At an interview at the Digital Music Forum West in Hollywood, Dave Ulmer revealed some interesting new facts about Motorola iRadio:

• Pricing: The price is currently estimated to be around $7-10, up from earlier estimations of $5-7 a year ago.
• Installing iRadio: Users will download iRadio software to a PC with Windows XP.  Can manage separate playlists from music repositories.
• How it Works: Phones will synchronize with music collections via a USB connection, and can then transmit the music via Bluetooth to other Bluetooth-enabled stereosystems.
• Station Count: More than 800 commercial-free radio stations are now available through Motorola iRadio.
• Which Phones?  Currently, iRadio is only on three phone models, though more are coming.
• Next Album Leak of the Week: The weekly album leak started with Monica last week, and will continue with Rod Stewart's album next week.
• Launch Date:  Last but not least, what about the launch date?  Motorola iRadio is currently being tested in several US cities, but could officially roll out early next year, according to Dave Ulmer.

Permalink | Comments (0)

I was sniffing about for hints regarding iRadio's whereabouts...and noticed this press release regarding the Third Motorola China Technology Symposium.  And looky here:

In three years, Early Stage Accelerator (ESA) has played a significant role in developing the following technologies: wireless security services for carrier and enterprise networks, carbon nanotubes in nano emissive displays, broadband over powerline, iradio, neurfon self-organizing sensors networks.

Hey, a mention.  A brief one.  The "R" isn't capitalized.  Hm.  The search continues...

Permalink | Comments (1)

Google Trends launched the other day, and is fun to play with.  I compared keyword search frequency for "iRadio," "V Cast," and "Amp'd" for kicks, and here's what came up:

 Woohoo!  Don't bother trying this with "sirius" or "xm", those keywords blow the above out of the water.  Steve Rubel at Micropersuasion had some additional fun with Google Trends...nice.

Permalink | Comments (0)

The B-52s rocked out at the Motorola iRadio party at the NCTA conference a few weeks ago.  No doubt, they were playing Love Shack (you know, "That's where it's at!") and all that good stuff.  Thanks to an anonymous attendee, we've got a pic!  Check it out:

Permalink | Comments (0)

When I wrote about Billboard's praise of Motorola yesterday, I only linked to an excerpt of the article.  Thanks to a reader, here's an image of that article's cover page (click to read):

The article is actually specifically giving props to iRadio, which I didn't realize before.  Very cool.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Antony Bruno at Billboard.biz gave huge props to Motorola in the article Handset Companies Dial Up Music, which looks at mobile phone manufacturers' efforts to offer compelling music-centric services.  To quote from the summary:

• With entertainment content emerging as a priority for the wireless industry, the mobile phone is becoming an important element of the value chain - a consumer electronic device in its own right - rather than just a device to access a network.
• Wireless phone manufacturers like Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and others are taking an aggressive approach to score exclusive content by partnering with record labels and creating their own music-centric services to elevate their products over those of their competitors.
• Perhaps the most aggressive handset manufacturer in the mobile music market is Motorola.

The recently launched StudioMOTO and the upcoming iRadio service are nice examples of this.  Nice job, Motorola team. 

(Note: The full article is only available to Billboard subscribers; the excerpt is here.)

UPDATE:  Thanks to a reader, we now have more than an excerpt!  You can now see an image of the iRadio Billboard article.

Permalink | Comments (0)

The Digital Journal posted a short update blurb on iRadio, stating that iRadio will cost $10/month.  That's a bit higher than the $5-7 price tag suggested by earlier Motorola press releases.  Granted, DJ got a lot of facts wrong about the iRadio service:

• There will be roughly 620 iRadio channels including 101+ weather channels, 70+ audio book channels, and 20+ classic radio channels. (Not only 435 channels)
  
• Sony BMG signed with iRadio last month (Warner and Universal aren't the only labels who've joined).
• Motorola is not spelled "Mo-torola."  (At least, I don't think so.)

