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Mobile ESPN slashes price of Sanyo MVP handset, plans more phones
Mobile ESPN has slashed the price of its sole handset offering, the Sanyo 9000-based MVP, bringing its price to just $99, down from the $499 that the MVNO charged when it launched in February. Mobile ESPN is expected to at least one more handset by June, with more to follow later in the year.
Watch out: Xero merges, now a publicly traded company
Well wouldn't you know it, the same people behind Gizmondo who're now behind Xero Mobile (those that aren't in jail, anyway) have found a way to bypass an IPO in getting Xero as a publicly traded company. Basically they merged with Desi TV, a publicly traded company (that couldn't dig up even a little info on), swapped the ticker symbol to XRMB, and started trading on the Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board securities market. Oh, did we mention the first thing they did with their stock was split it 25-to-1? 25 to freaking 1, man! Peter Lilley, CEO of Xero Mobile (and former head of Gizmondo's Smart Adds division) seemed pretty stoked about "implementing [their] ground-breaking business plan." Uh, would that be the same business plan that sunk his former game company and lost a half a billion dollars? Right, dude. Investors beware; remember those who learned a hard lesson about that fateful UK-based game company that seemed eager to cash in on VCs and work a pump n' dump stock scam on all y'all.
Virgin Mobile poised to launch MVNO in China
Interfax China is reporting that Virgin Mobile is close to signing a partnership with wireless carrier China Unicom that would make the UK-based company the first foreign MVNO in post-WTO China. Although Virgin would still require approval from the Chinese government, which carefully scrutinizes all proposed foreign business presences, the company will benefit from past deals in which Spain's Telefonica and Germany's Vodafone have made invesments in domestic telecom firms. Virgin already has offices in Shanghai, and CEO Richard Branson recently told reporters to expect a Chinese launch this fall, so it would seem pretty likely that this venture, which is well over a year in the making, has the necessary government support to proceed.
Jitterbug fills the void for geriatric MVNO
With all those MVNOs cropping up for the youthful crowd, it's about time the seniors got one of their own. The new Jitterbug MVNO will feature a special Jitterbug phone from Samsung with oversized keys, a large display text, and loud audio. There will be a second version that sounds similar to the firefly offerings for children, featuring only three main buttons: one to a Jitterbug operator to help make a call, one for 911, and one to call a dedicated number like that of a relative or perhaps the Home Shopping Network. The new MVNO is powered by Sprint, but sounds to be one of the last for a while since the carrier claims it's not going to be adding many more new MVNOs, and is currently taking a break to get their current MVNOs figured and see how well they do. We'll be sad to see these heady days go of four new MVNOs a minute, but perhaps it's for the best.Read: Jitterbug MVNORead: Sprint holds off on new MVNOs
Disney Mobile reveals more deets, adds LG DM-L200
They're still keeping Mickey's lips zipped on pricing plans, but Disney has dropped a few more details about the Disney Mobile service, including initial handset pricing starting at $59.99 with a contract. And even though they have yet to say which handset they'll actually be offering for that price, LG has announced its first Disney Mobile phone, the DM-L200 (pictured), which joins Pantech's previously announced DM-P100. Nothing too exciting about this clam; trimode CDMA, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel cam, and, presumably, that GPS service Disney's boasting of to spy on your kids (though that's not listed in LG's specs). Speaking of which, Disney has added some more info about that as well. The service is going to be called the Family Center, and will include the GPS tracker, parental controls for minutes allowed, text messaging and multimedia features, restricted numbers, and the ability for parents to remotely shut down their kids' phones during prohibited hours. Looks like this will be be the perfect service for parents who want to make sure their kids aren't yapping on the phone when they should be doing their homework -- or watching Lilo & Stitch on the Disney Channel. Read - Disney MobileRead - DM-L200
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.
Saki mobile, the poor man's MVNO
So you want to start an MVNO, but you're not quite ready to buy up a few million minutes and pay for a few branded phones. We understand, and so does Saki mobile, which is offering a set of core MVNO-ish services such as IM, an RSS reader, social networking, and push email that can be purchased on its own, or branded to your company's every whim. They can even develop specific services for your company, such as the movie times and reviews that the Saki-powered Cinemark Wireless offers. Saki isn't really an MVNO at all, since they merely provide Windows Mobile software, and allow you to pick whichever carrier you want, though they do seem to have some dealings with T-Mobile. That means you'll be dealing with everyday carrier woes, stuff that MVNOs like Helio hope to alleviate, but it also means you won't be paying an MVNO markup on your minutes, just the $10 a month fee for the Saki service. If this all sounds good to you, they're currently offering a T-Mobile MDA for $99 with service, after a couple of hefty rebates.
