AT&T Wireless debuts MMS with mMode Pix
AT&T Wireless yesterday introduced mMode Pix, a new MMS service that lets people use their wireless phones to take pictures and instantly send them via email. mMode Pix is a part of the company's recently launched mMode service, the carrier's U.S. version of DoCoMo's popular i-mode. To use mMode Pix, subscribers attach a miniature digital camera accessory to the bottom of a Sony Ericsson T68i phone. When the camera is attached, the phone's display screen becomes the viewfinder and customers simply press a button on the camera to take pictures. The Sony Ericsson T68i costs $199 and the digital camera accessory is available for $129.

Ericsson, Wind partner for MMS
Ericsson announced a partnership with Italian carrier Wind in the development of mobile multimedia services (MMS). The two companies will pool their resources in the areas of research and development, service design and marketing to accelerate the development of 3G and 4G services. As well as working on new UMTS applications Wind and Ericsson will be looking beyond 3G to develop converged mobile-fixed line-internet services. The deal mirrors a similar relationship between Nokia and Sonera. This relationship will enable Wind to deploy advanced technologies and services ahead of its competitors while providing Ericsson with a commercial test-bed for new products.

Low Consumer Interest in MMS, So Far
While smart phone with built-in cameras have received a lot of hype, there is still little evidence that users are lining up to use them. Thus far, only J-Phone's Sha-mail service in Japan has attracted any real consumer interest. NTT DoCoMo's 3G service, which offers MMS messaging and mobile digital photography, has failed to catch on with users. And in Europe, few mobile users seem interested in the camera-phones hitting the market there. 

Vodafone to Bring Camera Phone Service to Europe
This fall, Vodafone plans to introduce camera phone service in seven European countries. The service will be based on J-Phone's popular "sha-mail" service, and will use camera phones made in Japan. (Source: Reuters)

NTT DoCoMo Introduces Two New Camera-Equipped Cell Phones
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun is reporting that NTT DoCoMo has introduced camera phones D25li by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and F25li by Fujitsu Ltd. Offering high quality imaging, the D25li can store 1,670 digital pictures using Sony's Memory Stick data storage cards. The F25li offers a slide-show-like feature allowing users to display stored images every four seconds.