Microsoft Windows Media to be Integrated into Cell Phones

[Audioholics]

<A href="http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/Windowsmediamusiccellphones.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 112px; HEIGHT: 100px" alt=[MotorolaSLVR1] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/MotorolaSLVR1_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>Not wanting to appear biased in the "portable music via cell phone" trend, Motorola inked a deal today to use Windows Media technology from Microsoft in a new line of music phones that would sell right alongside its iTunes phone developed with Apple. I would postulate that the co-development has been going on all along and that Apple simply insisted on being "first to market" with the technology. Nokia will launch between one and three Windows Media phones in the second half of 2006.

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[corey]

Wow, that's great. Now people can pay extra for phones that crash in sync with their computers. What would be really great is if I could buy a Sony-Erickson phone with both Windows Media & a root kit pre-installed.

 

[quicksilver]

Yeah and the itunes phone was such a great seller

 

[markw]

I dunno. Maybe I'm old fashioned but...

... all I want my phone to do is talk to other phones. A directory, speakerphone and bluetooth are nice too, but that's about all the technology I think I need in a telephone.

YMMV.

 

[GlocksRock]

why can't they make cell phones with something useful built in, like a universal remote control, make it kinda like the logitech harmony, so you can d/l the codes straight to the phone. That way it's no big deal when you lose your remote, you just reach for your phone instead.

 

[thoward4444]

Windows Mobile

I have been using an Audiovox SMT5600 Windows Smartphone for about a year and it is awesome. It never crashes and the call quality is fantastic. Plus, i can sync my movies, personal videos, pictures, and music with the phone and it plays them all with fantastic quality. Even Palm has started using Windows Mobile 5 in the new Treo. It really is a fantastic platform, so give it a try and i think you will be impressed.

Also, unlike the iTunes phone, Windows Mobile is an open platform and not limited to a single vendor (iTunes) for online music. While iTunes, iPod, etc are excellent devices, they are a closed platform controled by Apple.

 

[GlocksRock]

I would be happy if Nextel could provide me with a strong signal at my house, I have good signal everywhere buy my home. I keep getting weak signal and dropped calls. I'm really thinking of swtiching back to Cingular when my contract with Nextel is up, hopefully by then their new PTT will have caught on better, and more Nextel subscribers will swich over to Cingular.

 

[Hi Ho]

I'm a fan of the Windows Media format. The sound quality is better than MP3. There is a much larger selection of WMA music than Itunes provides in AAC format. I can't tell a difference between AAC and WMA at the same bit rate. If you look at all the download services, all but Itunes use WMA format. Windows Media Player has 10 (or more?) download services integrated into it, all of which use WMA format.

Think about it. WMA format totally dominates the online music selection with all but one of the services using it, while the Ipod, which is not compatible with WMA, dominates the MP3 player market. Something doesn't fit right here.

Some day we will have one device that does everything well (phone, camera, music, video) and when that day comes I bet we will still have the incompatible formats to deal with.

 

[MDS]

Some day we will have one device that does everything well (phone, camera, music, video) and when that day comes I bet we will still have the incompatible formats to deal with.

That is definitely the trend and I see it as 'feature creep' - just like applications. A gazillion features that most people will never use.

A low resolution camera is useful in a pinch to make the equivalent of a photocopy, but who would use it exclusively for taking pictures of say their vacation?

I love music and I can see having mp3/wma/whatever on your phone could also be useful in a pinch, say when you are stuck in the airport waiting for your plane, but in general who is going to use their phone as a primary music playback device? It will just suck the life right out of the batteries.

Money would be better spent on increasing the number of cell towers to improve reception and eliminate dead spots that are all too common.