TOKYO-PacketVideo Corp. said it will work with NTT DoCoMo Inc. to bring mobile music to the Japanese market using Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile Media technology.
The companies are introducing Windows Media capabilities-including Microsoft’s digital rights management offering-into NTT DoCoMo handsets through Universal pvPlayer, PacketVideo’s media player. NTT DoCoMo hopes the move sparks uptake of mobile music offerings by allowing users to play tunes on their handsets that were imported from online digital music services or CD collections.
“This is a first in Japanese mobile handsets,” boasted Kazunori Takagi, president of PacketVideo Japan.
PacketVideo also unveiled a regional development and sales center in Finland in an effort to tap the early market for mobile TV in Europe. The office will focus on the development and sales of multimedia software solutions for European operators and handset manufacturers, and is expected to complement an existing PacketVideo center in Nice, France.
A handful of mobile video services have launched in Europe in recent weeks, and many more are expected to come online in coming months.
PacketVideo’s software enables applications including mobile TV, digital photo-taking, and mobile audio and video recording. The San Diego-based company powers Verizon Wireless’ Vcast Music service and its media player is included on handsets from Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc. and other manufacturers.
