Mercora Delivers Streaming Mobile Radio Stations Of User’s Own Music
Mercora, a streaming peer-to-peer concern, is now translating its concept into the mobile realm. The company essentially allows users to transform their personal music collections into radio stations, and offers a platform for others to tune in. The latest expansion brings the concept to Windows Mobile 5.0-based Smartphones and PocketPC devices – a group that includes the Motorola Q, Samsung SGH-i320 and Palm Treo 700wx. Users can stream their own collections, or listen to radio stations generated from the collections of others. The new service is being called Mercora M.
Mercora is not the first to dabble in mobile-based streaming audio, though most of the action is still early. Others have also experimented with mobile-based access of personal music collections, including Santa Monica, CA-based Xdrive, recently purchased by AOL. Meanwhile, streaming radio services have languished in the United States and other key markets, especially alongside an increasing number of FM-ready mobile devices. Performance issues are also a hurdle, especially since most mobile users have difficulty gaining clear reception on a reasonable number of voice calls. Still, first-movers will enjoy accessing a “jukebox in the sky,” though a bulk of the market is currently comfortable with more manual synchronizations involving iPods and mobile devices.
