Author: Amanda Natividad

»  Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) and Opera are pre-integrating the Opera Mobile 10 and Opera Mini 5 browsers with Qualcomm’s Brew Mobile Platform operating system. In January, we reported that Qualcomm had three largest U.S. carriers on board, as it inked deals with AT&T (NYSE: T) and Sprint; (NYSE: S) the company already had a partnership with Verizon.

»  AdMob has launched updated SDKs for Android and iPhone. Android developers can expect an expandable canvas and multi-panel banner, while iPhone developers will have additional server side flexibility along with general performance improvements. The company also launched Flash Lite SDK in beta, enabling monetization with CPC text ads.

»  So you don’t have to lift a finger (literally), Nuance Communications has created Nuance T9 Trace for touchscreen phones. The technology allows consumers to glide their fingers from one letter to another, which Nuance hopes wil allow for faster text messaging.

»  CTIA’s semi-annual survey results show that wireless data revenues increased 25.7 percent from the last half of 2008 to reach more than $22 billion for the last half of 2009. Plus, more and more mobile users are sending multimedia messages; MMS messages were more than double in the last half of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.

»  Ten mobile technologies enterprises—including Bluetooth 4, location awareness and more—should watch out for and invest in, according to a new report. [eWeek]

»  Bing for iPhone gets 1 million users, release an update. [Mobile Entertainment]

»  New study says $500 million worth of games were sold through the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) App Store in the U.S., up from $115 million in 2008. [TechCrunch]

»  Following recent law changes in Nebraska, Utah and Vermont, more states are rethinking sex offender laws for young people who “sext,” or share sexually explicit content shared via mobile phone or computer. [NYT]

»  The pros and cons of developing apps for Windows Phone 7. [InfoWorld]

»  Microsoft’s Scott Guthrie talks about Silverlight and the Windows phone. [TechCrunch]

»  In this time of economic distress, people spent more on consumer electronics than on restaurants, jewelry and vacations, a new report says. [eWeek]

»  The docking keyboard won’t launch on time with the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPad. [Lost Remote]

»  A quirky take on Windows Mobile 7 vs. 6.5. [fox @ fury]

»  Several websites—particularly TheiPhoneAppReview.com and AppCraver.com—have been soliciting money from app developers in exchange for product reviews. [Wired]

»  Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) OnDemand, debuting on T-Mobile HTC HD2 smartphones, will eventually expand to other platforms. Meanwhile, it will update its iPhone app. [Electronista]

»  Cellfish Media, having generated between $100 million and $150 million in revenue for 2009, is now considering acquisitions. [WSJ]

»  The shifting landscape of the smartphone operating system market. [GigaOm]

»  An app-happy world has one research firm tripling its projection for total U.S. app revenue in 2010 from $537 million to $1.6 billion. [MoBlog]

»  Nokia (NYSE: NOK) CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo discusses the company’s U.S. and acquisition strategies, and says how the Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) partnership has its benefits. [BusinessWeek]

»  Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) discontinues protective iPhone/iTouch screen films, possibly in an attempt to show off screen durability. [iLounge]

»  Porsche is marketing a new phone for Porsche owners who really, really want people to be aware of their wealth. [Reuters]

»  T-Mobile will release the Windows Mobile 6.5-powered HTC HD2 on March 24 for $199.99 with a two-year contract. [Gearlog]

»  Actual Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPad sales may be higher than the estimates. [TheStreet.com]

»  Though BlackBerry is still the most popular smartphone, a study shows 40 percent of users would switch to iPhone and 30 percent to Nexus One. [InfoWorld]
»  Early Nexus One sales are disappointing. [DigitalDaily]

»  Opera released the final versions of Opera Mini 5 and Opera Mobile 10 on all mobile phones. [Release]

»  Mog now offers unlimited downloads for $10 per month for Android and iPhone users. [VentureBeat]

»  Skinny, a web-based editor, allows developers to get apps on the Sony (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation Network with no software development. [PocketGamer.biz]

»  Why Intel (NSDQ: INTC) believes netbook apps are just as important as mobile ones [Mobile Entertainment]

»  This month’s Flurry Pulse report shows Apple’s app store has grown more than Facebook’s apps have. [Flurry]

—Google: XML co-inventor Tim Bray has joined the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Android team as developer advocate. He wrote in his blog this morning what he’ll be doing in his new role and even explained why he hates Apple (NSDQ: AAPL). He previously worked at Sun Microsystems.

