Buzzwire launches: Yet another attempt to improve the video experience on cell phones

Local firms Spark Capital and Matrix Partners put $4 million into Buzzwire, a new start-up launching today (in "beta," of course.) The company's goal is to make videos viewable on a wide range of cell phones -- until, that is, they start cozying up to particular providers. (You can also create playlists on their Web site of videos you want to watch later, and share them with other users, which is a cool feature.) Buzzwire has offices in Denver and Bedford, MA.

The coverage:

- Boston Herald
- Wired News
- MoCoNews
- Xconomy
- And the press release.

Both Wired and Xconomy note something strange about Buzzwire's strategy. It'll at first be available on any 3G phone, but in the future may be limited to certain mobile operators. From Wired's piece:

For now, Buzzwire is free to use on any internet-enabled phone with an unlimited data plan. However, the company plans on eventually locking the service down to certain carriers -- an unfortunate strategy for users, despite its popularity with entrepreneurs and cellphone service providers.

PodTech has a video interview with Buzzwire CEO Andrew MacFarlane.