Permalink | Comments (0)

iRadio Waves has finally been updated, with minimal explosions prior to going live.  When you get a chance, poke around and let me know what you think.  New stuff includes:

• Links. To great blogs, related sites, friend sites, etc.
• Photos. Pics.  If you have any photos from conferences, demos, of new gear, Motorola or otherwise, that you'd be willing to share, let me know!
  
• Google ads. If you see something interesting, feel free to check it out.  As often as you like.  I need to pay for webhosting somehow.  ;)
• eBay auction alerts. See what Motorola phones are about to be sold...and snag one.
  
• Stock quote graph. Shows how MOT's stock is doing each day.  (Not well, yesterday.)
  
• iRadio buzz index. Displays the number of times "iRadio" was blogged about over 30 days.  (Unfortunately, Technorati didn't do a great job of creating an plugin that fits well into common blog sidebars.  But hey, it's free, and it's amusing.)

Permalink | Comments (0)

Motorola made a couple huge announcements today at the CTIA Wireless conference.

First, Motorola partnered with MediaBay to offer Audio Book content (including audio books, educational and language courses, audio newspapers, self help programs, and audio travel guides) and Classic Radio programming (including popular radio shows from the past such as The Lone Ranger and The Shadow) to iRadio subscribers.

Second, Motorola partnered with AccuWeather to provide local weather forecasts for over 100 US cities to iRadio listeners.

I am not 100% certain if these additional programs will be included as part of the basic subscription including 435+ commercial-free channels...it seems like they are.  I'll post an update once I confirm.  (UDPATE: they are -- see below)

Deals such as these illustrate the advantage time-shifted radio has over satellite radio; Sirius and XM are both limited to under a couple hunder content channels, while iRadio can expand indefinitely to include taste-targeted, media-targeted, and geo-targeted content.  Calculate:

435 channels of content + #,### channels of consumer-generated channels (made available through the iRadio Get Heard Network) + podcast compatibility = a whole lotta options

Quite frankly, it's a little overwhelming.  But quite cool.  Talk about attacking the "Long Tail" of demand...

UPDATE:  The 101 weather channels, 70+ audio book channels, and 20+ classic radio channels are indeed all part of the basic iRadio subscription.  That makes for roughly 620 channels of included radio programming...impressive!

Permalink | Comments (0)

Sony BMG Music Entertainment became the third major record label to sign on with Motorola's iRadio music subscription service.  As with the Unversal deal and Warner deal, Song BMG's huge catalog of artists will now be avaialable on any of iRadio's 435+ commercial free channels.

As part of the agreement, Sony BMG will provide exclusive programming to iRadio, in a similar way that Universal and Warner have agreed to provide artist-exclusive channels.  Expect to see channels involving Sony BMG artists such as Avril Lavigne, Pink, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Dre, Tool, Usher, etc.  More will be known closer to launch...whenever that is, anyway. (really, I'm not bitter...;)

With Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and now Sony BMG having joined iRadio, only EMI Group remains to sign.  That announcement will probably arrive soon -- the Gorillaz, which are an EMI Group band, recently partnered with Motorola to provide media and technology at a series of Gorillaz concerts...so, at least some kind of relationship between EMI and Motorola is already in motion.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Motorola iRadio will be making several appearances at the CTIA Wireless conference this week in Las Vegas:

Michael Gaumond, Vice President and General Manager, Digital Media Services, will be speaking at the Mobile Entertainment Summit on Tuesday about "The Future of Mobile Entertainment."

Dave Ulmer, Senior Director, Marketing, Digital Media Services, will be participating in the "New Revenue From Mobile Music" panel on the same day, along with representatives from MSpot, Gracenote, Merrill Lynch, Crisp Wireless, and IDC.

There will be a Motorola iRadio Auto Display at the Billboard Mecca conference as well. (Perhaps like the iRadio Solstice, iRadio roadster, or just the iRadio Hummer?)

Be sure to check them out, and look out for some of the big iRadio announcements hinted at earlier (new talk radio channels...etc...?).

