Mercora, Inc. today announced the availability of the first mobile
music service, Mercora "M," which transforms Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT)
Windows Mobile 5.0-based Smartphones and Pocket PC phones -- including
the Motorola Q, Samsung SGH-i320 and Palm Treo 700wx -- into
high-fidelity wireless music players.
By installing the mobile application, Mercora M gives people
"on-the-go" access to their complete digital music libraries on their
PC's so they can listen anytime, anywhere from their mobile phones. In
addition, M users can tune in to up to five of their friends' and
family members' music collections and discover new artists and groups
from around the world through social radio, which gives them access to
more than 100,000 channels -- searchable by artist or genre -- over
mobile 3G networks. The M is available as a free preview for all
Windows Mobile 5.0 users worldwide.
"The Mercora M represents the next big step in mobile music
enjoyment," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle
Group. "The only device that can take the market away from the Apple
iPod rapidly -- because it is more common -- is the cell
phone. Mercora M represents the most aggressive technology to date for
turning a 3G cell phone into a replacement for the iPod."
Chris Shipley, executive producer of DEMO, said: "The Mercora M
will drive convergence in mobile phones and bring portability and
flexibility to digital music download and discovery. The breadth,
depth and fidelity of music delivered by the M is breathtaking."
The Mercora M service and patent-pending Mercora mPhone(TM)
technology provides users with:
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-- Over-the-air access to music library(1)
Wireless access to their entire digital music library,
transforming the device into an always-on, always-synced wireless
music player.
-- Socially networked listening(1) (coming soon)
The ability to wirelessly access and listen to the music
collections of up to five friends and family members.
-- Access to the largest mobile radio service
More than 100,000 commercial-free, dynamically programmed channels
that are searchable by artist or genre. Genres include
Alternative, Classical, Hip Hop, Jazz, Pop, and Rock as well as
highly-customized subgenres such as 1920's Blues, Arena Rock,
Bhangra, British Folk-Rock, Contemporary Flamenco, Italian Pop,
New York Underground Rap, Political Reggae, and Rai.
-- Brilliant high-fidelity sound
CD-quality sound through the implementation of a highly-optimized
version of Ogg/Vorbis, an open source media encoder that provides
brilliant sounding audio over even the most congested 3G
networks.
-- Stereo Bluetooth support
Wired and wireless headphone support via Bluetooth; stereo
Bluetooth A2DP profiles allow for simple integration with
supported in-car, in-house and wireless headsets.
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"The Mercora M represents a seminal shift in the way music can be
delivered to people on their mobile phones," said Srivats Sampath,
president and CEO of Mercora. "The popularity of Smartphones like the
Motorola Q coupled with the broad proliferation of mobile broadband
networks worldwide provides us with the ideal environment for building
the optimal mobile music solutions based on the mPhone technology."
Pricing and Availability
Starting today and available through October 31, the Mercora M is
offered as a FREE preview for Windows Mobile 5.0 users worldwide.
After the free preview period, Mercora M will be available at an
introductory price of $4.99/month. Subscription packages for the M are
as follows: $29.99 for six months, $49.99 for a year, and $99.99 for a
two-year subscription.
Consumers can download and install the service today directly from
this URL: http://www.mercora.com/M.
Press and reviewers can download high-res product pictures and
background material from this URL: http://www.mercora.com/press/M.
Device and Network Compatibility
Mercora M is optimized for a broad range of Windows Mobile
5.0-certified Smartphones and mobile devices from manufacturers such
as Motorola (NYSE:MOT), Samsung, Palm (Nasdaq:PALM), HP (NYSE:HPQ),
i-Mate, HTC and Asus and support for 3G and higher mobile broadband
networks such as Edge, EVDO, HSPDA and Wi-Fi.
(1) Requires free download of Mercora M for desktop. Socially
networked listening functionality will be available after the Free
Preview period.
Mercora, Inc.
Mercora's mission is to create the world's largest social radio
network by cataloging and organizing the world's music and audio
content and making it universally searchable and legally listenable
for everyone. Mercora (www.mercora.com) is headquartered in Santa
Clara, CA.
