Sony Ericsson T68ie MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)

T68i
White Paper, April 2002
10
MMS (Multimedia
Messaging
Service)
One of the key features in the T68i is the
MultimediaMessaging Service (MMS), expected
to become the preferredmessaging method of
mobileterminal users, since there are virtually no
limits to the content of an MMS transmission. An
MMS message fromthe T68i can contain text,
graphics,animations, images, audio clips and
ring melodies. For more detailed information, see
“Multimedia message service” on page 54. Fo r
third-part developers’ information, please visit
www.ericsson.com/mobilityworld/and look for
the MMS Developers’guidelines.
Defined andspecified by 3GPP as a standard for
thirdgeneration implementation, MMS completes
the potential of messaging.Sending digital
postcardsand PowerPoint-style presentations is
expected to be among the most popular user
applicationsof MMS. Eagerly awaited by young
users inparticular, MMS is projected to fuel the
growthof related market segments by as much
as forty percent.
Using the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) as
bearertechnology and powered by the high-
speed transmissiontechnologies EDGE, GPRS
and UMTS (W-CDMA),Multimedia Messaging
allows usersto send and receive messages that
look likePowerPoint-style presentations. The
messages mayinclude any combination of text,
graphics,photographic images, speech and
music clips. MMS will serve as the default mode
of messaging on all terminals, making total
content exchange second nature. From utility to
sheer fun,it offers benefits at every level and to
every kind of user.
MMS objects
AlthoughMMS is a direct descendant of SMS,
the differencein content is dramatic. The size of
an average SMS message is about 140 bytes,
whilethemaximumsizeofanMMSmessageis
limitedonlybythememory.Thatiswhythekey
wordto describe MMS content is rich. Complete
with words,sounds and images, MMS content is
endowed withthe user’s ideas, feelings and
personality.An MMS message can contain one or
moreof the following:
Text
As with SMS and EMS, an MMS messagecan
consistof normal text. The length of the text is
unlimited, and it is possible to format the text.
The main differencebetween an EMS and MMS
messageis that in an MMS message, text can be
accompanied not only by simplepixel images or
melodiesbut by photographic images, graphics,
audioclips and in the future, video sequences.
Temp l a t e s
The T68icomes with a number of MMS pre-
definedtemplates, for example templates for
birthdaycards, meeting requests etc.
Audio
MMS provides the ability to send and receive full
sound (iMelody and AMR) messages.Not only
can users sharea favourite song ot ring signal
with a friend, they can also use the mobile phone
to record sound and s end it along with a
message.Because sound includes speech as
well as music,this extra dimension of an MMS
message makes forenhanced immediacy of
expressionand communication. Rather than
sending a downloaded birthday jingle in EMS, for
F
igure 1. An MMS message can contain images,
m
usic, audio and graphics.