ShoZu Inc. announced that it has expanded its mobile social media
service to Photobucket, Dailymotion, Friendster, Twitter and four
additional Web 2.0 and Mobile 2.0 communities. With these eight new
integrations, ShoZu now enables mobile users to interact with their
choice of 36 social networks from a single screen on their handsets —
reducing the time, effort and money required to upload images, update
social profiles and check friends’ latest
posts from the phone.
ShoZu’s newly expanded menu of communities enables mobile users to:
- Upload images to Photobucket, the most popular photo site in the U.S., and also have their most recently posted photos sent to the handset for sharing on the go.
- Upload videos to Dailymotion, the second largest video sharing website worldwide with 36.2 million unique visitors (Comscore March 2008)
- Upload photos as well as change their social status on Friendster, a global social network that ranks as the 35th most highly visited website on the planet.
- Sign up to the latest friend and personal “tweet” timelines and post replies from Twitter, the hit micro-blogging service.
Boost Mobile announced a new daily pay as you go offer enabling customers to talk and text to more people for a dollar a day.
Boost Mobile’s dollar a day Chat Plan offers unlimited nights and weekends and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling. Boost Mobile’s mobile-to-mobile calling includes more than 40 million Boost®, Sprint® and Nextel® subscribers. Plus, lower daytime rates are provided for 10 cents a minute. Customers still have the option to use Boost’s Nationwide Walkie-Talkie for an additional dollar a day.
With the Chat Plan, unlimited domestic text messaging is also included at no additional charge.
$1/DAY CHAT PLAN INCLUDES: * Unlimited Nights: Mon - Sun 9pm - 7am * Unlimited Weekends: Fri 9pm - Mon 7am * Unlimited Mobile-to-Mobile * Unlimited Text Messaging * 10¢ Daytime Minutes: Mon - Fri 7am - 9pm .
The Pope will send daily text messages to young people during World Youth Day and Telstra is providing the technology to send his message.
Pope Benedict XVI will send text messages of hope and inspiration directly to pilgrims, reaching young people in their social space.
Telstra will provide voice, data, mobile, broadband and broadcast services to WYD08, connecting 8000 volunteers, 2000 clergy, 3000 media and an anticipated 225,000 pilgrims to more than 700 locations around the greater Sydney area.
Telstra services planned for WYD08 include:
- Daily inspirational text messages from Pope Benedict XVI
- Digital Prayer Walls at event sites
- Hosting the official WYD08 online social networking site, XT3.com
- Telstra precincts - on the ground interactive centre’s including wireless internet, green screen studios, commemorative WYD08 photo messaging and music downloads.
- Next G™ Regional Catechesis webcasting
Verrizon Wireless, announced today that VZ Navigator (Version 4) is now available on select consumer phones. First announced during CTIA WIRELESS 2008, the newest version of VZ Navigator allows customers in 75 cities from coast to coast to access information about traffic incidents on major roadways, obtain traffic updates and find detours around traffic congestion and accidents. More cities are expected to be added in the coming year. In addition, the new version of VZ Navigator offers a 3D perspective view of maps, a movie and events finder, weather reports and forecasts, and gas prices at nearby gas stations.
Verizon Wireless’ VZ Navigator service is a location-based service (LBS) application that utilizes location-based technology and real-time and historical information feeds. The new version of VZ Navigator offers customers the following features:
- Traffic Integration
- Gas Finder
- Weather
Pricing and Availability VZ Navigator (Version 4) is available today for $9.99 for unlimited monthly access or $2.99 for one-day use on select Get It Now(R)-enabled phones in the Get Going section under Travel & Guides or Featured Apps. Airtime or megabyte charges and specific terms of use apply when browsing, downloading and using the application. Traffic integration is only available in certain areas.
A growing number of mobile phone subscribers
worldwide are taking online social networking to the streets, research
conducted by The Nielsen Company reveals. The U.S. has the most mobile social networkers totalling 4,079,000.The findings, released by Nielsen Mobile, a service of The Nielsen Company, show that the U.K. leads Europe in mobile social networking on a percentage basis -- with the U.S. boasting comparable numbers.
