Originally published February 8 2006
New site offers artistic cell phone wallpapers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
John Doffing has created a wallpaper website called Start Mobile to offer more unique and sophisticated wallpapers for phones. The vast number of wallpapers have been submitted by all kinds of people, including emerging street artists and a 7-year-old.
When it comes to cell-phone wallpapers, Hello Kitty might do it for some people, but she just doesn't excite John Doffing.
Doffing, who runs San Francisco art gallery Start SOMA, is betting he's not the only one.
Fed up with what he sees as a slew of lame, clip-art-style services, he launched his own wallpaper site, Start Mobile, in December.
He said it will serve as an alternative source of cell-phone art for those who prefer pop and street art to kitties and puppies.
The cell-phone wallpaper market brought in around $100 million this year, according to Julie Ask, a wireless analyst with Jupiter Research.
But many customers actually want the images Doffing sees as cheesy, and analysts predict the market could stagnate or decline in the future, she said.
Hundreds of artists have submitted wallpapers to the site, ranging from emerging street artists to well known works by Shepard Fairey and David Choe, Doffing said.
The site has a wallpaper for everyone -- even those whose tastes lean toward bunny rabbits or bikini babes.
The wallpapers run $2 each, with a small portion going to the artist and most going to cell-phone carriers.
The price may sound steep, considering the product's limited function.
But Doffing said the price falls mid-range, and that consumers are jumping on board.
Richard Ting, a New Yorker who runs the sneaker website Flytip.com, bought three Nike-inspired wallpapers from the site.
The file quality was good, he said, they were sent to his phone immediately and, unlike some wallpaper services, they were perfectly sized.
Ask, the Jupiter Research wireless analyst, said Start Mobile's success or failure will depend on its ability to drive traffic to the site and gain repeat customers.
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