Verizon Debuts Media Manager Tool
- by Mark Walsh @markfwal, December 14, 2009
Verizon Wireless has introduced a tool that lets subscribers more easily port photos, videos and music between mobile devices and PCs. The new V Cast Media Manager allows users to transfer user-generated content from phones to computers using only a USB cable rather than the more involved process of having to remove a device's SD memory card to do so.
Bypassing that in-between step not only affords greater convenience but gets around the memory limitations of an SD card. And if a customer upgrades or changes phones, they can transfer their content -- as well as unprotected music from their PCs -- to new handsets.
"This tool is the first step in giving our customers the resources they need to make the most of the multimedia content they create, acquire or store using their wireless devices," said Kyle Malady, vice president, product development at Verizon Wireless, in a statement. The move also underscores wider efforts that Verizon is undertaking to encourage the extension of mobile media from the Web to mobile devices.
Last month, Verizon partnered with iSkoot to launch an application promising all-in-one access to popular social properties including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. The app lets subscribers view and manage social networking accounts through live feeds and real-time notifications.
The Media Manager is powered by Smith Micro Software Inc. and is designed for popular Verizon phones including LG enV Touch and Samsung Alias.
Non-product. Here's how the Droid works: you plug it into your PC which recognizes the media card as a regular memory device. You use Windows Explorer (free, on your PC) to move files back and forth. No V Cast Media Manager, no Blackberry Desktop Manager, nothing - just happy, seemless file transfer. I loaded over 900 mp3s in less than 15 minutes and the music software recognized them all and plays them. For those using Verizon Rhapsody - bag that and get a Droid. You'll love it and you don't have to spend half your life on the phone with tech support.