Posted by : Anonymous on Sep 23, 2004 - 02:52 AM General

The Sun is drawing up plans to launch a downloadable mobile Java version of the newspaper. The publisher believes its brand is strong enough to compete head on with mobile operator portals like Vodafone Live! and is looking to launch as soon as possible. "We'll be in a position to launch fairly soon," said Simon Ashley, commercial manager for News Group Digital. "We're a strong brand, we should be doing it ourselves rather than Vodafone Live!." The Sun is just the latest in a growing number of brands and media companies looking to mobile Java to offer a direct relationship with consumers, sidestepping the need to negotiate for a place on the operator portals.
Mobile Java lets users download a branded application that sits on the phone and provides networked access to services and content from one place.

Research company Ovum expects the number of Java phones to reach 1.5bn within three years.

The Sun first experimented with Java with its Euro 2004 sports centre, which provided a range of information including live match reports.

"The end game is to have The Sun, with all its assets, on your phone, extending the brand to mobile," said Ashley. "So you'll have The Sun on your menu, log on and sit in a Sun environment, with all the features like Mystic Meg, Dear Deirdre and Bizarre. And we can push breaking news, sport and so on."

According to Ashley, logistics means it's likely one of these areas, such as Bizarre, will launch first.

"There's an argument to cherry-pick areas to stand on their own before the move to a complete version of the paper," he said. "The issue is getting the content each day, as The Sun is set up to be a [print] newspaper."

thesun.co.uk

See News Analysis, page 12

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