In the effort to alter consumers’ perceptions of wireless phones, Sprint PCS turned up the volume last week with the introduction of an online music service offered in conjunction with the first combination MP3 player/wireless phone available in the United States.
The introduction of the My Music service to Sprint’s Wireless Web portfolio is the third in a growing line of additions geared to convince users their wireless phone is much more than a device on which to make phone calls. The integration of such services as instant messaging, interactive online games and now music serves to transform a formerly straightforward device into an all-around personal tool.
Key to the My Music launch is the introduction of the Uproar MP3 phone from Samsung Telecommunications America-which allows users to transfer MP3 music files from their computer or the Internet to be stored and played on the phone.
The My Music service features an online music vault supplied and managed by HitHive Inc., which allows customers to upload music files from their desktop computers to an online site, and then download the files to their phone via Sprint’s Wireless Web service. With two gigabytes of music storage, subscribers may store up to 800 songs.
Users can view their collection from browser-enabled wireless phones and create custom playlists or mixes. They also can research news, biographies and reviews of their favorite musicians.
With the Uproar MP3 phone from Samsung, which features the Phone.com microbrowser, users can listen to songs in their personal library, either via streaming audio or by storing the songs into the phone and playing the file while it exists on the handset.
Users also can write their own music reviews, rate different songs and share opinions with other users at the HitHive site.
Subscribers who buy the Uproar phone will be provided with a CD-ROM containing the RealJukebox software from RealNetworks. The software allows users to transfer music from the PC to the Uproar device.
The Uproar phone is a 1900 MHz CDMA/analog dual-mode phone that includes various personal-organizer functions and basic voice use. It can store up to 64 megabytes of MP3 files, or about an hour of music. It also comes with SMS messaging capabilities, Flash Memory, voice-activated dialing T9 text input and a voice-memo option. It retails for about $400.
The idea of adding music listening capabilities to wireless phones is becoming more popular. Just as the Sony Walkman portable audio devices rose in popularity, the ability to access music files from the Internet is expected to result in smaller, more portable listening devices in the future, and many wireless carriers and manufacturers are interested in taking advantage of the phenomenon.
In Japan, Panasonic and NTT DoCoMo established a new company called Air Media in January with the mission of establishing a new mobile media distribution service using either a personal handyphone system, i-mode or wideband-CDMA phone.
Wireless users can download music to their wireless phones and store them on an SD Memory Card, which is like a disk drive embedded in the phone. They can transfer the card to a headset player to listen to the music. Panasonic also has a wireless device designed from the ground up primarily as a music listening device, complete with headphones.
Audiovox Communications Corp. recently introduced an Internet-capable handset with built-in MP3 playing capabilities called the CMP-3. It is not expected to ship until December. The 800 MHz CDMA/analog dual-mode phone features SMS, voice recording and speaker-phone capabilities, with 16 MB and 32 MB SD Memory Cards.
Part of the reason MP3 phones are becoming more popular is the increased attention paid to the service by various content providers.
Comverse Network Systems introduced its VoiCD system at its User Forum, which allows wireless users to look up songs they’ve just heard and download the track into their personal library for a small fee charged to their wireless account. The system also allows users to forward tracks to other users’ storage accounts.
Another innovative music solution is *CD from ConneXus Corp., a WAP application that lets users get information on a song they’ve heard on the radio by simply holding the phone’s speaker to the music source. The WAP site then “hears” the song and uses proprietary recognition software to distinguish the song and send the user information on the title, album and artist. It also allows the user to purchase either the song or the entire album.
Motorola Inc. created a spinoff company called RadioWave.com, which recently formed a partnership with Savos Inc. to add RadioWave.com’s various streaming music sites to Savos’ audio phone portal. The companies said they plan to collaborate on WAP mobile audio portals as well.
Finally, wireless ASP ViaFone announced it deployed a WAP application for CDNOW that allows existing CDNOW users to search for and buy music.