Leading PC Social Networking Sites are Also Tops Over Phones
In the U.S., MySpace.com, the leading social networking site among PC
users is also the most popular mobile Internet social networking site.
The site logged 2.8 million unique mobile users in December 2007.
Also
in December, Facebook, which has the second largest audience among
social networking sites, had 1.8 million unique mobile users.
In
contrast, Facebook led mobile social networking sites in the U.K. with
557,000 unique mobile users per month in Q1 2008, while MySpace
followed with 211,000 unique mobile users.
While Facebook and MySpace.com were also among the top social networking sites in other European countries during the first quarter of 2008, MSN's Windows Live Spaces led in Italy (154,000 unique mobile users per month) and France (106,000), and ranked second in Germany (45,000) behind MySpace, which boasted 52,000 unique mobile users per month.
PlayPhone, Inc. (www.playphone.com), which operates a network of mobile content
destinations in North America, announced that it has joined forces
with Pitch Entertainment Group, the global mobile entertainment company.
This strategic procurement fortifies PlayPhone’s existing business and
leverages Pitch Entertainment’s leadership in more than 20 countries across
Europe, Asia and Africa for the worldwide delivery of PlayPhone powered
mobile entertainment.
A new analysis of the global opportunity for WiMAX 802.16e forecasts that up to 12% of the global DSL installed base will be substituted by WiMAX by 2013. The Far East will lead with over one fifth of the 47m subscribers in 2013.
A region by region analysis by Juniper Research found that there is a significant opportunity now for WiMAX as a DSL substitute technology. The study explored how WiMAX is well suited to rapid deployment in the many underserved areas, not only in developing areas, but also in developed countries.
Report author Howard Wilcox said: “WiMAX will be an attractive offer in areas where there are no wired networks, and in areas where the existing DSL speed is suboptimal. WiMAX will solve the broadband access problem for users located at the fringes of DSL coverage. This is in fact the case in a number of developed nations such as UK, USA, Ireland and Scandinavia, and WiMAX network operators are deploying networks to address this market need. Additionally in developing countries - such as India - network operators are aiming to provide basic connectivity.”
Crush or Flush is announced that it is live on T-Mobile's deck,.The T-Zones portal is featuring Crush or Flush in its WAP directory as a key site for social networking and chat.
With a U.S. community of more than 1 million people, Crush or Flush is the largest mobile community in terms of unique and validated mobile registered users. The service is currently promoted on-deck with 90 percent of the major U.S. carriers (AT&T, Alltel, Boost, Cricket, SunCom,T-Mobile, Virgin).
Gender break down: 59% men and 41% women
Adults only: 77% of the membership base is between 18-30 years old. 56% are 18-25 years old.
# of Meets The service has made 1.1 million connections, also called mutual crushes, between members. The average member has 20 friends on the site. The most popular lady on the site has 2,513 mutual crushes.
Top 5 mobile states: The states with the most members on Crush or Flush are: California, Texas, New York, North Carolina and Florida.
The 12th Annual Webby Awards announced winners in seven categories honoring mobile
Websites.
Achieving critical and popular consensus, ESPN.com Wireless won both a Webby Award and a Webby People’s Voice Award in the mobile Sports category.* The New York Times *won in the News and Listing & Updates categories.
Other winners ranged from major brands like NBC’s “Heroes” (Entertainment), Chase SMS Banking (Mobile Marketplace & Services), and Nike 10R (Gaming) to emerging mobile brands like Zannel (Social Networking).
Winners will be honored at the star-studded 12th Annual Webby Awards Gala in New York on June 10th. Hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers, the ceremony will showcase winners delivering the Webbys’ famous five-word speeches. The winning mobile Websites will be saluted alongside a remarkable slate of special achievement honorees, including Stephen Colbert (Webby Person of the Year) and musician and producer will.i.am (Webby Artist of the Year).
