Motorola Corp. is developing mobile phones with a novel capability: They can link a home computer, stereo and car sound system into a seamless, commercial-free music zone.

The company plans to launch a service, dubbed iRadio, that allows the new phones to download songs and radio programming from an Internet- connected computer each day, then beam them to car stereos or home entertainment centers.



The phones are not expected to reach the market until later this year, with the iRadio service due in December, said David E. Ulmer, a top marketing executive at Motorola. The company needs one or more mobile phone companies to sign on, and none have publicly lent support.



The iRadio initiative reflects the intense interest that phone manufacturers, music companies and mobile network operators have in new music services for cellphones. Their appetites whetted by the multibillion-dollar global market for ring tones, they are eager to sink their teeth into song downloads, online jukeboxes and music videos — even though it’s not clear what, if anything, customers will buy.



Motorola’s approach also is a harbinger of an era to come, in which all sorts of digital devices automatically will connect and share with one another whenever they come into range. People’s mobile devices will routinely link to their home networks and their cars using technologies such as Bluetooth, a standard for short-range wireless communications.



One key to winning carriers’ support, analysts say, is giving them a financial incentive to offer the service. The iRadio service would do that by having carriers collect and keep the bulk of the monthly service fee, which Ulmer said would probably be $5 to $7.



Motorola previously announced a new phone that would play songs purchased from Apple Computer Inc.’s market-leading iTunes Music Store. But no carriers are offering the phone because they would receive no share of the store’s sales, music industry sources say.



Although the Swiss Army Knife approach has not worked well for many portable devices, the cellphone is so indispensable to most users that they may want to expand its functions and leave their other gear at home.



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