702 and the G902. The 702 features a 3.2 megapixel camera while the 902 has a 5 megapixel camera and can store up to 700 photos. Also new to the Sony Ericsson lineup is a Z770 Web phone, a W980 clamshell music phone that can store 8,000 songs, two G-series phones--the G700 and G900 which target the Web user--and two HSPA laptop cards.

Nokia's just following Apple to the bank

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:59:59 -0500

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Nokia's just following Apple to the bank

When a reporter from a German newspaper asked Nokia's CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo whether Nokia would demand a percentage of sales from its carrier partners like Apple does, Kallasvuo more or less said "No, not like Apple does."

"As far as mobile phones are concerned we are sticking with our old business model--that is, we get paid for our devices," Kallasvuo told the newspaper, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. "But for providing new services we are seriously considering a shared turnover model."

Nokia has become increasingly bullish when it comes to mobile Internet service offerings: the company just launched a new mobile streaming video service called Medeo. It also recently announced an unlimited mobile music download service called Nokia Comes With Music. The services launched after Nokia announced its new Ovi mobile Internet services platform.

The suggestion that Kallasvuo's "new" strategy for revenue share agreements with carriers is largely thanks to Apple's watershed deals with AT&T, O2 and others is rather far-fetched. Sure, Apple's rumored 30 percent cut of iPhone revenue marked a change in not only how deals between device makers and carriers share revenue, but also in how much the device maker gets. But Nokia is not lock-step behind Apple on this one.

Kallasvuo clearly states that he's not looking to change his existing business model for handset sales, and while he mentions that Nokia is considering a "shared turnover model" for services, that sounds like a revenue share agreement, which most mobile content service providers ink with carriers. Apple's iPhone deals bring the company an unconfirmed percentage of revenue from each iPhone customer on its carrier partners' networks. Nokia is simply saying that they want to share revenue from subscribers who use Nokia's services.

So, Nokia does not look to be following Apple's lead when it comes to the "how to" of structuring deals with carriers. We'll have to wait and see if Nokia follows Apple on the "how much."

What do you think? Will Nokia really follow Apple's lead or is it just looking for more lucrative rev-share deals? -Brian

T-Mobile USA launches Nokia's 6263

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 06:59:54 -0500

T-Mobile USA has launched a new 3G Nokia handset, the 6263, which features a 1.3 megapixel camera with video recording capabilities, a music player and a clamshell design. The primary display on the phone is a 2.2 inch 16 million QVGA and the phone can support a 4GB memory card.

"Many customers are looking to own a device that offers the latest conveniences, and want all of those features in a stylish--but classically-styled--phone. The Nokia 6263 is designed expressly for those people," said Frank Vium, VP of sales for Nokia.

For more on the new handset:
- read this press release
- see photos here

Rumor Mill: T-Mobile USA to announce 3G plans

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

According to a report in the Inquirer, T-Mobile USA will make a major announcement about its 3G network rollout on December 6. The news is a long time coming: We reported in December of 2005 that T-Mobile USA would launch its 3G network by the end of 2006. Now it seems the carrier may make good on that promise--a year late.

Last October the carrier said it planned to spend nearly $2.7 billion on its 3G network rollout, which will make use of the $4.2 billion worth of spectrum it won in the AWS auction. T-Mobile International's CEO Rene Obermann said at the time: "We're looking at the area of user generated content... where we could leverage or basically mobilize the trends which we can see on websites such as MySpace, YouTube or others... as well as data management scenarios and consumer mobile email. We want to leverage existing behavior... when it comes to mobile music and TV, I wouldn't consider them big revenue generators."

T-Mobile USA started selling its first 3G device this past October in select retail stores in New York City: The Samsung T639, a quad-band GSM/EDGE and WCDMA 1700 MHz clamshell. It's about time that handset had a nationwide network.

For more on the rumor:
- read the Inquirer's speculative article

LG Shine debuts on AT&T

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:55 -0500

AT&T has inked an exclusive deal with LG in the U.S. for its Shine handset, which features AT&T Video Share, mobile banking and AT&T mobile music. The sliding-form factor handset, which features silver exterior and 2.2 inch mirror LCD screen, hit store shelves on Black Friday. The phone also features a 2.0 megapixel camera and Bluetooth 2.0 capability.