The Center for Digital Democracy and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG) announced today that they intend to amend their 2006 complaint on interactive marketing techniques and threats to consumer privacy to include newly emerging mobile marketing practices.
The announcement was made as part of the testimony given today by Jeff Chester, executive director, Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), at the Federal Trade Commission’s “Beyond Voice: Mapping the Mobile Marketplace,” a two-day “Town Hall” meeting. Chester spoke on the “Mobile Advertising and Marketing” panel. CDD and USPIRG’s November 2006 complaint directly led to the FTC’s current inquiry into online advertising and privacy, contributing to the release of proposed consumer protection principles for online marketing issued last December.
In the upcoming amended complaint, the marketing-oriented technologies that are helping shape the mobile platform will be addressed. It will discuss, for example, the implications of the so-called “Personalization Engine” from Enpocket, which describes it as a system of analytical models that scores mobile users based on their past behavior. It enables us to predict which products and services a customer might purchase next. That way, we can provide the right message, advertisement or promotion to the right person at the right time. It can also forecast events, such as customer churn and will recommend effective customer engagements to preempt attrition. When integrated with the Marketing Engine, the result is highly relevant marketing messages, personalized recommendations, less churn, and higher sales of mobile consumables.
Sprint and Google announced a partnership
aimed at more deeply integrating Google applications and services into
Sprint customers’ mobile experience. As part
of the deal, Google will become Sprint’s
preferred mobile search provider and Sprint users will have easier
access to Google Maps for mobile, YouTube
and more.
Clearwire Corporation (and Sprint Nextel Corporation y announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine their next-generation wireless broadband businesses to form a new wireless communications company.
The new company, which will be named Clearwire, will be focused on expediting the deployment of the first nationwide mobile WiMAX network to provide a true mobile broadband experience for consumers, small businesses, medium and large enterprises, public safety organizations and educational institutions.
Sprint and Clearwire also announced today that five innovative technology, content and communications leaders - Intel Corporation ) through Intel Capital, Google Inc.), Comcast Corporation: Time Warner Cable Inc. and Bright House Networks - have collectively agreed to invest $3.2 billion into the new company.
Upon completion of the proposed transaction, Sprint will own the largest stake in the new company with approximately 51 percent equity ownership. .
Virgin Media has teamed with Nortel and Juniper Networks to prepare to meet ongoing network demands from its customers for ever-increasing speed and bandwidth.
The 40G North-South trial, on Virgin Media’s existing 10G network, shows how Virgin Media is ready to respond to the growing customer appetite for bandwidth-hungry entertainment services such as catch-up TV, video-on-demand, advanced multimedia communications and high speed Internet with up to 20Mb and 50Mb now in trials.
The successful 40G trial, conducted over a 350km (217 mile) span of Virgin Media’s current UK 10G network, demonstrated the economic feasibility of optimizing existing optical network assets and scaling the network to achieve market-leading transmission rates.
Frengo, a provider of social mobile services, announced
the availability of a suite of applications that run on top of and
across Facebook, MySpace, hi5, Orkut and Bebo. Frengo focuses on social
applications that are available anytime
and anywhere - from a Web enabled PC or mobile
phone. These applications not only allow users to interact with friends
and friends-of-friends, but also create new
connections by discovering others across social networks who share
common interests.FLIRTABLE, the most-used mobile application on Facebook and a top 20
application overall, boasts four million members who use the social
browsing and dating application globally. This application allows
participants to surf profile pictures, send and receive private messages
and virtual gifts and make introductions to friends. This is one of the
first applications to interoperate amongst leading social networks. In
addition to Facebook, FLIRTABLE is now available on MySpace, hi5, Orkut
and Bebo.
FLIRTABLE users can now interact with other users distributed across those networks. For example, a MySpace user can interact with other MySpace users as well as users of Facebook, hi5 and Bebo. Furthermore, FLIRTABLE MOBILE provides access to all of the above features from any Web enabled mobile phone.