Permalink | Comments (0)

According to PC Magazine, Motorola recently terminated its relationship with CoolPrepaid (formerly cool.Prepaid).  It's quite a swift turn of events; CoolPrepaid had just recently announced their intention to release Motorola iRadio-enabled phones, such as the SLVR and RAZR, last week.  However, both CoolPrepaid and Motorola delivered conflicting messages regarding the launch; this latest update may partially explain why.

CoolPrepaid will be focusing their business on offering prepaid cards for unlocked GSM phones, which will be a bit of a challenge; more details here.

Permalink | Comments (0)

LaSean Smith, Sr. Product Manager, Motorola Digital Media (and x-recording engineer), has been spreading the iRadio gospel wherever mobile radio enthusiasts will listen.  Most recently, he appeared at the Digital Music Forum earlier this month on a panel titled "Redefining Radio: New Technologies Changing Radio As We Know It," which had reps from XM, Sirius, AOL, CBS, and comScore.  A pretty nice mix, further positioning iRadio as a mobile radio competitor.  (If anyone knows of audio from the conference posted online, please let me know.  The photo was borrowed from the Digital Music Forum's bio page.)

LaSean has also popped up in a number of other conferences/events, including:

• The Podcast and Portable Media Expo, on a panel titled "The Future of Digital Media Downloads for Portable Devices" in November 2005.  Check out the mobile music debate here.
• On the Inside Digital Media podcast titled "A New Digital Media Service From Motorola" in December 2005, where Phil Leigh interviews LaSean about iRadio.
• At the Billboard: R&B Hip Hop Conference Awards on a panel titled "The Digital Dialouges."  (I couldn't find audio for this one)
• (A random aside, Googling LaSean's name also brings up this random email at ASU...is this the same LaSean?)

In any case, I always enjoy hearing other Product Managers speak about their products -- it must be an insane period of time for the entire iRadio team.  We all look forward to hearing more from him soon.

Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm a little late on this announcement:  Motorola recently signed on BlueBeat, a subsidiary of Media Rights Technologies, to provide programming for iRadio.  You can read the press release here, and an article about the relationship here.  The name was new to me, so I looked up some info...

Some background on internet radio site BlueBeat, according to the site:

We have created and now operate the world's best-sounding and most secure digital radio service at www.bluebeat.com. BlueBeat delivers over 500,000 tracks and more than 400 music channels in secure MP3 music streams reaching 320kbps, anywhere, anytime.

Some background on Media Rights Technologies:

Media Rights Technologies creates and licenses content management and enablement solutions, empowering the effective distribution of any digital content: entertainment, personal, commercial, or educational.

BlueBeat's home page mentions the iRadio relationship, stating, "...BlueBeat is the first music provider for Motorola's iRadio service!"  This is surprising, since the relationships with Clear Channel, Universal, and Warner were announced much earlier.  Either way, more content is always welcome.  I like BlueBeat's Time Machine page, containing a ton of free streamable playlists...though I have yet to try it.

Kelli Richards, President and CEO of All Access Group, seems to be the glue in this relationship.  She is both Senior Advisor to Media Rights Technologies, and Entertainment Alliances Manager for Motorola in the Connected Home Division.

Perhaps BlueBeat will be providing the additional 200 channels that were mentioned earlier?

Permalink | Comments (0)

It looks like Clear Channel is listing iRadio as a pillar distribution channel partner in its press releases.  I just happened to notice this one, where the "About Clear Channel Radio" section mentions iRadio:

The company's content can be heard on AM/FM stations, on the Internet, via iPods, through Motorola's iRadio cell-phone service, and via mobile-navigation devices from Cobra, Garmin, Kenwood and others.

It's kind of an odd description, isn't it?  Listing networks, stations, and even devices that play Clear Channel programming?  They're trying to demonstrate a multi-channel strategy, supposedly.  Motorola, not quite as desperate, has yet to formally announce the relationship.

