Report: 23% of U.S. Mobile Users Own a Smartphone

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
1

New York – Some 23% of U.S.
mobile consumers owned a smartphone in the first quarter of 2010, up from 16%
in the second quarter of 2009, according to a report from Nielsen.

Research in
Motion’s (NASD: RIMM) BlackBerry leads with a 35% market share, followed by Apple’s (NASD: AAPL) iPhone
(28%); Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) Windows Mobile (19%); Google (NASD: GOOG) Android (9%); Palm (4%); Linux
(3%); and Symbian (2%).

Nielsen notes that iPhone and Android market share each
grew by 2% in the first quarter of 2010, while BlackBerry and Windows Mobile
each lost 2%.

Among users, Nielsen found that 80% of iPhone owners said they
want their next device to run the iPhone OS, compared with 70% of Android users
who want another Android phone.

This compares to just 47% of BlackBerry owners who
said they wanted another BlackBerry, and 34% of Windows Mobile users who
planned to stick with the platform.

 

Related Links:
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/iphone-vs-android/

Sprint: HTC EVO 4G Smartphone Breaks Single-Day Sales Record

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
1

Overland Park, Kan. – Sprint (NYSE: S) announced on Monday that the HTC EVO, the
first U.S. handset to support faster 4G networking, broke its sales record for
a single phone sold in one day on Friday.

The company did not break out actual
sales figures, but noted that strong sales led to temporary shortages of the
device at retailers including Sprint stores, RadioShack, Best Buy and Walmart.

In addition to support for Sprint’s nascent 4G network — currently available
in 33 markets — the HTC EVO sports a 4.3-inch screen, 8-megapixel camera and support
for HD video recording.

The HTC EVO retails for $299 with a two-year contract
with Sprint, and requires a $10-per-month data fee for 4G access.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/x6xj2

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0720202720100607

http://www.sprint.com/EVO

iPhone 4

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Apple Unveils iPhone 4 With Video Calling, iOS Software Update

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
1

San Francisco – Apple (NASD:  AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs on Monday introduced a
new iPhone model with support for video calls, and a corresponding iOS software
update at the company’s annual WWDC developer’s conference in San Francisco. Jobs
made reference to the fact that many had already seen the new iPhone — a
prototype was reportedly left in a bar and sold to a technology blogger —
which sports a glass and stainless steel casing, and is one-quarter thinner
than the current 3GS model.

Among the new features are a 5-megapixel camera
with LED flash, front-facing camera and support for HD video recording in 720p
at 30 frames per second.

The dual cameras will support a new feature, FaceTime,
which enables real-time video calls over a Wi-Fi connection.

The new
"retina display" on the iPhone offers 4x the resolution of previous
models, and a contrast radio of 800:1.

A gyro has been added, which when paired
with the existing accelerometer, provides 6-axis motion sensing — now a
standard feature on next-generation video game controllers.

Apple also unveiled
the new iPhone OS — now called "iOS" 4, as it ships with the iPad
and iPod touch as well as the iPhone, which brings the long-awaited ability to
multi-task with applications.

Apple will now offer users a choice between
Google, Yahoo (NASD:  YHOO) or Microsoft’s (NASD:  MSFT) Bing as their preferred search engine.

The iBookstore is now
available for the iPhone and iPod touch, after launching previously for the
iPad, and titles will automatically sync across all devices.

New applications
announced included a $4.99 version of Apple’s iMovie video-editing software for
the iPhone; Netflix (NASD:  NFLX) instant streaming of TV shows and movies to the iPhone and
iPad; and mobile versions of Zynga’s "FarmVille" and Activision’s
"Guitar Hero."

Jobs relayed that the new iAd mobile advertising platform
has already received commitments of $60 million, from advertisers including
Nissan, Unilever, GE, Best Buy and Disney. The format is slate to launch on July 1.

The new iPhone 4 will be priced at
$199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model.

Pre-orders begin on June
15 and the device ships in the U.S.
and four other countries on June 24, expanding to 88 countries by September.

Additionally, the current iPhone 3GS model will be discounted to $99.


Poll: Will You Buy the New iPhone 4?

Related Links:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/06/07iphone.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20006866-260.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/techchron/detail?entry_id=65182

RIAA Asks Court to Shutter LimeWire File-Sharing Service

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Update: The judge provided LimeWire with two weeks to respond to the RIAA’s motion for a permanent injunction shuttering the file-sharing service.

New York
– The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on Friday asked a
federal judge for a permanent injunction that would shut down the LimeWire
file-sharing service, and a court hearing scheduled for Monday could decide the
service’s fate, according to published reports. A federal court last month
granted summary judgment in the labels’ copyright infringement lawsuit against
LimeWire and its founder, Mark Groton.