PhoneTag for Amp'd: stalking friends and strangers in the real world
Matt Damon and best friend/business partner Ben Affleck will soon be providing us with entertainment at more places than just the cineplex, as the two are set to take over the small screen as well -- on your cellphone. Unfortunately for fans of their acting talents, Damon and Affleck's contribution to the world of mobile content will come in the form of a video game from their production company, LivePlanet, that utilizes the location-awareness functionality on players' mobiles. Called PhoneTag, the subscription-based game is basically a real-world, touchless version of tag, where competitors join a match and use their handsets to track down friends or strangers in real world spaces, hitting a "capture" button when their prey is close enough. This online offering will be available exclusively from Amp'd Mobile, and will feature safehouses sponsored by establishments such as Starbucks, where players can congregate to become untraceable on their opponents' maps (and obviously pass the time drinking copious amounts of coffee).
Disney to (finally) launch Disney Mobile MVNO
We're not sure how many people wished upon a star for this one, but Disney is finally taking the wraps off of the company's long-planned second MVNO (after Mobile ESPN), some two years after first announcing it. As expected, the service will target parents and teens, and will provide controls to allow parents to limit their kids' phone usage. (Which means, of course, that the service will bomb with teens -- who don't exactly dig Disney to begin with -- and will end up being the service of choice for grade-schoolers who want a Pooh or Stitch-emblazoned phone and can live with the parental controls.) The service, due to launch in June, will include web-based tools for parents, along with GPS tracking technology, to allow them to keep an eye on the young 'uns. The initial phones will be LG models, with service provided by Sprint. Pricing has yet to be announced, though Disney said it wold be "competitive" with other family plans offered by leading service providers.
Flying J's MVNO for truckers
Breaker 1-9, breaker 1-9, you got yer ears on good buddy? Flying J just announced an MVNO aimed at truckers. Their new Go Smart service provided via Telcordia (formerly Bellcore) offers simple, no commitment, prepaid plans with unlimited calling during nights and weekends -- perfect for the Joe (or Jeanette) moving on, forty-two? Go Smart will be puttin' the hammer down later this month to let them truckers roll, 10-4.
Mobile ESPN gets MLB
Not that it should come as much of a surprise that Mobile ESPN would secure content for one of the two biggest sports in the US, but they announced clip highlights, scoreboards, Fantasy team management, and team alerts for the 2006 Major League Baseball season. You know what you gotta do to get access, friends; we're thinking of joining up just to see the spectacle that is the Mets take on yet another season... on our phone.[Via Mobile Tracker]
Kyocera Jet for Amp'd reviewed
Besides the competitive pricing, the main draw of MVNO Amp'd's service is the multimedia offerings, and their Kyocera Jet handset apparently performs an admirable job at delivering audio and video content. PhoneScoop has taken their usual in-depth approach in reviewing the Jet, taking each of the phone's basic and advanced functions and putting them through their paces. Highlights of this model include good quality music playback, a comfortable and attractive design, bright, crisp screen, and above-average signal pickup. All is not perfect with the Jet, though, and the VGA camera (poor even for its class, opines PS), frustrating interface, and sub-battery life (expect to recharge at least once a day) may be deal breakers for potential customers, even if they are part of the young and hip demographic that Amp'd targets.
XE Mobile, the new MVNO for college kids
Bringing the number of MVNOs to an even million, the new XE Mobile service hopes to woo college types with confiscatory pay-as-you-go rates, hip phones and... clothing discounts? XE is based on the Cingular network, and will be offering up such barnburners as the Motorola RAZR and Nokia 3220 for their customers. We can't help but think most of this current MVNO madness will end in tears, but until then it looks like there will be no shortage of two year old phones and 20 cents per minute calling plans.[Via MobileTracker]
Cool.Prepaid's hot new strategy doesn't include phones
Now that Motorola has confirmed that it's broken off ties with Cool.Prepaid, what are the company's plans for the future? According to co-founder Jack Hidary, the MVNO has "broadened its business" to sell prepaid SIM cards that can be used with any unlocked GSM phone (a service that, though hardly unique, could come in handy for, say, Europeans traveling in the US, who want to use their own phone without paying extortionary roaming rates). As for eventually offering phones again, Hidary tells PC Magazine that the service plans to roll out a new range in "the near future." We assume none of those will be Moto phones, which could leave Cool in something of a bind as it attempts to replace its previous, fashion-friendly offerings with similarly stylish phones from other vendors. Hey, there's always DNET. We hear they make a mean SLVR, er, DA793.
