Content companies are hoping that wireless users-just like George Carlin-are looking for a place for their stuff.
It seems mass-market consumers are becoming comfortable with the idea of paying for things like music, games and even enterprise-targeted applications for their phones. But the ever-increasing appetite for such offerings is leading to content-management issues for users who upgrade handsets, switch carriers or simply lose track of their purchases.
Summus Inc., a North Carolina-based aggregator and application developer, last week launched an Internet portal designed to encourage users to buy and manage digital content. The company unveiled OasysMobile.com, which features a “virtual locker” to store ringtones, games, wallpaper and other content.
Users who buy offerings through the site can retain the rights to download their content again if the need arises. The service is targeted at 12- to 24-year-olds who often replace their handsets, the company said, potentially losing their content as they move from one device to another.
The virtual locker also can be used to store contact information that can be synchronized with a phone, eliminating the need to enter phone numbers and other information manually on a new handset. Summus, which offers content through both pay-per-download and bundled subscription models, is promoting the new site by re-branding itself as Oasys Mobile Inc.
“A user can come in (to the site), pick up a ringtone, and if in the future that phone dies on them, they’re able to come back and get that piece of content,” said Aaron Sheedy, vice president of online strategy for Oasys Mobile.
The service is free, but only supports a handful of devices on the market today. Sheedy said the company plans to work out details regarding pricing and number of downloads permitted as more users take advantage of the offering.
The virtual locker and contact synchronization services are free, although the contact offering supports only a few handsets. The storage offering is part of Oasys Mobile’s larger effort to evolve from a storefront into a digital lifestyle partner for consumers.
Oasys Mobile hopes to move toward the mainstream, as well. While the company’s new Web site and storefront are undeniably youth-focused, Sheedy said the “digital locker” will be expanded to include photo-sharing applications and other more general offerings.
Of course, high-tech teens and mass-market users aren’t the only users facing content-management hurdles. Owners of smart phones with multiple entertainment- and business-focused applications can face even more hurdles when it comes to keeping what they’ve already bought.
Even smart-phone users-who are more likely to be tech-savvy than subscribers carrying mass-market phones-may not be aware of the vast array of offerings for their devices, however. When it comes to wireless data, the industry has generally failed to grasp the importance of consumer education at the sales counter, and carriers are only now beginning to use staffers in brick-and-mortar stores to teach consumers that handsets can be used for much more than just conversations.
Operators are beginning to pour resources into lucrative data services. But some third parties are beating them to the punch, delivering content as well as innovative ways to discover, purchase and manage that content.
Handango Inc., an aggregator that sells applications for smart phones through its Web site and other channels, plans to launch a “download protection service” later this month. Users can pay a one-time $5 fee per application to access unlimited downloads for one year.
CEO Randy Eisenman said the service not only addresses replacement handset issues, but also allows customers more flexibility in moving applications on and off their devices.
“I think (content management issues are caused by) a combination of upgrading handsets and simply the fact that content disappears,” Randy Eisenman, Handango’s CEO, said of the growing need by consumers to manage their own content. “Occasionally that’s by user error, but these devices still have limited memory. If you’re close to memory capacity, you may need to remove what’s on your device” to download a new application.
Handango, which boasts a network of 16,000 content partners, is working to make itself more visible to the consumer, inking deals to preload branded software on handsets and distribute offerings through the Web sites of manufacturers and carriers. Eisenman hopes the new service builds customer loyalty for existing users as it eases the fears of those not yet comfortable buying mobile content. “Frankly, I don’t think the mobile-content industry to date has done a great job with the end-user experience,” Handango’s Eisenman said. “I think about the next three to five years, the winners in the mobile-content space will be the ones that deliver a great customer experience.”
