The acquisition brings the maker of the SmartSkin and a mobile operating system into a newly formed group focused on wireless markets.
Last week it looked like Apple was going to join the ranks of mobile virtual network operators. This week it looks like AOL will go there instead.
AOL has tucked the purchase of privately-held Wildseed into a newly formed AOL Wireless Group. AOL Mobile and Tegic, the latter known for its creation of the T9 mobile phone software, will be part of that group, AOL said in a press release.
Wildseed makes a Linux-based OS for mobiles. That solution supports music and video playback, and AOL’s success with the Live 8 concerts would be exactly what the company wants to extend to cell phones. Also, the solution can support what AOL calls “GameBoy Advanced style games.”
With the content available, and a platform that can handle its delivery and playback, AOL’s next step will be to get that platform onto handsets. No particular handset makers have been rumored at all yet, though; it’s interesting to consider a maker that offers larger screens in the handset market, like LG Electronics, being part of a possible deal.
AOL has been pushing forward with a more open portal initiative, one that will make its previously walled-off subscriber only content available online and supported by advertising revenue. That model has helped Yahoo and Google build their businesses.
AOL could complement that strategy with a compelling offering on the cell phone front, with its services inside and outside the handset; that’s a literal possibility, as Wildseed’s SmartSkin technology can change the exterior of a phone and alter the theme of the operating system to match.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
