Cellfish intros mobile content portal, storage

Original mobile content publisher Cellfish Media announced the launch of Cellfish.com, a cross-portal social network and entertainment destination portal enabling consumers to play, share and store multimedia content between mobile devices and PCs.

According to Cellfish, the portal provides consumers storage for mobile photos and videos in a free “locker”–users may also upload content from their handsets for immediate retrieval from their locker, broadcast it to other phones or publish it on their Cellfish web page. In addition, the service allows consumers to synchronize contacts and media for retrieval at any time from their handset or PC. Cellfish.com also offers premium downloads including music and video clips, RSS feeds and user-generated content.

“We believe there’s a lack of stand-alone mobile brands that resonate with consumers,” said Cellfish Media CEO Fabrice Sergent. “Cellfish.com’s ambition is to unite many of these assets into one central destination that improves the mobile experience and pushes entertainment into a new era.”

Thousands line up to buy Apple iPhones

On the eve of the day of reckoning for the most-hyped gadget in recent memory, eager customers lined up Thursday, a few even braving torrential rain, to be among the first to get their hands on the coveted new cell phone from Apple Inc.

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The gadget, which combines the functions of a cell phone, iPod and wireless Web browser, will go on sale in the United States at Apple and AT&T stores at 6 p.m. Friday in each time zone.

It’s been the focus of endless anticipatory chatter and even parodied on late-night TV. It’s hogged so much of the media spotlight, a St. Paul, Minn., minor league baseball team planned to spoof its porcine mascot by selling a real ‘iPig.’

“This phone is going to blow everything out of the water,” Tony Cecchini, 40, a San Antonio, Texas, air conditioner salesman said while braving a downpour to wait outside an AT&T store Thursday morning.

Endeca the next Google?

Endeca is going to be the next billion-dollar company in Boston. They are focusing on enterprise search, which very few people pay attention to because it’s not sexy like Web search…And I think they will go public soon,” said Dodge.

Endeca, a company that offers customized search engines for the enterprise, among other services, will do about $100 million in revenue this year, according to Don Dodge, a manager of search and the director of business development for Microsoft’s emerging business team.

Who do you think are the next big search companies to watch? Who’s going to go public? How are we going to monetize video search? Is it better to be a video search engine, or allow people to watch the video on your site once they find it?

Via Cnet

Most Expensive Web Addresses auction

According to fobes magazine the highest domain name bought ever are Creditcheck.com who fetched $3 million and Seniors.com nabbed $1.8 million..

The action took place last week at the domain name auction, hosted by Moniker.com at the Grand Hyatt hotel in New York.

But why are they so expensive ??? are they any kind of brand names ?? no !! remeber that domain name are now bought as anadvertising tools rather beinga brand name. In theory, your Web site could simply list a bunch of URLs leading to other sites that do sell paper cups; every time someone clicks one of those links, you collect a royalty–just as Google does with its AdWords service. Social networks like News Corp.’s (nyse: NWS – news - people ) MySpace and Facebook operate on this same ad-based principle.

Free iPhones for Apple employees

Witha round 3 milion apple phone lined up for launch. Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that all full-time Apple employees will receive a free 8GB iPhone, while part-time employees who have been with the company for more than a year will also receive a free iPhone.
The phones are expected to be delivered to employees by the end of July, after initial consumer demand has subsided. According to Yahoo! Finance, Apple has 17,787 full-time employees.

This is not the first time Apple has givenfree product to its employees; in early 2005, the company rewarded all employees with a free 1GB iPod shuffle

Why not to buy Iphone

The Apple iPhone arrives on Friday, and you’re probably trying to rationalize outlaying thousands of dollars over the next two years just so you can get Google Maps anywhere you go, right? Hey, I don’t blame you, but drink three of these and you’ll have no trouble in that departmentWhat’s missing from the iPhone in its current configuration? but still wanna buy and Don’t want to wait in line for an Apple iPhone? One option is to pay someone to wait in those massive lines for you.
The iPhone browsing and other Internet experience when not using wifi (i.e. when using the native AT&T data connection) is slow as molasses.

To activate the iPhone you must connect it through iTunes, either after you take it home or, at some Apple stores, through a special system.

Few more of what apple lacks 

• No instant messaging
• No way to IM pictures, videos, sounds (i.e. no MMS)
• Can’t cut and paste
• Can’t edit or save Word, Excel, PDF documents
• Camera can’t record video
• Can’t play Web pages with Flash
• No access to iTunes Music Store
• No games
• No way to download contacts from old phones
• Can’t turn contact lists into e-mail distribution lists
• Can’t turn iPod songs into ring tones
• No way to search phone book or song lists
• No voice dialing
• No quick way to move up or down pages
• Not clear if there is support for Microsoft Exchange 
• No other carrier except AT&T Wireless
• No AT&T Wireless  insurance
• No way to change SIM card or battery except through Apple
• No GPS or real-time navigation system
• No access to a fast, 3G network (for that you’ll have to wait for iPhone 2.0)

Other popular mobile Applications and games

Google vs Microsoft.. hard to find rivals

We know that Google and Microsoft are ferocious competitors in the online search business and With the recent anti-trust complaint by Google on Microsoft Windows Vista’s search issues one needs to undersatnd how much are Google and Microsoft rivals, this can be felt with the post that was posted on a blog which i really think the blog was specifically made for this (only one post + the name suggests) which is really making waves on every 2nd email.

 Google has a good standing in the geek community. People rarely go after Google. I find it very Ironic that people hold double standards when it comes to Apple Vs Microsoft Vs Google.

Google Asks Court to extend

Google has asked that the consent decree governing the antitrust settlement between the Department of Justice and Microsoft be extended. Citing concerns over how Microsoft has handled the desktop search function in Vista, Google told the judge that “more may need to be done to provide a truly unbiased choice of desktop search products.” The request comes just a couple of weeks after Google filed an antitrust complaint asking that the DoJ force Microsoft to alter Vista’s desktop search behavior. In the confidential complaint, Google argued that Microsoft’s search could not be be turned off and made indexing by rival programs (such as Google’s) much more difficult.

Google’s request for the Department of Justice to extend its oversight of Microsoft comes less than a week after Microsoft announced that it was going to make some changes to the default search option in Vista. The company agreed to allow users to specify which program they want to use to perform desktop searches, but that Vista would still retain its own built-in search results in the upper right-hand corner of the explorer window

iPhone Madness

Apple retail stores will be closed on June 29 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to get ready for the premiere of iPhone. Heard of it? On their site, they announce that they’ll open the doors again at 6:00pm SHARP, with the caveat, “Be sure to arrive early — iPhone is available on a first-come, first-served basis.” No kidding.

But APPLE fanatics have already started lining up –camping out to be first to get their hands on the most anticipated gadget in years. Some of the comments to Vicarious Music, who reported on this phenomena yesterday, have suggested Steve Jobs paid them to camp out

Motorola’s H9 Miniblue

Motorola’s H9 Miniblue headset, for use with cellphones equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, is so small that it resembles a large hearing aid, with everything fitting inside the ear. It lacks the little boom microphone jutting mouthward that many Bluetooth headsets have, and it more easily hides under hair.

