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Agent155 to develop DDS for mobile phones

Agent155 to develop digital download service (DDS) specifically designed to monetize video content.  The DDS service will include card processing, user registration, account management and collaboration tools.

Related:

: A guide to video mobile phones by Jonathan Takiff.

Underwear ads coming to a mobile near you

Westport's Joe Boxer clothing company and Smartphones Technologies pair up to deliver Joe Boxer marketing content to mobile phones. You can download and watch Joe Boxer ads including "The Dancing Joe Boxer Guy" and "Mr. Licky," wall papers and exclusive ringtones.

Larry McNaughton, chief operating officer of CoreBrand, a branding strategy company in Stamford, thinks using the cell phone as a means of promoting products has only just begun.

"Advertising is done on any flat surface, why not on a cell phone screen?" McNaughton said. Whatever the product may be, however, the message must be either "incredibly relevant or entertaining," McNaughton said.

Though he understands Joe Boxer's positioning as a company that's all about fun, McNaughton thinks that its video clips might not be for everybody who has a phone in his or her pocket.

"It's a viable way to spread a brand, but how it's used is another thing," McNaughton said. "It's a fragile situation. Will you turn off people or get them excited about it? The question is does this become personally intrusive? A cell phone is a personal instrument and you ask, 'Do I resent someone trying to sell me something on my own turf?'"

Channel 4 interactive TV services to your mobile

UK broadcaster Channel 4 teams up with BT to enable viewers to interact with TV commercials using their mobile.

Commercials participating in the program will display a short code that viewers will be able to dial to receive additional information, as well as supplemental video, ringtones and electronic coupons. The program is, of course, designed to extend the reach of interactive advertising to Channel 4 viewers who access the channel through non-ITV-enabled platforms, including analog terrestrial.

Thumbdance Film Festival

Thumbdance Film Festival - Online competition to find the funniest, best and brightest in film, video and animation content for mobile phones. There are 4 categories - Comedy, Drama, Animation and Video shot on a mobile phone.

News Corp unveils mobile soap operas

Drawing on the mobile success of American Idol and the experiences of its sister companies in the text-mad UK and Asia, Fox parent News Corp is rolling out a range of made-for-mobile video content in the US.

In a related story Norway's NRK is pioneering a service whereby kids can send in video clips from their mobile phones and have them shown on national TV via youth-skewing entertainment show Svisj. European Press claim that this makes NRK the first broadcaster in Europe to provide such a service. NRK is considering employing the technology in other programme formats in various categories such as entertainment, sports and news. When newsworthy events occur, any phone with a built-in camcorder can provide video coverage to the broadcaster.

Also Hollyoaks gets mobile spin-off - UK teen soap Hollyoaks will become the first drama in Europe to offer a spin-off series via mobile phone picture messaging.

3G Video Dating services

mobestar a provider of 3G video services partners with 3G-Scene, provider of mobile dating and gambling software and services to develop video dating services. The service will be available in the 2nd quarter. The service will enable people looking for love to sign up via their 3G mobile and search for potential partners, view their pictures and videos and make live video contact with each other.  Click here for the 3G video demonstration.

Source: mobestar

Microsoft to power Verizon Mobile TV services

Verizon will be using Microsoft's Windows Media technology to power its Vcast streaming video service.  Expect to see more mobile video services in the US market with Cingular Wireless planning to launch live MobiTV services to its subscribers.

Microsoft rival RealNetworks has tried hard to gain a head start on its larger competitor, working with handset makers and mobile carriers around the world to provide support for its audio and video formats. Carriers are also using standards-based technologies such as MPEG-4. However, Microsoft has benefited from partnering with the smaller PacketVideo, which provides multimedia software for many big cell phone companies. PacketVideo, which Verizon is using on its phones, has supported Microsoft's Windows Media technology for several years.

Wireless streaming TV/radio services - USA

Thinstream launches wireless streaming tv and radio services to mobile subscribers in North America. Service offered through major North American operators, with programming from CNN, Bloomberg, Fox Sports and The Weather Channel. Pricing set at $20/month.

Channel 4 tests 3G with Celeb Big Brother

Channel 4 begins streaming TV content to mobile phones for the first time when Celebrity Big Brother got underway yesterday evening in the UK.  The technology is provided by Vemotion. More here.

In a related note you can also watch Nakes News Live on your mobile.

SmartVideo to launch live and on-Demand video content

SmartVideo Technologies to showcase its launch streaming video services such as live news, weather, sports and entertainment, children's programming and a host of other content genres at the CES International 2005 conference to be held in Las Vegas this week. The video content will be delivered at 15 frames per second. More. Click here for other mobile video related stories.