BlockBuster’s OnDemand streaming movie service is going mobile, and Motorola (NYSE: MOT) has locked down an exclusive deal that would put the movie download service on select Motorola mobile phones. The deal would make Motorola the first cellphone maker to offer access to BlockBusters thousands of movie titles to consumer on-the-go. While video entertainment has been somewhat slow to gain traction in the US, but Motorola sees the market growing and believes their partnership with BlockBuster will allow them to deliver an “unparalleled portable movie experience in [Motorola's] next-generation handsets.”
The deal helps BlockBuster gain a foothold in the nascent mobile video market, giving them an advantage over competitors like Netflix. More importantly, the exclusive deal gives Motorola a unique service that may just help boost the company’s upcoming Android phones into the mainstream. We’ll have to wait and see if the Motorola Morrison hits market with BlockBuster OnDemand in tow.
There’s no mention of when the service will go live, or how much it will cost. If BlockBuster OnDemand comes bundled with Moto hardware, it’s probably safe to assume that BlockBuster will be charging on a per-download basis. A subscription model would be nice, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.
In the ongoing pyramid-scheme fiasco surrounding Zer01 Mobile, the “VoIP carrier” has announced that it has cut all ties with Global Verge and Buzzirk Mobile – two of Zer01’s shady affiliates that had so far been distributing Zer01’s services through its “associate” program. Both Global Verge and Buzzirk Mobile are run by executives that have been involved in pyramid schemes, a fact that has drawn Zer01 much criticism of late and casts doubt on whether Zer01 Mobile ever intended to make good on their promise of unlimited voice and data service for $70 per month. Zer01 cites a breach of contract in kicking both companies to the curb.
Zer01’s decision to distance itself from known pyramid scheme peddlers Global Verge and Buzzirk Mobile is at least a step in the right direction. But, it doesn’t absolve Zer01 from their continued lack of communication and opaque business plans.
Zer01 Mobile announced earlier this year that it would provide unlimited wireless services for $70 per month, using a patented VoIP technology to route calls through national GSM networks allegedly partnered with Zero1. The service was supposed to go live on July 1. To date, Zer01 has not offered anything close to a reliable explanation for the launch delay. Neither their “patented” technology nor their carrier partnerships can be confirmed. And, there’s still the matter of the thousands of Zer01 “associates” that have signed up as Zer01 resellers, payed their initiation fee and continue to pay their monthly “support” fees for a service that is still vaporware (at best).
This is Zer01 Mobile CEO Ben Piilani at CTIA Wireless 2009:
According to Zer01:
“We hope that our actions and statements put many concerns to rest. We believe that statements made publicly about the nature of our relationship with certain entities and the legitimacy of our mobile products by certain third parties are erroneous and untrue and are not based upon sufficient knowledge of the facts involved. Currently, our counsel is in the process of preparing a response to these false and misleading statements.”
The announcement continues by saying that:
“Our company reserves all its legal rights and remedies that may arise from any and all erroneous and untrue statements made by third parties. We consider the reputation and integrity of Zer01 Mobile to be of utmost importance to our future success and we intend to vigilantly defend it.”
Now, we’re no mobile CEOs here, but Zer01 Mobile might want to spend more time getting its alleged wireless service launched rather than spending resources fighting all the bad press that they brought on themselves.
Interactive mobile data solutions provider (whatever that means), weComm, has announced its partnership with Livestation to deliver live TV news across mobile platforms, Android and Blackberry (NSDQ: RIMM) devices included.
Livestation already delivers live TV streaming services on iPhone for such media companies as BBC World News and Al Jazeera. weComm, on its end, will provide its On-Demand Mobile Application Platform to enable Livestation to deliver live broadcasts from Livestation’s global news TV partners to other mobile operating systems — note here that Symbian and Windows Mobile are not mentioned in the press release.
The companies will distribute the service in a number of easy-to-subscribe methods including through the major mobile handset-manufacturers’ application stores…
Rest of the press release includes quotes from the companies’ executives which we won’t repeat here. You can check LiveStation’s and weComm’s websites for more information.
