Cingular, one of the largest mobile phone carriers, is getting ready to offer a version of popular internet social network MySpace on its phones in an expansion of their partnership. For an additional 2.99 per month, customers will be able to upload photos taken on mobiles, read and respond to MySpace email, update blog entries and view and search for friends from their handsets.
Media and other entertainment services are expected to be a major areas of growth for the wireless and media industries, analysts have said. MySpace, one of the fastest-growing Internet services with more than 130 million user profiles, is also offered on mobile service carrier Helios. But Cingular’s version will be more expansive, MySpace said.
To use the service, users will need to download a Java application to their mobiles. Initially, about 30 phones will be supported, with another 20 supported in the coming weeks, which will then account for about 90 per cent of Cingular’s mobile user base, a MySpace spokeswoman said.
Although online videos from MySpace will not be viewable on mobiles at launch, it is likely to be a service offered some time in 2007, she said. Media conglomerate News Corpoeration (publisher of AustralianIT) bought MySpace for $US580 million in 2005. Cingular is a joint venture of phone companies AT&T and BellSouth.
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