WAMU participating in "NPR Mobile" Launch

WAMU-FM DC announced it is one of ten NPR member stations participating in the launch of NPR Mobile--a new co-branded service that brings local and national public radio content to users of mobile phones and handheld devices. The project allows WAMU and NPR to take a first step into the new medium of mobile services through two products: NPR Mobile Web and NPR Mobile Voice. NPR Mobile Web uses a "wireless access protocol" (WAP) to deliver audio, text, pictures, and video to handheld mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs. Users access a web site (wamu.npr.org) through their mobile device that is optimized for small screens and automatically formatted for each specific device's capabilities. The service has a customized local home page with links to WAMU local hourly newscasts, as well as NPR newscasts and other features. NPR Mobile Voice allows users to make a call to a local number to directly access content through a menu using interactive voice response (IVR) technology. The phone number works on any type of mobile phone, regardless of carrier, as well as through landlines. Have an opinion on this article? Post your comment below.