Here’s a new spin on mobile content, and it doesn’t involve music or a download to the phone. It basically involves making an old-fashioned phone call from a mobile phone.
The application involves audio content distributor Lexy, which recently signed a deal with the satirical news publication and Website, The Onion. The partnership, a first for Lexy, means a Lexy subscription button is integrated into the Onion Radio News Web page. The button provides access to Lexy so that Onion fans can set it up to receive Onion Radio News and Onion Radio News Classics to their mobile phone.
The audio is delivered via a phone call to Lexy – no downloads are required, according to Lexy co-founder Tony Levitan. Lexy is focused on short-form audio content, which it trademarked Quikcasts, and plans to add more media outlets. “Our goal is to deploy that Lexy button as many places as possible,” he said.
One of the big benefits of the Lexy system is it works with any phone. It’s free to the end-user, although it does use airtime. Part of the reason the founders chose this path is they projected carriers would move to flat-rate pricing, and prices are coming down, he said.
Any brand with an RSS feed can be part of Lexy, he said. The key is to make sure a podcast isn’t too long. Lexy can be accessed through a phone call to 415-692-4933.
Levitan was one of the creators of Egreetings Network, along with Lexy co-founder Fred Campbell. They sold Egreetings to American Greetings in 2001.
So far, three primary use cases are emerging for Lexy. One is to use it during commute time while riding mass transit or using a hands-free device in a car. Another is to combat boredom and kill time, and a third is to just take a break from staring at a computer all day or some other repetitive activity.
And the name Lexy? It combines the words lexicon and sexy, so it’s designed to represent the “pragmatic and fun,” according to the company.