InMotion Entertainment is expanding its portfolio, with the opening of an authorized multi-carrier BlackBerry® from Wireless Giant® retail store at Philadelphia International (PHL) and a partnership with NCR Corp. to bring digital download kiosks to its airport stores.
“Wireless Giant is pleased to announce it has opened an authorized multi-carrier BlackBerry® from Wireless Giant® retail store today in B-C Connector at the Philadelphia International Airport,” says Isaac Hanna, CEO of Wireless Giant. “The store features a comprehensive offering of BlackBerry products and services and provides an exceptional purchasing experience for both consumers and corporate customers.”
The store features smart phones from AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile that can be purchased and activated for use with BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server. The stores also offer support services for both end users and IT administrators of organizations of all sizes, and customers will also find a wide range of add-on personal accessories for their BlackBerry smart phones.
“Wireless Giant has been successful in rolling this concept out both on the street and in an airport environment,” Hanna says. “We believe this will accelerate the growth of this concept.”
“Wireless Giant and InMotion Entertainment have joined together to develop and operate the BlackBerry from Wireless Giant retail stores in select major airports across the United States, including Philadelphia International Airport,” says Jeremy Smith, president of InMotion Entertainment. “InMotion Entertainment’s primary responsibilities are site selection, lease negotiations and location development. Wireless Giant provides specialized training, BlackBerry smart phones and accessories, as well as concept development, marketing and operational guidance.”
PHL officials have expressed their pleasure in being “among the first airports in the country to offer a BlackBerry store to its travelers.”
“This offers our customers the opportunity to purchase, upgrade, or enhance their Blackberry smart phone while traveling,” says Paul McGinn, president of Marketplace Development. “We expect it to be a favorite store for leisure and business travelers alike.”
In related news…
Customers Can Now Download Movies At InMotion Stores
As part of its agreement with NCR, InMotion Entertainment will feature digital download kiosks at its stores, bring access to digital movies, television programs and music tracks.
NCR will rent and sell entertainment titles to airport travelers via kiosks developed in partnership with MOD Systems® Inc. Customers will download the content to portable Secure Digital memory cards and USB memory sticks, and can use and reuse their own memory cards to download video titles or purchase one in the InMotion store. Music tracks can be loaded onto any USB storage device and, eventually, directly to portable MP3 players.
“The modern airport traveler has limited and often inflexible options for entertainment on the go,” says Alex Camara, vice president and general manager of NCR Entertainment. “DVDs and CDs cannot be played on many portable devices. Movies and music can be downloaded to portable devices at home, but once travelers leave home, purchase options have been limited. Streaming content often cannot be accessed in air, and never without expensive fees. We are bringing faster and easier entertainment choices to consumers while they are on the go. This new technology, in partnership with MOD Systems, brings consumers simple, affordable and flexible access to entertainment.”
The entertainment downloads will take about the same amount of time it takes to buy a magazine or newspaper at an airport newsstand. Music downloads usually take a few seconds to download, and movies often take fewer than two minutes. Up to four kiosks will be installed in each store.
“The deployment of NCR and MOD Systems’ digital download kiosks in InMotion stores will give consumers exciting new entertainment content they have never before had access to outside the home,” says Smith. “We have big expectations for the potential of digital entertainment kiosks, and we look forward to expanding this program with NCR.”
Movie rental and purchase prices from the digital download kiosks will be consistent with online digital downloads and in-store rentals today and will be tested at various price points. For movie rentals, consumers will have 30 days from purchase to watch the movie and 48 hours to watch once they begin.
Kiosks will offer new releases and catalog movie titles and television episodes from major and independent studios. Thousands of MP3 tracks from all major music labels and several independents will be available. Since they are digital, video and music titles will never be out of stock and rental movies will not need to be returned.
“MOD Systems is excited to bring its partnership with NCR into the consumer market, and reach busy travelers through a relationship with InMotion – the leader in airport entertainment,” says Anthony Bay, chairman and CEO of MOD Systems. “Until now, retailers have not had an opportunity to capture the tremendous business opportunity in digital entertainment. Our solution with NCR gives retailers a slice of the growing digital market while offering the latest content for their customers to enjoy on the devices they travel with every day.”
