Its Cartoon Time

On_my_way_1 UK company mixipix has launched a mobile WAP portal to enable users to create and send animated cartoon messages directly from their mobile phones to other handsets.
While there are a number of services which allow users to download animated files and pass them on to contacts, the mixipix service is, the company says, the only system in the world which allows people to send cartoon messages directly from their phone to other phones. mixipix has been offering a cartoon messaging  service for the past 18 months, but until now cartoon messages could only be created and sent from the mixipix website, and from a number of partners websites. Users can choose from a wide range of different animations, and attach their own text to create the final message. The service renders the cartoon content dynamically on demand, ensuring that the recipient receives the animation at the optimum size and resolution for their handset. Messages are delivered via wap-push, bypassing MMS technology.
mixipix will be making the portal available to third parties as a white label solution, allowing them to brand the portal and offer cartoon messages direct from mobile as part of their own service.
The fact that mixipix animations can be saved and used as wallpaper, screensavers or caller ID pictures is a huge advantage from the consumer point of view says mixipix Chief Executive, Lesley Keen. It provides far more long-term value, and gives the recipient content which they can use to customise their handset and show off to friends and family.
While a great many of the messages sent through our system are for events and occasions normally associated with greetings cards, were finding that a large percentage of our audience are using cartoon messages to express their emotions. Now our users can create and send messages direct from their mobile phones making this a far more spontaneous experience.
To encourage take-up of the service, minipix is pricing cartoon messages at 75 pence each for an introductory period. This compares with the usual web-to-phone cost of 1.50 per message. Keen told Mobile Marketing that the standard phone-to-phone service would not cost more than the web-to-phone service.
The mixipix mobile portal can be found at: mixipix.net/wap or by texting go mixipix to 83055. The portal will be updated with new content on a regular basis. A more comprehensive collection of animations, plus mixipixs Animation Creation Studio, which enables users to create their own animations, can be found on the companys consumer website.