iMMS: Interactive multimedia messaging service

IBM Journal of Research and Development, Sep-Nov 2004 by Shen, J, Sun, P, Zhang, J, Song, S

Multimedia messaging service (MMS) promises a dramatic increase in messaging capabilities for mobile phone users that will enrich their experience. For network operators and content and service providers, it will create a major new source of revenue because it adds features such as color pictures, animations, audio samples, and video clips. However, the current MMS standard provides only a few features that support user interaction, limiting the wide use of value-added messaging services. In this paper, we propose interactive MMS (iMMS) technology that can extend the current MMS standard and enhance interaction capability by embedding extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML) technology into MMS Presentation Language. Moreover, an MMS application server (MAS) is presented in our research work. This framework can help service providers to quickly develop and deploy MMS services. We have implemented and tested a prototype that includes an interactive MMS client on a handheld device and an MAS on a Microsoft Windows� 2000 server.

Introduction

Multimedia messaging service (MMS) [1, 2] is a new global messaging standard that enables a wide range of different media elements-including text, pictures, audio, and video-to be combined and synchronized in messages sent between mobile devices. MMS is designed to be used on 2G, 2.5G [which includes General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)], and 3G networks, with the experience being richer as the network, bearer, and device capabilities permit.

For device users, MMS enhances personal connectivity and productivity through a more immediate exchange of rich content. For instance, while on the road, users can receive a localized city map; or, while at a conference, an up-to-the-minute graph or layout. For network operators, MMS promises additional revenue as a result of increased air time, heavier all-around usage, service differentiation, and customer loyalty. Market studies [3, 4] show that not only are users enthusiastic about MMS, they are also willing to pay as much as five times more for the service than they currently pay for short messaging service (SMS). By deploying MMS today, operators can secure a strong market position early in the personal wireless multimedia era.

However, most current MMS applications focus only on the transmission of images, ring tones, and text, and there is no specification in the current MMS standard that defines how to support an interactive model for MMS service. This is extremely limiting to widespread use of MMS services, especially when multiple interactions among users, MMS terminals, and back-end services are required.

In this paper, we discuss an interactive presentation markup language and an MMS middleware architecture that support interactive MMS (iMMS) services. A prototype was implemented to support the research work. We begin by presenting the requirements of iMMS features. We then propose our interactive solution, and this is followed by a description of the architecture of an MMS application middleware that supports value-added services for service providers. Finally, we summarize our work and briefly discuss future activities. 6

MMS interaction requirements

As shown in Figure 1, a multimedia message consists of a message header and a message body [5-7]. The header contains MMS-specific information in a protocol data unit. This information consists mainly of how to transfer the multimedia message from an originating terminal to a recipient terminal. The message body is a multipart structure that includes multimedia objects, each in separate parts, and the optional presentation part. The order of the parts has no significance. The presentation part contains instructions explaining how the multimedia content should be rendered to the display and speakers on the terminal. If the presentation part does not exist, the implementation on the terminal determines how the multimedia content is presented.

Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) [8] is used as a presentation profile in MMS. SMIL is a simple language based on extensible Markup Language (XML). It consists of a set of modules that define the semantics and syntax for certain areas of functionality. Examples of these modules are the layout module, timing and synchronization module, and animation module. An MMS presentation is shown in Figure 2.

MMS is the natural evolution of SMS. Although it delivers much richer content than SMS-color pictures, animations, audio samples, and video clips-it does not solve the user interface problem of SMS when it is deployed in person-to-system (P2S) or system-to-system (S2S) applications, because it has the same poor user interface as SMS. For example, to look up the current weather information for Beijing via SMS, a user submits a service request via SMS to a weather service provider. The service provider then parses the request and delivers the results of the search to the user. However, before making use of the service, the user has to know the special service command format, which is defined by the weather service provider: e.g., the service code (which might be WT), service parameters (for example, the city name Beijing), and the service provider code number (for example, 456), as shown in Figure 3. Unfortunately, there is no syntax standard to define a service command. It is also difficult for end users to remember so many different service commands to access different services. The same problem exists for MMS applications, because SMIL does not provide a definition to formulate a user's input. Although MMS could deliver a more attractive weather-searching result, a user has to use a text editor to input such a confusing service command.