BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 - 3GSM
World Congress -- Today at 3GSM World Congress 2006, Motorola Inc. and
Microsoft Corp. strengthened their existing relationship by announcing
a collaboration to integrate Microsoft(R) Windows Media(R)
technologies on a number of Motorola's music handsets, which will
allow users to access content from the broadest selection of online
music stores from around the world.
Motorola's music handsets will add support for Windows Media Digital
Rights Management (DRM), Windows Media Audio (WMA), the enhanced
Windows Media Audio Pro codec and Media Transfer Protocol (MTP). These
technologies will give consumers the maximum flexibility and options
when purchasing and playing back their digital music.
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Forthcoming Motorola music handsets will
enable seamless connectivity to Windows(R)-based PCs via the USB 2.0
high-speed protocol. By supporting MTP, Windows Media Player will
automatically recognize Motorola handsets and enable users to quickly and
easily sync their music from their PC to their phone. Music acquired from
any pay-per-download or subscription store using Windows Media technology
will transfer and playback on Motorola handsets.
In addition to making Motorola handsets interoperable with PCs, Motorola
and Microsoft plan to provide mobile handset offerings that are tailored
for discovering and acquiring music over an operator's 3G network.
Incorporating the efficient encoding capabilities of the WMA Pro codec,
this rich music offering will provide operators with handsets optimized
for efficient music downloads* over a 3G network. Consumers will also
benefit from quick and easy access to high quality music on the go.
"Our relationship with Microsoft is about making the mobile world seamless
with the desktop world and allowing consumers to experience music wherever
and whenever they want," said Richard Chin, corporate vice president
Global Product Marketing at Motorola. "Building on our existing
relationship, this expanded collaboration can further enrich the mobile
music experience and expand the mobile music offering to our operator
alliances and consumers."
"Combining Motorola's wireless handsets with Windows Media technologies
will significantly advance the mobile music experience," said Amir
Majidimehr, corporate vice president Windows Digital Media at Microsoft.
"Motorola's upcoming handsets with Windows Media will offer consumers and
operators worldwide the widest range of high fidelity, no-compromise music
choices."
Motorola began shipping Microsoft technologies on select handsets in 2005,
and plans to offer Windows Media-enabled music experiences on multiple
handsets worldwide in the second half of 2006. Support for over-the-air
delivery capabilities and WMA Pro is expected to follow suit in 2007.
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