Posted on 2010 under Communications |
17
Mar
» An app-happy world has one research firm tripling its projection for total U.S. app revenue in 2010 from $537 million to $1.6 billion. [MoBlog]
» Nokia (NYSE: NOK) CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo discusses the company’s U.S. and acquisition strategies, and says how the Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) partnership has its benefits. [BusinessWeek]
» Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) discontinues protective iPhone/iTouch screen films, possibly in an attempt to show off screen durability. [iLounge]
» Porsche is marketing a new phone for Porsche owners who really, really want people to be aware of their wealth. [Reuters]
» T-Mobile will release the Windows Mobile 6.5-powered HTC HD2 on March 24 for $199.99 with a two-year contract. [Gearlog]
Posted on 2010 under Communications |
17
Mar
Just as Google (NSDQ: GOOG) starts being more aggressive at rolling out the Nexus One to more carriers, it was socked in the gut with this bad news: its trademark application for the phone has been denied.
Google’s application was denied because of “a likelihood of confusion” with a trademark held by Integra Telecom’s ‘Nexus’ brand, reports MarketWatch. That didn’t stop Sprint (NYSE: S) from announcing today that a version of the Nexus One will be available soon for its network. Just yesterday, Google said a compatible version was available for AT&T (NYSE: T) and Rogers in Canada.
The relationship Google has with Sprint sounds similar how it works with T-Mobile, compared to the completely unlocked phones being sold for AT&T’s or Rogers’ networks. For instance, the Nexus One is still only be available directly at google.com/phone (and not in Sprint stores), but it may come with a discounted price. Currently, a version of the Nexus One for AT&T’s network costs $529, while a discounted version for T-Mobile’s network costs only $179 with a two-year contract. A pricing plan for the device has not yet been announced.
As for the trademark snafu, Google will have to submit further evidence in support of its application, according to last week’s ruling. In a statement, a Google spokeswoman said: “We continue to claim rights to the Nexus One trademark in the United States, and plan to respond to the office action from the U.S. Patent Trademark Office.” A spokesman for Integra did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Posted on 2010 under Communications |
17
Mar
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) has hinted for several months that it would be buying more companies and it’s finally made an acquisition—buying up social sports startup Citizen Sports, which it says will compliment Yahoo Sports, the top sports site in the U.S.
And, indeed, the move immediately gives Yahoo clout in the social networking and mobile sports spaces, where it has been weak. Citizen Sports owns a series of popular sports apps on the iPhone and on social networking sites, including what it says is the most popular fantasy football app on Facebook. By contrast, Yahoo has long been the top player in the online fantasy sports market, but only last September did it release a fantasy football iPhone app and, as far as I can tell, it does not have any sports apps at all on Facebook.
In its announcement, Yahoo says Yahoo Sports content will be integrated into Citizen Sports’ apps. Together, the company says, Yahoo Sports and Citizen Sports will create a “more personally relevant experience, drive deeper user engagement and create opportunities for advertisers to interact with audiences in new environments.”
Financial terms of the acquisition were not released, although AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher—who predicted the deal earlier this week—put the price at between $40 million and $50 million. Citizen Sports had raised roughly $10 million in a funding round four years ago, back when it was operating under the name ProTrade Sports.
This is Yahoo’s third acquisition under CEO Carol Bartz. Going ahead, the company has said it is interested in three general areas—deals that would add “important technology and the people behind it,” content-related deals, and geographic buys that would let the company move into or strengthen its position in a market.
Here’s our earlier report on what Yahoo may buy next.
The release:
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Mar 17, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE)—As part of its ongoing commitment to be the center of people’s online lives, Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Citizen Sports (http://www.citizensports.com), a company that brings the world of sports to fans’ favorite social networking sites and mobile devices through innovative applications. This acquisition will strengthen Yahoo!‘s social strategy of enriching, aggregating and distributing social content from across the entire Web, and offering a highly customizable social experience.
“Yahoo! is in a unique position to combine our deep expertise in content and aggregation technology to offer a highly personalized social experience,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president, Consumer Products Group, Yahoo!. “Sports has been among the earliest online categories to experience rapid social proliferation, and the combination of Citizen Sports leading products with our world-class sports experience on Yahoo! Sports is a win-win for sports fans globally.”