The H9, which just started arriving at stores and costs $149, goes directly into the ear canal, so the caller’s voice is channeled right into the user’s head, as with high-end stereo earphones. Three differently sized tips are included for a soundproof seal.

Billionaire Thinks in Trillions for His Computer Designs

According to The New York Times Andreas Bechtolsheim plans to introduce his newest machine Tuesday.

A co-founder of Sun Microsystems plans to introduce a supercomputer that will compete for the title as world’s fastest.

Motorola has RIM in its sights with Good 5.0

The Motorola Good Technology Group is expected to unveil a new version of its mobile email offering, Good 5.0, which is set to launch commercially in September. The upgraded version will include Microsoft’s Outlook, allowing users to prioritize messages, invite colleagues to meetings and sort emails by conversation threads. Motorola acquired Good Technology late last year for a rumored $500 million all-cash deal. Around the same time Nokia scooped up Intellisync for a comparable $430 million.

Motorola Bluetooth shades, an unknown commodity

Oakley and Motorola have teamed up to redefine wearable technology. Motorola O ROKR are a pair of bluetooth-enable, stereo-equipped pair of ‘high definition’ sunglasses.Slip the shades on and insert the hidden earbuds. Controls for the phone are on the left arm of the glasses, and the MP3 player is on the right. Talk about convenience!

The shades themselves look pretty fashionable – for a device that lets you listen to your favorite music and answer calls.

7.3 Mobile Broadcast TV Handsets In Japan

The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) has said that mobile broadcast TV handset shipments in Japan almost doubled during the first quarter of this year, with 1.6 million one-seg handsets shipping in March reports Screen Digest. This brings the total to 7.3 million one-seg capable handsets in Japan—while not all of them will be used to watch TV, but the service is free so a great number of those with the handsets are likely to view the TV broadcasts.

Ortiva Wireless Gets $15 Million Second Round From Comcast’s Venture Arm

Ortiva Wireless, the mobile video tech startup, has received $15 million in its second round of funding. The round was led by Comcast Interactive Capital. Ortiva’s President and CEO, DeWayne Nelon, said that the company would use the funding to expand the sales team and expand into other international markets—Ortiva is in the US and Europe, and is targeting Asia Pacific. The first round of funding was $12 million in 2005. La Jolla, CA-based Ortiva has a server-side solution which was built for mobile to improve mobile video transmission—it claims the technology uses 15-40 percent less bandwidth and handles noise and packet-loss issues. It targets content providers for off-portal and carriers for on-portal, and is closing a deal with a US carrier, and counts GoTV as a customer.

Vodafone Sale To Verizon Rumors Start Up Again

The rumors that Vodafone may sell all or part of its stake in Verizon Wireless to Verizon Communications are doing the rounds again, apparently fueled by a put option to sell $10 billion worth of stock to Verizon which expires on August 9. As expected, some shareholders want Vodafone to exercise that right, which would leave Vodafone with a stake of around 38 percent in Verizon Wireless reports Investors Business Daily. It wouldn’t do much for Verizon because Vodafone would still hold a signficant share of the business, but as the mobile business grows it’s getting harder and harder for Verizon to afford to buy all of Vodafone’s stake. Verizon has raised $8 billion in debt for general corporate purposes, which may or may not have anything to do with increasing its stake.

3 High Profile Engineers Leave Google

Gilad in his yesterdays post said that When Vanessa Fox, lead developer at Google Webmaster Central, left Google last week to work at Zillow, I considered it a minor event and didn’t even report, but the report this morning at SEL of Two Top Google Engineers Leave Google really makes one ask whether we are watching a developing trend or just a coincidence?The two developers, Bret Taylor and Jim Norris, were largely responsible for the development of Google Maps as well as other Google products. Both have left Google to work at Benchmark Capital, a venture capital firm.

Startupsearch a new cool service

Tonight I am unveiling a new site tracking the startup ecosystem. It’s a directory and analytics tool I’ve personally wanted for a long time, and I know others will enjoy. Introducing Startup Search.

Startup Search tracks Web startups, their products, key employees, investment firms, and investment partners. Startup Search also tracks the success of each product since it was first introduced to the world, using publicly available metrics pulled into a single page. It’s a research tool, a discovery engine, and a fact-filled directory of our little Web startup world. I’ll walk through a few features.

Widgets on your iPhone

Steve Jobs announced the iPhone development platform at last week’s Worldwide Developer Conference to sighs of disappointments. Mac developers were anxious to develop new applications for the the most anticipated consumer electronics device in years, only to be told they should code fancy websites instead. The 9-minute iPhone development demonstration during the WWDC keynote was a bit confusing for anyone new to Apple widget development. In this post I’ll break down a few Apple widget components, transport you to the iPhone development world, and explain a few restrictions and lock-downs common in the mobile phone industry.

Dashboard under the hood

Apple’s Dashboard application acts as a bridge between web technologies and your desktop. Basic widgets contain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript describing widget structure, styling, and interaction respectively. Multiple widgets utilizing this same base technology form a single process group on OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and minimize the total amount of system resources (CPU, memory, etc.) required by each new widget.

Dashboard widgets can access the local operating system’s look and feel through the Apple JavaScript classes inside your system’s WidgetResources directory. These specialized JavaScript resources expose a scrollbar, slider, buttons, animations, and widget flip controls specific to the operating system and Apple’s UI of the moment.

Apple Dashboard widgets may also tap into local resources such as your computer’s iSight camera, your MacBook’s current battery levels, songs in your iTunes libraries, or contacts in your Address Book. Any application may add a widget-plugin as a Cocoa bundle to allow widget access to application-specific data and functionality.

Today’s Dashboard widgets take advantage of web browsing technology, plugins, and local application resources exposed to the widget engine via specialized plugin interfaces. Dashboard is an part of your computer’s Dock application. Dashboard widgets exist behind a single Dashboard icon; they do not have individually callable Dock icons out of the box.

Dashboard experience ported to iPhone

What if Apple’s desktop widget were ported to a mobile device such as the iPhone? The iPhone runs OS X, and contains the essential components necessary for widget operation on a mobile device.

iPhone widgets would operate inside the mobile WebKit library. They would have access to device-specific UI elements such as stylized buttons, smooth transitions, and personalization options. Pieces of the underlying operating system and installed applications would be exposed via widget plugins. Widget files would be distributed as a bundle, downloaded to the iPhone over the air or via a tethered sync. Each widget could have access to limited system resources such as iPhone battery life, WiFi signal strength, the local Address Book, or the iPhone’s built-in camera.

iPhone developer features announced at WWDC

There were two types of iPhone announcements at WWDC last week: public statements made by Steve Jobs and Scott Forstall during the conference keynote and NDA-bound statements to developers during conference sessions. I’ll only cover the public statements in this post.

iPhone applications will “utilize the full Safari engine” and “look exactly like apps on the iPhone.” Interpretation: Applications created for the iPhone will be powered by WebKit technology and have access to Apple-specific JavaScript libraries to create the look-and-feel of the underlying Apple OS. This behavior is similar to the current Dashboard experience.

