Mobile Content Bits: Dorling Kindersley; Second Life; Virgin Mobile; Ad-Funded Games

??? Dorling Kindersley Gets Mobile Distribution: Dorling Kindersley has signed an agreement with Mobifusion, a global developer and publisher of mobile applications and technologies to distribute its branded mobile content products to consumers, reports the Bookseller. Mobifusion will take content from DK's health, reference, fitness and lifestyle, food and drink and travel titles and make them available to mobile users through its deals with handset manufacturers and network operators.

??? Second Life Available On Mobiles: 3D virtual world Second Life is going mobile. Two mobile technology firms are offering members software that gives members access to the online avatar community on their mobiles. Mobile gaming company Vollee has made Second Life's platform available for 3G mobile handsets through an application that members will have to download to their phones. Vollee is currently running a beta trial of the service (release). Another mobile firm, Comverse, has created a Java application that allows Second Life avatars send messages through IM, SMS or MMS, according to Mobile Magazine.

??? Virgin Mobile USA (NYSE: VM) Reveals Ringback Figures: Virgin Mobile USA and mobile personalization provider LiveWire Mobile released figures today revealing that the operator has sold 400,000 ringbacks since the service was first launched three months ago. Around 100,000 Virgin Mobile customers subscribe to the ringback service and average two ringbacks per customer. Ringbacks allow subscribers to set a song or other sound as their ringtone (release).

??? Games prediction: Ad-funded mobile games will be worth ??600,000 ($1.2 million) this year and ??41 million ($82 million) by 2012 in the UK, research for the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) says. The forum reckons ad-funded mobile can grow the games sector by 15 percent, saying targeted, location based and real-time content features could boost the market significantly.