PhindMe(R) Makes Its Debut With a Cost-Effective Mobile-Marketing Solution for Local Businesses

PhindMe announced the availability of its low-cost mobile-marketing service, designed to help local businesses better compete against national brands.

With a focus on mobile-marketing solutions, PhindMe has created an Internet-based platform so that local businesses can improve consumer discovery, loyalty, and community. These services extend to consumers' mobile devices, helping businesses combine the power of online-marketing with the increasing use of cell phones and other wireless devices as tools to find business information.
"PhindMe's goal is to support small and mid-sized businesses by improving how they reach and directly interact with consumers to drive revenues," said Chuck Sacco, co-founder and CEO of PhindMe. "PhindMe is here to help the local business person better compete against national brands which are already deploying mobile-marketing to get and retain more customers."
PhindMe's low-cost platform makes mobile-marketing easier and more effective than traditional advertising methods such as print advertising. Current and planned features include a unique content management system which dynamically formats business information for any PC or mobile phone, an instant marketing system so businesses can interact with consumers via text messaging, and a mobile commerce solution that helps businesses increase revenues and decrease transaction costs. All features are accessible through a simple online tool.

AT&T Connects Business Customers With New Wi-Fi-Enabled BlackBerry Pearl 8120

New Handset Provides Simultaneous Voice and Wi-Fi Data Coverage Across Industry's Leading Domestic and International Footprint

AT&T and Research In Motion have announced the availability of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 for business customers, a global handset with built-in Wi-Fi that combines business-grade communications and multimedia functionality in a small and stylish design.

"The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 from AT&T delivers the full power of the BlackBerry platform in a sleek and stylish handset that is ideal for both business and personal use," said Mark Guibert, vice president, Corporate Marketing at Research In Motion. "With a range of hardware and software enhancements, including built-in Wi-Fi, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 is an ideal choice for customers who want a new phone with powerful communications and multimedia features in an incredibly small candy bar design."

Ajax Ad Solution for iPhone

Relevantis Releases First AJAX Ad Solution for Mobile

Hot on the heels of Apple's recently announced iPhone SDK, Relevantis, Inc. today released its Dynamic Ads solution for iPhone. The platform is the first to enable highly interactive AJAX advertisements on mobile phones, allowing advertisers to interact with customers in a personalized and engaging manner.

The company's Dynamic Ads platform allows the creative content of an advertisement to change depending on the personal tastes of the end user. These rich media, animated ads are also instantly expandable to display more information, enabling a better customer experience and, ultimately, higher advertising revenues for publishers. Developers of iPhone applications and iPhone-optimized web sites are able to use the solution to monetize their content, offering consumers a free, ad-supported experience.

A first for mobile phones, users interact with ads without leaving the publisher's web site. For example, users viewing an automobile advertisement are able to touch the ad and instantly see more details in an animated fashion. Additionally, users can perform meaningful actions within the expanded ad, such as calling to schedule a test drive of the car.

"Animation and rich media are all enabled in an ultra-fast manner," said Relevantis CEO Scott Searle. "We believe mobile advertising shouldn't slow down the user experience. Our Dynamic Ads are lightning fast and fun to use. The result is a great dialog between customers and advertisers that wasn't previously possible on a mobile phone."

Offered as a stand-alone component or as part of the company's Universal Ad Platform, the Dynamic Ads solution is optimized for iPhone and other next-generation mobile devices such as Nokia N-Series and Microsoft Windows Mobile phones. The solution delivers a powerful toolkit for publishers and advertisers: Publishers are able to charge for impressions as well as actions, such as clicking to call the advertiser; advertisers are able to offer engaging ad content that was not previously possible on mobile phones.

Focus on the China Mobile Phone Industry, 2007-2008

Acording to Reportlinker.com, in 2007, China mobile phone output reached approximately 594.4 million units, among which, 548 million units were legal products from official mobile phone producers and 46.4 million units were illegal products from official mobile phone producers. In 2007, sales volume reached 180.7 million units, amounting to 16% of the world total. In the same year, the global mobile phone output reached 1.141 billion units, of which 52 percent was from the Mainland China, exceeding 50% for the first time.

