AT&T has confirmed to BGR that it will retire its Video Share service later this year. AT&T was the first to offer the option on its camera phones — when it launched Video Share in 2007 — but AT&T-branded mobile video calling may not be dead forever. An AT&T spokesperson shared this official comment: “AT&T is discontinuing our Video Share service. As we look ahead to the next generation of live, mobile video calling services, we’re evaluating new platforms and other ways we can evolve our mobile video calling offers. We’ve already begun to notify subscribers directly and will work with them to adjust their monthly charges accordingly. The service will be retired later this year.”

Motorola on Wednesday announced that it has closed a deal to acquire Swedish IPTV software company Dreampark. The terms of the acquisition, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2011, were not disclosed. Dreampark’s core software product is called Dreamgallery, a middleware solution that allows operators to provide services over television networks. Motorola will integrate Dreamgallery and other Dreampark solutions into its Motorola Medios software suite. “This transaction enables us to continue to enhance our Medios software portfolio and capitalize upon the convergence of wireless technology, media, mobile computing and the Internet,” said Motorola Mobility’s SVP and GM of Converged Experiences, John Burke, in a statement. “With the acquisition of Dreampark, Motorola Mobility will strengthen its ability to provide systems integrators, service providers, enterprises and content providers with innovative solutions for deploying converged media experiences. It’s great to have the Dreampark team on board.” Hit the break for the full press release.

Motorola Mobility Announces Intent to Acquire Dreampark

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – March 23, 2011 – Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Dreampark, a leading IPTV software provider based in Norrköping, Sweden. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2011. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Dreampark’s software portfolio maximizes operator flexibility and performance by taking advantage of the powers of open standards, such as HTML and scalable vector graphics (SVG), which, when combined with comprehensive software development kits (SDK) , allows operators to obtain full control of their television portals for complete customization. The Dreampark portfolio is expected to be integrated into the Motorola Medios service management software suite.

“This transaction enables us to continue to enhance our Medios software portfolio and capitalize upon the convergence of wireless technology, media, mobile computing and the Internet,” said John Burke, senior vice president and general manager of Motorola Mobility’s Converged Experiences business. “With the acquisition of Dreampark, Motorola Mobility will strengthen its ability to provide systems integrators, service providers, enterprises and content providers with innovative solutions for deploying converged media experiences. It’s great to have the Dreampark team on board.”

After the transaction closes, Dreampark will be integrated into Motorola Mobility’s Converged Experiences business — complementing Motorola Mobility’s mobile device and home experience and broadening its reach across multiple screens. “We are pleased to join Motorola Mobility and bring a broader software portfolio to our existing customer base,” said Per Skyttvall, CEO of Dreampark. “It’s a fast-evolving time in the industry as consumers are looking to view content on their own terms, and we are excited to be extending our software innovation across multiple devices as a result of this agreement with Motorola Mobility.”

Skype put up a new teaser site Wednesday that suggests a new mobile video sharing feature may be introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show next week. Under the heading “I wish I could share moments like these,” the site displays various videos presumably recorded on cell phones. Unfortunately, it appears as though this imminent mobile video solution from Skype may be a video sharing product, where users can record video clips and then share them with contacts. Mobile video sharing solutions are quite old at this point, and consumer interest has moved toward live mobile video chat such as Apple’s FaceTime and the Qik video chat application found on various Android devices. The specifics of Skype’s mobile video offering are still a mystery, however, so let’s hope the chat and VoIP giant has something a bit more modern in store for us at CES.

[Via Gizmodo]

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Online video abounds for those Verizon Wireless V Cast users in our midst. On Wednesday, Verizon announced the addition of a plethora of video channels to their V Cast streaming video service. Both clips and full length shows are available. The newest offerings include but are not limited to the following:

• “30 Rock” and “The Office” from NBC.
• “CSI” and “Numb3rs” from CBS.
• “ScoreCenter” And “MMA Live” from ESPN.
• “Hell Date Season 2” and “Comic View: One Mic Stand” from BET.
• “The Online OT”,“Coaches’ Corner” and “Pro Football Preview Show” from FoxSports.com.
• “Tuned In” from 60Frames.
• “Comedy Time Latino” from Comedy Time.
• “ES Musica” and “Rock On: Altitude” from GoTV Networks.
• The G4 Channel from G4.
• The WB Channel from Warner Bros. Television Group.
• SayHeyHey Online Dating Videos from SayHeyHey.com.
• The Relix Channel from Zenbu Media.
• DC Comics and Scooby-Doo & Friends from Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.
• Select episodes from MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, CMT, Logo and MTV Tr3s.
• Select episodes from Telemundo, USA Network, SCI FI Channel and NBC Universal Digital Studio.
• Select episodesf rom HGTV and Food Network.
• Select episodes fromTLC, Animal Planet, Planet Green and Discovery Kids.

That is a lot of mobile entertainment. Surprisingly (this is Verizon, you know), no pricing was mentioned so we assume access to the content is included within the cost of the V Cast package. Much of the content has gone live so check it out and let us know what you think.

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Barring the relatively annoying Sarah Austin / Flixwagon “controversy” of the past few days, no mobile streaming video service gets as much coverage as Qik. It seems like the Qik client fell into all the right hands early in its release as celwebrities all over the blogosphere fell in love. Despite the fact that Qik was in private beta, it seems like everyone managed to get their hands on it. Qik didn’t have the most features and it didn’t have the prettiest UI, but it had buzz and buzz is everything. Fast forward to today and Qik has continued to maintain much of its early momentum as it shows off a restyled website, new handset compatibility and the announcement that Qik is now available to the world as a public beta. No, the iPhone version isn’t quite ready for the public yet, but a handful of Windows Mobile handsets are now supported along with a variety of newer S60 handsets including the E66, E71, N78 and N96. So if you’ve been wanting to check out Qik but couldn’t find a version compatible with your phone, or you’re one of 12 people around the world who couldn’t find their way into the closed beta, hit the read link and you’ll be streaming in no time.

[Via AAS]

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