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Shel Holtz
Communicating at the Intersection of Business and Technology
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Nokia acqusition signals greater convergence

Shel HoltzI hadn’t even heard of Twango until yesterday, when the announcement came down that Nokia had acquired the multimedia file sharing site. Nokia apparently looked at about 75 companies before settling on the 10-person firm running out of the founder’s basement. The fact that the company is made up of former Microsoft employees who get Internet services had something to do with the decision.

More interesting is the reason Nokia went after such a company at all. According to the press release, “Nokia will be able to offer people an easy way to share multimedia content through their desktop and mobile devices.”

???The Twango acquisition is a concrete step towards our consumer Internet services vision of providing seamless access to information, entertainment, and social networks ??? at any time, anywhere, from any connected device, in any way that you choose. We have the most complete suite of connected multimedia experiences including music, navigation, games, and ??? with the Twango acquisition ??? photos, videos, and a variety of document types,??? said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Multimedia, Nokia. ???When you combine a Nokia N-series multimedia computer that is always on, always connected, and always with you together with a rich media sharing destination like Twango, people will have exciting new ways to create and enjoy rich media experiences in real time.???

It’s another sign that the cell phone is becoming a more ubiquitous communication tool; companies not preparing content and services for the cell phone (as, for instance, the Mayo Clinic has) need to start strategizing.

(It’s also a sign that there are still phones out there other than the iPhone that can attract consumer attention.)

Twango is a nifty site. Unlike most media sharing sites, it allows for uploading of any kind of multimedia—audio, video, and photos. No login is necessary and you can upload your photos from a variety of device types (like, for instance, your cell phone). Embedding the content is as easy as it is with YouTube, but the same embed process works for all media types, not just video. There’s also a feature that lets you record a video with your webcam directly from the site and embed it in your blog or send it as an email attachment.

Comments
  • 1.This is big stuff, Shel. I don't think most people see it yet, but mobile's where all of us are going. IPhone hype is the harbinger, though as a former wireless reporter, I can't say I believe in the phone yet. For mobile social media may not be on a phone, but it will be portable.

    We have an interesting mini case study in an interview today on Quicksilver's mobile media campaign. Great example, shows surfers and fans alike opting in for updates on the Big Wave competition. Hope you are well.

    Geoff Livingston | July 2007 | DC

  • 2.Here is a weblog post where I am sharing some further thoughts on some recent piece of news around the mobile market and how the transition to a Mobile 2.0 may have just gotten started in full force, specially now that more and more knowledge workers are working in a distributed, mobile world. Don't worry, this is not going to be just another weblog post on the battle of which one is the best of smartphones, but more around what actually works today for the mobile worker.

  • 3.Nokia europe announced a new phone. 3510 or something like that. What's with the numbers?

    portable showers | January 2008

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