901am

New Media News Every Morning

Google 3G phones, anyone?

By

Google Powered 3G PhonesSouth Korea-based LG Electronics launches Google powered 3G mobile phones in Europe this week. The phone, LG-KU580, is installed with mobile services from the internet giant, providing users access to Google’s search engine, as well as Gmail and Google maps.

Equipped with a two-inch display panel, a camera, FM radio reception, and Bluetooth, this mobile phone allows users to search for information, access their emails, and find locations anytime, anywhere.

According to LG spokesman Choi Jun-Hyuk, these 3G Google Phones will be available this week in five European countries — Italy, France, Germany, Romania, and Czech Republic.

LG is said to develop more phones with various Google services for customers abroad. This deal between Google and LG was closed in April.

Originally posted on June 20, 2007 @ 8:38 am

iPhone to deliver eight hours of talk time

By

Apple announced that iPhone will deliver significantly longer battery life when it ships on June 29 than was originally estimated when iPhone was unveiled in January. iPhone will feature up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback. In addition, iPhone will feature up to 250 hours-more than 10 days-of standby time. Apple also announced that the entire top surface of iPhone, including its stunning 3.5-inch display, has been upgraded from plastic to optical-quality glass to achieve a superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity.

With 8 hours of talk time, and 24 hours of audio playback, iPhone’s battery life is longer than any other ‘Smartphone’ and even longer than most MP3 players,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve also upgraded iPhone’s entire top surface from plastic to optical-quality glass for superior scratch resistance and clarity. There has never been a phone like iPhone, and we can’t wait to get this truly magical product into the hands of customers starting just 11 days from today.”

wmark.jpg

Originally posted on June 18, 2007 @ 8:51 am

MSN Mobile gets face lift

By

msn-mobile.jpgMicrosoft today said it revamped its MSN Mobile portal for mobile phone owners. This new offering is designed to allow MSN users and others more easy access to mobile content from the online portal.

MSN Mobile’s pages, according to Microsoft, have been designed for optimized rendering on the screens of mobile phones. It is designed to be compatible with all devices with Internet browsers utilizing Wireless Application Protocols (WAP) 1.2 or greater. A wide array of offerings is available through MSN Mobile, including access to e-mail, news, sports, entertainment, local movie listings, maps and directions, as well as Windows Live services such as Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Spaces, and Live Search.

Microsoft added it is pursuing alliances with operators to integrate MSN Mobile on their own WAP home page. It is also looking to create additional opportunities to jointly pursue mobile advertising opportunities with local businesses, mobile operators, advertisers and publishers.

Originally posted on June 18, 2007 @ 3:09 pm

YouTube now mobile

By

YouTube MobileMobile YouTube, also called “YouTube ToGo” is now available for access anytime, anywhere, at m.youtube.com.

This miniature version of YouTube, for obvious reasons, only shows limited videos. The first page on the mobile site warns viewers that YouTube Mobile is “a data intensive application”, hence requiring unlimited Internet access to avoid additional charges.

YouTube mobile displays 10 videos per page, with a menu that allows you to view videas that are Recently Added, Most Viewed, Top Rated, Top Favorites, and some more categories. Clicking the thumbnail or the link will allow you to view the video on your mobile phone, given that it plays streaming videos (RTSP/3GP with H263/AMR), a default feature that most 3G phone has. It also shows a search field where you can find specific videos without having to go through the list. These videos can be downloaded in 3GP format.

Originally posted on June 16, 2007 @ 10:21 am

First mobile and web contest community now live

By

tapatap.jpgTapatap, the world’s first mobile and web social contest community, announced its beta launch. Combining pop culture and game show logic, Tapatap is an addictive, viral contest community where members can play photo contests for fun and daily prizes, enter photos into contests, and create their own contests all from their mobile phone or the web.

Tapatap, co-founded by serial entrepreneurs Isaac Babbs, Andy Riedel, and Ken Scott, also announces it has secured $2.5 million in Series A funding from Gabriel Venture Partners.

“Our mission is to create social entertainment networks and online communities where you and the community are the fun. You create it, share it, and play it wherever you are across both mobile devices and the web,” says Isaac Babbs.

Using its ground breaking mobile 2.0 technology, Tapatap allows its members to access the community from virtually any device including mobile phones, web browsers and embedded flash widgets. Members can create contests and submit photos from both their phones and PCs, and immediately invite their friends and family to play.

Originally posted on June 14, 2007 @ 10:16 am