Sometimes, if it sounds too good to be true, it just might be. Take, for instance, Zer01’s claim to a patented technology that will allow the company to provide unlimited wireless voice and data services to customers for just $70 per month. At first, it sounded too good to be true. Zer01 said that they would be able to deliver truly unlimited wireless service on the cheap by routing all calls and data through the company’s proprietary VoIP network. Then, when Zer01 blitzed CTIA Wireless 2009 and won an award from Laptop magazine, the company’s claims started to seem plausible. Zer01’s CEO Ben Piilani even took the time to explain to IntoMobile his company’s plans to partner with a nationwide GSM carrier to become the premier “VoIP carrier” in the US (video below). Unfortunately, things are now looking quite dismal for Zer01.
Zer01 had planned to go live with its network on July 1. That day came and went without so much as a public demonstration of the company’s network technology. Zer01’s explanations for the launch delays have been varied, at best. They’re downright suspicious, at worst. One story has the delay being attributed to SIM cards that needed to be defragged. Another blames the installation of software on said SIM cards for the launch delay. The story keeps changing and Zer01 keeps dodging press inquiries. In fact, I’ve personally been hounding Zer01’s inboxes in search of some sort of communication for a handful of months. I have yet to get a response, but still continue to receive spammy press releases from Zer01 to this day.
Wait. It gets worse. Zer01 has enlisted an army of “associates” that were lured into paying the company a monthly fee in return for “back office support” and the hope of earning $10 for every Zer01 customer that signs up under them. Doesn’t that sound like your classic multi-level marketing (pyramid) scheme? Sure does. So much so that Laptop magazine has withdrawn its award to Zer01 Mobile.
Zer01’s leadership has also come under fire recently, with many of its top-level executives being cut or stepping down. At least one of its recently cut executives have now gone on record with the opinion that Zer01’s associates would never see a paycheck from the company, and that Zer01’s launch is unlikely. Zer01 is also affiliated with other shady companies that have ties to shady multi-level marketing businesses. Zer01 and its affiliates apparently employ executives with records stained by probation for fruad, investigations for fraud and suspicious credentials. The graphic below (from NetworkWorld)explains Zer01’s web of shady dealings more clearly.
All in all, Zer01 needs to prove themselves legitimate as soon as possible. The ball of bullshit is rolling. Ben Piilani would do well to get his shit together and bring his company out of the shadows. Assuming Zer01 is even a viable mobile company…
Take a look at Ben Piilani’s interview after the break.
Sure, if you’re already and AT&T (NYSE: T) customer, especially if you have an iPhone, you can already enjoy free WiFi service in Barnes & Noble retail locations throughout the US. But, for the rest of you without an AT&T subscription to call your own, Barnes & Noble has just announced that it will give all customers that walk through its doors free access to AT&T’s WiFi hotspot service. Barnes & Noble is hoping that free internet connectivity will help foster the idea that its retail stores serve as community centers. And, it doesn’t hurt that customers can use the free WiFi to download eBooks from B&N’s catalog of over 700,000 eBooks.
“Barnes & Noble pioneered the concept of retail stores as community centers,” said Steve Riggio, CEO of Barnes & Noble, Inc. “By providing no-fee Wi-Fi access, we are not only meeting our customers’ needs, but extending the sense of community that has always been in our stores.”
We’re not the type to hang out at the book store to kill some time, but for you literature fans out there with a need to escape to an air-conditioned building filled with books and free WiFi, your local B&N might just be one of the better Summer hang-out spot in your area!
The thing about big-time wireless carriers with nationwide networks is that they’re always looking to become even bigger-time wireless carriers. Sprint (NYSE: S), for example, has just announced that it will be acquiring Virgin Mobile USA (NYSE: VM) for the not-so-small sum of $483 million. The deal is part of Sprint’s push to focus on the pre-paid wireless market in the US. The acquisition will have Sprint paying $5.50 per Virgin Mobile USA share.
Sprint plans to bring control of its own pre-paid Boost network under the control of Virgin Mobile USA’s current CEO Dan Schulman. The Boost pre-paid network and Virgin Mobile USA’s own pre-paid user-base are considered complementary, and will continue to operate in parallel. The deal will cancel out $248 million in outstanding debt on VM USA’s books, and will boost Sprint’s wireless ranks by some 5.2 million customers. That’s not enough to make the No. 3 US wireless carrier any more of a threat to AT&T (NYSE: T) or Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless, but it sure does make Sprint a good deal bigger than T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) USA.
Of course, as with all deals of this size and nature, Sprint will have to wait for feds and regulators to sign off on the deal. As it stands, this fall or early 2010 is looking like a good bet for regulatory approval of the acquisition.
ShoZu has teamed-up with global roaming provider MAXroam to provide iPhone users with a convenient way to minimise the cost of sharing photos and video clips while roaming.
