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Disney Mobile talks (some) numbers
One of the lovely perks of existing as a tiny entity within a global megacorporation is that you can be a little coy with your public disclosure and get away with it. That's exactly the game kid-friendly Disney Mobile is playing as it gears up to celebrate its first anniversary, completely ignoring the burning question of subscriber count to concentrate on inane stats like how many people use its GPS tracking services (30 percent, by the way) and the balance of adult users to kids (56 to 44 percent). Sub count is particularly interesting here for a couple reasons: first, all eyes are on the still-maturing MVNO market as players try to find their niches and stake their claims against the big guys, and second, stablemate ESPN Mobile bit the dust last year for lack of interest. To be fair, Disney Mobile's target demographic is utterly different than ESPN's was -- and kiddie phones seem to be hot items these days -- so it's entirely possible all's well in the Magic Kingdom; until Disney decides to release more deets or the division closes up shop, though, it's all speculation.[Via Techdirt]
Disney Mobile postpones UK launch indefinitely
As MVNOs seemingly struggle to gain traction stateside, some are looking outside their home borders for an additional revenue stream -- while others are starting to reevaluate the wisdom in taking their business model abroad. Case in point: Disney, which has been having a rough go of it with its first MVNO (ESPN Mobile) and recently launched a second with Disney Mobile, has shelved plans to take Disney Mobile to the UK via O2's network, citing "the rapidly changing competitive environment" (when we run that bit through Babelfish's corporate lip service-to-English translator, we get "we're getting our rears handed to us at home, and we need to figure out what the heck we're doing wrong before we launch elsewhere"). Of course, this is technically an indefinite delay, not a cancellation -- meaning that there may yet be hope for Brits looking forward to tracking the little ones via Disney's Family Locator service -- just not any time soon.[Via Techdirt]
FCC docs go up for Disney Mobile's D100
It seemed pretty obvious that Disney's family-oriented Disney Mobile MVNO was in desperate need of a kidproof handset, having initially come to the table with only a pair of middling clamshells for the little 'uns. Enter the pod-shaped D100 -- now granted, we can't say with certainty that they'll be marketing this toward parents with young children when it launches, but c'mon, it's got Winnie the Pooh on its backside. The usual parental controls are present on the device, but more interestingly, the numeric keypad can be replaced with a simpler four-button design if numeric dialing isn't needed (try texting on that, kiddies).[Via phoneArena]Update: In speaking with Disney Mobile, it turns out this lil' pod won't be seeing duty here in the States -- it's destined for South America as a general consumer device.
Family-oriented Disney Mobile goes live
Parents, rejoice: Disney wants you to know that your MVNO has arrived. Disney Mobile, Disney's second MVNO after launching Mobile ESPN earlier this year, pulls no punches about its target demographic -- family plans are the carrier's emphasis, although individual plans are also available. Family plan pricing on two lines ranges from $59.99 for 450 minutes to $249.99 for 4500 teenager-pleasing minutes; individual plans start at $39.99 for 400 minutes. All plans include "Family Monitor" for setting minute limits, "Call Control" to set schedules during which the phone cannot be used, and "Family Locator," a GPS-enabled service presumably similar to Verizon's freshly-launched "Chaperone." A potential roadblock to Disney Mobile's success in the rough-and-tumble MVNO game? Phone-savvy kiddies might whine about the phone selection -- a forgettable Pantech DM-P100 is the only model currently available, but fear not, boys and girls, a slightly higher-end LG DM-L200 is promised shortly.[Via RCR News]
Disney Mobile MVNO partnering with O2 for UK launch
UK cellphone users just got their invitation to join the Mickey Mouse Club. Disney's MVNO, which launched in the US earlier this month, is set to roll out in the UK in partnership with O2. Like the US version of the service, which is powered by Sprint Nextel, the UK service will offer extensive parental controls. Specific handsets for the service have yet to be announced, though Disney has said that the phones will not be include extensive Disney character branding. In the US, the service features phones from a number of vendors, including the LG DM-L200 (pictured). The US service also includes a GPS tracking function; Disney has not commented as to whether the feature will be available to UK customers.
Pantech DM-P100 for Disney Mobile
Ok, so we yesterday we wrote that some of the first few handsets for Disney Mobile, Disney's new, uh, family-friendly MVNO, were going to be from LG, but it turns out that Pantech's in the game, too. They've just announced the DM-P100, a new low-end VGA cameraphone with Disney Mobile-branding and a customized user interface. Not all that notable, though oddly enough Pantech's press release lists the DM-P100 as being a GSM/GPRS phone even though it's well-known that Disney Mobile will be piggybacking on Sprint's CDMA network.