Write applications using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax). Interpretation: The iPhone’s web browsing technology supports XMLHttpRequest as a data retrieval method. This statement could also mean Apple will support JavaScript programmability of a local sandboxed CoreData store delivered as XML but that’s more advanced and unlikely due to no current offline storage support on the desktop browser.

“Integrate with iPhone services.” You can make a phone call, send an e-mail, or lookup a location in the built-in Google Maps application from any web application. Interpretation: The iPhone’s Safari browser contains the same data detection features for phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and address data seen in Mail.app in Leopard. This detected data can be passed into its default handler as an automatically-generated hyperlink. This statement could also mean WebKit applications will have access to special plugins created for system-level services similar to the desktop API but that may be too hopeful.

“Instant distribution.” “Easy to update.” “Sandboxed on iPhone.” Interpretation: Widget bundles are not stored on the iPhone. All files are retrieved from the a remote server and treated as a web resource. Your files are cached and have the same access restrictions as a standard public Internet site.

Safari vs. widgets

iPhone widgets are small applications powered by WebKit launched from the iPhone application menu. Web applications created by third-party developers for the iPhone are three clicks away from the same home screen — Web, Bookmarks, bookmark name — but have similar functionality. Personalization data such as stock tickers or your local ZIP code is stored inside a browser cookie.

iPhone widgets store resource files such as images, HTML, CSS in the iPhone’s local storage and update the entire widget with the operating system. iPhone widgets pull data updates such as stock prices or the latest weather report from a remote server or could also access locally stored data such as a dictionary.

Safari-based applications request each resource from a remote server and poll for cache updates with each page load. If your weekly weather display contains a sun, cloud, and cloud with rain your application might poll a remote server for possible changes to each of the three images with every display of your weather page.

AT&T or Apple restriction?

Apple developers wanted at least iPhone widget-level application marketing and were visibly disappointed by Apple’s keynote announcement last week. It’s still unclear if AT&T or Apple is keeping third-party developers off the main app menu. I can only postulate based on existing developer programs from each company.

AT&T certifies applications to operate on phones in its network across multiple operating systems. Productivity applications receive an enterprise solution certification after successfully passing security, reliability, and network usage tests and paying fees starting at $1000 a test. Enterprise applications are usually available for free and side-loaded (updated via a tether) by corporate IT departments. Consumer applications are typically distributed through AT&T’s MEdia Net portal after similar testing and certification fees for a purchase fee split between AT&T and the developer. This process is the “orifice” Steve Jobs referenced in a 2004 Wall Street Journal interview.

Current video iPods feature games purchased from the iTunes Store. Apple currently distributes 14 games created in-house and through external companies such as Astraware who specialize in porting games to PDAs and cell phones. The current iPod games platform is not open to third party or “homebrew” creations. Anyone can create their own iQuiz, using a specially formatted text file (essentially a fancy Note).

New developers could enter the iPhone application menu through AT&T, Apple, or both.

Ten days until iPhone

The iPhone will be available at 6 p.m. on June 29, or a little over 10 days from the time I write this post. More developer documentation may emerge after the device’s official release. Hardware and software hackers will likely pull the device apart in search of custom modifications already present on Palm Treo devices or the Sony PSP.

Hopefully this long post clarifies the data we already know about applications and widgets on the iPhone. The device and its software was certainly under a tight release schedule and it’s reasonable to assume new features are on their way in new versions of operating system hardware and software expected over the next six months. There is a developer story on the iPhone, but Apple has not communicated this story very well to their developer base over the past 6 months. They’re battling the same closed carrier system as any other mobile application provider, so expect slow change assisted by market leverage.

 

5 killerstartups

The newly launched site Map Runner sports itself as a runner’s ultimate web based companion. It consists mainly of running routes, mapped out by runners themselves. Members can post their own running tracks and they have the option to complete a personal profile with photos etc. Of course, this way, runners can collaborate, fashioning their own routes, or just simply meet up with runners like themselves. read more »

iloho.com – Access the Best in Travel

Iloho is a travel network with a specific focus on trip planning and airfare. The site, which has just launched, features travel reviews and news, discussion groups, airline route reviews and resources for trip planning. The homepage host the month’s most popular articles which include such titles as “A to Z Guid to Travel Secrets You Need to Know,” and “Adventure in Tibet”. Users are encouraged to share tips and stories about destinations and planning. read more »

SmartPageRank.com – Stats Toolbar for Firefox Users

Want to know the stats on various sites you’re browsing, but don’t want to use Internet Explorer to do it? SmartPageRank allows you to check out site stats from Firefox with their own toolbar and a whole bunch of data. Scrolling over the various categories you can find out the Alexa ranking, PageRank, the Dig PR, the availability of the domain name, Whois information, backlinks, and the value of the site. read more »

iminlikewithyou.com – A Place to Fall in Like

i’minlikewithyou (IILWY) is the fun way to flirt online through creating games and bidding points. You start off with a certain number of points that you can increase by being active on the site. With these points you can bid on other users’ games. Games run generally from one to three days, at which time bidding is closed and the game creator picks a winner out of the top five bidders. The site gets to be addictive and you want to check out who the latest members are and what new games are starting. read more »

DesktopNexus.com – Reinvent Your Desktop

Desktop Nexus makes finding the wallpaper that you want at the correct resolution for your screen easy as pie. Browse through the various categories without having to deal with pop-ups or payments or irritating ads. You can even get a feed updating you on the latest uploaded wallpapers available. What’s really cool about this site is the fact that they will recommend to you which wallpaper dimensions you should try using first and they give you various options so as to fit your screen. read more »

Chinas great Firewall

For years, in stories about the “Great Firewall” of China reporters sometimes point out that many in China don’t mind the blocks that much. However, that may be changing. In many of the stories we’ve seen defending the Great Firewall, the rationale is that it really does “protect” Chinese citizens from seeing harmful material. However, with the recent blocking of Flickr it appears that some Chinese citizens are finally speaking out against the blocks, claiming that it’s ridiculous to censor the internet so much. Of course, the article only points to a few anecdotal stories, rather than providing any hard data (and out of the billions of people in China, it’s no surprise that you can find some who are pissed off). It does include one interesting story of a guy who’s actually suing his ISP for the blocks, claiming that it’s hurt him financially, since he was trying to sell some software through a site that is blocked in China.

Google Stares Down Microsoft And Wins

Few un anounced changes are to be made in vista.

 Microsoft has agreed to make changes to Vista in response to a complaint by Google alleging that Vista’s inbuilt search functionality competed unfairly with Google Desktop Search.

According to a NY Times report, Google’s complaint was made confidentially in line with rules established as part of a previous settlement over anti-competitive behaviour by Microsoft. The settlement between state prosecutors, the Justice Department and Microsoft will avert the prospect of litigation over the matter.

Desktop Tower Defense Played 15 Million Times

According to Paul Preece creator of Desktop Tower Defense, has been played 15 million times since launching in March.

