In Calif., Reading the Paper on Your Cell Phone

By: E&P Staff Here's one more way to read the newspaper: on your cell phone.

NetInformer, a mobile media company, yesterday launched Xtra!, a system that delivers newspaper content to mobile phones, and The Bakersfield Californian will be the first newspaper to use the service.

Beginning Feb. 1, Californian readers can sign up for the free service on the paper's Web site.

"Many information portals are starting to offer mobile services," Tim Repsher, the Californian's technology manager, said in a statement. "Text messaging will be the platform of choice for content with relevance for the ever increasing mobile audience, and help us reach younger readers."

Xtra! lets readers to receive alerts as text messages delivered to their phones. Available alerts include: local, regional, and world news headlines; weather and sports dispatches; and classified ads, searchable by category. Readers can pick whether they want to receive the alerts 'as it happens' or at a specific time each day.

In addition to the updates, the service will allow newspapers to interact with readers through polls, quizzes and participatory blogs. While there is no fee to users for the Xtra! service, standard text messaging fees do apply.