While most U.S. consumers still see a mobile phone as, well, a phone, young wireless users increasingly view it as a way to meet new friends, share pictures and maybe, to find love.The rise of community-based Internet sites and services has been as well-documented...
LOS ANGELES—Forget about "Tokyo Drift," the latest sequel to "The Fast and the Furious" movie franchise. Now there’s the Helio Drift, a souped-up handset from mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. The Drift, from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., will be equipped with two new...
SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Yahoo Inc. stepped further into the white-hot mobile marketing arena, launching a "graphical advertising platform" for its wireless service. The company outlined a platform that supports interactive ads that users can click on to access more information or place a direct call to...
SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. said it signed an agreement to provide its users direct access to Google Inc.’s wireless products and services. The deal allows Leap customers to use Google’s Gmail e-mail service, Google maps and the company’s search engine features. In addition,...
Mobile data software developer Volantis is targeting carriers with an application that delivers updated, personalized Internet information to mobile phones.The company plans to unveil BuzzCast, a white-label offering that allows users to create a profile and build a "home screen" of content such as...
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Google Inc. is offering a download that is designed to make mobile access to its free Gmail service faster, and Sprint Nextel Corp. is making the download available from its mobile Web home page. The download is free, other than data charges...
There's much discussion here and overseas-especially overseas-about Internet governance, a succinctly ambiguous description apt to be at the core of controversy for years to come.The Internet governance issue has played out on a number of fronts. There is the high-level debate over whether the...
If aliens were to land on our planet, the first thing they would probably notice is our addiction to Wi-Fi networks. Indeed, a new report from ABI Research indicates that in 2006, the number of commercial Wi-Fi hotspots will reach 143,700 worldwide representing a...
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Google Inc. is offering a download that is designed to make mobile access to its free Gmail service faster, and Sprint Nextel Corp. is making the download available from its mobile Web home page. The download is free, other than data charges...
A German driver last week followed his navigation system's command to "Turn right now" and veered into a roadside bathroom 30 yards shy of his intended intersection. Consider it a metaphor for the wireless location-based services industry.In the wonderfully hyped world of wireless, no...
Online Editor Mike Dano has been trying out various mobile TV services for the better part of two years now. We thought we'd let him rant for hedgehogging this week since the rest of us haven't spent two years assessing mobile TV. You can...
Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCR Wireless News to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the...
OSLO, Norway—Opera Software ASA increased support for its wireless Web browser, making Opera Mini available for Palm OS-powered handsets and Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry-enabled devices. Opera launched a Java-based version of its PC browser in February and claims the downloadable offering is used...
Music publishers say they'll fight last week's ruling that establishes a compulsory licensing model for ringtones. The U.S. Copyright Office granted a request by the Recording Industry Association of America Inc. to simplify the licensing of mastertones-10- to 30-second snippets of original, full-length tunes-and...
LONDON—European mobile consumers are far more likely to access the wireless Web than their U.S. counterparts, according to new figures from digital media measurement firm ComScore Networks. The company found that 29 percent of users in five European counties "regularly" accessed the Internet from...
Mobile porn is slowly finding an audience among U.S. mobile users. And network operators are trying to figure out how to cash in. Adult wireless content is gaining substantial traction around the world as content providers find a market for everything from titillating mobile...
Mobile porn is slowly finding an audience among U.S. mobile users. And network operators are trying to figure out how to cash in. Adult wireless content is gaining substantial traction around the world as content providers find a market for everything from titillating mobile...
Internet search company Ask.com upgraded its mobile search offering, rolling out a free service featuring Internet sites, driving directions, maps and weather. The subsidiary of InterActive Corp. launched Ask Mobile, an ad-free, Internet-based service designed to minimize the number of keystrokes needed to find...
SAN FRANCISCO-Following the lead of rivals Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. announced it will add sponsored results to its new mobile search service. Through a new partnership with voice-commerce vendor Ingenio Inc., mobile Windows Live Search users will be able to make...
NEW YORK—Palm Inc. launched its quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Treo 680 smart phone running on the Palm OS platform. The slim phone features e-mail, Web browsing, messaging, multimedia, calendar and contacts capabilities and includes a full keyboard and a color screen. The company said it is...
Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCR to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
NEW YORK—Internet search company Ask.com upgraded its mobile search offering, rolling out a free service featuring Internet sites, driving directions, maps and weather. The subsidiary of InterActive Corp. launched Ask Mobile, an ad-free, Internet-based service designed to minimize the number of keystrokes needed to...
SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Following Google Inc.'s lead, Yahoo Inc. said it expanded its sponsored-search offering to wireless phones in the United States and United Kingdom. The Internet giant announced the beta launch of a service that returns sponsored, clickable links with search results. Advertisers can develop...
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Mobile search startup JumpTap Inc. snared $22 million in a financing round as it welcomed new investor Valhalla Partners. Valhalla led the round, and existing investors General Catalyst Partners, BCE Capital and Redpoint Ventures also participated. JumpTap, which offers a white-label mobile search...
