As Goofy as it Sounds; Disney Won't Play Nice with Bluetooth

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000227037959/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000227037959/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Turns out that it’s not just the carriers that are down on Bluetooth (Sprint and Verizon have this nasty habit of demanding that Bluetooth be crippled on some of their handsets) — apparently Walt Disney is doing a pretty good job of it themselves with their complete unwillingness to let their wireless partners use Bluetooth to transfer Disney-themed mobile content (like ringtones and wallpaper) directly to handsets until some sort of secure DRM system is in place (feel free to insert your own snotty comment about no one wanting Disney crap anyway). They’re worried about consumers illegally sharing ringtones, but they needn’t fret much longer—the very Orwellian-named Open Mobile Alliance is already planning to introduce a new standard for locking down mobile content later this year."</i><br /><br />This is just crazy. Disney needs to wake up and realize that we're talking about a $1.99 ringtone. Something most of us can create on our own using their overpriced DVD's anyway. Besides, as long as I can hear it, I can get around the DRM. If I really wanted to steal your goofy (pun intended ;) ) ringtone the lack of Bluetooth as a transfer agent wouldn't make a lick of difference. These companies really need to stop wasting their time and money and instead they should focus on providing better content so that more people would be willing to buy it. :x

[Jerry Raia]

As much as I don't like to see companies limiting features so people can't trade files as they see fit, anything the limits the amount of Mickey Mouse ring tones is a blessing. 8)

[surur]

Mobile phones have been the ultimate locked platform, and the turnover in handsets are so high that they can virtually guarantee in 3 years time all the handsets sold will have their Digital Restrictions Management built in, something which the desktop DRM vendors can only dream off. This is something which almost certainly will come to fruition, meaning you would have paid maybe three times for the same content (on CD, DVD and now ring tone).

The only way out is to use a more general programable environment, such as a pocketpc phone, which tend to be much more hackable. In the end though even those will succumb to the latest Intel xscale with DRM built-in.

Surur