Rumors Of The Decline Of MySpace

The negotiations between News Corp and Yahoo that would see MySpace owned by Yahoo in exchange for 25% of Yahoo itself have bought out some interesting assessments of MySpace. Most commentary has been negative, Michael Arrington describes MySpace as a fading star and others have suggested that MySpace is struggling, that it has lost the battle based on the fact that Facebook gains far more attention amongst early adopters.

YouTube in 9 more domains

Today at a Google press event in Paris, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen are announcing the launch of nine new domains in Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Ireland, and the UK.

In response to many requests, each new site is fully translated and localized for each country including content (Featured Videos, Director Videos, Promotions), as well as the interfaces, search, user support, and such community features as video ratings, sharing, and content flagging. And these new localized versions are built using Google search technology, so you can quickly find more of what you want to see. Perhaps best of all, you can continue to use youtube.com, or move to one of these localized sites — and switch seamlessly between the two. Happy creating, viewing and sharing!

Google Accquires Zenter

Google has increased its accqusition number with yet another web based application Zenter –a company that is building online presentation. The rumors of this accquisition were since february.This is yet-another-exit for YCombinator, the madrassa of the Web 2.0 crowd.  In Microsoft world those are known as PowerPoints.

In their earlier post google posted We’re pleased to announce that we’ve acquired the assets of Zenter, a company that provides software for creating online slide presentations.

You’ve heard us talk a lot about using the web to improve group collaboration and information sharing. These days, when you create a document — whether it’s a text document, a spreadsheet, or a presentation — you usually want to share it, collect feedback, or communicate about it in some way. We on the Google Docs & Spreadsheets team focus on making this experience easier and more powerful for you. In particular, we’re working to add presentation-sharing capabilities to Google Docs & Spreadsheets, and we’re excited about the addition of Zenter’s technology and team to that effort.

Jawbone to be sold alongside iPhone

When Apple fans across the country flock to their neighborhood Apple Store to pick up their shiny new iPhone next Friday, they’ll also have the opportunity to buy a Jawbone Bluetooth headset to go along with it. That’s right; the Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth headset will be sold alongside the iPhone at all Apple Stores (plus Apple’s online store) starting June 29, 2007. Designed by Yves Behar and decked out with military-grade noise-canceling technology, the Jawbone is certainly no slouch in the design and performance department, but we can’t help but wonder whatever happened to Apple’s own Bluetooth headset that Steve Jobs showed at MacWorld earlier this year. Will that be available in stores as well? Or will it be bundled with the phone? Considering the Jawbone sells for around $119.99, it might be wise for Apple to offer its own headset at a lower and more affordable price. That said, the Jawbone is a quality device (it’s one of CNET’s highest rated Bluetooth headsets), so if you have the cash to spare and the wherewithal to wait in line for the iPhone, it’ll be there waiting for your Bluetooth-hungry hands.

By Newsblog

Save your dollars

Youpark is offering great discounts on purchase of two prodcuts BackupManager & Mapview

Backupmanager

Professional backup,easy to use,fully customizable with significantly extended backup options to suit your needs.The best choice for your data. Available in 6 languages.

Sunnysoft MapView : Version 1.1

Map that works for you! Creative solution for GPS navigation letting you create own maps using available free maps and customize them according to your needs.

Microsoft will stop shipping OEM Office 2003

Microsoft will soon stop shipping the OEM version of Office 2003. As of June 30, 2007 Microsoft will no longer be shipping OEM Office 2003 to any distributors. Any current inventory the distributors have on hand can still be sold, but future OEM Office purchases will be Office 2007.

Study reveals only 9 percent of cell phone users want iPhone

Nearly 1 in 10 cell phone users in the U.S. has “a strong interest” in buying an Apple iPhone, according to a study released Friday by M:Metrics.

Poll results show about 9 percent of the 11,064 mobile phone users surveyed were inclined to purchase the highly touted iPhone, set for release June 29. That translates to about 19 million people when projected out, based on the U.S. Census, according to M:Metrics, a research company that tracks mobile phone use.

That’s “an impressive figure, when you consider that the installed base of most high-end devices rarely approaches 1 million and respondents were informed of the price point as well as of the AT&T exclusive,” M:Metrics senior analyst Mark Donovan said in a statement.

More

Motorola joins mobile payments initiative

The GSM Association appears to be getting more industry support for its mobile payment initiative.  Announced at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, the Pay Buy Mobile project will allow for the purchases of goods and services by mobile phone. The GSMA advocates two options for mobile payments, which will probably complement each other: over-the-air (OTA) downloads and preloading encrypted credit card information from the bank on the phone’s SIM card.  

Now Motorola has announced that it will participate in all GSMA mobile payments trials. In addition, the company will provide feedback to the GSMA Near Field Communications Technical Guidelines white papers and work with standardization bodies to provide further input

Sony Ericcson debuts 8GB phone

Sony Ericsson showed off six new handsets and a slew of accessories in Berlin yesterday. The devices and accessories are set to ship in third and fourth quarter. 

Not surprising, the phone generating the most buzz is the W960 music device that features 8 GB on-board memory a 2.6-inch display and a 3.2 megapixel camera. The phone has a media player and will include a keyboard.

The company also debuted the K530, which is the first phone compatible with the new GPS Enabler HGE-100. When the GPS Enabler is plugged into the phone it turns into a personal satellite navigation system.

Countdown to iPhone

Just two weeks to go until the iPhone makes its U.S. debut and the hype surrounding the phone is reaching near-preposterous proportions. But perhaps the hype is paying off. M:Metrics reports that consumer awareness of the iPhone is strong–64 percent of Americans are aware of the iPhone as are 56 percent of Brits.

Exactly how does awareness translate to sales? M:Metrics says that of those 64 percent in the U.S. that knew of the phone, just 14 percent said they would be highly interested in buying one. In addition, 67 percent of those that were inclined to purchase an iPhone, are subscribers on a network other than AT&T, which has a five-year exclusive agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone. M:Metrics analyst Mark Donovan says this is an early indication that AT&T’s strategy to use the iPhone to lure customers to its network could be effective

Red is the new…oh whatever.

Aesthetics are important, but why is it important when a phone comes out in new colors? The Samsung Upstage is a dual-sided music phone that features phone applications on one side and a music player on the other. The company’s press release states: “Starting Monday, customers will have a new choice to make when they purchase UpStage by Samsung as Sprint and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung) debut a vibrant red color option”. Maybe its just me, but the color of my phone really takes a backseat to functions, applications, and ease-of-use

iPod Friendly Universal Remote

There’s nothing terribly exciting about a universal remote, except this one. The Philips SJM3151 lets you control your docked iPod as well as your usual array of devices. It has an iPod screen emulator that mirrors your iPod screen, so you can be up to 300 feet away in another room, and still scroll through your tunes. Will be available in the fall for approximately $180

Gmail’s PowerPoint Viewer Goes Live

Now you can easily click on “View as slideshow” and have the PPT shown, without ever needing to install PowerPoint.

Wireless Gadget-Charging: July 7th, 2007

Come July 7th, charging cables will soon be a thing of the past. On this lucky-number date, WildCharge will begin selling its wireless gadget-charging device.

