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Holtz Communications + Technology

Shel Holtz
Communicating at the Intersection of Business and Technology
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MP3 phones are coming

Back in May, I posted an item here agreeing with Bill Gates’ assessment that cell phones will eventually displace digital media players like the iPod. That post was greeted with derision, most aimed at the current limitations of cell phones (battery life key among the reasons for dismissing the notion). Some of the posts pointed to the fact that Apple and Motorola were working on an iTunes phone, which only supports the argument that phones and media players will converge. (I don’t care who does it.) An item in Business Week Online today notes that Apple and Motorola are ready to launch the iTunes phone after a delay of about four months. But they’re not alone. Yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle highlighted efforts by Nokia, Samsung, and PalmOne to produce cell phones that will accommodate digital music. The article notes that even XM Satellite Radio is working to let people listen over their phones. Samsung’s phone will offer a 3MB hard drive.

What’s next will be the ability to integrate a podcatcher into these phones that let you retrieve podcasts wherever WiFi or a high-speed cellular connection is available. I have no doubt it’s coming, along with solutions to the battery-life issue and any other obstacles that currently exist. Technology, after all, is all about overcoming obstacles.

10/22/05 | 5 Comments | MP3 phones are coming

Comments

  • 1.I remember reading something that the hold-up with the iTunes phone was not Motorola or Apple, it was the U.S. carriers.

    Carriers like Cingular don't want you to sync your phone and download all your songs directly to the phone. They want you to buy songs from them or use airtime for retrieve the music.

    Josh Hallett | July 2005 | Celebration, FL

  • 2.Absolutely. We're less than a year away from podcatching on cell phones. I currently own a Nokia 6620 with a 1GB memory card. I've got a couple of hours of music and podcasts on there that I can set up into playlists using a mobile version of Real Player. Plus I've got GPRS internet access. There are already a couple of other mobile feed readers which I'm sure can easily be modified in order to support RSS enclosures. The final (and toughest step) will be cell phone access to high bandwidth networks. The fastest GPRS barely beats dial-up so cell phones will need access to Wi-Fi networks. I know that Nokia has a phone in the works that will solve this problem as well.

    Rob S | July 2005 | New York

  • 3.Engadget has scooped a picture of the fi

    http://www.verbalism.net/2005/07/mobile_phone_po.h | July 2005

  • 4.And bring 'em on! I find it risible that I carry around a pda, a phone AND an mp3 player.

    Of course, it may be a couple of years before our telcos here in Oz give them away free with 2-year subscription packages (which is the standard business practice), but the wait will be worth it.

    Lee | July 2005 | Adelaide, Australia

  • 5.I think it's hilarious that Apple is proclaiming the first mp3 phone. I've had an imate JAM for a year that plays mp3's, has unlimited storage (via sd cards) and sounds great. I've used it for music and podcasts many months. Ah, there is nothing new under the sun. . .

    suzanne | October 2005 | Colorado Springs, Colorado

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