Mobile search has long been considered a can't-miss proposition because search is a natural fit with on-the-go users looking for information. But a new report indicates search advertising hasn't yet caught up with search volume.

Much has been made of mobile applications as branding and advertising vehicles, but they're also playing a role in encouraging m-commerce, according to a new study. The survey by electronics comparison shopping site Retrevo found the proportion of people that had bought something with their cell phones had doubled to 20% in just the last four months.

Don't be surprised to see more laptops, iPads and other devices crowding tables at your nearby Starbucks soon, with the coffee giant announcing Monday it will offer unlimited free WiFi access at all U.S. locations starting next month.

Is there hope for a better mobile Web? The term has often been called an oxymoron because of how lousy the experience of accessing the Internet on a cell phone can be. But with the announcement Thursday of content delivery network Akamai acquiring mobile startup Velocitude, help could be on the way.

There was speculation Apple CEO Steve Jobs might indicate when the long-rumored Verizon iPhone would finally become a reality. There was no such announcement, but pressure for Apple to end its exclusive relationship with AT&T for the iPhone and iPad will only increase in the wake of the disclosure of a security hole in the carrier's Web site that exposed 114,000 email addresses of thousands of iPad users.

Today AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui took aim at Apple in a blog post, noting that the new developer rules banning AdMob from the iPhone are "not in the best interests of users or developers."

In the wake of the media blitz surrounding the iPhone 4 unveiling, a closer look at the initial list of iAd advertisers shows an impressive range of consumer categories. That major brands want to associate themselves with Apple as a brand synonymous with innovation isn't surprising. Neither is getting in on a product launch drawing global media attention.

In the newly unveiled iPhone 4, Apple appears poised to launch a high-end springboard for its forthcoming iAd platform. Initial reaction to the new model is that it represents a significant upgrade to the iPhone 3G S, if not the huge leap forward Apple CEO Steve Jobs described it as in his keynote at the company's Worldwide Developers conference Monday.

This week Google and Apple were all about "openness" as they prepared to plunge more seriously into mobile advertising. Assuming an embrace of openness in operations serves the dual purpose of keeping application developers happy and antitrust regulators at bay.

In data released today, Nielsen found 21% of fans globally who plan to follow the World Cup would track the tournament at least partly on the Internet via their mobile devices and 9% through mobile applications. But given the nearly 5 billion mobile devices globally, and the fact that mobile devices have become the primary means of accessing the Internet, 21% doesn't seem that impressive to me.