Digital content wholesaler uclick bulked up its portfolio thanks to a new pact with MTV Networks Inc. The division of Andrews McMeel Universal said it received licensing rights for mobile images, short animations and videos from franchises including Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Spike and VH1....
Hands-On Mobile Inc. launched a new version of the hit Guitar Hero franchise.The San Francisco-based publisher unveiled Guitar Hero II: Backstage Pass, a mobile title that places gamers in the role of rock stars who must promote their band, create demo tapes, sign record...
Consumers are shelling out big money for high-end phones with hi-resolution screens and eye-popping features. But mobile gaming is still all about casual.More than 7 million smartphones were sold in North America in the first quarter of 2008, according to Gartner, doubling the number...
Privacy again was all the rage last week on Capitol Hill, but this time it wasn't about telecom companies getting legal cover so they can help the National Security Agency wiretap individuals with terrorist leanings. This time it was a return to concerns about...
There are countless companies trying to target consumers through their phones, but mobile advertising may be an especially good fit for athletic shoes.Pardon the pun.Nike kicked off - oops, launched - an interactive campaign in Hong Kong last month to tout a new soccer...
Zumobi launched a version of its free, widget-based content application for users of Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices and expanded its content offerings.A Microsoft Corp. spinoff, Zumobi launched last year as ZenZui and came to market in December with a matrix-like menu for...
The crackdown on mobile in Europe continued this week as the European Union said it will continue to investigate hundreds of content storefronts for breaching consumer rules.The organization said an investigation into more than 500 mobile content Web sites found that 80% of the...
ESPN and MediaFLO USA Inc. launched a dedicated channel to bring X Games coverage to mobile users.EXPN, as the offering is dubbed, will deliver content around the clock to subscribers of AT&T Mobile TV and Verizon Wireless' Vcast video service; both of which are...
The iPhone App Store stole headlines last week, but it's the ever-growing cloud above that ultimately will be more important to developers of mobile consumer applications.Cloud computing - applications "in the sky" accessed through the Internet, as opposed to native applications - is not...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We've gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.A race is underway, and the whole world is watching - even though the winners have already...
You know what Google Inc. does on the Internet, right? Sifting through billions of destinations to help people find what they're looking for? That's what Sense Networks executives want to do for every city on the planet.A New York-based startup that will emerge from...
SAN FRANCISCO - Taking up a significant chunk of time at Apple Inc.'s WorldWide Developers Conference, Scott Forstall, senior VP of iPhone software, introduced 11 developers and handed over the stage as they demonstrated applications built for the iPhone.
Through the iPhone software development kit...
Global shipments of GPS-enabled mobile devices will grow at 40% per year for the next five years to reach 834 million units in 2012, according to a new report from Parks Associates.The forecast includes personal navigation devices, mobile handsets and smart phones, portable media...
The most compelling things about all those third-party iPhone apps that are coming to market? The way you're going to buy them - and, maybe, how much you're going to pay.Apple earlier this year unveiled plans to launch an iTunes-like store, dubbed App Store,...
Apple Inc. plans to release its 3G iPhone in 22 countries today. To prepare for the inevitable media onslaught, read these top 10 most important stories on the iPhone from RCR Wireless News.1. Activation may prove challenge to 3G iPhone launch: New process requires...
U.S. CARRIERS ARE EVER SO SLOWLY BEGINNING TO SHARE consumer demographics and other coveted information in an effort to deliver highly targeted wireless ads. And Sprint Nextel Corp. - very quietly - appears to be leading the way.Advertising agencies and high-profile brands have long...
Handango Inc. announced a deal to deliver content directly to consumers through Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications' convergence phones.The Texas-based retailer of smartphone applications said the worldwide pact will see its InHand client embedded on handsets, allowing users to shop for business offerings, games and...
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is coming under mounting pressure to back off a controversial plan to auction a national wireless Internet license that would require the winning bidder to provide free broadband service, open access and filtering to block obscene content. But...
When it comes to investment money, perhaps no space in mobile is as hot as social networking. And it looks like the spigot isn't going to shut off anytime soon. But for venture capital to truly flood the space, the online guys will need...
Faster networks, flat-rate data plans and improved marketing from carriers have combined to nearly double the number of mobile Internet users in the United States in less than two years according to new figures from Nielsen Mobile.A new report from the market research firm...
The term "serial entrepreneur" gets tossed around a lot in the technology world, but few executives can match Cheng Wu's resume when it comes to building - and then selling - startups. During his 20-year career, Wu founded Arris Networks (which was acquired by...
With an influx of new spectrum, new networks coming online and new services to run over those networks, one might say that venture capitalists are backing both the tortoise and the hare to win in wireless. The interest in the quick-changing, what's-hot-next consumer application...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We've gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.Mobile penetration in Latin America was around 66% in early 2008, well above the world average of...
Full-track music download services continue to spin their wheels in mobile, but Verizon Wireless is hoping to get some traction by overhauling its offering.The carrier last week launched a new offering that couples an all-you-can-eat subscription with an over-the-air option that dispenses with the...
