Bangkok--23 May--Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
Nokia & inTouch Wireless Services Pte Ltd have officially made available in Thailand the AirAlbum-JukeBox as a mobile music solution in the Nokia’s Nseries and Nokia music phone. AirAlbum is provided by inTouch exclusively to Nokia in Asia Pacific region.
With AirAlbum application and 1,000 songs* pre-installed, Nokia customers using Nokia N71, N80, N91 and Nokia 3250 will be able to instantly preview the songs for free, select the songs they like, buy them right from the device and enjoy the full track songs**. Nokia provides special codes for downloading three full track songs for free of charge. For Nokia N70, N90, Nokia 6630, 6680 and 6681 users can acquire these songs from CD bundled with handset package or distributed by Nokia for free, or by downloading them from the website www.AirAlbum.net . The list will be updated every three months.
The whole process takes only minutes and can be done straight from the Nokia phones anytime, anywhere, in line with Nokia’s focus on bringing people together through music and providing the best mobile music experience possible.
Mr. Bob McDougall, Managing Director, Customers and Market Operations, Nokia (Thailand) Ltd., said, “We see AirAlbum, which is developed by inTouch as an important mobile music solution to enable our users to enjoy music anywhere, anytime on the go. This collaboration is yet another positive step that Nokia is taking to deliver a seamless mobile music experience to consumers. At the same time, we are opening an opportunity for consumers to have greater convenience and richer mobile experience from our total product offering.
“Three things I believe people will like about AirAlbum. First it is easy, intuitive and fun to use, secondly it allows peer-to-peer transfer of the application and DRM protected files, and lastly it is pre-installed in our easy-to-use Nokia mobile devices.”
In addition to having great MP3 playback quality and the ability to transfer ripped CD songs from a PC easily on all Nokia multimedia devices, Nokia works closely with the leading operators and Internet-based music services around the world to ensure compatibility with their music store experiences.
AirAlbum is a mobile music solution developed with the latest mobile technologies such as OMA-DRM, and Separate Delivery which combines ease of use for the users and adequate protection for the record labels. This end-to-end mobile music solution consists of four integrated components: Application, Billing, Content and Distribution.
Application
AirAlbum is available on Nseries devices such as the Nokia N70, N71, N80, N90, N91, and Nokia 3230, 3250, 6630, 6680 and 6681, The application is available in Thai language for Thai customers.
Billing
AirAlbum provides payment via operator billing (AIS, DTAC, and True Move). This mobile payment option, combine with Over The Air Activation (sending of DRM Activation Key via SMS) have made the mobile phone a virtual music store which allows customer to preview, select, purchase and instant activation of the full track songs or videos.
Content
AirAlbum provides complete music content of an album, ranging from photos of artists / singers as wallpapers, music such as ring tones, short audio / video clips like Truetones, and a combination of the above as Themes to full track song and full length video.
Beyond these, in the future, AirAlbum also plans to provide options for music-related services such as quizzes and voting opportunities. In short, AirAlbum provides complete user experience about music on the mobile devices.
Distribution
Thanks to Separate Delivery technology used, AirAlbum content — in DRM locked format — can be pre-delivered or distributed for free before the Activation Key which can be delivered later upon purchase via SMS.
This model provides flexible ways to deliver the big files (typical digital song is about 2-3 MB each) efficiently. AirAlbum content (in DCF format) are currently delivered in many ways: from pre-installed on the device at factory, delivered in CD-ROM / DVD-ROM (AirAlbum-CD), downloadable from WAP and websites ( www.AirAlbum.net ) or Bluetooth / WiFi hotspot, transferred via cable / Bluetooth from a kiosk / PC to shared between devices via Bluetooth.
Because of Digital Rights Management (DRM), these freely distributed / shared files cannot be played in full until the activation key is sent to the device via SMS.
The AirAlbum application can also be shared between compatible phones; hence create a spiral effect among the users who will spread the application and protected content via the peer-to-peer super-distribution model without losing protection for the content owners.
Partnership
Other than the Application and platform which are developed and managed by inTouch, the other three components are supported by partners: the Billing is provided by mobile operators, the Content by record labels and the Distribution and marketing by Nokia.
AirAlbum service is also supported by international record labels such as EMI, SonyBMG, Universal, Warner, and local labels in Thailand including RS and Platinum.
Kendro Hendra, the entrepreneur behind this innovation, sees AirAlbum as the beginning of the huge mobile music opportunities ahead. “Now, we more or less have the ABCD — Application, Billing, Content and Distribution — of AirAlbum in place. The next in order is E for Expansion vertically by adding more features as well as horizontally by leveraging what we have done here in APAC and China to other markets”, said Mr. Hendra, founder and Managing Director of inTouch Wireless Services, which first started out as a Forum Nokia developer.
Marketing activities
To create awareness on AirAlbum, Nokia has prepared a full range of advertising and marketing activities including advertising on television, radio and in printed media. Experience marketing activities will be held to allow mobile music fans to have own experience of the benefit, convenience and fun of AirAlbum. Kiosks will be located at high traffic areas including at CD Warehouse (Siam Center, Siam Paragon, Emporium, Lad Prao and Bang Na), iBerry, J Avenue Thonglor, and Q Concept Store at Siam Paragon. Roadshow will also be arranged at various high traffic areas.
*The songs pre-installed are in DRM (Digital Right Management) protected format (with .DCF extension) which can not be played as full track song until Activation Key is sent to the device via SMS
**From AirAlbum users can preview 10-15 seconds of the song or video for free before they decide to buy.
***Once purchased, the Activation Key is stored in the phone and can not be copied or forwarded to other devices.
About inTouch
inTouch Wireless Services is many things to Nokia. In Indonesia where the company started in 1996, it is a Nokia distributor and a Nokia Certified Training Center. With its headquarters in Singapore, the company is also a Symbian-Signed Testing House and a leading developer under Forum Nokia Pro membership.
About Nokia Nseries
Nokia Nseries is a range of high performance multimedia devices that delivers unparalleled mobile multimedia experiences by combining the latest technologies with stylish design and ease of use. With Nokia Nseries products, consumers can use a single device to enjoy entertainment, access information and to capture and share pictures and videos, whenever and wherever they want. www.nokia.com/nseries
About Nokia
A market leader in the cellular industry in Asia Pacific, Nokia provides innovative, industry leading and market-relevant technology and products to around 20 diverse markets in the region.
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.
You may visit the Nokia Asia-Pacific website at http://www.nokia-asia.com or the Nokia Group website at http://www.nokia.com
For further information:
Jiraporn Boonnark
Nokia (Thailand) Ltd. Tel. 0 2673 8888
Waralee Bunnag/ Dujduan Hetrakul
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Ltd. Te. 0 2205 6627, 0 2205 6684