Alerts To Avoid 'Shock Bills' Would Help Consumers And Carriers by Mark Walsh

For the first time, Verizon Wireless became the world leader in mobile data revenue in the first quarter, with $4.5 billion in sales. That total might've been even higher had the company collected an $18,000 cell-phone bill from a Boston-area man whose son had racked up that amount in charges over six weeks by tethering the phone to a PC to connect to the Web. ...Read the whole story

  • ESPN Creates Ad Agency, Greater Collaboration With Marketers by David Goetzl

    ESPN is forming an in-house ad agency: ESPN CreativeWorks. Among its goals is crafting co-branded vignettes with marketers, as well as spawning promotions that stretch across multiple screens. ...Read the whole story

  • Google Makes Bid For VoIP Co. Supporting Yahoo, AOL, Baidu by Laurie Sullivan

    Google said Tuesday it has made a $68 million offer to acquire Global IP Solutions Holding, an Internet voice and video company. The deal could put the Mountain View, Calif. company in direct competition with Skype, as well as supporting search rivals. GIP customers include Yahoo, IBM, AOL, Nortel Networks, and Baidu. ...Read the whole story

  • ESPN Launches Local Sports Apps For iPhone by Mark Walsh

    ESPN Tuesday introduced five sports and news applications for the iPhone and iPod touch targeting five cities: Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The new ad-supported apps will offer breaking regional sports news, hometown team reports, local writers and bloggers, and a customized local SportsCenter, and will feature national headlines, GPS-activated weather updates, an interactive scoreboard, schedules and stadium guides. ...Read the whole story

  • Verizon Leads In Data Revenues by Mark Walsh

    In their latest quarterly reports, U.S. telecom giants Verizon Wireless and AT&T both highlighted that mobile data revenues had climbed to about one-third of overall wireless revenue. Mobile research firm Chetan Sharma points out in a new report that Verizon hit a more significant milestone in the first quarter -- edging past decades-old leader NTT DoCoMo to become the biggest wireless operator by data revenues at $4.5 billion. U.S. wireless data revenues overall increased 22% to $12.5 billion from a year ago, and 5% since the fourth quarter. ...Read the whole story

Virtual Zippo Lighter 2.0 Grows A Business Model by Steve Smith

What's a Zippo?" my daughter asked as I pulled out the promotional lighter the iconic company sent me months ago. "Nothing that would interest you," I answered, as if I had been caught rolling a joint. "It's a lighter," I finally say. "Cool. Can I have it?" she asks. "You don't smoke." It only takes but a nanosecond for Dad paranoia to set in. "Do you?" "Nooo! And don't lecture me. Before I came along you smoked like a train." True, of course -- more like two trains, in fact. But I counter the deflection by deflecting in return and ...More

  • Google's Transition From Search To Tech Company by Laurie Sullivan

    Google is a technology company. This doesn't mean it will abandon search. But after 20 years in technology and marketing, I know the signs and can say unequivocally that the company has crossed over. It reminds me a little of Microsoft's climb to the top, complete with regulatory issues and privacy concerns. Perhaps the Google I/O conference set to get underway Wednesday, where attentions turn toward applications, contributes to this energy and buzz. ...More

  • Google's Eric Schmidt Sheds Light On Security, Search, AdMob, China by Laurie Sullivan

    Google could announce this week that it will move SSL encryption implemented in Gmail to other services such as search. During the company's annual shareholders meeting a question on this from John Simpson, an investor who works for Consumer Watchdog, prompted a curt "Do you get the drift of the answer?" from Google chief executive officer Eric Schmidt after Google vice president of search Marissa Mayer replied "stay tuned." ...More