Permalink | Comments (2)

Autoblog just mentioned the iRadio Motorola press release, expressing interest, but stating that the "solution" description was a bit vague.

There's always that balance to maintain between creating buzz before a launch, and launching with a big bang.  I'm sure we'll hear more soon.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Permalink | Comments (0)

Permalink | Comments (1)

As I mentioned, the Motorola iRadio team has developed a Windows Mobile 5 version of iRadio.  That’s huge.  The core iRadio software could therefore go on any windows compatible device, such as the Motorola Q or Palm Treo 700W.

This would make great sense for office dudes, commuters, etc, that use handheld devices regularly.  The “flight mode” option (where you can turn off ‘phone’ functionality and continue using other device features) is especially nice for frequent flyers.

More and more, I’m beginning to see that Motorola is quite serious about iRadio…it no longer seems to be just an added service used to sell more phones.

Permalink | Comments (0)

John Hogan, President and CEO of Clear Channel, said, 'Radio has undergone many changes in recent weeks, including the syncing of cell phones with Motorola's iRadio service that serves up content from Clear Channel.'

Funny.  This isn't the first time a content partnership between Clear Channel and Motorola iRadio was mentioned, though an official announcement has yet to be released.  Clear Channel's board must be swetting bullets over alternative radio options such as satellite radio and Motorola iRadio, thinking, "..if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em."

What kind of content will CC provide, and will commercials be included?  Commercials generate revenue, but will also divert iRadio listeners to other, commercial-free channels...

Permalink | Comments (0)

Apparently, uploading the new iRadio Waves banner took a lot out of me...  But I'm back, and ready to ask critical questions like, "Now that iRadio has "launched", when the heck will we see iRadio phones??"  :)

Onward we march, to seek out the answers...

Permalink | Comments (0)

I was finally able to upload a new iRadio Waves banner, hooray, and will be updating further over the next month. I may add a 3rd column for resource links to Motorola, iRadio, and the Get Heard Network, as well as an About page and a mobile music service comparison page...

What would you like to see?  Needs?  Suggestions?  Let me know what you think!

Permalink | Comments (3)

Apparently, the iRadio feature on CNBC was moved to today at 12:00 ET.  Motorola's CEO, Ed Zander, will be showing off iRadio on a ROKR E2.  (However, I still don't see Motorola on the Power Lunch guest list for today...perhaps just a mishap?)

Permalink | Comments (0)

More iRadio buzz!

NBC Nightly News will be featuring the iRadio Solstice, an iRadio-branded (you guessed it) Solstice, tonight.

The Pontiac Solstice is one SWEET little accessory item.  I wonder if there are any plans in the works to make iRadio an option with the purchase of one.  Anyway, this is a nice example of brand association marketing, folks.  iRadio + cool car = cool iRadio.  I'm interested to see what NBC talks more about; the car, or the radio.  :)

Ya gotta wonder how many of these iRadio-branded rides Motorola has cruising around the US. Dave Ulmer drove another iRadio roadster to the Music Live Conference not too long ago...

How many of these does he have in his driveway?

Permalink | Comments (0)

I just learned that Motorola iRadio will be featured on CNBC Power Lunch with Walter Mossberg at 1:40 EST today.  Be sure to check it out.

Today's Power Lunch guest list features a number of HEAVY hitters in consumer electronics -- it should be a great show:

Ivan Seidenberg
Verizon Communications
Chairman & CEO

Eli Harari
SanDisk
CEO

William Watkins
Seagate Technology
President & CEO

Michael Ahn
LG Electronics
U.S. Global CEO

Peter Weedfald
SAMSUNG Electronics America
Senior Vice President

Gary Shapiro
Consumer Electronics Association
President & CEO

Brian Alger
Pacific Growth Equities
Tech. Sector Specialist

Rob Glaser
RealNetworks
Chairman & CEO

CEO's as far as the eye can see...  Check it out if you can!

UPDATE:  The iRadio feature was bumped to Jan 6, 12:00 ET.