HTC unveiled its new flagship phone, the HTC Touch Diamond with 3g AND 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D. TouchFLO 3D provides animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather and more. In addition, HTC is introducing a new innovative touch-sensitive control for interacting with Touch Diamond.
With the introduction of the Touch Diamond, HTC delivers an entirely new mobile Internet experience that utilizes broadband-like speeds with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA wireless connectivity. Committed to improving Web browsing, HTC provides a new customized mobile web browser that enables easy viewing and effortless navigation of websites in the way they were designed. As part of this browsing experience users can zoom and pan websites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. Turning the device sideways automatically rotates the web page view from a portrait to landscape view.
SNAP Mobile, an end-to end solution for connected mobile gaming in Java technology, has announced its latest Software Development Kit (SDK 2.0) for Nokia devices. After several years of market deployment and continuous technology development based on developer feedback, the SNAP Mobile SDK 2.0 has evolved to make game development even more intuitive with a simpler API, faster emulation and testing tools. The SDK is free of charge and available through Forum Nokia, the largest mobile development community worldwide with 3.4 million registered members.
The SDK 2.0 can be downloaded at http://www.forum.nokia.com/snapmobile
Qwest Communications and Verizon Wireless announced they have signed a 5-year agreement for Qwest to market and sell Verizon Wireless service beginning this summer.
Under the agreement, Qwest customers will have access to the full line of Verizon Wireless handsets, smartphones and BlackBerry devices, as well as high-speed broadband wireless services for e-mail, Internet access and multimedia services. Residential customers will be able to choose “wireless only” and be billed directly by Verizon Wireless, or include Verizon Wireless service as part of a Qwest bundle with their home phone, Internet and video services, and receive one bill from Qwest for all services.
Qwest residential customers will be able to buy Verizon Wireless products and services via Qwest’s call centers, Qwest’s retail stores and kiosks, and online at Qwest.com. Once billing systems are coordinated, residential customers will be able to elect to have their Verizon Wireless service charges included on their Qwest bill. Qwest customers will receive information in the near future about the Verizon Wireless products and services that will soon be available to them.
Neurotic Media, will provide Hastings Entertainment a hosted downloads service. The upcoming Hastings Entertainment downloads store will feature pre-licensed multimedia catalogs from major and indie labels - including music MP3s and WMAs, online music video downloads, and ringtones and wallpapers that are delivered to customers’ mobile phones. The service will also support mobile product text-to-shortcode ordering. The Hastings download store is slated for a July launch as part of a broader website re-design by Hastings Entertainment.
T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced that the company has taken the first commercial step in the rollout of its third-generation (3G) wireless network by launching its UMTS/HSDPA network in New York City. T-Mobile plans to continue the rollout of its 3G network across major metropolitan markets through the year. By year’s end, T-Mobile expects its high-speed data network will be available in those cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services.
T-Mobile’s 3G network supports voice and data services consistent with available service and handset offerings. The company offers multiple phones that are able to operate on the UMTS network. The phones are designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide the great call quality and rich communication services customers expect from T-Mobile.
Customers using a 3G-capable handset from T-Mobile will also experience faster data speeds when accessing the Web, or downloading content from the T-Mobile t-zones content portal, for example.
In the coming months, T-Mobile plans to offer its first HSDPA device, along with new and compelling data-centric, all-in-one devices that help make the most of T-Mobile’s high-speed data network.
As a part of the two-year anniversary of “My Circle,” Alltel Wireless, is giving one lucky “My Circle” customer the opportunity to connect with their ‘circle’ of family and friends during a luxury vacation in one of the country’s top vacation destinations in Alltel’s “My Circle Reunion” text-to-win sweepstakes.
Between May 5, 2008 and May 31, 2008, customers can enter to win the “My Circle Reunion” sweepstakes by texting CIRCLE to 102102 or visiting www.alltel.com/circlereunion.
