News Corp. bought a majority stake in Jamba, a company that sells ringtones, screensavers and other mobile-phone personalization material. But analysts are split as to whether this is any kind of big deal; Jupiter Research analyst David Card says ringtones are "like, so 2004." This deal is more about distribution than anything else. Teamed with MySpace, Jamba can now easily circumvent one of the problems plaguing mobile content providers: wireless carriers' walled garden of content. Today, if you want to play a game or a video clip on a cell phone, the easiest way to get that content is to …

Most Google acquisitions have been so small as to barely attract notice, and the company has done little to highlight them. Of the 15 post-IPO acquisitions, four are startups specializing in mobile software--a clear indication that Google is quietly planning some sort of assault on the mobile market. Dodgeball.com and Zipdash, Inc. provide social networking and traffic information for mobile phones, while Reqwireless offers a mobile Web browser and email services. Piled together, these acquisitions could help Google move a step closer to the "smart phone" wanted by Larry Page. Analysts say the mobile Web is a natural fit for …

Following the announcement Tuesday that News Corp. would be buying a majority stake in the mobile content company Jamba, Peter Chernin, News Corp. president and COO, speaking at the CTIA Wireless Association conference, proclaimed that mobile "could be one of the greatest media platforms ever created. It could rival television, the Internet and literally anything." He pointed out that what's holding back the mobile-content industry is the cell carriers' control over distribution, which is exactly what some media outlets have said the company's majority stake in Jamba is all about. Lowell McAdam, a Verizon evp and COO, agreed that distributing …

Few tech companies have been hotter over the past year than Akamai Technologies Inc. Akamai makes sure Apple Computers doesn't grind to a halt when it comes to ensuring all those billions of video bytes make their way from Apple's servers to users' machines. The tech company represents the rich profits that can be gleaned from making Web traffic run smoothly, by deploying thousands of scattered servers to ship packets of data efficiently to Web surfers. Akamai's business is booming: It saw sales explode 56 percent in the second quarter, and should see sales top $400 million by year's end. …

The FCC auction of 1,122 licenses, which could end as early as today, may end up being the most successful wireless auction in history--raising some $14 billion. There was a bigger one in 2000, but it was overturned in a legal dispute. "This is the largest amount of spectrum we've ever made available," says FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. And the big winners are the big wireless carriers, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Cingular--which together account for 60 percent of total bids. These companies will use the airwaves to enhance their existing cellular networks, so they can advance services like wireless Internet …

CBS Corp. Chairman Les Moonves is interested in taking the mantle Tom Freston was supposed to assume as chief of Viacom, Inc. and expanding his company's presence online. The goal is the acquisition of the next YouTube-like Web site. "It is obviously phenomenally successful," Moonves said of YouTube. "I doubt we would buy it at this point. But when you see the price YouTube is now demanding, it is pretty phenomenal." Analysts have said the online video leader, which is not on the block, would cost between $2 and $3 billion. Moonves' sights are set on the next big thing; …

Universal Music Group, the world's biggest recording company, could apply legal pressure to YouTube and MySpace after its CEO accused the Web sites of copyright infringement. During a Merrill Lynch investors' conference, UMG chief Doug Morris said: "We believe these new businesses are copyright infringers, and owe us tens of millions of dollars," adding ominously: "How we deal with these companies will be revealed shortly." Sound like legal action? You bet it does. "This could be the first salvo from a content player against business models based on user-generated content, much of which relies on copyrighted material," Merrill Lynch analyst …

If you're a big brand, you've probably noticed if you've got a page on Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia created and edited by the masses. Wikipedia is getting some serious usage these days. So serious, in fact, that the Wikipedia page for many brands, famous people, CEOs and global destinations frequently appears in the top 10 search results when Web users search on Google. The Wikipedia page for Home Depot, for example, is currently listed fifth when you search for the retailer. Among other things, you learn from the entry that there were several cases in which illegal drugs were found …

Keen to compete with Bill Gates in absolutely everything, Google's now getting into philanthropy. It's setting up a new company with $1 billion in funding to tackle issues like poverty, disease and global warming. But there's a twist. Google also stands to benefit from its efforts. Google.org, as the company is known, will be a for-profit enterprise, allowing it to fund startups, form partnerships with venture capitalists and even lobby Congress. As one of its projects, the organization is setting out to develop an ultra-fuel-efficient, plug-in hybrid car engine that runs on gasoline, electricity and ethanol. It has already purchased …

It used to be that a TV commercial lasted only as long as its campaign cycle. But with the Web, there are now various ways in which consumers can watch TV ads long after the election is over. Consumers (or company PR reps) upload the more clever TV spots to sites like YouTube or Google Video. Others, like AdvertisementAve.com and Adcritic.com, actually collect and archive TV ads for posterity. Marketers, of course, also keep their ads--as do agencies, which want to show off their work. Bud Light even allows visitors to its Web site to email ads to friends or …