DoCoMo 3G Phones Get Windows Media

TopTechNews reports that "Japanese wireless operator NTT DoCoMo will use Microsoft's Windows Media technology on its next-generation mobile phones, enabling customers initially to play tunes on their handsets and, at some point down the line, video too."

According to the article, "the Windows Media Audio platform, including its built-in copyright-protection technology, will be added to the company's FOMA (freedom of mobile media) handsets, starting with the F902iS model that will be released this summer. As a result of the deal, the phones will be able to play music downloaded to a PC from some 100 online music services, as well songs ripped from CDs in Windows Media Audio format."

David Linsalata at IDC said, "What's significant about the DoCoMo-Microsoft arrangement is that it includes the Windows Media DRM technology so that users can play the music on multiple devices. Windows Media is a major player in the desktop space," he said, "and providing compatibility with mobile phones is a key driver of mobile music."

Linsalata thought "Apple most likely isn't too worried about competition from carriers because most phones have storage capacities in the 1-GB to 2-GB range, compared to some 30 GB of storage space for most iPods." he added, "The phone is still a voice-centric device, and there will be people who carry both a phone and an MP3 player."