By simply plugging in an adapter to your iPods and Nokias, and placing them on the charging pad, they will begin gathering juice wirelessly. A great way to reduce messy cables on your table and save the cable-plugging hassles. The kind of convenience that once you got used to, you’ll never look back!

Price: Said to be $49 back at CES during January this year.

Samsung to capture motorolla markets

According to CIBC analyst Ittai Kidron Samsung can overtake Motorola in terms of market share for the second quarter. That assessment is based on Motorola’s current pull-back in emerging markets and its move to introduce higher-end devices in late 2007.

Meanwhile, Samsung is looking at a significant increase in handset shipments in the second quarter as much of its growth comes from low-tier, GSM-based replacement markets in Asia, Kidron said.

IN  estimates Motorola will ship 40 million phones in the second quarter, less than any quarter in more than a year.

In contrast, Samsung is looking at a 9-percent sequential increase in handset shipments in the second quarter, to nearly 38 million units

Sprint Nextel buys Northern PCS for $312.5M

According to  Sprint Nextel it would acquire Northern PCS Services in Minnesota for $312.5 million. The agreement, which includes an unspecified amount of assumed debt, is expected to close in the third quarter.

Since the completion of its $35 billion merger with Nextel in 2005, Sprint has had to deal with disputes with its various affiliates who believed the acquisition violated their exclusivity agreement with Sprint. Last year Sprint bought Ubiquitel for $1.3 billion in cash.

Google To Anonymize Search Records After 18 Months

has been taking a lot of heat in the past few days over its privacy policies. Today the search giant decreased the amount of time that it ties users search records to their IP to 18 months in response to a letter from the Working Party, a group of national officials that advises the European Union on privacy policy. From the Official Google Blog

Who are these three guys in the Vista DVD?

Someone really really examined the Windows Vista DVD and found these three guys,

 are they?

Someone really really examined the Windows Vista DVD and found these three guys, who are they? – Link.

Nokia Sues Qualcomm Again

Nokia has filed another lawsuit against Qualcomm, this one in a Texas district court seeking damages and injunctive relief—it’s in response to the lawsuit Qualcomm filed against Nokia there. “The lawsuit deals with claims that Qualcomm’s Brew smartphone and MediaFlo TV chipset products infringe on Nokia patents”, reports AP. This is the second time Nokia has countersued Qualcomm—it also countersued last month. However this lawsuit covers some high-end phones and Qualcomm’s spanking new service, MediaFLO. Coming after the ban on some Qualcomm chips last week this will only add to Qualcomm’s legal woes—and costs. Chris Jones, senior analyst with Canalys.com in Reading, England, said that it was the nature of business for companies to defend IP through the courts, “but in the case of Nokia and Qualcomm, unfortunately, it’s been taking up too much management time,” reports InfoWorld. It also has a timeline of the companies legal battles.

Apple Lets Developers Access IPhone Via Browser

At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference Steve Jobs ended his keynote with a mention that developers would be able to create programs for the iPhone after all. “To maintain the security of the iPhone, Apple decided not to let developers write actual applications for the iPhone, but rather create Web 2.0 applications that run within the version of Safari included on the iPhone. Developers will be able to create applications for the iPhone by using programming tools like Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) and taking advantage of Safari. A separate, special software developer kit is not needed, Jobs said…The apps created in this fashion can integrate with the iPhone’s built-in services, giving them access to making a call, sending an e-mail, or looking up location in Google Maps. Since most of the application code runs on a server, Apple said the software is both secure and easy to update” reports MacWorld. Apple has been critisized for refusing third-party access to the iPhone, with claims that it would result in a device with inherently less flexibility and features than other high-end phones.

‘USA Today’ Texts Ads Alongside News

To help drive text messaging and open up a new revenue stream, USA Today will announce this week the launch of an integrated platform combining print and interactive ads in text messages. adWeek reports.

“Charter advertisers include Citibank, which is promoting a new mobile banking service to customers via new cell phone ads. Chevrolet and Microsoft are also on board.

… Print ads in the paper’s Money and Sports sections, as well as on its weather page, will give readers a number they can text with requests for up-to-date information on a company or sports team, or to get a five-day local weather forecast. The reply would contain an interactive ad. “

Sony Ericsson W800i

 One of the most eagerly-anticipated mobile phones in the first quarter of 2007 was Sony Ericsson’s W880i. Codenamed the Sony Ericsson Ai, a succession of spyshots were leaked well before its official announcement, ensuring a lot of hype was generated around the new phone.Everyone expected the W880i to be unveiled at CES 2007, but they were disappointed. Instead, Sony Ericsson released teaser photos of the W880i on January 9th, which at the time, seemed a bit odd. A day later, though, Steve Jobs dropped the iPhone onto the world, and killed CES stone dead. All talk of any other phone was completely overshadowed.

Sony Ericsson’s strategy had worked, though..The iPhone will officially go on sale on June 29th, and I can confidently predict that no other mobile phone stories will even appear that day, let alone be read! Consequently, any new mobile phones that are scheduled to be released about now simply have to be announced before this date, or else the phones will be ignored as users everywhere eagerly await details of the iPhone.

Sony Ericsson know this, and so have scheduled a big event to show off their latest phones two weeks before the iPhone makes its inaugural appearance. The event will take place in Berlin on June 14th, and will feature “the latest phones, accessories and unique applications.”

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More pictures of the Sony Ericsson W880i after the jump.

As you can see from the pics, Sony Ericsson aren’t giving away much,as you can’t actually see all of the phone in any one shot. However, you can see it in much better (if unofficial) detail by checking out our previous leaked pictures of the W880.

Apple Lets Developers Access IPhone Via Browser

At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference Steve Jobs ended his keynote with a mention that developers would be able to create programs for the iPhone after all. “To maintain the security of the iPhone, Apple decided not to let developers write actual applications for the iPhone, but rather create Web 2.0 applications that run within the version of Safari included on the iPhone. Developers will be able to create applications for the iPhone by using programming tools like Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) and taking advantage of Safari. A separate, special software developer kit is not needed, Jobs said…The apps created in this fashion can integrate with the iPhone’s built-in services, giving them access to making a call, sending an e-mail, or looking up location in Google Maps. Since most of the application code runs on a server, Apple said the software is both secure and easy to update” reports MacWorld. Apple has been critisized for refusing third-party access to the iPhone, with claims that it would result in a device with inherently less flexibility and features than other high-end phones.

Ericsson makes a USD 1 billion deal with China Mobile

Ericsson Have signed an agrrement  AImed to GSM expansion framework with china mobile which is worth 1 billion .

The Chinese President Hu Jintao signed the agreemet who was in Sweden on a state visit at the invitation of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden – the first visit by a Chinese president to Sweden since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1950.

President Hu Jintao was joined at the signing ceremony by Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. Wang Jianzhou, Chief Executive of China Mobile Communications Corporation, and Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, joined the two leaders at the ceremony.

Svanberg says: “Ericsson is proud of its cooperation with China, which dates back over a century. We are dedicated to supporting the development and growth of China’s telecom industry with our global expertise and proven competence. The agreement we are announcing today is further proof of this.”