Permalink | Comments (0)

After yesterdays' tip, it's now official.  Warner has joined Universal in signing up with iRadio.  As stated in the press release:

Through the iRadio service, including exclusive WMG artist and genre channels, iRadio listeners will enjoy and discover music from the company's expansive catalog of emerging acts, popular favorites and established legends.

Song BMG and EMI are sure to follow soon.  I'm curious to learn which Warner Music Group artists will be selected to produce exclusive artist channels...

Permalink | Comments (0)

The Motorola ROKR E2, the first iRadio phone, was recently unveiled.  The specs seem to change slightly every time I see them (note the specs I published from Apple Insider yesterday), however, this new list is now the latest.  Check out the features:

ROKR E2 SPECS:

• Removable SD card
• FM radio with 30 presets
• 3.5mm headset jack
• 262k color TFT QVGA (240x320) resolution
• 1.3 megapixel camera with flash and video capture
• USB 2.0 connection
• Linux-based operating system (No iTunes!)
• Store up to 500 songs, manage playlists
• Dedicated music keys (play/pause, skip, hold)
• Bluetooth audio connection
• “Airplane Mode” (safely listen on planes)
• SCREEN3 technology

The ROKR E2 will be available in the first half of 2006...leaving plenty of time for Motorola to change the specs yet again.  :)

Permalink | Comments (0)

I mentioned yesterday a new content partner would be announced this week.

According to Business Week today, that partner is Warner Music Group Corp.  Expect to see some of Warner's artists (which include a wide variety such as Fleetwood Mac, David Grey, Alanis Morrissette, The Darkness, Rob Thomas, Jason Mraz, and many others) set up exclusive iRadio channels).

Sony BMG and EMI will follow soon, no doubt. 

Permalink | Comments (0)

In case you missed my post yesterday, Motorola iRadio officially launched today.

WOO-HOO!  News, announcements, and pics from the CES show will be available soon.

In the meantime, here's the official MOTO iRadio Launch press release.

Permalink | Comments (0)

I just heard a little rumor from a source inside the iRadio team that a new content partner will be announced this week.  Since Universal already signed with Motorola iRadio, that would leave Sony BMG, Warner, and EMI.

Mind you, a similar rumor came my way once before, and Motorola decided to hold off.  However, this time it's more likely to happen, since CES 2006 is taking place this week...it's a prefect venue to make big announcements.

This would, of course, open the way for more exclusive artist channels, which would give Motorola even more ammunition with which to compete against Sirius and XM.

Permalink | Comments (0)

With CES 2006 only a few days away, iRadio is on the verge to launch.  I've learned that a big press release tomorrow will give details ragarding the new service, as well as a few other interesting announcements.  For example:

Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Billy Bob Thornton, will be contributing to a CSN and an independent artist channel channel, respectively.

The ROKR E2 will be iRadio-compatable, as well as 5 other phones to be demoed at CES.

Motorola iRadio will launch with 435 commercial-free radio channels.  Lookout Sirius and XM.

Pioneer, Alpine, Sony, and Kenwood are all manufacturing Bluetooh accessories for iRadio.

More soon, once CES begins...  Who says Christmas is over?  :)

UPDATE:  More info here at Yahoo and Engadget.  And here's the official press release.

Permalink | Comments (0)

It looks like Motorola is slowly arming itself for the iRadio launch in January.  The new iRadio site includes a couple Flash demos, a listing of the upcoming iRadio channels and generes, an explanation of the Get Heard Network, as well as a tutorial that explains how iRadio will work:

Pretty cool.  Click around and check out the funky visuals.

The iRadio Team may want to consider making both "Support" links lead to the same page -- having two options may confuse customers.  Also, the "What is iRadio?"/"On The Go" page seems to be blank?  That's easily fixed, though.  Otherwise, looking good.