"Every day that Lime Wire’s conduct
continues unabated guarantees harm to plaintiffs that money damages cannot and
will not compensate," RIAA lawyers wrote to U.S. District Judge Kimba
Wood. "The scope of the infringements that Lime Wire induced…boggles the
mind."

The RIAA also fears that Gorton is shifting his assets in a bid to
make it harder for the group to recover damages.

"Lime Wire has attempted
to secrete assets into Mark Gorton-controlled ‘family partnerships’ with the
intention of shielding those assets from a judgment award in this case,"
the group wrote, to Judge Wood.

"We are looking forward to an opportunity
to address the Court for the first time in two years and show that as a matter
of fact and law there is no support for this motion," a LimeWire
spokesperson told CNET News.com.

LimeWire has in recent weeks been working to
apply a filter that would block copyrighted works, as well as talk to labels on
potential licensing deals, in a bid to continue operating the service despite
the court’s ruling.

 

Related Links:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20006900-261.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20006879-261.html

http://snipurl.com/x6xbq
(DMW previous coverage)

http://www.limewire.com

Six Apart Acquires Green Ad Network NaturalPath Media

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

San Francisco
– Six Apart, the provider of a blogging software platform and complementary
services, announced on Monday that it has acquired NaturalPath Media, an online
ad network for sustainable, healthy and conscious lifestyles.

Financial terms
of the transaction were not disclosed.

According to comScore, NaturalPath
reaches up to 18.4 million unique visitors per month across 200 publisher
sites, which include DrGreene.com and ScientificAmerican.com.

Six Apart said it
plans to launch "conversational marketing" programs for NaturalPath
publishers, "a unique conversational marketing solution enabling brands to
inspire and sponsor authentic conversations, as an integral part of an upcoming
online advertising campaign."

Six Apart’s TypePad, Movable Type and Vox
services reach nearly 90 million monthly unique users in the U.S.

 

Related Links:
http://www.sixapart.com/about/press/2010/06/six-apart-acquires-naturalpath.html

http://www.naturalpathmedia.com

Social Applications Developer RockYou Raises $10 Million

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Redwood City,
Calif. – Social applications
developer RockYou announced on Monday that it has raised a new $10 million
round of funding, led by SoftBank, and the acquisition of a majority of the
shares in its joint venture, RockYou Asia.

The $10 million in new funding
follows a $50 million, fourth round the company raised in November 2009, and
brings the company’s total amount raised to date to $127 million.

Redwood City, Calif.-based RockYou counts over 280 million
monthly users worldwide for its social media applications.

"We’ve always
been very excited about the Asia market and
believe that the market for social applications will really heat up in the
coming months," said RockYou founder Jia Shen.

"With the further
alignment between RockYou and RockYou Asia we can have an increasingly
significant impact on the Asia Social Gaming market and further engage the
world through social media."

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/x6way

http://www.rockyou.com

Audioboo Gets Funding for Mobile Recording App

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

London – Audioboo, the provider of a mobile application that
lets users record and share geo-tagged audio, has received a major investment
from UBC Media, Imagination Technologies and Don Cruikshank, The Guardian
reports.

Available for the iPhone and Android platforms, the Audioboo to date
has been downloaded over 120,000 times.

The company was initially funded by
4ip, U.K.
broadcaster Channel 4’s technology innovation fund.

The company told The
Guarding it would use the new funds to "rapidly experiment and develop our
ideas about how audio content will function, feel and make money in the
future."

 

Related Links:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/jun/07/digital-media-audioboo

http://www.audioboo.fm

OpenPeak Raises $52 Million for Touch-Screen Media Devices

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Boca Raton,
Fla. – OpenPeak, a developer of
multimedia touch-screen devices currently at work on a media tablet, announced
on Monday that it has raised $52 million in new funding, from existing
investors and Intel Capital.

Debt financing from Horizon Technology Finance and
Velocity Financial Group, and a distribution finance and working capital line
from GE Capital’s Commercial Distribution Finance unit complete the package.

Boca Raton, Fla.-based OpenPeak’s OpenTablet 7 is a
Flash-based device that offers many of the same features as Apple’s iPad.

The
company said the equity, debt and working capital will aid in expanding its
hardware, software and services platform for consumer and enterprise markets.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/x6vms

http://www.openpeak.com

Tapulous to Create Mobile Music Games for Warner Artists

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York – Mobile game developer Tapulous announced on Friday that it
has partnered with major record label Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG), and will release four
"Tap Tap Revenge" music-themed games over the news year featuring
Warner artists. Tapulous will also sell downloadable songs from Warner artists
compatible with its Tap Tap Revenge and Riddim Ribbon games. Tapulous recently struck
a similar deal with Universal Music Group.


 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/x389r

http://www.tapulous.com

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