—eAgency: Nicholas Montes joins the company as president. Previously, he was president and CEO of Viva Vision and earlier, VP of mobile sales and marketing at American Greetings (NYSE: AM) Interactive. Montes also had an extensive career at Verizon, where he held senior level marketing positions.

—Vibes Media: The mobile marketing company has made three key hires from AOL’s Third Screen Media engineering team: Rishi Bhatia, who was the head of engineering for Third Screen, joins Vibes in the same capacity. Joining Bhatia’s team are Mark Hoffman, who will be an architect, and Varma Vetukuri, who will be senior QA engineer. Prior to Third Screen Media, Bhatia was director of development engineering for Computer Associates.

»  Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) is working on a multi-fold device to be your cellphone, browser, apps interface, TV and of course, alarm clock. [GoRumors]

»  American Airlines enables fliers to check in via mobile barcodes. [Phone Scoop]

»  Clearwire’s chief commercial officer talks up WiMax. [GigaOm]

»  Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) will battle over patent technologies in mid-2012. [Reuters]

»  Apple limits iPad preorders to two per customer. [Apple Insider]

»  ESPN (NYSE: DIS) mobile TV launches for Sprint (NYSE: S) users with coverage of NCAA and NBA games and more. [Release]

Local newspapers may actually have an easier time charging for content than national and international news brands like the New York Times (NYSE: NYT). And what’s the biggest threat to paid music? Well, probably not piracy. These were among the assertions by panelists on paidContent2010’s The Truth About Subscriptions, who included Steve Brill, co-founder of Journalism Online, David Hyman, CEO of MOG, and Jeff Price, president and publisher of The Sporting News. Price also offered some details on his new subscription plan. The panel was moderated by Staci D. Kramer.

Full uncut session

Related

• @pc2010: Sporting News To Charge For Daily Digital Edition; One Price Across All Devices

»  Why retailers shouldn’t get caught up in the mobile barcode hype. [MediaPost]

»  In China, Motorola’s Android smartphones will be loaded with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Bing. [PCWorld]

»  The Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre, which launched in January for $150, is now $30 at Walmart. [Electronista]

»  MetroPCS could be open to a deal with Leap Wireless. [WSJ]

»  Opera Mini 5 launches in beta for Android. [Opera]

The Financial Times has a sizeable and nicely growing subscription business—so why mess with micropayments? FT.com Managing Director Rob Grimshaw says that half the FT’s print customers are newsstand buyers, and the company needs to offer an similar a la carte option online as well. Grimshaw, in an interview with ContentNext Media Managing Editor Ernie Sander, also explores about what the company has learned about its readers from its “data warehouse,” and how it has used that information to help convert some of those readers into customers.

Two other panelists at paidContent2010’s The Business of Digital News session, KC Estenson, CNN.com’s SVP and GM, and Lincoln Millstein, Hearst’s SVP of digital media, talked about the opportunities that apps and e-devices present for publishers looking for new revenue streams. Josh Cohen, Google’s senior business product manager, meanwhile, explains why news organizations that blame on Google (NSDQ: GOOG) are shooting the messenger. See highlights of the panel below.

