Brought to you by CHARGED.
General information and updated news about the Mobile Asia Congress in Macau right on your mobile phone.
Access the website
Friday, November 9, 2007
Mobile Asia Congress News & Info
Brought to you by CHARGED.
General information and updated news about the Mobile Asia Congress in Macau right on your mobile phone.
Access the website
Nokia boosts LBS play with NAVTEQ buyout
Nokia’s acquisition juggernaut continues with a deal to purchase NAVTEQ for around $8.1 billion to boost its location-based services portfolio.
NAVTEQ provides digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions.
It also owns Traffic.com, a web and interactive service that provides traffic information and content to consumers.
Nokia says that NAVTEQ brings a number of key assets to Nokia: navigation industry expertise, a strong customer base and a map data and technology platform with broad geographical coverage.
Nokia plans to leverage all of that to fortify its Nokia Maps app on the GPS-enabled N95 handset.
”Location based services are one of the cornerstones of Nokia’s Internet services strategy,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, President and CEO of Nokia in a statement. ”By joining forces with NAVTEQ, we will be able to bring context and geographical information to a number of our Internet services with accelerated time to market.”
NAVTEQ provides digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions.
It also owns Traffic.com, a web and interactive service that provides traffic information and content to consumers.
Nokia says that NAVTEQ brings a number of key assets to Nokia: navigation industry expertise, a strong customer base and a map data and technology platform with broad geographical coverage.
Nokia plans to leverage all of that to fortify its Nokia Maps app on the GPS-enabled N95 handset.
”Location based services are one of the cornerstones of Nokia’s Internet services strategy,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, President and CEO of Nokia in a statement. ”By joining forces with NAVTEQ, we will be able to bring context and geographical information to a number of our Internet services with accelerated time to market.”
Disney to kill off US mobile service ... again
Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) has become the latest casualty of the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) sector after it announced plans to shut down its Disney-branded MVNO service in the US by the end of this year.
The MVNO model, in which companies lease mobile network capacity to launch mobile services under their own brand, was initially seen by a number of big name brands like Disney to reach consumers directly with their mobile offerings.
However, many MVNO ventures have fallen by the wayside. Big-name MVNOs like Amp’d have cashed in their chips, while Helio (owned by Earthlink and SK Telecom) has been struggling to stay afloat.
Technically this isn’t Disney’s first failure as an MVNO - the Disney-owned ESPN Mobile also folded around a year ago.
WDIG president Steve Wadsworth said that while Disney Mobile ”exceeded the mark” in terms of developing a kids-friendly mobile service with parental controls over content, ”the MVNO model has proven, as we’ve seen with other companies this past year, to be a difficult proposition in the hyper-competitive US mobile phone market.”
Wadsworth said that Disney decided that ”changing strategies was a better alternative to pursue profitable growth in the mobile services area.”
To that end, Disney says it will explore a new business model for its content and services that might include offering its Family Center product through a partnership with ”a major US carrier”.
The Family Center suite allows users the ability to display the location of a child’s handset on a map, to limit when and how the child’s phone is used, and to set limits on expenditures in terms of voice and data.
Disney followed a similar strategy with ESPN Mobile, relaunching its ESPN MVP mobile as a mobile app on Verizon Wireless.
The MVNO model, in which companies lease mobile network capacity to launch mobile services under their own brand, was initially seen by a number of big name brands like Disney to reach consumers directly with their mobile offerings.
However, many MVNO ventures have fallen by the wayside. Big-name MVNOs like Amp’d have cashed in their chips, while Helio (owned by Earthlink and SK Telecom) has been struggling to stay afloat.
Technically this isn’t Disney’s first failure as an MVNO - the Disney-owned ESPN Mobile also folded around a year ago.
WDIG president Steve Wadsworth said that while Disney Mobile ”exceeded the mark” in terms of developing a kids-friendly mobile service with parental controls over content, ”the MVNO model has proven, as we’ve seen with other companies this past year, to be a difficult proposition in the hyper-competitive US mobile phone market.”
Wadsworth said that Disney decided that ”changing strategies was a better alternative to pursue profitable growth in the mobile services area.”
To that end, Disney says it will explore a new business model for its content and services that might include offering its Family Center product through a partnership with ”a major US carrier”.
The Family Center suite allows users the ability to display the location of a child’s handset on a map, to limit when and how the child’s phone is used, and to set limits on expenditures in terms of voice and data.
Disney followed a similar strategy with ESPN Mobile, relaunching its ESPN MVP mobile as a mobile app on Verizon Wireless.
Google buys mobile social networking start-up Zingku
Google has acquired mobile social networking start-up Zingku to strengthen its mobile services push, according to the Google Operating System blog.
Zingku, which launched in 2005 and has been testing its services with a limited number of users in the US, allows users to share photos, send invites and conduct polls with friends on mobile phones. Companies can also use Zingku to send ”mobile flyers” (read: ads) to customers.
Zingku says it doesn’t require any software downloads, as it utilizes SMS and MMS features already available on mobile phones.
No details of the transaction have been officially announced, although Google did confirm to Google Operating System that it had acquired ”certain assets and technology of Zingku”.
Zingku, which launched in 2005 and has been testing its services with a limited number of users in the US, allows users to share photos, send invites and conduct polls with friends on mobile phones. Companies can also use Zingku to send ”mobile flyers” (read: ads) to customers.
Zingku says it doesn’t require any software downloads, as it utilizes SMS and MMS features already available on mobile phones.
No details of the transaction have been officially announced, although Google did confirm to Google Operating System that it had acquired ”certain assets and technology of Zingku”.
Software update kills unlocked iPhones as promised
Apple has made good on its warning that a new software update for the iPhone would disable unlocked iPhones, according to the BBC News website.
Last week, Apple warned that the scheduled update would leave unlocked iPhones ”permanently inoperable” because the unlocking techniques caused ”irreparable damage” to its software.
Some Apple critics accused the company of using scare tactics to discourage users from unlocking their iPhones, particularly as Apple announced exclusive iPhone deals in the UK, Germany and France.
However, the BBC reports that many iPhone owners are reporting their phones no longer work following installation of the software update.
Interestingly, some owners of iPhones that were not unlocked are also reporting post-update problems.
Some owners are reporting on technology blogs and Apple’s own forums that the update is deleting contacts information, as well as photos and music, on iPhones that have not been modified in any way, the BBC says.
Last week, Apple warned that the scheduled update would leave unlocked iPhones ”permanently inoperable” because the unlocking techniques caused ”irreparable damage” to its software.
Some Apple critics accused the company of using scare tactics to discourage users from unlocking their iPhones, particularly as Apple announced exclusive iPhone deals in the UK, Germany and France.
However, the BBC reports that many iPhone owners are reporting their phones no longer work following installation of the software update.
Interestingly, some owners of iPhones that were not unlocked are also reporting post-update problems.
Some owners are reporting on technology blogs and Apple’s own forums that the update is deleting contacts information, as well as photos and music, on iPhones that have not been modified in any way, the BBC says.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)