Get a Free Ringtone from Sprint

For all the customers who own a Sprint PowerVision or PowerSource phone, Sprint is giving away a free ringtone. Just go the the Sprint Digital Lounge website. The free offer is available for a limited time only: July 30th to August 6th, so hurry up as Monday is the last day. Just go to the website, choose the ringtone you want, and enter the special promotion code listed on the website.

The offering is not for use with Sprint Nextel handsets, Windows-based, or PDA phones. For users with Sprint Nextel handsets, look for a separate promotion coming out soon. Also, if you do not have a data plan, usage rates may apply for the download.

Back Up Your Contacts With AT&T

AT&T now offers a solution for those who need to back up their contact information. The service consists of a a web accessible interface that allows users to add new contacts and edit existing contacts. The down-loadable application allows users to automatically backup the data on their handsets daily or weekly. AT&T is charging $2 per month for the service, which is comparable to the price of service already offered by other major carriers like Sprint, Alltel, and Verizon. This service will work great for keeping up to date contact information when upgrading phones or in cases where phones are lost.

A Verizon YouTube Exclusive

Access to YouTube from your mobile phone is starting to become a standard feature. There are even plans for YouTube specific phones from LG and Samsung. And since YouTube launched their mobile website, m.youtube.com, you can pretty much get to Youtube from any phone on any carrier.

It's great to be able to view videos from your phone, but in the midst of all the YouTube craze, Verizon has become the first carrier to allow users to upload videos to the website directly from their phones via a text message. Verizon subscribers just need to update their YouTube accounts with their mobile numbers. After that, users can post their video clips by sending a message to YTUBE (98823). There is no charge for the service besides messaging fees.

Did You Know: Mobile Video

Mobile television and video subscription revenues grew 198% year-over-year to $146 million in the first quarter of 2007, according to data from Telephia Inc. Approximately 8.4 million wireless customers now subscribe to some form of mobile video, representing nearly 4% of all U.S. mobile subscribers.

In addition, nearly half of the mobile video subscribers polled said they were willing to view ads on their cellphones in exchange for something of value, according to Telephia. At least 55% said they recalled viewing a mobile ad in the last 30 days, which is nearly three times the recall rate for mobile data consumers in general.

Meanwhile, revenues from mobile television and video services are quickly gaining on mobile music. Mobile music, which includes realtones, ringtones and full-track music, brought in $239 million for the quarter. At least 27 million subscribers downloaded some form of audio on their mobile devices, marking a growth of 8 million since the same quarter a year ago, Telephia reported.

Source: www.rcrnews.com

Locate Family and Friends on Your Sprint Phone

Sprint will partner with loopt to provide a social mapping service that allows you to find friends, connect with friends, and tag places and events. The service is currently available through Boost Mobile, which is a Sprint MVNO. With this announcement, Sprint will be launching the service on its own handsets . The service will initially be available on 42 handsets.

Loopt allows you to see the location of friends and family on your mobile handset or from any web browser. Loopt allows you to set up alerts, so you can be notified when friends are in the same area. You will also be able to communicate with them through the application. For example, after being alerted that a friend is in close proximity to you, you can send them a text saying "I see you are in my area, let's meet for lunch".

As mentioned, the service is currently only available on Boost. It should be available soon from Sprint. You can still sign up early on the loopt website. The cost of the services is $3 per month.

Amp'd MVNO Closes Its Doors

Amp'd Mobile is looking into selling off their assets after a failed attempt at acquiring additional investment funds to help get them out of bankruptcy, which they filed for on June 1st. Amp'd is not the first high profile MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) to shut down shop, as Mobile ESPN called it quits late last year, only to resurface as content on Verizon.

An MVNO operates just like a wireless carrier by selling their own phones and plans, however, they do not operate their own network. They pay the larger carriers like Sprint and Verizon to use their network. Normally MVNO's have a very targeted market. Amp'd Mobile is using Verizon's network and racking up a bill of $370,000 a day. This is on top of the $50 + million they haven't paid.

It's believed that Amp'd will have a cash balance of only $9,000 on July 23rd. They are working with the bankruptcy court to set up an auction for some or all of its assets.

Sprint to Give Away One Million Dollars

In connection with Motorola and NASCAR, Sprint will be giving away $1 million to a lucky race fan. To enter the contest, fans choose the driver they think will win the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Championship. Entries can be made at retail stores, online at www.sprint.com/speed, by texting "million" to 7777 from any Sprint phone or at the NEXTEL Experience booths trackside. Entries will be accepted up to Sept. 3rd.

When the 12 Cup series drivers are chosen on Sept. 8th, 12 sweepstake finalists will be randomly drawn and paied with the drivers they selected. All finalists will win a trip to one of the Chase races. The finalists that choose one of the top-three drivers will be invited to the season finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18th, where the $1 million will be awarded.

Sprint Launches Katana Deluxe (DLX)

Hot on the heels of the launch of the Katana II earlier this month, Sprint today announced the availability of the Sanyo Katana Deluxe (DLX). The DLX is the high end version of the Katana line. The major difference in the DLX version is the ability to operate on Sprint's High Speed Mobile Broadband network (EV-DO), a 1.3 megapixels camera, and a microSD slot that supports up to 4G cards. The Katana DLX keeps the thin clamshell form factor measuring 3.7"x1.9"x0.6" and weighing 3.5 ounces. The device comes in three new colors - Platinum Ice, Champagne, and Pink Satin.