Under the agreement, iPhone users who have purchased the ShoZu application (costs $4.99) will get an access to MAXroam’s service, which provides data roaming discounts of up to 70% in 139 countries. On the other hand, MAXroam users get the ShoZu iPhone application practically for free.
To sign up for MAXroam’s service, ShoZu users request a coupon code from ShoZu.com and then redeem it on the MAXroam Web site to receive a $4.99 credit toward MAXroam service. ShoZu users also must purchase a MAXroam SIM card, which is included in the MAXroam service bundles.
The other way round also works – iPhone owners who visit the MAXroam website will be invited to purchase the ShoZu from the AppStore and receive a coupon code that will give their MAXroam account a $4.99 credit.
Neat marketing plot, don’t you think? After all, if you’re going to need roaming service, why not get a free app along the way. And ShoZu is certainly a useful addition to your application library.
Tapjoy — the company behind such popular iPhone titles as TapDefense, TapSudoku and TapWord — released a new version of its Tapjoy SDK, designed to “help mobile developers improve their applications, grow their user base and make them more profitable.”
The most important feature of the updated version is that it now includes Pinch Media’s Pinch Analytics, which provides iPhone application developers with an insight to make more informed decisions on how best to improve and enhance their apps. As a result, iPhone app developers can get the full benefits of both solutions in one comprehensive dashboard.
Commenting on the new Tapjoy SDK release, the company’s Lee Linden said: “We are committed to providing developers with the one-stop suite of key services to become more profitable and successful. By partnering with an industry leader like Pinch Media we will more easily and quickly meet these needs by offering deep analytics capabilities in tandem with monetization and audience growth services.”
T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) is joining Sprint (NYSE: S) and AT&T (NYSE: T) in offering their phones and plans at Radio Shack stores across the U.S. The main thing that T-Mobile is bringing to the table these days is the myTouch 3G, but if price cuts on Rogers are an indication of the HTC Magic’s limp performance, T-Mobile probably wants be pushing it out of as many outlets as possible. Good on T-Mobile for getting in there, though… We can only hope it won’t disappear like that Verizon deal. If you’re interested in comparing prices, you can take a look at T-Mobile’s offerings at Radio Shack over here.
There used to be a time when satellite phones came attached to briefcases (much like the first cellphones, in fact). More recently, sat-phones have grown small enough to carry in a pocket, but still came with chunky waistlines and awkward antennas. TerreStar is looking to change all that with their TerreStar satellite phone service and TerreStar hybrid cellphone. Following the launch of their TS-1 satellite earlier this month, TerreStar has just completed testing a pair of slim(ish) “TerreStar Satellite/Terrestrial” smartphones in an end-to-end test call routed through the company’s TS-1 communications satellite orbiting Earth.
The successful completion of the TS-1 satellite and the TerreStar Satellite/Terrestrial brings us one step closer to realizing the dream of carrying a fully-functional satellite phone in the tightest of pants pockets. And, with the ability to work over traditional cellular networks (TerreStar is partnered with AT&T (NYSE: T)), the TerreStar sat-phone system promises to make the best use of pricey satellite minutes.
We’d like to get our hands on the 0.8-inch thick Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional smartphone – made by Elektrobit – and its 2.6-inch touchscreen, 3-megapixel camera, WiFi, 3G (HSPA) and GPS receiver. Alas, we’ll have to wait for more information from TerreStar. The company plans to bring their service online by the end of the year. We’ll probably know more soon.
BlockBuster’s OnDemand streaming movie service is going mobile, and Motorola (NYSE: MOT) has locked down an exclusive deal that would put the movie download service on select Motorola mobile phones. The deal would make Motorola the first cellphone maker to offer access to BlockBusters thousands of movie titles to consumer on-the-go. While video entertainment has been somewhat slow to gain traction in the US, but Motorola sees the market growing and believes their partnership with BlockBuster will allow them to deliver an “unparalleled portable movie experience in [Motorola's] next-generation handsets.”
Sure, if you’re already and AT&T (
The thing about big-time wireless carriers with nationwide networks is that they’re always looking to become even bigger-time wireless carriers. Sprint (
T-Mobile (
There used to be a time when satellite phones came attached to briefcases (much like the first cellphones, in fact). More recently, sat-phones have grown small enough to carry in a pocket, but still came with chunky waistlines and awkward antennas. TerreStar is 