The grand prize package includes a four day and three night stay in one of three relaxation hot spots: Key West, Las Vegas or Palm Springs, Calif; a variety of activities including golf and spa packages; and a special meal prepared by celebrity chef Ted Allen. In order to help the group stay in touch after their getaway, Alltel Wireless is also giving the winner and ‘circle’ of guests a new [handset] and a $200 Alltel gift card.
Cellular South and BancorpSouth, Inc. unveiled a mobile banking application that brings banking to wireless phones.
The free wireless application is being offered in collaboration with mobile payments provider Firethorn Holdings, LLC, a Qualcomm company, and allows Cellular South customers to view account balances and history, transfer funds and pay bills from their mobile handsets through a secure, PIN-protected gateway.
Mobile banking users will need to have an account with a participating bank, such as BancorpSouth, along with online access to their account, which is free at most banks.
After signing in, users can initiate the mobile banking process through a “mobile banking” link at the top of the online banking sign in page. The link will take them to a form requesting information including the wireless provider, phone model and phone type. Users can access and monitor multiple bank accounts from the same application and PIN.
The site will provide a secure initialization code once an applicant submits the finished form. To activate mobile banking, users must enter the code into the mobile banking section of their handsets and set up their secure PIN. Processing takes just a few seconds.
Brightpoint, Inc. and Research In
Motion announced that they
have entered into a global master distribution agreement. Under the
terms of the agreement Brightpoint may distribute RIM products to
various territories globally that may include North America, Latin
America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific. Pursuant
to the agreement, Brightpoint will support a wide range of RIM’s
BlackBerry smartphones and help in the global expansion and
penetration of BlackBerry products and services via Brightpoint’s
expansive customer base of more than 25,000 B2B channels globally.
MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc. unveiled a new embedded micro fuel cell prototype design for handheld global positioning system ("GPS") devices at the 10th
Annual International Small Fuel Cells Conference in Atlanta.
MTI Micro is showing a micro fuel cell powered GPS prototype alongside its full range of functional prototypes for use in
handheld electronic devices.
MTI Micro's new Mobion powered GPS prototype provides three times as much energy as GPS devices powered by four disposable AA batteries. On a model with a large, full-color screen, this fuel cell design generates up to 60 hours of continuous power and provides weeks instead of days of typical usage.
The new Mobion powered GPS prototype includes a USB interface, allowing the prototype to also be used as an independent energy source for a variety of purposes, including for recharging mobile phones, digital cameras, portable media players and other handheld electronic devices. The Mobion powered GPS prototype can be immediately recharged by refilling it with methanol.
MetroPCS announced the launch of its wireless service in Jacksonville, Florida.
MetroPCS’ wireless plans range from $30 to $50 per month and allow subscribers to talk all they want, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week. Unlike most carriers, MetroPCS does not require a signed contract, which means that consumers can activate service without going through a credit check or paying a deposit. Many of the plans include unlimited features such as voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, text and picture messaging, push e-mail, mobile Internet browsing, mobile instant messaging, and Metro411, a voice-activated, premium directory assistance service.
Apple announced that new movie releases from major film
studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on
the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com)
on the same day as their DVD release.
New releases and catalog titles purchased from iTunes can be viewed on an iPod with video, iPhone, Mac®or PC or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV, with new releases priced at $14.99 and most catalog titles at $9.99.
New releases available for purchase on the iTunes Store this week, concurrent with their DVD release, include “American Gangster” and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Other popular titles now available for purchase include “Juno,” “Cloverfield,” “I Am Legend,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.”
The Nielsen Company today reported that mobile Internet extends the
audience reach of many leading Internet sites by an average of 13
percent over home PC traffic alone. For some categories, such as
weather and entertainment, the extended reach can be even greater.
The cross-platform insights come from TotalWeb, a new report from Nielsen that integrates data from Nielsen Mobile and Nielsen Online to show the unduplicated, unique audience for more than 200 leading Internet sites across the PC and mobile Internet space. Nielsen’s data show that for many Internet publishers, mobile Internet increases the overall size of their audience.