Ericsson’s commitment to operations in China is reflected by its continuous increase in local sourcing, up to USD 2.5 billion in 2006, and growing export opportunities, with USD 1.6 billion in exports last year.

Under the new framework agreement, Ericsson will supply core and radio network equipment, along with related technical support and services, to expand China Mobile’s GSM coverage in 19 regions of China

Keep all your N73/N95 private information secure with Best Safe

Keep all your private information secure, good looking, easy to use and manage on your smartphone BestSafe is an easy-to-use, reliable and secure manager and organiser for your private data. With BestSafe you can store your passwords, credit cards and banking information, login information and other your data in one place and to keep it with you always. BestSafe interface is very easy to use. You can create cards and quick notes, then arrange them into folders. To view any existing card just select it and press joystick button. If you want to modify the card just use ‘Edit’ command in the card view  Price  11.95 $       BUY

Adaptive mobile secures 14$ MIllion Funding

Mobile security company AdaptiveMobile has secured $14 million in a second round of funding led by Doughty Hanson. Noor Financial Investments and Intel Capital also participated in the round, reports Red Herring. AdaptiveMobile had previously raised $6 million. The new funding will be used for R&D and sales. The company sells its software to carriers so it can boost subscriber numbers by 20 million with one sale—it has 85 million subscribers and customers in the US, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific

Porn movies demand growing

The combined business models of pornography, social networking, and mobile technology has been very effective with PixMeTV, the first “citizen pornography mobile phone movie platform” where users can create their own profile, upload, and sell their own self-shot adult movies. Its rapid growth of more than 5 million page impressions per month has prompted them to setup a mobile affiliate partner scheme.

“We’ve created an environment that lets anyone with a videophone be the Producer, the Director, the Star – and importantly the Salesperson – of their own adult movie,” said Jason Greane, Director of PixMeTV. We’ve seen some great early stage growth, and feel our unique pre-populated white-label offering will be of real interest to non-mobile companies looking to enter the user generated mobile space, to established websites looking to mobilise their web community and to wapsite owners looking to broaden their mobile portfolio into user generated content”.

The bottom line: sex cells anytime, anywhere. While the content is somewhat sensitive and inherently seductive, I urge you to look at the business process of this company and probably learn a possible “best practice” in the field of mobile marketing. There is no doubt that the mobile industry needs a major makeover.

Sprite coming with its socail netework

Coca-Cola’s 2nd biggest brand, Sprite, is experimenting on mobile social network in its desire to capture the powerful teen market. Dubbed as Sprite Yard, it is the first “community-to-go” that combines photo sharing, message board, planner, and digital downloads in one simple interface for mobile phones.

The company’s executives admit that there will be no profit from this venture. But knowing that 80% of 18-24 years old own mobile phones, it is enough motivation to create something big as this Yard.

But with social networking giants like MySpace already in the mobile playground, will Sprite Yard create the much needed buzz?

Accessing the Sprite Yard is easy and simple. Anyone with a WAP enabled phone and access to a data plan can join the Yard. Beginning June 22, U.S. consumers can text “YARD” to 59666 (“Lymon”) and receive a reply with a WAP link to access the Sprite Yard for the fist time. Clicking the link directs the mobile device to the “Yard” where they are invited to register by selecting a tag name and password. As soon as they are registered, users can opt to create a profile to share information about themselves with their friends in the Yard.

“The global adoption of mobile marketing provides a unique business opportunity for brands to create and maintain relationships with their audiences,” said Laura Marriott, President, Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). The Sprite Yard was announced today at the MMA’s Mobile Marketing Forum in New York. “With the Sprite Yard, The Coca-Cola Company is among those setting industry best practices and generating excitement around engaging consumers through mobile in fun and meaningful ways.

The SexyMIMD UMPC

No offense, Amtek, we’re sure that McCaslin-based U560 of yours has ample reason to be so big and ugly, but we’re going to put our dollars on this “MIMD” (Mobile Internet Multimedia Device) Menlow-based UMPC from EB if you don’t mind. Yes, it’s the same “MID” device which Intel was proudly showing back in April only now with a bit of meat around the source. Along with the promising advances brought by Intel’s UMPC-oriented Menlow chipset, the MIMD promises Mobile WiMax, HSDPA, GPS and a 4.8-inch high resolution screen. We should be seeing this one running Linux and hitting sometime in 2008. McCaslin, we hardly knew ye.

The HTC Touch

 

Recently rolled out in the UK and powered by Windows Mobile 6 on top of the TouchFLO interface, the HTC Touch combines full surface appeal with a stylish handset design.

Quick specs include Tri-band GSM/EDGE, 802.11 b/g, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, SD card slot (1GB in card included), 2 megapixel camera, a 2.8-inch screen and Windows Mobile 6 with Direct Push

ITC Orders Ban On New 3G Handsets With Qualcomm Chips

This is a significant development— the US International Trade Commission has ordered a ban on new 3G handsets which contain Qualcomm chips that infringe on a Broadcom patent effective today. Phones which have been sold in the US are exempt, as are future phones of the same model. So the current handset brands won’t change, but if handset manufacturers want to launch new 3G devices in the US they will need to exclude the Qualcomm chip. By allowing current models to be imported the court has lessened the damage to the industry—other options being considered were to ban all CDMA phones notes the Union Tribune. From the ITC release: “The Commission found that, while exclusion of all downstream products could adversely affect the public interest, particularly the public health and welfare, competitive conditions in the U.S. economy, and U.S. consumers, the exemption for previously imported models sufficiently ameliorates this impact such that the orders should be issued.” There were two dissenting commissioners (out of six) who appeared to favor banning the importation of all Qualcomm chips and opposed the “grandfather” exemption. Qualcomm has issued a statement about this.

Qualcomm’s response: Qualcomm held a conference call after the decision. “CEO Paul Jacobs said that the ITC decision was “wrong” and that his company would take two legal steps: it would immediately seek an emergency stay of the ITC order from the federal circuit court of appeals and, secondly, it would seek a presidential veto of the ITC decision”r

via RCR News.

Google Calendar now with event-tracking

Google Calendar is adding event-tracking capability that allows Calendar users to add public events to your calendar. Add the NBA Playoff schedule to the calendar or pick events from the Eventful database. Google’s new calendar gallery has listings from sources like Disney, Eventful, JamBase, Orbitz, the NBA, and Zvents. You can add either individual events or complete schedules to your Google Calendar in one click. I have added the New York Yankees to my calendar so that I can keep a close watch on who we are losing to on any given day. These public calendars have been available to Mac users for quite sometime now. Also see, Lifehacker

Coca-Cola Plans Mobile Social Network To Promote Sprite

Coca-Cola has used the Mobile Marketing Forum to announce its latest marketing venture—Sprite Yard. This will be a mobile social network which will let users create profiles and exchange photos and messages, which will be available as an application that can be downloaded for free via a shortcode reports RCR News. The service launched in China last week and will launch in the US on June 22nd.

