Apparently satisfied enough with its first model to take another stab at the Japanese market, Softbank MVNO Disney Mobile is trotting out another Sharp-sourced model, the DM002SH. The Cinderella-themed flip is targeted squarely at the fairer sex, coming reasonably well-equipped with wide QVGA resolution on its 2.6-inch primary display, 2 megapixel camera, microSD slot, an OLED external display, and one-seg TV tuner. As far as we can tell, there's also precisely zero shortage of Cinderella media -- movies, ringtones, and the like -- so owners really need only to pick up the crystal slippers to complete the package. It'll be available starting June 7 in silver, pink, and gold, just like the original DM001SH.

[Via Akihabara News]

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again -- preferably on a different continent. That's the attitude Disney is taking with its Disney Mobile MVNO, shutting down its poorly-received US service and heading over to Japan where Softbank is serving up the necessary airwaves this time around. The target demo is decidedly different now, too -- whereas the US service was aimed at families with young kiddies, the Japanese rendition is targeting women in their 20s and 30s, seen as prime consumers of Disney content. The first handset to support Disney Mobile will be the DM001SH, a reworked version of Sharp's 821SH for Softbank that features 3G data, a 2 megapixel cam, 400 x 240 internal and 60 x 32 external displays, one-seg mobile TV, FeliCa, and no shortage of Mickey Mouse branding. All told, we'd say it's just a tad hotter than the carrier's now-deceased US offerings. Look for the service to launch March 1.

[Via Tech-On!]

Perhaps Disney hoped that its MVNO bearing the corporate name would fare a little better than its doomed sibling, Mobile ESPN, but it was not to be. Making good on some ominous verbiage last week from CFO Thomas Staggs, Disney Mobile has announced that it will "cease its wireless operations" as of December 31, 2007. MVNOs have generally had a tough time navigating through the dog-eat-dog world of profitable wireless service, and Disney Mobile was dogged from the very beginning with tough competition on kid-friendly features and hardware from larger rivals and a dearth of quality handsets. Though it seems that existing subscribers will be able to continue to use most or all features of the service through then, folks are being encouraged to pack their bags and move elsewhere by November 30 to ensure plenty of time to get numbers ported. Furthermore, hardware purchased directly through Disney Mobile will be subject to a reimbursement of some sort, with details going up early next month.

[Thanks, Paul D.]

In today's day and age, playing the MVNO game is a bit of a challenge. Some can't keep their head above water, others need a life raft, and a select few can actually stay afloat on their own. Disney's CFO Thomas Staggs -- who spoke at Merrill Lynch's Media and Entertainment Conference recently -- alluded that Disney was in the process of evaluating "where it sits" because of "some challenges" having the Disney Mobile brand distributed. "It's still too early to determine any losses for the MVNO," he concluded. With a variety of services targeted at kids filtering through virtually every mainstream carrier these days, does Disney still have a solid business model to work with?

[Via mocoNews]

If these clamshells are looking a little familiar, that's because they are. Disney Mobile's new DM-S105 and DM-S110 are clones not just of each other -- the only difference is the color, it seems -- but also of Sprint's M300 released a couple months back. Features include a VGA cam, Bluetooth, and internal antenna (a first for Disney, believe it or not) with data topping out at 1xRTT speeds. By any other carrier's standards these suckers would barely be worth a mention, but for Disney... well, these are your new Cadillacs. Get 'em now for $20 after contract and rebate.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Not content to let the failure of ESPN Mobile and the recent bankruptcy of Amp'd Mobile affect it, fellow MVNO Disney Mobile has launched a new Pantech handset, model DM-P205. Disney Mobile has not been in the new lately (really, since launch in 2006), so the kid-friendly virtual carrier figured it had better release something to generate some news. Seriously, this entry-level Pantech unit with a 2004-era VGA digicam and Bluetooth should work for the target market Disney Mobile wants to recruit, but we're just wondering if the MVNO will be around post-2007.

[Via Crave]

We love when a carrier or MVNO announces that a "heap" of new features is about to be released; it's sort of like winning the lottery, but with more marketing mumbo-jumbo and less cash. It seems the kid-friendly MVNO Disney Mobile wants to sell more handsets to parents and is about to add several new handset features just in time for that busy summer mommy season. Among them are the new "scout" feature that will locate and show points of interest (using GPS positioning, we suspect), one-click photo uploading to a shared family photo area and a "family calendar" feature in late 2007 or 2008 that will push PC-created calendar entries and changes directly to the Disney Mobile handset. Disney Mobile still does not plan to add any EV-DO phones ($99 is the magic price point there, it seems), so your kindergartner's high-speed 3G data will have to wait for now.