Other features of the Katana DLX include power save mode, phone as modem, Bluetooth® wireless technology, wireless backup for easily restoring contact information if the phone is ever lost, stolen or damaged and a large QVGA main display. It is also GPS-enabled supporting Sprint Navigation, powered by TeleNav, with turn-by-turn driving directions and more than 10 million business listings. The Katana DLX is priced at $129.99 after service agreements and rebates.

See a previous review of the Katana II and Katana DLX

PayPal On Your Phone

PayPal launched their latest service offering, Mobile Checkout. With PayPal Mobile Checkout, merchants of online storefronts can offer a payment method that works on the go. To use the service, merchants will need to setup a "Checkout with Paypal" link on their mobile websites. The buyer clicks on the "Checkout with Paypal" link and is securely transferred to PayPal, where payment and shipment information is collected. The user is then sent back to the merchants website to complete the transaction.

PayPal Mobile Checkout is currently available to consumers in the US, UK, and Canada. To see what is currently available for purchase, visit http://mobile.paypal.com from your mobile web browser and click on "Buy Something".

Did You Know: Consumers Not Dowloading Music

According to a new report by Jupiter Research, “Only about 5 percent of US consumers transfer music from PCs to their phones (side-loading), and only 2 percent download songs over the air, according to Jupiter Research’s “Mobile Music: Target Impulse Purchases and Purchasers for Over-the-Air Downloads” report. It is estimated that 28 million US consumers will have music capable phones by the end of 2007.

With newer devices hitting the market with more and more memory capacity, i.e. the iPhone and Sprint's MUZIQ, music use on handsets is poised to continue to grow.

Source: www.moconews.net

AT&T Gets Another Music Phone - LG Trax

AT&T is about to add another music phone to its lineup. But unlike the iPhone, the LG Trax supports high speed mobile broadband speeds by operating on AT&T's 3G HSDPA network. The clamshell device has external music controls and has an internal dedicated music key that will take you directly to the media player no matter what screen you are on.

The microSD slot supports up to 4 GB, giving it the same capacity as the iPhone. I also has a 1.3 megapixels camera. Since this is a 3G phone, it will also work with AT&T's Video Share service, which allows one-way live video streaming to other 3G phones. The phone is expected to be available sometime this summer.

BlackBerry Goes Wi-Fi

It looks like a Wi-Fi BlackBerry may be entering the US market sometime later this year. Last week, RIM received FCC approval for the first BlackBerry device to include a Wi-Fi component. The handset was approved for GSM and EDGE frequencies, so it will most likely be available through AT&T or T-Mobile. RIM did not comment on when the phone would be available, but we're thinking it will be available sometime in the 4th quarter.

Did You Know:

Women are more inclined to click on text-based mobile ads while men are more likely to be lured by video marketing messages, according to a study of U.K. users from Tickbox, a London-based market research firm.

The survey, which was commissioned by mobile media publisher MoMac, found that text ads are the most effective mobile advertising format, favored by 56% of wireless users. Sixty percent of women preferred text ads, according to the study, while only 47% of men opted for the links.

Picture or banner ads were the second-most popular format, favored by 29% of all users, while nearly one-quarter of males cited video advertising as the favorite method. Only 12% of females preferred video ads. Unsurprisingly, 16- to 24-year-olds preferred video by a nearly two-to-one ration over users older than 55.

Younger users also preferred to view ads in exchange for content, while more than half of users 45 and older opting to buy content a la carte. And 54% of females preferred the pay-per-download mode compared to 41% of men, who were more accepting of mobile ads.
Source: www.rcrnews.com

The Chocolate by LG - New and Improved

The new Chocolate by LG is pretty much the same as its predecessor. It is a little thinner and lighter than the original. The phone is 3.85"x1.87"x0.67" and weighs only 3.24 oz. It still has a 1.3 megapixels camera and EV-DO support. Some of the new features include an upgraded external navigation wheel, a vibrating touch keypad, and microSD slot that supports up to a 4 GB card.

The new Chocolate will be available in three colors - Black, Black Cherry, and Blue Mint. It will be available from Verizon on July 9th. Pricing is not available at this time.

Verizon Introduces Plans Including Mobile Email

Verizon just introduced several new plans that include data applications in addition to just voice minutes. The plans include unlimited messaging, the VCAST VPak, VZ Navigator, and Mobile E-mail. Unlimited messaging allows users to send text, picture, video, and IM messages to any domestic network. VZ Navigator is a location based service using GPS to give turn by turn directions as well as locate points of interest. Mobile E-mail provides access to up to 10 email accounts from services such as Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail. VCAST VPak gives users access to entertainment options such as video clips, news, sports, games, and unlimited web access.

The new plans start at $79.99 for 450 minutes and go up to $239.99 for 6000 minutes. A compatible phone is necessary to take advantage of all the features offered.

Calling All iPhone Owners

If you are one of the first 500,000+ owners of the new iPhone and you are reading this blog, please leave a comment giving feedback on the phones features, battery life, performance, ease of use, etc.

Did You Know

Worldwide mobile content revenues are expected to surpass $44 billion in 2011, more than double the expected $20 billion in revenues generated this year, according to iSuppli Corp. The mobile market research firm said the growth largely will be driven by rising demand for mobile video.

Source: RCRNews.com