In an effort to enhance the way people access music, games, calendars and other content on their cell phones, AOL has acquired Kirkland mobile software company Wildseed and has set up a wireless division in Seattle. The AOL Wireless division will now employ about 165 people, as the company yet again attempts to conquer this market. Wildseed makes a technology for cell phones, which enables users to customize their phones with ring tones, games, music and more. This is dubbed the SmartSkin.
"Ninety five to 98 percent of the investment in Wildseed was in all of the things that allowed us to play the content that came off a SmartSkin," said Eric Engstrom, now senior vice president of wireless products at AOL. "That content can come from anywhere."