For more on the handset:
- see this press release
- see this slideshow of Shine images and other recent LG releases

Groove gets exclusive track

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 06:59:55 -0400

Groove Mobile together with The Orchard, released a full track of content from the hip-hop artist Aceyalone that will be available on Groove's off-portal service. The track, called "Can't Hold Back," is available across multiple carriers for $1.99.

Groove is launching the track to generate more exposure for its off-portal online service. Groove chief marketing officer Adam Sexton says that the off portal offering is supported on many different handsets and many different operators he believes the service will help solve some of the fragmentation issues in mobile music world.

Customers can access the music by texting to a short code that will send the user an SMS link to a specific artist WAP page where they can download the song directly to their phone. -Sue

Related story: Groove Mobile signs off-portal deals with UMG, 3 UK. Story

Quincy Jones answers the questions no one asked

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:05:15 -0400

Quincy Jones is many things--music legend, film producer and humanitarian chief among them--but lucid commentator on the future of the music industry he is not. In fact, during his rambling keynote appearance at Monday's Mobile Entertainment Live! forum, Jones seemed to touch on virtually every subject except the wireless platform, name-checking everyone from jazz great Art Farmer to electronic pioneer Paul Beaver during the course of a trainwreck Q&A that mostly raised the question of what Jones was doing here in the first place. "It's the best and worst of times," Jones said as he briefly veered the conversation to the subject at hand. "The passion for music is higher than ever, but the system is so flawedÃ¢â‚¬Â¦it's pathetic." - Jason

Related: What are you most looking forward to at CTIA. Poll

AT&T turns up Napster Mobile

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:07:55 -0400

AT&T announced the imminent launch of Napster Mobile, an expansion of its partnership with digital music service provider Napster that promises subscribers over-the-air access to more than 5 million songs. Debuting in mid-November, Napster Mobile sends each premium download to the subscriber's handset while also transmitting a copy to their PC, with an email notice providing a link to download the song. Pricing for Napster Mobile: A Five-Track Pack option for $7.49 per month, or $1.99 per track a la carte for $1.99. One huge caveat: The service is not available via Apple's iPhone.

"It's the latest piece of our mobile music strategy," said AT&T VP of consumer data Mark Collins during an appearance Monday morning at the Mobile Entertainment Live! event in San Francisco. "It's all about what our customers desire, what they demand and what they're willing to pay for it."

AT&T will launch Napster Mobile by featuring content from Matchbox Twenty, a band that is set to launch a new album, Exile on Mainstream, and which enjoyed its greatest popularity back in the days when handsets were still the size of canned hams. The Matchbox Twenty promotion will include exclusive content from live concert performances on MobiTV, corresponding live tracks via Napster Mobile, and ringtones. Matchbox Twenty guitarist Paul Doucette joined Collins onstage at MEL to demonstrate the Napster Mobile service.

In addition to Napster Mobile, AT&T announced MobiVJ, a new streaming music video service for $6.99 per month, along with VIP Access, a mobile fan club and discovery service featuring artist biographies and discographies, polls and news alerts for $2.99 a month.

"Our focus is on things that matter to the end-user customers," Collins said. "What are the things that matter that we can wirelessly enable for them? We listen to them, watch their patterns and develop our products based on what they tell us."

For more on Napster Mobile:
-read this release

Related articles:
AT&T, eMusic team for mobile download service
Cingular prepping mobile music service
Cingular, Clear Channel launch mobile music
Cingular wraps up Jay-Z tour highlights

Mobile Entertainment: Let advertising drive adoption

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

You know how on Super Bowl Sunday people talk more about the commercials more than the on-field action? Expect CTIA I.T. Wireless & Entertainment 2007 to unfold pretty much the same way. With so many mobile video, music and gaming deals already in place and virtually every major content player in the mix, the burning question now is the role that advertising support will play, said Eric Berger, vice president of mobile entertainment for Sony Pictures Television.