Millions of people across the globe use Citizen Sports’ array of social and mobile products to play fantasy sports, fill out brackets, check live scores and read up-to-the minute news on sports including football, hockey, soccer, baseball, racing, rugby, hockey and cricket. Yahoo! Sports’ content will be integrated into these products, creating a seamless experience for sports fans wherever they are. On Yahoo! Sports, users will be able to broadcast their allegiances, create or join a conversation with friends and fans and cheer for their teams through Citizen Sports’ applications. This integration will further transform Yahoo! into a more personally relevant experience, drive deeper user engagement and create opportunities for advertisers to interact with audiences in new environments.
As the #1 destination for online Sports with more than 39 million monthly unique users in the U.S.*, Yahoo! Sports provides people with the most timely, relevant and comprehensive sports news, information and programming. Citizen Sports’ network of popular applications for Facebook, MySpace (NYSE: NWS), hi5, iPhone and Android span professional, college and high school sports.
“Citizen Sports was founded with the intent to enable fans to access news, scores and fantasy games on the platform of their choice,” said Mike Kerns, founder and CEO of Citizen Sports. “We look forward to becoming a part of Yahoo! and bringing our social experiences to their 600 million users around the globe.”
Citizen Sports was founded by Mike Kerns and Jeff Ma in 2004. Since then the company has brought together millions of sports fans from around the world to enjoy sports and connect with their friends. Citizen Sports is based in San Francisco.
Yahoo! expects to complete this acquisition in the second quarter of 2010. Financial terms were not disclosed.
* February 2010, comScore (NSDQ: SCOR), U.S.
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Posted on 2010 under Communications |
17
Mar
Sprint (NYSE: S) Nextel may unveil the first 4G phone next week at the big CTIA wireless conference in Las Vegas.
The device, which is reportedly made by HTC and called ‘the Supersonic,’ will run on the company’s WiMax network, which is being built by Clearwire (NSDQ: CLWR), reports the Wall Street Journal, which quotes people familiar with the matter.
If the company does reveal a device, it will easily beat Verizon Wireless to the punch, which is not expected to have a 4G handset, running on its LTE network, until mid-2011.
On Wednesday, March 24, Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse will keynote at the show. The WSJ said the device may be the highlight of Hesse’s presentation. The timing for an unveiling seems right. Previously, Clearwire said WiMax phones could be ready by the middle of this year.
Sprint made a big splash at CES in January, where it unveiled the Overdrive, a 3G and 4G device that allows people to connect to up to five devices at once over WiFi. The party, which feature Celebrity Chef Chef Mario Batali and Comedian Frank Caliendo, marked Sprint’s big coming out party for WiMax. For such a big event, many were expecting a phone at the time.
However, rolling out a phone will be much more difficult. The phone will still have to rely a lot on the 3G network because the 4G footprint is still relatively small and 4G networks are only for data—users will still need 3G to talk. Not to mention, the big disruptive opportunity for 4G is not voice plans—rather it’s providing high-speed connectivity with new business models. Expect Sprint to also roll out new data plans that may include tethering to a laptop or multiple devices with the purchase of a WiMax phone. The WiMax network offers capacity that today’s 3G networks don’t.
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Posted on 2010 under Communications |
17
Mar
MocoSpace, a social network that is primarily accessed on the phone, has reached 11 million users.
While that may pale in comparison to the 100 million people using Facebook on cellphones, it easily surpasses the 560,000 using Foursquare. However, it is more in line with the 500,000 users that MocoSpace says are logging in on a daily basis to the network. MocoSpace VP of Business Development & Marketing Casey Jones said: “Scale is a critical piece to being able to deliver on the promise of our targeting capabilities. We are very fortunate to have a large, growing, and loyal audience.”
MocoSpace provided other statistics following its appearance at SXSW, as well:
—The site generates 3 billion pages per month and was recently named the 4th most visited mobile web site in the U.S. by Ground Truth (behind big names like MySpace (NYSE: NWS), Facebook, Google).
—Average session times are over 13 minutes on mobile.
—Mobile users on average access the site more than 5 times per day.
—Users sent more than 1.7 million e-cards during the week of Valentine’s Day.
—Over 200 new artists are submitting their own music to MocoSpace daily.
The company says it primarily makes money through advertising targeted at their demographic of 18 to 24 year olds, which is one-third Hispanic and one-third African-American. Recent campaigns were from Sony (NYSE: SNE) Pictures, Spike TV and the U.S. Census. In addition, the site uses virtual currency, which is expected to exceed 15 percent of the company’s revenue by the end of 2010.
