MUMBAI: Cartoon Network New Media has announced that it has created CallToons, a new mobile application that integrates technology with entertainment, essentially allowing Cartoon Network characters to take over a mobile phone.
According to an official announcement by the network, Cartoon Network New Media has developed CallToons in conjunction with Turner Platform R&D, and has been in discussions with Ericsson regarding concept refinement and content delivery options. The technology takes Cartoon Network New Media into mobile licensing as the product will be available to non-Turner companies in the future.
At launch, CallToons will feature characters from Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, and will be offered as separate services for each brand. CallToons is targeted to be available to consumers in Q4 2007.
Using patent pending technology, CallToons creates a user experience that replaces ordinary mobile phone functions (such as ringtones and wallpapers) with an entertainment platform provided by the users' favourite character.
CallToons ties together mobile content such as ringtones, ringbacks, wallpapers, and audio and text alerts into a character-driven narrative experience. Cartoon Network New Media will introduce additional functionality to the CallToons application in the coming months, adds the release.
"CallToons extends our fans' relationship with our characters in a personal and interactive way through a mobile phone," said Cartoon Network New Media senior vice president and general manager Paul Condolora. "With this application, we are developing a novel approach to the mobile experience. CallToons is a natural next step for the company and offers limitless cross-platform entertainment possibilities with cartoon characters, celebrities, sports figures and beyond."
"CallToons does more than set a character's voice to a ringtone. CallToons allows a character's personality to take over the mobile phone's functionality so that they actually interact with the user and incoming callers in a unique way," said Cartoon Network New Media senior director of entertainment products Ross Cox.
