James is the first model to hold the title; she will be the face of Playboy’s expansion in the mobile arena. She was chosen in a non-nude model search where entrants from across the nation were invited to post their profiles at the MsPBM.com website.
Next year, the contest will go global, with the winner announced at the Mobile World Conference in February.
The company also outlined several mobile initiatives at a press conference that was given prior to the party.
Playboy will relaunch its PlayboyMobile.com site, which offers multimedia branded content, including “Miss Playboy Mobile,” “Playboy Advisor,” “Babe of the Week,” and Playboy news and promotional updates to members’ phones.
Additionally, users that access Playboy.com on their iPhones will be redirected to an iPhone-specific site, which will offer video content, as well as mobile exclusive content from Playboy radio, blogs and various programming.
The company has also struck several deals with content partners.
Playboy and Mixercast will work together to create a Miss Playboy Mobile social media widget.
The company has also partnered with free video provider MyWaves to provide mobile video content.
A deal with video games provider THQ wireless division will also deliver video games to users, starting with “Playboy Games: Pool Party,” which will feature non-nude, lifestyle-themed games. The game is scheduled to launch internationally this summer.
When the deal with THX was originally announced in January, Playboy Vice President of Mobile Ed Lang said, "The number of Playboy fans around the world has never been greater, and that popularity is reflected in the growing sales of Playboy-branded products and services. Given the growth of the mobile industry, we're excited to join THQ Wireless in offering this next-generation form of entertainment to consumers."