In the first half of 2007, the mobile phone output in the Mainland China totaled 266.8 million units, up 33.4% year on year and its combined sales revenue stood at CNY161.08 billion, up 29.6% year on year. Among the total output, 32.8 million were for CDMA mode, 234 million for GSM mode. Domestic sales volume reached 83 million units and exports arrived at 183.8 million. In the later half of 2007, mobile phone production reached 327.6 million units, of which 230.2 million units were for exports, and 97.4 million for domestic sales.

Sprint Delivers First EV-DO Rev. A-Capable Handset with Enhancements for the Mogul by HTC

Newly available software update enables faster data speeds of EV-DO Rev. A technology and enhanced GPS functionality

Sprint announced that it is offering the industry’s first EV-DO Rev. A-capable handset as part of a software upgrade available for the Mogul by HTC. Introduced in June 2007, the Mogul is a Windows Mobile device operating on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network and is packed with advanced wireless capabilities to keep users productive and connected for personal and professional reasons – all at SprintSpeed™.

EV-DO Rev. A technology supports faster data rates and higher system capacity enabling users to send and receive large amounts of data at broadband speeds (speeds comparable to basic DSL). Wherever EV-DO Rev. A coverage is available, average download speeds will increase from 400-700 Kbps to 600 Kbps-1.4 Mbps and average upload speeds will increase from 50-70 Kbps to 350-500 Kbps. These increased data speeds provide customers the instant gratification of quickly downloading large e-mail files on their phone while in a taxi cab, finishing and sending the sales report before their plane takes off and wirelessly downloading music to listen to directly from a Sprint handset. Because Sprint embraces an open approach to mobile Web access, customers may access the Web sites of their choice and download third party applications to enjoy anytime, anywhere. The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming) reaches more than 234 million people, 13,453 cities and 1,321 airports, with the vast majority upgraded to the faster EV-DO Rev. A technology.

Besides enabling increased data speeds for e-mail, Web, document management and other tasks, the free software download also provides advanced GPS functionality allowing support of popular applications such as Sprint Navigation. Sprint Navigation provides audio and visual turn-by-turn directions, more than 10 million local listings, and one-click traffic rerouting on compatible phones, similar to an in-vehicle GPS system.

“The Mogul by HTC now delivers the full power of the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network from the convenience of a handset, giving our customers a speed and capacity advantage unavailable anywhere else in the marketplace,” said Danny Bowman, vice president of customer equipment for Sprint. “Besides accessing core capabilities like calendar management, contact lists, personal and corporate email, and viewing documents, customers can use the benefits of SprintSpeed to stay connected, informed and entertained at anytime.”

Gameloft Confirms Plans to Develop For iPhone With Over 15 Titles in 2008

As referenced during the company's keynote speech at the recent Game Developers' Conference, Gameloft, a leading developer and publisher of games for mobile phones, today confirmed its intention to develop over 15 mobile games built upon Apple's iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK).

Though the SDK was recently released, games will only be available to purchase once the App Store, featuring third party applications that can be downloaded to your device via WiFi or EDGE, launches in June 2008.

Utilizing the SDK package, Gameloft development teams have started to create a strong line-up for 2008. As expected, iPhone proves to be a revolutionary gaming device, thanks in part to a 3.5-inch widescreen, the touch screen feature, a strong 3D processor and other exciting features such as the accelerometer.

"The iPhone gaming environment opens a new era in mobile gaming and is exactly what we've been waiting for" said Michel Guillemot, President of Gameloft. "The Apple iPhone has changed the way consumers perceive and interact with their mobile phones, and the release of the SDK is a tremendous opportunity for Gameloft to apply its creative and innovative approach to mobile gaming," said Guillemot. "Due to our investment in creating one of the most advanced and creative development studios to date, we are ideally positioned today to seamlessly integrate new opportunities and quickly produce games that are as evolutionary as they are enjoyable."

Gameloft has already proven successful in their recent relationship with Apple by developing mobile games that are uniquely adapted to the iPod, one of the most widely accepted technological devices in the mass market.