Nielsen released data that show - by category - how mobile traffic increases, or “lifts,” Internet audience levels. Weather sites get a strong lift from mobile, meaning there are people who access the sites over their phone but not over their home PC, while shopping sites have a mostly duplicated audience, meaning that mobile users who access shopping sites on their phone likely also do so over their home PC.
T-Mobile and Nokia announced that they are collaborating to
accelerate the availability of new Internet services and personal social
communities on mobile devices. T-Mobile and Nokia will offer T-Mobile’s web’n’walk Internet services as well as all to Nokia’s Ovi
Internet services on a wide range of Nokia devices.
T-Mobile and Nokia will together drive the mobilization of social
networks. The companies will partner to further enhance T-Mobile’s
community-oriented MyFaves service.
For T-Mobile customers, Nokia will customize its devices to provide a
dedicated suite of T-Mobile services which will be seamlessly integrated to
Nokia devices. Similarly, T-Mobile customers can access Nokia’s Internet
services, such as music, maps and games, through their Nokia device, which
will offer T-Mobile customers a great opportunity to enjoy best-in-class
Internet services.
The LG Vu is due out any moment and we just looked at all the reviews and they weren’t as positive as the first looks were from CTIA. We’ve had to completely rewrite “Review of Reviews of the LG Vu” with one reviewer writing “the phone looks pimp as hell,” In order to figure out what “pimp as hell” means we looked up “pimp” in the urban dictionary, which is defined as “something badass or new and fresh.” Getting hell to be new and fresh is the hard part.
After averaging all the reviews together our rating came in at 4 out 5. If the iPhone didn’t exist, it would probably have been higher.
Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile )announced
charging stations in terminals at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Orlando
International Airport (MCO). TThe Samsung Mobile Charging Stations offer travelers the convenience of free re-charging of their mobile phones, laptops and other personal electronics.
Samsung Mobile Charging Stations have four outlets per station, allowing several travelers to re-charge their electronic devices at the same time. The charging stations are designed to re-charge personal electronics designed for U.S. voltage (i.e., 120 volts). The charging stations are also equipped with a small shelf to hold travelers' mobile phones and other electronic equipment.
Samsung has installed charging stations at some of the nation's largest airports, including 54 stations at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and 51 stations at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), along with eight Samsung Mobile Travel Centers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
DoubleClick, digital marketing technology and
services, announced that DoubleClick Mobile, the company’s
advertising delivery system for mobile devices, is integrating with
mobile ad etworks including AdMob, Google’s
AdSense for mobile content, and Millennial
Media’s premium MBrand network as well as its
Decktrade performance network. This upgrade
helps mobile publishers fill more of their available inventory and
ultimately earn more revenue.
Now, publishers using DoubleClick Mobile can sell mobile display inventory indirectly, through automated access to one or more networks of mobile advertisers. Publishers, of course, can continue to sell directly as they have always done. DoubleClick Mobile provides an accurate view of what inventory is available to sell, what has been sold directly and what has been filled by ad networks. By managing inventory across direct and indirect channels, DoubleClick Mobile helps publishers better monetize their mobile web content.
- In the first three months of this year, PhonepayPlus received more than 4,500 complaints related to mobile. This equates to 80% of all complaints received, a 40% increase on mobile related complaints over a similar period last year;
- In 2007, PhonepayPlus adjudicated on 33 mobile services with total fines in excess of £360,000;
- By March 2008, PhonepayPlus had already adjudicated on 15 mobile services, resulting in fines of £223,500. Today, PhonepayPlus published adjudications on four more cases, resulting in fines of £68,000; and
- 45% of premium-rate numbers and short codes checked by consumers on PhonepayPlus' website this year related to mobile services, as comparedto 24% this time last year.
identify issues affecting UK consumers. Of particular interest to PhonepayPlus at this early stage are:
- Unsolicited promotions, especially text messages;
- Price transparency and the use of words that indicate content is 'free'; and
- Subscription services (e.g. ringtones) and the 'STOP' command
Virgin Mobile USA has teamed up with Burger King Corp. and Warner Music Group to
bring music-loving customers more of the tones they want - at a price that will
make mouths water. For a limited time, Virgin Mobile USA
is bringing the popular BK Value Menu concept to the mobile channel, delivering
a selection of hot ringtones from artists like Mana and Flo Rida at $1.00 a
pop.
