Get the Message?

This story appears in the April 2005 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Now that you've gotten used to sending text messages from your cell phone, a new advance has arrived. Mobile Multimedia Messaging (MMS) goes beyond letters and numbers into pictures, video and sound. Photo messaging is, basically, an outgrowth of MMS. The services are rudimentary in the United States, but could be a welcome addition to the mobile arsenal for those who have embraced text messaging and built-in cameras.

The Samsung p735, released on the T-Mobile system, is an example of an MMS phone that is fairly new on the market and a sign of things to come from all manufacturers. The p735 features a 1-megapixel digital camera, video recorder, MP3 player, 64MB of memory and the ability to accept memory cards--all in an unusual swivel design. Early adopters will have a field day. Others may want to hold off until its nearly $500 price tag drops.

These wireless multimedia machines will come down in price as they become more common. Mobile warriors will find uses for the multimedia functions to communicate with the office or with customers. Just keep in mind that it could be a while before everyone else's phones are able to keep up with this new type of messaging. Visit www.mobilemms.com for news and information.