Motorola Ventures Announces Investment in Quantum SPA, a leading provider of portable media mobility players

Motorola, through Motorola Ventures, its strategic venture capital arm today announced a strategic investment in Quantum SPA, a leading provider of portable media mobility players. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.Quantum is a developer of DVB-H mobile TV media players and a robust mobile TV Software Engine which meets emerging mobile TV standards and DRM content protection solutions. These products allow consumers anytime access to media experiences such as live TV, on-demand clips and programs saved on a DVR.

"As the Mobile TV market continues to grow significantly, Motorola is committed to supporting innovative companies, such as Quantum, that strive to seamlessly deliver multimedia digital content to consumers on the go," said John O'Donohue, managing director, Motorola Ventures. "Motorola will leverage its relationship with Quantum to enable Pay TV Broadcasters and Mobile Network Operators to offer their subscribers compelling services leveraging the convergence of Mobile TV."

"We are honored to be associated with a forward-looking organization and leader in the mobility world such as Motorola," said Stefano Martini, chief executive officer, Quantum SPA. "Motorola's investment will allow Quantum to expand and accelerate the development of our product lines and create the conditions for a successful rollout of mobile TV worldwide."

Cricket Launches the CDM7126 by UTStarcom

SAN DIEGO & TULSA, Okla.--Cricket announced the world’s first CDMA Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) mobile phone – the UTStarcom CDM7126. Starting tomorrow the UTStarcom CDM7126 will be available at Cricket retail stores throughout Tulsa, Okla. and will soon be available in all Cricket markets nationwide.

Designed to operate on the new AWS spectrum band, this tri-band phone also operates on the PCS and cellular bands, enabling it to work in all existing Cricket wireless markets stretching from California to New York. The phone will also work in new Cricket markets slated to begin launching this year including Oklahoma City, Okla. and Las Vegas, Nev.

“We are pleased to be the first wireless carrier to offer an AWS wireless phone to our customers,”’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “Taking this leadership position underscores our commitment to fostering product innovation by introducing CDMA’s first tri-band mobile device that enables multi-market use. This introduction marks the successful conclusion of two years of planning and development by UTStarcom and Cricket.” said Al Moschner, Cricket

With a sleek metallic, clamshell form factor, the UTStarcom CDM7126 features external indicators, which alert users of incoming calls and messages without the need to open the phone, plus a full-color internal display, providing optimal viewing of incoming calls, messaging alerts, games and other data applications. The Bluetooth-capable wireless handset also features voice recognition, predictive text input for easy text messaging, and supports Cricket Mobile Web for browsing and downloading favorite ringtones and graphics.

With plans starting as low as $35 per month, Cricket provides unlimited wireless calling all day and every day – without the need for contracts or credit checks. Cricket’s highest value plan – Cricket Nation 200 – is priced at only $60 per month and includes unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited U.S. domestic long distance, unlimited coverage in all Cricket markets, free text and picture messaging, voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling and 200 nationwide roaming minutes per month.

Buzz Outlook for mobile

Buzz Outlook has upgraded their service to meet the need of modern business by providing a Web Based product that is a total email solution for all your different email addresses, and it is mobile.

The small technology company based in Thailand and Hong Kong has taken the lead in the very competitive free email market with its latest product. Any email address is instantly made mobile once the user signs up for Buzz Outlook, and that's just the beginning of the advantages also included in the service is an integrated SMS (Text Messaging) Platform that allows you to send SMS or even forward email by SMS directly from the Buzz Outlook Interface.

Subscriber Growth Remains Strong in the UK Mobile Market

DUBLIN, Ireland--Research and Markets has announced the addition of United Kingdom -Mobile Market - Overview & Statistics to their offering.
The UK has one of the largest mobile markets in Europe, served by five major providers which have all launched 3G services, as well as by a growing number of low-cost MVNOs. The market in 2007 was characterised by new developments in advanced data services such as mobile TV, the bundling of mobile as a quad-play service, and regulatory controls on charges and fees. Mobile penetration reached 117% by mid-2007, yet subscriber growth remains strong as consumers adopt additional SIMs and business-oriented devices such as the BlackBerry. Fierce competition has forced operators to concentrate on packaging service bundles and line service promotions, and experiment with providing mobile searching and advertising facilities.