Mobile Digital Media Deals

Two wins for Microsoft’s Windows Media platform in the mobile space could help the company compete with Apple for portable digital media players and underlying technology platforms. The deals were announced at the Feb. 2006 3GSM World Congress, a trade show for the mobile phone industry.

Motorola Handsets

Future Motorola handsets will support selected Microsoft audio formats, including Windows Media Audio (WMA) Professional, a codec that can compress standard-definition audio to very low bit rates (24Kbps to 96Kbps) for delivery over wireless phone networks. The handsets will also support Windows Media digital rights management (DRM), which enforces restrictions set by content owners and distributors, and the Media Transfer Protocol, which enables PC users to transfer files to a device using the Windows Media Player.

The Motorola deal could encourage more wireless carriers to use the Windows Media platform to build over-the-air digital music services—that is, services that allow users to download songs directly to their phones rather than having to transfer them from a PC. Verizon began offering WMA Professional music downloads through its V CAST service in Jan. 2006, but only three handsets support music playback via the service.