The Virgin Mobile Ringtone Value Menu powered by BURGER KING allows Virgin Mobile USA customers to choose from a list of available options via the VirginXL WAP deck or online at www.virginmobileusa.com for $1.00 each. The WMG artists featured were chosen to appeal to a wide range of music tastes and also include Buckcherry, Casa De Leones, Danity Kane, Estelle, War, Group 1 Crew, James Otto, Plies, and more.
Adobe Systems announced the Open Screen
Project, supported by a group of industry leaders, including ARM,
Chunghwa Telecom, Cisco, Intel, LG Electronics Inc., Marvell, Motorola,
Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Ericsson,
Toshiba and Verizon Wireless.
The project is dedicated to driving rich Internet experiences across televisions, personal computers, mobile devices, and consumer electronics. Also supporting the Open Screen Project are leading content providers, including BBC, MTV Networks, and NBC Universal, who want to reliably deliver rich Web and video experiences live and on-demand across a variety of devices.
The Open Screen Project is working to enable a consistent runtime environment — taking advantage of Adobe Flash Player and, in the future, Adobe AIR — that will remove barriers for developers and designers as they publish content and applications across desktops and devices, including phones, mobile Internet devices (MIDs), and set top boxes. Adobe iwill remove all license restrictions on swift file format and FLV/F4V specifications, and remove all license fees on embedded players.
The Open Screen Project will address potential technology fragmentation by enabling the runtime technology to be updated seamlessly over the air on mobile devices. The consistent runtime environment is intended to provide optimal performance across a variety of operating systems and devices, and ultimately provide the best experience to consumers.
AT&T and MediaFLO announced today the May 4 availability of the AT&T Mobile TV with FLO service. This new mobile television service will provide around-the-clock access to some of today’s most popular television programs, live and in color on the mobile phone. To take advantage of the medium, AT&T is introducing two new exclusive handsets: the Vu from LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A. Inc. (LG) and the Access from Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung).
- LG Vu: A sleek and stunning device, the Vu gives you a clear view of TV, Web, pictures or videos on its large interactive touch screen. It also lets you get the utmost in mobile entertainment with a music player, 2.0 megapixel camera and Bluetooth(R) capabilities. The LG Vu is available for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.
- Samsung Access: This handset features a large landscape display, ideal for delivering a rich viewing experience and an internal antenna for exceptional reception. It’s a device for customers who are looking for advanced multimedia capabilities such as a camera, external stereo speakers, stereo Bluetooth, AT&T Music, CV, of course, AT&T Mobile TV. The Samsung Access is available for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.
NMS Communications today unveiled the NMS Partner Network, a new partner
program aimed at enhancing new product innovation, broadening efficient
support services to customers and growing the company's
global sales channel. The network establishes a community of technology
and channel partners working together to further the development and
adoption of both traditional and new value-added services. These
services range from voicemail and audio conferencing to self-service
speech automation interactive voice response (IVR) systems, ringback
tones, voice short message service (SMS), and interactive mobile video.
The NMS Partner Network is designed for two types of NMS partners: technology partners, known as Telecom Innovators; and channel partners. Telecom Innovators include systems integrators, who develop and manage services on NMS technology for enterprises and service providers; telecommunications equipment providers, whose products interoperate within an NMS technology environment; and solutions developers, who design in NMS technology as an integral part of their applications and systems.
FierceWireless has named it’s top 15 of the most innovative and smart emerging companies in the wireless industry, FierceWireless’ annual Fierce 15 list.
- Bluepulse - a free mobile social messenger.
- Carrier IQ - the only company embedding diagnostic software in the phone.
- Celltrust - enables enterprises to connect, exchange and transact mobile data securely