"Data fees are still pretty high for mobile TV services, so everyone is looking at alternative models to bring fees down and spur consumer adoption," Berger said. "The industry is exploring ad support for both specific pieces of content and data platforms as a whole, and looking at whether and how to bring subscriber costs down with ads. The challenge is triangulating the demands of consumers, content owners, advertisers and carriers all together."

Despite the overwhelming volume of content now available to mobile subscribers, providers are still rolling out new services and platforms as well. Berger said Sony Pictures Television will introduce at CTIA two new networks in conjunction with an as-yet-unannounced carrier deal, while Island Def Jam Music Group and mobile multimedia provider mSpot will descend on San Francisco to launch IDJ Radio, a new urban-themed streaming music and on-demand video subscription service.

mSpot, Nokia and Island Def Jam will use next week's conference to showcase some innovative new technology during a party hosted by the three companies on Oct. 23 at Ruby Skye nightclub. Invitees will receive a barcode via SMS to their handset before the event. That barcode will then be scanned and used to gain admittance. Kamar Shah, global head of industry marketing at Nokia said that the company will be displaying its Internet Tablet, the N810 at the party to show people its MOSH mobile sharing service. Nokia also will have a film crew following Def Jam entertainer Ne-Yo, who will be performing at the party, and it will upload that live streaming content to the MOSH site.

On the gaming front, expect to hear lots at CTIA IT about the continued transformation of device makers into content providers. With its recent entry into the digital music download business, the resurrection of its N-Gage gaming platform and the debut of its Ovi web services portal, handset giant Nokia is brokering more deals than Howie Mandel, and emerging as a major player in mobile multimedia. And, of course, this CTIA represents the first major industry event where Apple's iPhone is actually in the hands of mobile execs and mobile consumers alike--for such a small device, it promises to cast a large shadow across the convention floor. -Jason

Verizon shows off holiday handset lineup

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Verizon Wireless today unveiled four handsets strategically launching in time for the busy holiday season: the Verizon Wireless Juke by Samsung, the BlackBerry Pearl 8130 smartphone, The Venus by LG and The Voyager by LG. Each of the phones will hit store shelves before Thanksgiving.

The Juke: Described as "pint-sized," this handset features a swivel design. It boasts 2GB of internal storage, music player, VGA camera with Nightshot and access to VZ Navigator and Chaperone. The phone is exclusive to the carrier and will come in blue, red and teal.

The Venus: This phone sports dual screens and the bottom one includes tactile feedback. The handset includes a microSD slot, Get It Now, VCAST Video and Music, a music player and a 2 megapixel camera. It comes in black and pink.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8130: This first Pearl from Verizon Wireless includes EV-DO capability and GPS. Comes in tinted silver, a color exclusive to the carrier.

Finally, the Voyager: This phone has a large external touch screen that opens laterally to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. The Voyager also features an HTML browser, VCAST and microSD slot.

For more on Verizon's holiday phones:
- read this press release
- see this slideshow of the phones

FEATURE: Comparing Touchscreen Phones

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:59:53 -0400

Before the launch and success of the iPhone, touchscreen phones have been wowing consumers and changing the way the industry thinks about handset use. This new trend in form factor design has produced a number of offerings beyond Apple's hyped music player handset. With yesterday's announcement of the touchscreen-based Samsung Giorgio Armani Phone, we thought it might be helpful to highlight some of the other phones embracing the touchscreen trend.

Click here see the phones and compare them...

AT&T launches WiFi-enabled BlackBerry 8820

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:59:57 -0400

AT&T has launched the WiFi-enabled BlackBerry 8820, which will retail for $299 with a two-year agreement. Despite many rumors that AT&T had planned to "neuter" the handset's GPS capabilities to somehow aid the iPhone's appeal, the BB 8820 has both WiFi and GPS capabilities. The phone will become commercially available tomorrow. The phone features Xm Satellite Radio, eMusic, push-to-talk and AT&T Mobile Music.

For more on the 8820:
- read this press release
- see this slide show of the BlackBerry 8820