(Thanks to Julio at Fusion Radio Chicago for the heads up)

Permalink | Comments (0)

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out iRadio's MySpace site, which gives more detail about the upcoming iRadio Get Heard Network not provided at the official site, such as:

* iRadio channel minimum requirements: "...music / talk has to be at least 3 hours in length (to play in a continuous loop 24-7) and meet a level of quality (not in content, but in technical production)."
* a "hat tip" to the band Cancel for providing inspiration for the Get Heard Network
* a ripping apart of satellite, AM, and FM radio
* a "preferential treatment" offer to artists making iRadio one of their Top 8 MySpace Friends
* a mention that Europe will follow America as a target audience for iRadio

The excessive use of smiley's in the blog is balanced by the rockin, professionally-produced video footage of iRadio at the Music Player Live conference.  I.e. this site is a peak into Motorola iRadio's voice, vision, and message...be sure to keep an eye on it.

Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, it looks like Motorola will be holding off on announcing the latest label to sign on with the iRadio music service, apparently -- sorry for the false alarm. The idea is, wait for more news, launch simultaneously, create a bigger splash. Motorola seems to be focusing all its energy on the upcoming 2006 International CES conference in January...

Permalink | Comments (0)

iRadio Waves picked up a little teaser from a source inside the iRadio team -- Motorola will be hooking up with another record label soon, probably by Monday.

Universal Music has already signed on to the iRadio Network, and is even supporting Universal artist-specific iRadio channels. It's not known which label will be next, though if I had to guess, I bet on Warner. Warner tends to lead the charge towards embracing new media channels early. If that proves to be true, we may very well see Moby, Michelle Branch, or Staind-specific iRadio channels in the near future.

I'll stay on the lookout for an update... Rock on witchabadself in the meantime.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow. A double-whammy for Motorola iRadio, coming in #1 at both the DEMXPO 2005 and GadgetFest 2005 today.

iRadio was named the Best Radio Service at the Digital Entertainment and Media Excellence Awards, beating nominees AOL Radio Network, Yahoo! Music’s LAUNCHcast Radio Service, and XM Satellite Radio. These are heavy hitters, with an interesting, distinguishing feature in common...they're actually available in stores! This is quite huge. It's late, so I'm going to leave it at that...for now.

Elsewhere, Motorola won the GadgetFest 2005 Best Cell Phone award. MOTO seems to be playing a lot of its cards right, now with a few more "accolades" under its belt to show off.

Congrats to the iRadio team!

UPDATE: Here's Motorola's press release about the award.

Permalink | Comments (0)

I mentioned Motorola's upcoming launch of artist-specific iRadio stations earlier, and yesterday Motorola made the formal announcement.

Universal Music country artists including Womack, Trisha Yearwood, Shania Twain, Vince Gill, Terry Clark, George Strait, Gary Allan, Reba McEntire, and others will launch channels on the Motorola iRadio service.

Dave Ulmer, Sr. Director of Marketing for Digital Media Solutions, said, "Artist-specific channels are an example of the tremendous benefit of the iRadio service to both audiences, and offer a glimpse of what types are innovations are still to come."

I'm not a big country fan, so I'll see what other artists participate before getting too excited. Actually, I don't think I'd want to listen to a single artist for an extended period of time, in most cases. But this announcement is more about touting iRadio's advantages and generating buzz than about creating the ultimate channel. Channel volume is one advantage iRadio will have over satellite radio.

Permalink | Comments (0)

I mentioned the Motorola iRadio VH1 demo earlier. If you missed the interview with Dave Ulmer, you can check out a video clip here.

(via MySpace/iRadio)

Permalink | Comments (0)

More mentions of the Universal-Motorola iRadio deal, but nothing new.

The iRadio-Universal story was picked up at ABC News and BetaNews, and CNET, as well as blogs VOIP Blog, TMCnet, OpenJar, among many others.

It's great publicity for a yet-to-be recognized brand. Motorola will have to Motor (pun intended) to prepare for iRadio's January launch.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Motorola is now collecting contact info to use for the big iRadio launch splash.

You can sign up for the iRadio alert here.

A sexy voice, gives a 10-second iRadio teaser on Motorola's site here.

(via Paste)