Microsoft takes MSN Mobile

Microsoft launched MSN Mobile last week, an addition to its MSN network that allows consumers, through MSN.com, to receive wireless information services on interactive pagers and cellular phones. The company also has acquired wireless data services company OmniBrowse and its suite of wireless content delivery services.

"This is just another step in the direction of the burgeoning market of Internet services," said Emily Meehan, an analyst with The Yankee Group. "Access is key - you want as many outlets as possible. The idea is to push functionality and utility and not just entertainment."

Consumers can customize MSN Mobile services, including news, sports, weather, stock quotes and horoscopes, and configure information to fit their needs or geographic location.

"We want to provide users the power to get information any time, any place," said Yusuf Mehdi, director of marketing for the Consumer and Commerce Group at Microsoft. "With MSN Mobile one can take the Web and make it a reality when away from the PC. [It is like] putting Web sites in your pocket and having rich interaction with the Web from any device."

MSN Mobile will ultimately be broadened to other wireless devices and additional data including e-mail, said Mehdi.

For example, instead of receiving national sports headlines at a fixed time of day, users can select a specific professional or college team to follow. Also, customizable weather reports are available for more than 500 U.S. cities. An agent-based server application individually delivers the personalized content to each user's wireless device.

For now, services will include e-mail, address books and calendar features from the MSN Hotmail Web-based e-mail service; news, sports and weather from Microsoft joint venture MSNBC; and stock updates from the MSN MoneyCentral personal finance on-line service. The company also is planning an international strategy, said Meehan.

In a related announcement, Microsoft, along with about 30 other technological companies, said it would officially become members of the Wireless Application Protocol Forum, bringing the forum's membership total to 108.