Full uncut session

Related

• @pc2010: There Are New Revenue Opportunities Today—The Problem Is Finding Them
• @pc2010: FT.com’s Grimshaw: News Readers Are Willing To Pay—At Least For A Day

»  MySpace (NYSE: NWS) says it’s the top social app on the Android platform and is the third most downloaded app overall on the Android Market. [socalTECH]

»  Verizon is finding a way to capitalize on the iPad. [Engadget]

»  Ten reasons why Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) should fear the HP Slate. [eWeek]

»  A spotlight on mobile apps that work better than their web counterparts. [Bits]

»  Google’s online-only availability for the Nexus One has yet to prove successful. [ZDNet]

»  Foursquare creates new analytics tools for businesses. [Bits]

»  Users admit some degree of smartphone addiction and 41 percent say it would be a “tragedy” if they lost their iPhone. [LiveScience]

»  Can Windows Phone 7 protect companies who are fearful of Apple’s wrath? [Boy Genius Report]

»  Broadpoint AmTech predicts Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) could sell 7 million iPads by year’s end. [eWeek]

Gadget sites have been abuzz with all things Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) as the company’s stock hits yet another record high today, and gears up for iPad pre-orders at the end of the week. We’ve rounded up and the scuttlebutt so you don’t have to:

»  HP launches a sneak attack with its Slate (and yes, it supports Flash). [Wired]

»  Steve Jobs confirms the iPad will not be able to connect to the internet via tethering on the iPhone. [iPhone Alley]

»  Why developers are having trouble creating apps. [PocketGamer.biz]

»  Three reasons we won’t see a drop in the iPad’s price. [jkOnTheRun]

»  Mac and iPhone developer Matt Legend Gemmell (yes, that’s his real name) shares tips on creating the best kinds of iPad apps. [Matt Legend Gemmell]

»  Ten things Apple needs to address before the iPad release. [eWeek]

»  Why tech columnist Jason Perlow is convinced to buy an iPad. [ZDNet]

»  Jeff Smith, founder of apps developer Smule, explains why there’s no opportunity for profit on the Android platform. [PocketGamer.biz]

»  12Mbps download rate makes Verizon one of the fastest 4G networks in the country. [Electronista]

»  What you need to know about tablets. [jkOnTheRun]

»  Verizon posts video about how Skype will work on its VoIP app. [CrackBerry]

»  Thorough review on the HTC Legend. [Gizmodo]

»  Why Android is difficult for developers to work with. [DroidDog]

»  New Bob Marley documentary will be first in a series of mobile apps playable on iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry and HDTV. [MarketWatch]

»  Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Pink phones may arrive to Verizon as early as April. [Engagdet]

»  Hands-on review of the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Devour, Verizon’s latest Android phone. [jkOnTheRun]

»  So far, text-message donations to Chile pale in comparison to Haiti. The latter received $437,500 per hour, while the Chile earthquake relief has received less than $1,100 per hour. [Christian Science Monitor]

»  New photos leak of a new Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) phone to be carried by Verizon. [Gizmodo]

»  Microsoft launches its first Android app. [TechCrunch]

»  New research shows iPhone and BlackBerry users are into mobile gaming. Android users? Not so much. [PocketGamer.biz]

»  Verizon confirmed that data service outage that affected east coast customers early this morning, blaming defective software at one of its data centers. [Computerworld]

»  Skype is now available for free on Nokia’s Ovi Store. [PC World]

»  T-Mobile will power the new Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 5230 Nuron, a smartphone including free navigation via Ovi Maps and turn-by-turn directions. [Release]

»  Universal Pictures turns to mobile barcodes to promote new Jude Law flick Repo Men. [MediaPost]

»  Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) will use Navizon’s location database for geo-positioning. [Release]

»  Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) plans to buy back up to $3 billion of its shares and boost its dividend by 12 percent. [Bloomberg]

»  Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) asks subscribers if they’d be interested in an iPhone app for streaming movies. [ReadWriteWeb]

»  O2, Vodafone (NYSE: VOD), Orange and T-Mobile are in talks with Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) to power the iPad. [BusinessWeek]

»  Apple iTunes offers more books than games. [GigaOm]

»  Sony (NYSE: SNE) Ericsson (NSDQ: ERIC) will sponsor Absolute Radio’s podcasts as well as a competition to send listeners to the FIFA World Cup. Winners can record and upload video content via a Sony Ericsson handset. [NMA]

»  New EU rules stipulate operators must set a maximum monthly cost for mobile web usage, and warn customers when they use 80 percent of their allotment. [USA Today]