More things you can do with your phone:
Publisher Aims at Cellphones [NYT]
By EDWARD WYATT
Published: February 18, 2005
Stepping into the rapidly expanding business of providing information for wireless hand-held devices, Random House announced yesterday that it had acquired a minority stake in Vocel, a San Diego start-up company that offers educational content to subscribers over cellphones for a monthly fee.
Random House said it had also agreed to license two product lines - Living Language, a series of foreign-language self-study programs, and Prima Games, which publishes video-game strategy guides - to Vocel for use with its cellphone technology.
The two companies did not disclose terms. Random House, a division of Bertelsmann, will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of Vocel, but two Random House representatives will serve on Vocel's five-member board.
Under the agreements, Vocel will adapt language-study guides and video-game tips from Random House for delivery to cellphones beginning sometime this summer. While most information will be in the form of text, the Living Language service will also permit users to hear the correct pronunciations of foreign words.
Since last year, Vocel has offered SAT preparation materials from Princeton Review to subscribers, who pay $5.75 a month to have interactive SAT tests, flash cards and other study materials delivered to the display screens on their phones.
The test preparation service is available to about six models of cellphones through Verizon Wireless. Carl Washburn, who founded Vocel two years ago and is its chief executive, said the company planned to expand to other wireless carriers this year. It is also negotiating with other publishers and information providers to license additional content.
Richard Sarnoff, president of Random House Ventures, an investment subsidiary of the publishing company, said the company intended to expand its offerings of text and audio information to wireless providers beyond yesterday's agreements.
"Mobile phones have already integrated themselves into people's lives as an everyday appliance," Mr. Sarnoff said. "You're also going to see them become an everyday information appliance. As the world's largest consumer publisher, we want to get out in front of this."
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