Sprint Nextel spin-off Embarq will launch MVNO
Prepare yourself for yet another strangely-named wireless carrier to join the ranks of Verizon, Cingular, and Amp'd when Sprint Nextel local phone service spin-off Embarq becomes an MVNO later this year. Embarq, which will complete its separation from Sprint in the second quarter of the year, plans to offer dual-mode handsets that can seamlessly transfer between WiFi and cellular networks. The company's plans, which will pit it against similar WAN/WLAN hopping services from T-Mobile and Lucent, were announced by future CEO Dan Hesse at the TelecomNext conference in Las Vegas.[Via TechDirt]
cool.Prepaid launches RAZRs
What's that? Another MVNO? And this one's no mere mispunctuated mess of a brand, either, Cool Mobile's cool.Prepaid is attacking Net10 and other budget carriers with a slightly elevated prepaid rate of 30c per day (and 10c per minute), but cool.P is, um, "cool" because they're launching with RAZRs and shortly with SLVRs. Will that, access to Cingular's network, and a SIM-only plan make them enough scrilla to survive in the constantly one-upping MVNO market? We can't say, but we do think before next year's through the market's going to purge most of these operators. Until then you can get your prepaid phone nation wide from the coolest store ever, dude, Sears.[Via PC Mag]
Xero Mobile: Gizmondo 2.0?
Oh lord, just when we thought we were finally able to put the horrible nightmarish debacle that was Gizmondo behind us, it looks like we're back for another round. Remember Xero Mobile, that new MVNO that was pre-announced? Well, every MVNO's got its gimmick, and Xero's is apparently giving out free air time in exchange for targeted advertising to your cellphone. Sound familiar? Yeah we thought so: that's what Gizmondo did with Smart Adds, the IP for which they recently supposedly put up for sale. Frankly we wouldn' be surprised if Xero bought said $22.3 worth of IP, too, since it's come to light that three of Xero's principles are Peter Lilley, David Levett, and Rich Clayton, Gizmondo's former head of Smart Adds, Gizmondo's former chief software architect, and one of Gizmondo's US execs, respectively. Did we mention ex-Gizmondo CEO Carl Freer helped Xero raise their supposed $300m of European starting capital? So, um, without being the kind of site that tells you what (not) to do with your money, may we humbly suggest you, er, strongly consider your other options when it comes to choosing your next MVNO?[Via GigaOm & Techdirt]
Wired profiles Sky Dayton and the birth of Helio
Ever wonder how an MVNO, especially one so hyped as Helio, gets started? Well, Wired's got a profile on the days of foundry at Helio, and its inception by EarthLink / Boingo founder Sky Dayton after taking an (awe-)inspiring trip to Korea where he discovered for himself all the insane multimedia phones we here at Engadget Mobile know and love. The idea? Create an MVNO that targets "trendsetters, gadget geeks, gotta-have-it-now guys with credit to burn," i.e., you, the Engadget Mobile reader. Yeah, we might sound a little gushy, but you have to give it up for Helio; after years of our sitting in our little corner complaining about the utter lack of decent phones in the states, it's they who're finally bringing hot Asian devices to the American market. And what's more, they seem like they understand what we want, 3G, features, and style, nothing less. Either way, if nothing else it's an interesting profile of Dayton and the beginnings of a new wireless company, if that's your kind of thing.
Xero Mobile next to play the MVNO game
MVNOs, or Mobile Virtual Network Operators, are about a dime a dozen these days (there's Virgin Mobile, Amp'd, Boost, Helio, ESPN, Disney, Movida, to name just a few), but Andy Abramson says that a new startup called Xero Mobile has raised $300 million to take on Helio and all the rest. No word on what carrier's network they'll be using or what exactly will differentiate them from what anyone else is offering, but we'll keep an eye out for 'em.[Via GigaOm]
