Applications /

Morpheus release delayed

By Ann Harrison
Network World Peer-to-Peer Newsletter, 06/17/02

The release of the Morpheus 2.0 file-trading client is expected to be delayed, according to its developer StreamCast Networks.

A few weeks ago I had a chance to talk to the StreamCast folks about the impending release and the company has now announced that the product is "taking longer than expected."

It has instead, decided to provide users with enhancements to the Morpheus Preview Edition. The delay could indicate real trouble for StreamCast, which began talking up the release in December. The company needs all the cash it can get from the sale of 2.0 to fight mounting legal challenges from the recording industry.

Morpheus 1.9 is based on the Gnutella architecture and does not include a Mac client, which is promised in the 2.0 release. But StreamCast says that Morpheus 1.9 does offer faster downloads, improved search results, and a "better user experience." But the additional services that Morpheus is offering to help drum up cash for the service indicates which direction this business model is headed.

For starters, Morpheus is getting into the telephone calling plan business. Morpheus 1.9 includes Morpheus Minutes, which provides users with long-distance telephone service. According to StreamCast, the product is priced at $4.95 per month, billed directly to the users' telephone, and 5.9 cents per minute for state-to-state calls - 24 hours a day and seven days a week. If you get the service billed directly to your credit card, it will cost you $4.50 per month and 4.5 cents per minute for state-to-state calls - 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Morpheus users who chose Morpheus Minutes will be able to upgrade Morpheus 2.0 to the no ad model, free of charge.

Then there is the Morpheus Shopping Club, an e-commerce platform that gives users cash rewards which they make purchases from a few hundred partner retailers. The "rewards program" for the shopping club is included in the Morpheus 1.9 version and cash rewards are then deposited quarterly back into the Morpheus Wallet - a micropayment system that users access to purchase music from the site.

According to StreamCast, the Morpheus Shopping Club does not track consumer spending habits or collect private consumer data. It does count the number of times file swappers visit the shopping sites.

And finally, users of the Morpheus Preview Edition can access Morpheus Messenger an integrated instant messaging product from PalTalk that communicates with AOL's AIM. Morpheus Messenger Plus is a premium version of the Morpheus messenger which allows users to access full-motion video conferencing to enhance their communications.

This product is available for $9.95 for three months or $24.95 per year. It's unclear whether consumers who are already using AIM, or chat sites will find Morpheus IM offer compelling. But about 140 million people do access the AIM service so the sheer size of the user group could give Morpheus some bounce.

StreamCast says the delay is not due to its legal troubles and expects that Morpheus 2.0 will launch later this month. Let's hope it keeps to that date. The survival of the company may depend on it.