Reuters has more information on the aims of Coca-Cola (“to recruit future generations of consumers”) and its assertion that mobile marketing is the way to reach young people. Coca-Cola will offer free music and video clips through the service to people who type in a pin number found under bottle lids. The company said it “worked with the top U.S. wireless providers on the service” which should make the delivery of the service easier, and also that it is talking with other social networks such as Facebook about “expanding its experience”, whatever that means. But this last little sentence could be important, because using a social network to promote a product is different to running a series of TV ads—if the promotion is successful Coke will have to continue running it indefinitely or risk annoying its customers by suddenly removing a service they’ve come to rely on, or at least use regularly. When online music store Coketunes NZ closed there were lots of questions about whether the music bought from the store would still work, and what functionality would continue to work and what wouldn’t. With Sprite Yard, Coke may be trying to set up an exit strategy whereby it can stop running the social network without annoying its users by palming it off onto a stand-alone network.

The New York Times has a piece on this—if you skip to the bottom you can see cautions from analysts. These include the required permanency of the site as well as the difficulty in becoming a media site, which advertisers have usually left to content producers. Bud.tv is brought out as an example. My favorite quote: ”Nobody wants to go hang out with Sprite,” said Chad Stoller, executive director of emerging platforms for Organic, a digital advertising agency in the Omnicom Group. “It takes a lot for a brand to ask that of a customer. You really have to be getting something compelling in return.”

Chinese Mobile Content Market $21 Billion By 2012

The Chinese mobile content market has been predicted to grow from $15 billion in 2008 to $21 billion in 2012, boosted by 3G services that will see new revenue from music, games and streamed video adding the current focus on SMS and ringback tones, according to Juniper Research. 3G services will account for 19 percent of the mobile value added services market.

Most GPS are painfully huge in size. But not so for the Freedom Mini GPS. As big as your car keys, this little GPS is perfect for those of us that have a non-GPS smartphone.

“The Freedom Mini GPS currently the world’s most compact and neatest GPS receiver is aimed directly at the ever increasing number of users of SmartPhones and BlackBerrys (150 million will be sold in 2007.) Only about 10-15% of the new devices will have GPS built in, e.g. the 8800 BlackBerry, but all the Pearl and older models have no GPS.”
- Freedom Mini GPS

The downside of the Mini GPS is the lack of a map software, which you have to purchase separately. The good news is that it is compatible with a wide range of software: The AA, Active Pilot, BlackBerry Maps, CoPilot Live 6, Destinator 6, Gate 5,Google Maps, Mapquest, Memory Map, Navigation Mobile, Navman, Nokia/Smart2Go, Navicor, Route 66, Spot, Telenav, and Wayfinder.

Technical Specifications:

• Chipset: SiRF Star III.
• 20 Channels “All-In-View” tracking.
• Protocol: NMEA 0183/GGA, GSA, GSV, RMC, VTG, GLL.
• Baud Rate: 57,600 bps.
• Frequency L1, 1,575.42 Mhz.
• Tracking Sensitivity: 159 dBm.
• Position deviation*: 10 meters 90%. 2D RMS 1-5 meters.
• Velocity: 0.1 m/sec.
• Effective temperatures: Storage: -40°C +70°C.
• Working: -20°C +60°C.
• Air humidity: 5 – 90%
• Internal Ceramic Patch antenna.
• MMXC connection for external antenna.

Price: US$99.99 / £69.99 (inc tax) / €99.99 (inc tax)
Availability: Freedom Input Ltd

Startup tips from Sumaya from TheCulturalConnect.com

Sumaya Kazi, 24, was recently recognized by BusinessWeek Magazine as one of America’s Top 10 Entrepreneurs Under 25 and the only solo woman featured in its Global Top 75 Entrepreneurs list. She currently serves as the Executive Director and Co-Founder of TheCulturalConnect.com, a burgeoning media publishing company that publishes five weekly e-magazines dedicated to young, driven and forward-thinking adults around the world. She also serves as the Executive Director of a new non-profit organization that was started to create a young adult and professional movement towards awareness, giving and change. Additionally, she works full-time as a Marketing Manager for the Global Communications group at Fortune 500 Company Sun Microsystems, the youngest in her division. In her spare time she serves a Business mentor for Businesses United in Investing, Lending and Development (BUILD), a non-profit social venture that empowers underprivileged high schools with an education in entrepreneurship .

Few of Sumaya’s Tips

1. Surround yourself with people smarter than yourself. It can only breed success.
2. While having a start-up you and everyone else on your core team must have a PhD mentality. That is, of course, to be poor, hungry and driven.
3. More often than not, people sit on great ideas. Don’t be one of them.
4. If you think you can’t do something – you probably can’t. It’s those that reach for the impossible that make many more things possible happen along the way.
5. Network like hell. When you’re young and have a start-up, it’s important to leverage the connections you’ve made. You’d be surprised to see how far you can go when others are just excited about your start-up and about your ideas.
6. Innovate. Innovate. Innovate. You might have a great idea today, but will it be the same tomorrow?
7. Try to maintain enough ambition and energy to achieve your goals, but also enough humility to accept the challenges and rejection that comes with being an entrepreneur.

via Centernetworks

HTC’s half-an-inch thick touchscreen phone

Hoping to steal some iPhone thunder from Apple, HTC has launched a half-an-inch thick touchscreen phone that also responds to the sweep of a finger and crams in a two-megapixel camera. Like the iPhone, the Touch has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and is saddled with the same sluggish EDGE data connection when you’re out of hotspot range. But the similarities pretty much stop there. Or do they? One big difference is that this handset is powered by Windows Mobile 6 Professional, as opposed to Mac OS X. Business users may prefer WM6 because of its tight integration with Outlook. At first glance, the TouchFLO technology for the 2.8-inch display seems like a me-too gimmick, but it should come in handy for rotating the onscreen menus to the left or right for fast, intuitive navigation. HTC’s new homescreen was designed to provide one-touch access to e-mail, text messages, calendar entries, contacts, and weather conditions. You can use your finger to scroll through e-mail, documents, contact lists, and songs, and eliminate the cramped view normally associated with Web pages on a phone’s display by panning the screen in any direction. And, unlike the iPhone, the Touch can distinguish between a finger and a stylus input and then respond accordingly. The 3.9-ounce Touch, a triband GSM phone, is rated for up to five hours of talk time. A 1GB microSD Card is included for loading the phone with content. Although pricing and carrier availability are still up in the air, HTC plans to launch the Touch in two color schemes (Soft Black and Wasabi Green) during the second half of 2007. Stay tuned for our hands-on impressions of the device.

google accquires PeakStream

 

PeakStream launched last September with $17 million in Series B funding, helmed by executives from Nvidia, Sun Microsystems, and VMware.  Google, Inc. on Tuesday said it has acquired a startup called PeakStream that specializes in software programming tools for high performance, multi-core and parallel processors.  

In an e-mail statement, Google said, “We believe the PeakStream team’s broad technical expertise can help build products and features that will benefit our users. We look forward to providing them with additional resources as they continue developing high performance applications for modern multi-core systems.”   A Google spokesperson declined to detail the price.  Redwood Shores, Calif.-based PeakStream’s Web site has been down most of Tuesday afternoon, possibly a consequence of the acquisition news. A company spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on the purchase.

