Motorola technology solution in search of a problem...still looking. <g>
EDITOR'S CORNER
After at least two years of touting iRadio, Motorola still hasn't commercially launched the mobile radio service. And now the Chicago Tribune is reporting that Motorola has "indefinitely delayed the launch of iRadio." The reason for the delay is money, or rather, lack of it.
It seems that Motorola realized the iRadio service, which allows consumers to download Web radio channels to their cell phones via Bluetooth technology, doesn't have a great business model. iRadio always seemed to be straddling that delicate line between working with the operators and trying to circumvent the carriers. Motorola's plan was to charge a monthly subscription fee (between $5 and $10 per month) to allow consumers to download entire music channels from the radio.
I first wrote about iRadio in 2005. At that time Motorola told me that it expected iRadio to debut in early 2006 with a major U.S. operator. Apparently that deal never came to fruition.
In 2006, iRadio announced its first handset. Not surprisingly, it was a Motorola device--the ROKR E2. Building a device portfolio for a product that is developed by a handset manufacturer posed another challenge for Motorola. It's very difficult for a technology to attain mass-market potential if it is not available on multiple devices, and the likelihood that Motorola would be able to get iRadio technology on handsets from competitive manufacturers always seemed a bit slim.
Nevertheless, during its two-plus years of garnering press and speculation, Motorola did attract the attention of many record labels. The company inked deals with Universal Music and others.
But iRadio's troubles don't necessarily mean doom and gloom for all mobile radio services. Start-up mSpot, which powers mobile radio services for operators such as Sprint and Telus Mobility, yesterday launched a new product that it's hoping will gain traction with carriers and consumers. Called mSpot Remix, the music player will allow wireless syncing capabilities that let consumers use their mobile phones to access and play their PC music library from anywhere. Daren Tsui, co-founder and CEO of mSpot, believes that this technology will help overcome some of the glitches that currently exist in the mobile music ecosystem.
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