CTIA Brings U.S. Mobile Video Into Focus
CEO and founder Rajeev Raman said mywaves had 250,000 downloads in the three months after launch and 18 million within the first year, with 5 million unique visitors in the last month of the year. Even so, he cautions that mobile advertising from a streaming standpoint is still nascent.
"If you look at it from the advertiser’s perspective, is mobile something you are going to set aside a big budget for in 08?" Raman asked. "No. In 2008, what I’m seeing is more and more brands trying mobile advertising, and different types of mobile advertising."
Connectivity and Devices
It wouldn't be a mobile show without new devices, including both handsets and mobile data devices. In the latter category, Novatel Wireless announced its Ovation series of multiple frequency band operation USB data modems. The devices, the MC990D and MC992D HSPA modems, can be used on HSPA, WCDMA, EDGE, and GPRS networks. The MC992D, which runs in the 850 and 1900 MHz bands for the North American market, also has a micro SD slot, and is capable of peak download speeds of 7.2Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5.76Mbps.
On the handset, Verizon announced the XV6900 smartphone with an iPhone-like touchscreen user interface, although the XV6900 uses Microsoft Windows Mobile 6. As it comes with Internet Explorer Mobile and can create new ZIP files and attachments, the phone is geared toward allowing mobile video content uploads.
Eras
Speaking of Verizon, Glaser also mentioned the company's large device portfolio as a reason that RealNetworks and MTV are delaying the launch of Rhapsody America, the mobile music service announced in August 2007.
"Rhapsody America will require about three months longer to launch than expected," Glaser said, but an official launch date was not given.
According to reports at FierceWireless, Glaser said the decision was predicated in large part on the size and scope of carrier partner Verizon Wireless' device portfolio, with the companies deciding to delay Rhapsody America's debut in order to deliver the services across a wider swath of handsets than originally planned.
Related Articles
Freeing up spectrum is needed to allow the economy to recover, claims FCC Chairman.
22 Mar 2011
Companies and Suppliers Mentioned