Nokia service feeds content to mobile phones

HELSINKI, Finland — Nokia is launching a framework for automatically feeding content to mobile phones.

Called WidSets, the technology "brings Web 2.0 to your mobile device," said Tom Henricksson, director of Nokia's Emerging Business Unit. "It goes to other Internet sites and gets feeds from them, but [users] determine what Internet services you want to have visible on your phone." Once selected, "you just hit install."

WidSets allows users to build a content library that may include RSS (really simple syndication) feeds, blogs and photo upload sites that are multicasted to Java-enabled devices. It updates selected content and forms a "symbiotic" relationship with the Web to allow both the device and the Web to work together. "You have exactly the information you are interested in, but in a cost-optimized way on your handset," said Henrickson.

The launch fits into Nokia's overall theme of "human-centered" design. Henrickson said he expects the technology to be community driven, with user rankings and the ability for users to generate their own "widgets."