Blip.tv Gets Funding from Skype Founders’ Fund

Two year-old Blip.tv, the video sharing site for independent producers, announced the closing of its series B financing, and its first venture capital investors. The financial details of this round were not disclosed. The round was led by Ambient Sound Investments while the venture capital was provided by the fund established by the four founding engineers of Skype.

Other participants in the round include Lauder Partners, Jeffrey Sechrest, Managing Director and co-head of the media and entertainment division of Lazard and Andrew Rasiej, founder of the Personal Democracy Forum, among others. With the recent funding, Blip.tv plans to expand on advertising sales, content management and programming, talent relations and technology development.

This is important for the furthered development of Blip’s ad program, which enables producers to create their own ad campaigns. Blip.tv is also looking to incorporate additional advertising options for content creators, and diversifying these options may be the way to go, as several video-sharing sites are experimenting with ad revenue-sharing programs.

Others dabbling in ad revenue-sharing models include Guba, Metacafe, YouTube and Revver.

Ask.com Partners with Blinkx for Video Search

Ask.com has signed blinkx, the video search engine, to be used in conjunction with its own search service.

Blinkx will provide video search results for Ask.com, giving it access to its video search library. The revenue will be split for each search that Ask.com users click on, as well as advertising when users go to media partner sites. This is not the first search engine Blinkx has partnered with. Other major search engine partners include MSN and AOL. Other partnerships include Sproose, National Geographic, ChaCha, Quintura, and LookSmart.

Blinkx has also gone ahead with its IPO, indicating its preparedness in expanding the company and becoming a recognizable standard in video search engine technology. It’s long tail approach to partnering with several other search engines is proving to be more than beneficial to Blinkx.

Barcelona Mobile Startups

June is here and the flocks of tourists announce the coming of summer, the perfect time to present our own local entrepreneurial talent. Next MobileMonday on June 11 is about Barcelona Mobile Startups!

Networking
As usual, a networking party will follow the conference where participants will enjoy a glass of cava while sharing experiences about life and work. Attendance is free; all you need to do is register and/or confirm your presence for this event at www.mobilemondaybarcelona.com/subscribe/ to reserve one of the 150 seats available. Book now to avoid being left out!

• 19h00 Registration and Pre-Networking
• 19h30 Barcelona Mobile Startups speaker sessions & discussion
• 20h30 Cocktail and Networking Party
• 21h30 End

Venue: Auditorium University of Pompeu Fabra – França Building (Edifici França), Passeig de Circumval·lació, 8 – Barcelona 08003

Palm to Sell 25% Stake, Add Former iPod Head to Board

Palm announced that it will sell a 25% stake in the company to private equity firm Elevation Partners for $325 million. Shares of Palm jumped to $18.40, a rise that recovered most of the value the company lost after buyout rumors in March failed to produce a buyer.

Palm says it plans to use the investment, as well as existing cash and new debt to pay $9 per share in cash to stockholders.

As part of the deal, Palm also will increase size of its board from eight to nine, adding Jon Rubinstein, formerly head of Apple’s  iPod division. Rubinstein will serve as executive chairman.

“As a result of this transaction, we will strengthen the Palm leadership team and create a more effective capital structure,” said Ed Colligan, Palm CEO, in a statement.

“I have tremendous respect for Ed Colligan, Jeff Hawkins and their team, and I am thrilled by the prospect of helping Palm deliver innovative products capable of transforming the mobile-device market,” commented Rubinstein in a statement.  “Approximately 1 billion cell phones are sold each year, and mobile computing is a category with enormous potential. This is a company with an impressive history of introducing game-changing products; it pioneered the smartphone and I intend to help extend that legacy.”

Fred Anderson and Roger McNamee, managing directors and co-founders of Elevation, also will join Palm’s board of directors. Rubinstein, Anderson and McNamee will replace Eric Benhamou and D. Scott Mercer.

This is Elevation Partners’ largest investment to date.

InfoSpace inks search deal with Virgin Mobile

Mobile search solutions developer InfoSpace announced an agreement with Virgin Mobile to supply the MVNO with its complete suite of mobile platform services, including a customized, integrated search service. According to InfoSpace, the solution will capitalize on its recent partnerships with search technologies developer FAST Search & Transfer and web-to-mobile content adaptation service provider InfoGin, bolstering InfoSpace’s own metasearch technology with relevancy algorithms, crawling and indexing technologies and content adaptation services and enabling consumer searches regardless of data origin or format

Amp’d Mobile files for Chapter 11

Mobile virtual network operator Amp’d Mobile quietly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Friday night, announcing the move on its website. The Chapter 11 filing follows weeks of rumors concerning the fate of founder and CEO Peter Adderton, who reportedly exited the company following a rift with directors; Amp’d said in a statement issued over the weekend that its “senior management team remains largely intact.”

Despite more than $360 million in venture capital financing and subscriber totals closing in on the 200,000 mark, Amp’d is over $100 million in debt, owing $33 million to Verizon Wireless for network operations and $16.4 million to Motorola for handsets. The Chapter 11 petition, filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, is likely to erase that debt, but will also wipe out ownership stakes and preferred stock held by investors and content partners like MTV and Universal Music.

Two Board Members Resign At Amp’d Mobile; CEO Still Hanging In

The drama at Amp’d Mobile continues: according to our sources, two of the investor board members have resigned, though of course with about a total of 18 board members, doesn’t make a huge dent in the board population. CEO Peter Adderton is still, well, the CEO, though our sources indicate he hasn’t been running things day to day and hasn’t been in office in close to a month now. Day to day operations of the company is now being run by the head of the board, and no specific decision on Adderton has been made, nor has he resigned.

Google’s Mobile Plans

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has promised more mobile applications during his keynote interview with Walt Mossberg at All Thing Digital, the last one of the conference. “Google is focusing on applications that run on mobile phones in cooperation with telecom operators, Mr. Schmidt said. He said that the small screen size of phones meant that some mobile Internet services would have to be different than those used on computers–which he said made new applications crucial,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “The new model of these phones is going to be person-to-person — with people exchanging videos and other types of data. “It’s sort of SMS gone wild,” he added. “We’re building that software,” Schmidt said, but also said that Google wants to create services for mobile phones that other software developers can build applications to work with. “The sum of that is a whole new platform thing,” he said.

Ads: Schmidt said that the ads on mobile phones are twice as profitable as non-mobile ads because they are more personal. EasyBourse gave more details on that, writing of the interview: “Today’s mobile devices are increasingly phones, cameras and computers with GPS capability that provides location data. “The sum of all of that is a very interesting ad platform,” Schmidt said. Advertisers will be able to reach these consumers via mobile services that Google is developing, the most successful of which so far has been Google Maps…”We’ve been, internally, saying ‘mobile, mobile, mobile,’ and the simple reason is everyone here has a mobile phone,” he said. “Instead of saying ‘mobile, mobile, mobile,’ I should be saying ‘apps, apps, apps’.”

The All Things Digital Blog has a summary of the talk, and the video below.