Excite Mobile Service Launched
Ten weeks after launching its mobile Internet service in the UK, ExciteAtHome has today unveiled its US service for mobile users. Known as Excite Mobile, the US service is HDML (handheld markup language)-compliant, rather than WML (wireless markup language)- compliant, as is the case with the UK service. This means that, while the UK service is limited to WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)-enabled mobile phones, the US service will be accessible to mobile Internet-enabled devices, such as the Palm PDA (personal digital assistant) series and two-way HDML-compliant pagers, as well as the growing based of Internet-enabled mobile phones.
Karen Snow, a spokesperson for ExciteAtHome, told Newsbytes that the US service, like the UK service, will be free-to-access for the time being, but the company is looking at the possibility of launching a number of add-on pay-for services.
In Japan, she said, Excite has launched a classified advertising service that costs users around $3 a month. The take-up for this pay-for service, she said, he been "phenomenal," with page hits approaching 600,000 a day.
"We are looking at the options available but it's only a possibility at this stage," she said.
Located at htp://www.mobile.excite.com , the US service is billed as an extension of the firm's broadband online service strategy and will deliver Excite's personalized range of Internet services for mobile users to any Web-enabled cellphone in the US.
Interestingly, the service features the first customizable mobile home page in the United States, so users can access their favorite items faster by moving them to the top of the menu or removing menu items they don't use.
To use Excite Mobile, individuals enter mobile.excite.com on their mobile phone browser, logging on to gain access to their personal set of pages.
Almost all of Excite's "normal" Internet range of services are accessible on the mobile service, including the Excite Inbox e-mail, news, planner address books and calendar functions - as well as mobile-specific services such as two-way phone number lookups.
Rob Wilem, the firm's senior director for wireless services, said that the wireless medium is an extension of ExciteAtHome's broadband strategy to bring personalized content to its users anytime, anywhere and on any device.
"Personalization is one of our core competencies and our focus for the mobile portal, which is critical to the mobile experience given the limited screen space, limited bandwidth and online rates on mobile Web devices," he said.
"The mobile user doesn't want everything, but they want what's important to them. We're building a mobile experience that is about the user's information and interests, so individuals have a personalized information service at their fingertips," he added.
ExciteAtHome's Web site is at http://www.home.net.
Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com.