PlayPhone

More than 50 music genres and reasonable prices.

BACKGROUND
PlayPhone is currently a leading mobile media company, and is one of the largest distributors in the world of mobile games, ringtones, wallpapers, videos and other personalized content. PlayPhone is one of North America’s premier mobile content storefronts and it is the only service offering a full portfolio of mobile branded games to users.

PlayPhone offers some unique content that isn’t necessarily found on other multimedia websites. PlayPhone does have the usual ringtones, games and wallpaper but the site differs in that it offers graphically high quality videos, text applications (different than games) and music widgets specifically for blogs.

The videos features offer a wide selection of both animated and real life videos. The text application features offers 10 applications such as Joke of the Day, Movie Lover and Horoscope. Not all websites offer these types of secondary applications. The remarkable feature is called “widgets” which takes the user through a step by step process in order to put specific music to their LiveJournal, Blog or Website. The user then takes the code and copies it into their own online website.

PlayPhone can also be found at leading North American retailers with innovative prepaid gift cards. Playphone is the only mobile destination offering users this prepaid option to purchase content for themselves and gift it to friends and family. PlayPhone is unique and creative multimedia company.

PRO
- Large selection of latest ringtones
- Large selection of games, wallpaper and user videos tones
- Top downloads feature
- Text applications
- Widgets to create applications for websites/blogs
- Functional search feature
- Lots of genres as well as branded genres (The Simpsons, Cartoon Network)
- Preview before you buy
- Easy navigation of website
- Easy cancellation
- Prepaid gift cards
- Individual downloads or subscription plan payment options

CON
- Possible problems with downloads not being received by users
- HELP/FAQ section is long and could be confusing
- User must enter phone number before proceeding to sign up
- No clear mention of what carriers are acceptable
- The company will use your email address for any purpose they choose

CARRIERS
- The website states “see the handset compatibility list for the content you want” There is no mention of which carriers are supported. There is a list of “entertainment brands”, but doubtful these are major carriers. The brands are listed below:
- Sega Mobile
- ABC Mobile
- Bandai Wireless
- Lycos Mobile
- Real Arcade Mobile
- I-play.com
- Skyzone Mobile
- Trymedia Mobile
- Cartoon Network

MUSIC GENRES
With absolutely dozens and dozens of music genres to choose from, PlayPhone will likely not disappoint when you go looking for that perfect song, artist or tone.
- 60s, 80s or 90s
- Classic Rock
- Classical
- Country
- Dance
- Fight Songs
- Gospel
- Hip Hop
- Jazz
- R&B
- TV / Movies

GRAPHICS AND ANIMATION
PlayPhone offers above average animation for its movies and games and excellent graphics for its wallpaper.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
PlayPhone offers an average HELP/FAQ section. There is a lot of written content but it is very hard to read let alone understand. PlayPhone does use customer's email address for their own purposes which most individuals do not approve of. On the positive side, the user can cancel their service pretty easily.

PRICE
- 20 credits plan: 20 download credits for the first month of service (10 credits + 10 BONUS credits). For every month thereafter, users will receive 10 download credits. The rate for this service is $9.99 per month and will appear on your carrier phone bill.
- 30 Text Messages plan: 1 daily text message for up to 30 text messages per month. The rate for this service is $9.99 per month and will appear on your carrier phone bill.

CONCLUSION
PlayPhone offers a lot of outstanding content at a higher quality than other multimedia companies. The selection of all their content is impressive. However, it is advised to contact a live employee to find out which carriers are acceptable before signing up. Also make sure to opt out of the newsletter so that the company does not misuse your email address. Given these two issues, PlayPhone is an innovative company, a leader for mobile content and can be trusted.