In an era of over-the-air full-track mobile music offerings and streaming audio services, Fitzwilliam Yang is all about sideloading.
The brand manager for Mobile Action Inc. hopes to entice wireless subscribers to use their PCs as a tool to manage ringtones, images, entire songs and other digital content. The Taiwan-based company is targeting tech-savvy U.S. consumers with an over-the-counter software offering that allows users to download content to a computer and transfer it to a phone via a USB cable or Bluetooth connection.
Mobile Action has already gained traction in European and Asian markets with Handset Manager, a Microsoft Corp. Windows Mobile-compatible offering that can be used to store and transfer contact information, generate text messages, and create custom audio and visual clips, including ringtones. The company has notched distribution deals with both CompUSA Inc. and Best Buy Co. Inc., selling software kits for $40 to $50, depending on which connection is being used.
“We want users to more easily integrate their wireless technology into their everyday lives by creating personalized content for their cellular devices,” said Yang. “If you have this kind of system, you don’t really need to pay the carriers” for music services or other offerings.
Mobile Action, which was founded in 1999, used CTIA Wireless 2006 to hawk its latest product, FoneJoy. In addition to selling the content-management software to consumers, the company is licensing the DRM-capable technology to carriers and content providers as a white-label that can be integrated with other digital media players. RCR
