Following the successful launch of its mobile websites in August, the Express & Star and Shropshire Star newspapers are planning to offer a range of new mobile content and services to their readers.
MNA Digital, the online arm of publishers Midland News Association, is working with mobile website specialist Wapple (http://wapple.net) to deliver a multimedia mix of news, information, sport and entertainment to complement print and online products. Amongst the ideas being explored are music and video downloads; job and property listings and alerts; and the development of branded mobile micro-sites for local football clubs and bands, for example. MNA Digital is also looking at introducing mobile advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
The Express & Star sites (www.expressandstar.com/mobile & www.shropshirestar.com/mobile) have been built using Wapple Canvas™, a powerful design and publishing platform capable of producing advanced and dynamic mobile websites. And with over 5,000 mobile phones, PDAs and games consoles already being used to access the mobile Internet, Wapple Exhibit™ ensures that the sites are optimised and presented accurately on every single device. This ensures that visitors always get the best mobile experience, while website owners can be confident that their designs and brands will not be compromised.
No other technology enables the development of such highly functional mobile sites that provide the same experience regardless of the mobile device used.
"Wapple gives us the features, scalability and expertise to add exciting rich new content and services to our existing sites as well as deliver revenue generating advertising and e-commerce functionality," said William Beavis, new media marketing manager at MNA Digital. "And most importantly, without Wapple we couldn't be confident that all our visitors get a great mobile experience whatever handset they are using."
"Regional newspapers have a steady flow of breaking news and topical local information and services that are ideal to deliver anywhere, at anytime through mobile phones and other devices," says Anne Thomas, COO at Bromsgrove-based Wapple. "It is great to be working with MNA that is pioneering many exciting ideas to provide a dynamic new channel for their readers."
Wapple helps Express and Star and Shropshire Star ramp up plans for mobile websites
Local newspapers see new mobile opportunities
About Wapple
Wapple was established in 2004 and is one of the pioneers of mobile internet site creation, management, billing integration and solutions deployment. Wapple has developed powerful web-based tools that allow companies to create professional and user-friendly mobile internet sites and also builds and manages bespoke mobile solutions.
Wapple's list of clients already includes MTV, TDK, Mobil 1, Metallica and The Washington Post mobile sites along with new media agencies such as Generiq, G8Wave, MIG, Cherry Media, Guerrilla and Bravado. http://wapple.net
For more information please contact
Allie Andrews, PRPR, Tel: 01442 245030, allie@prpr.co.uk
Anne Thomas, Business Development Director, Wapple, Tel: 01527 558247
anne@wapple.net
What the world says
Wapple Links Print Ads To Internet Using Mobile Bar CodesAdd Wapple to the list of companies that enable physical objects to be connected to the Net using a camera phone (Physical World Connection)
Wapple have mobilised Internet WorldThe Wapple chaps, the go-to-guys if you're looking for help creating a mobile internet offering, have created a swish looking mobile internet version of the main Internet World site.
CTO Wapple Rich Holdsworth on the Mobile Frames bad for Mobile Browser issueYikes the phone has been ringing non-stop; lots of people have a frames for mobile browsers story to share. But most importantly Rich Holdsworth the CTO of Wapple got back to me immediately with regards to the frames issue...