[Via mocoNews]

One of the lovely perks of existing as a tiny entity within a global megacorporation is that you can be a little coy with your public disclosure and get away with it. That's exactly the game kid-friendly Disney Mobile is playing as it gears up to celebrate its first anniversary, completely ignoring the burning question of subscriber count to concentrate on inane stats like how many people use its GPS tracking services (30 percent, by the way) and the balance of adult users to kids (56 to 44 percent). Sub count is particularly interesting here for a couple reasons: first, all eyes are on the still-maturing MVNO market as players try to find their niches and stake their claims against the big guys, and second, stablemate ESPN Mobile bit the dust last year for lack of interest. To be fair, Disney Mobile's target demographic is utterly different than ESPN's was -- and kiddie phones seem to be hot items these days -- so it's entirely possible all's well in the Magic Kingdom; until Disney decides to release more deets or the division closes up shop, though, it's all speculation.

[Via Techdirt]

As MVNOs seemingly struggle to gain traction stateside, some are looking outside their home borders for an additional revenue stream -- while others are starting to reevaluate the wisdom in taking their business model abroad. Case in point: Disney, which has been having a rough go of it with its first MVNO (ESPN Mobile) and recently launched a second with Disney Mobile, has shelved plans to take Disney Mobile to the UK via O2's network, citing "the rapidly changing competitive environment" (when we run that bit through Babelfish's corporate lip service-to-English translator, we get "we're getting our rears handed to us at home, and we need to figure out what the heck we're doing wrong before we launch elsewhere"). Of course, this is technically an indefinite delay, not a cancellation -- meaning that there may yet be hope for Brits looking forward to tracking the little ones via Disney's Family Locator service -- just not any time soon.

[Via Techdirt]

It seemed pretty obvious that Disney's family-oriented Disney Mobile MVNO was in desperate need of a kidproof handset, having initially come to the table with only a pair of middling clamshells for the little 'uns. Enter the pod-shaped D100 -- now granted, we can't say with certainty that they'll be marketing this toward parents with young children when it launches, but c'mon, it's got Winnie the Pooh on its backside. The usual parental controls are present on the device, but more interestingly, the numeric keypad can be replaced with a simpler four-button design if numeric dialing isn't needed (try texting on that, kiddies).

[Via phoneArena]

Update: In speaking with Disney Mobile, it turns out this lil' pod won't be seeing duty here in the States -- it's destined for South America as a general consumer device.

Parents, rejoice: Disney wants you to know that your MVNO has arrived. Disney Mobile, Disney's second MVNO after launching Mobile ESPN earlier this year, pulls no punches about its target demographic -- family plans are the carrier's emphasis, although individual plans are also available. Family plan pricing on two lines ranges from $59.99 for 450 minutes to $249.99 for 4500 teenager-pleasing minutes; individual plans start at $39.99 for 400 minutes. All plans include "Family Monitor" for setting minute limits, "Call Control" to set schedules during which the phone cannot be used, and "Family Locator," a GPS-enabled service presumably similar to Verizon's freshly-launched "Chaperone." A potential roadblock to Disney Mobile's success in the rough-and-tumble MVNO game? Phone-savvy kiddies might whine about the phone selection -- a forgettable Pantech DM-P100 is the only model currently available, but fear not, boys and girls, a slightly higher-end LG DM-L200 is promised shortly.

[Via RCR News]

UK cellphone users just got their invitation to join the Mickey Mouse Club. Disney's MVNO, which launched in the US earlier this month, is set to roll out in the UK in partnership with O2. Like the US version of the service, which is powered by Sprint Nextel, the UK service will offer extensive parental controls. Specific handsets for the service have yet to be announced, though Disney has said that the phones will not be include extensive Disney character branding. In the US, the service features phones from a number of vendors, including the LG DM-L200 (pictured). The US service also includes a GPS tracking function; Disney has not commented as to whether the feature will be available to UK customers.

Ok, so we yesterday we wrote that some of the first few handsets for Disney Mobile, Disney's new, uh, family-friendly MVNO, were going to be from LG, but it turns out that Pantech's in the game, too. They've just announced the DM-P100, a new low-end VGA cameraphone with Disney Mobile-branding and a customized user interface. Not all that notable, though oddly enough Pantech's press release lists the DM-P100 as being a GSM/GPRS phone even though it's well-known that Disney Mobile will be piggybacking on Sprint's CDMA network.