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Dell acquires Zing Systems, re-enters mobile entertainment scene

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DellHardware giant Dell enters the portable entertainment scene again with its recent acquisition of technology and software startup Zing Systems.

Known for its “always connected” mobile entertainment, Zing currently provides the streaming audio technology for Sandisk Sana Connect wireless mobile mp3 player, and the Sirius Stiletto.

This acquisition is just one of the steps that Dell has taken to expand its retail catalog. “We’re looking at companies that can expand our capability to provide great product experiences,” said Frink. “We think this is a company that can provide a great technology and entertainment experience.

However, with the disappearance of the Dell DJ Ditty, Dell’s own-branded but now defunct portable media player, many are perplexed about this recent attempt. Then again, when all else fails, Dell could still continue effectively selling third party products anyway.

Originally posted on August 7, 2007 @ 12:08 pm

iPhone gets 20,000 widgets from Plusmo

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plusmo.jpgPlusmo, a free mobile media service that delivers personalized rich mobile experiences, announced the availability of its free and customizable mobile widgets service to users of Apple’s new iPhone. A custom interface gives iPhone users access to more
than 20,000 Plusmo widgets– most of them created by users.

“Plusmo’s personalized homepage makes it easy for iPhone users to discover, install and personalize widgets making them instantly available at the touch of an icon on the iPhone,” says Mike Elgan, a technology blogger. “Plusmo makes text- and photo-based content far more readable than the iPhone Safari browsers zoom-and-pan interface. Plusmo also offers iPhone users easy access to external iPhone widgets.”

Originally posted on August 2, 2007 @ 11:00 am

Universal Pictures to launch mobile film portals

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unversal.jpgUniversal Pictures, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies to a global audience, has partnered with wireless infrastructure and interactive applications company, MINICK, to to build and manage their mobile film portals on a global basis.

The partnership is designed to provide Universal with a scalable, streamlined framework to rapidly deploy mobile websites and develop significant mobile presence for their brands to complement existing distribution through mobile operators.

“We have only scratched the surface of what mobile can truly achieve and over the coming years the types of services, data collection and interactive initiatives used by Universal Pictures and other MINICK clients will only grow and become richer,” said Lourens de Beer, MINICK UK’s Managing Director.

Originally posted on August 2, 2007 @ 9:08 am