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Verizon Wireless to use flash technology

Company hopes move will spur customers to purchase content
The Associated Press

Updated: 4:55 a.m. PT Oct 25, 2006

NEW YORK - Verizon Wireless is deploying a version of the Web media
technology known as "Flash" to boost the visual sparkle of graphics,
animation and video delivered to its cell phones - and hopefully spur more
customers to buy that content.

The company said Wednesday the "Flash Lite for Brew" technology, developed
by Adobe Systems Inc. and Qualcomm Inc., initially will be compatible with
four high-end phone models. The handset's software will be upgraded
over-the-air with an automatic download when a customer accesses
Flash-enabled content.

In tandem with the rollout, Verizon is introducing enhanced content
including new video games from Shockwave and graphic-rich applications from
The Weather Channel and MovieGoer from Zingy.

Cell phone companies in Japan and South Korea have already introduced
Flash-enhanced mobile content to their customers. Verizon Wireless, a joint
venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, says it
is the first to do so in North America.

Adobe's Flash programming platform is best known as a tool for livening up
Web pages with richer graphics and interactive features. It is also used to
deliver video clips on the hugely popular YouTube service, which is being
acquired by Google Inc.

Verizon said in a statement it expects to benefit from the large community
of software developers already creating Flash-based media for the Internet:
"Flash Lite for BREW utilizes the key features and benefits of the Flash
authoring tool and the BREW platform, providing developers with a clear path
to market for content distribution."

That means media developed for Web consumption can more easily be adapted
for cell phone delivery. Still, a Verizon spokesman said media companies are
looking to create more original material specifically for mobile devices and
that the new Flash application will make that process easier.

Like most of the industry, Verizon Wireless has invested billions of dollars
in network upgrades in a bid to boost revenue by selling non-voice services
to its phone subscribers. So far, it's unclear how much demand there is for
many of these mobile services, or how much extra customers are willing to
pay to view such content on a tiny screen.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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