Sure to represent another nail in Research In Motion's coffin, Bank of America and Citigroup could soon let employees use Apple's iPhone as an alternative to RIM's BlackBerry for corporate e-mail. Sources tell Bloomberg that the corporate titans are testing software for the iPhone, which is designed to make it secure enough for company messages. "The tests are the latest sign that RIM may be losing its tight grip on the corporate smartphone market," Bloomberg explains. "Companies are experimenting with alternatives, including the iPhone and devices that use Google Inc.'s Android software, as their workers adopt those …

Call it "Clash Of The Data Titans," or, "Over My Dead Data," or, maybe, "Hoarders: The Data Edition." Whatever they call the Hollywood adaptation, the story boils down to Google and Facebook butting heads over that most precious digital commodity: data.   Fed up with Facebook hoarding consumer data, Google is now demanding reciprocity from any service (read: Facebook) that wishes to access its Contacts API, which helps users import their contacts' email addresses into another service. "It's a you-show-me-yours-and-I'll-show-you-mine move that comes at a time when the two Web behemoths are locked in …

Watch out Amazon and eBay, because Google is ready to take its existing online shopping service to a whole new level. As The Wall Street Journal reports, Google is adding various new features to Google Product Search, which, for one, aim to make it easier for users to find "soft goods" like clothes. To improve its shopping service, Google is relying on image-recognition, "visual search" technology from comparison-shopping site Like.com, which Google acquired back in August. According to The Journal, "The search feature helps shoppers look for goods based on color and other physical attributes." If all …

It looks like the heady days of skyrocketing tech IPO's are back -- or at least for some international investors. On its first day of trading, investors sent the newly minted stock of Mail.Ru Group soaring on the London Stock Exchange. At least for the moment, the largest Internet company in the Russian-speaking world is now worth about $5.7 billion. The global implications are clear as Mail.Ru presently owns a small stake in Facebook, and, according to The Wall Street Journal, "now seeks to capitalize on advantages over international competitors in the country's growing online market." Strategist …

In the early 1990s, Yale professor David Gelernter published "Mirror Worlds," which basically predicted that mankind would create a super-accurate digital version of reality. Two decades later, The Economist believes we're well on our way, but without any 'real' or 'virtual' grasp of the highly-profound implications. "The real and the digital worlds are converging, thanks to a proliferation of connected sensors and cameras, ubiquitous wireless networks, communications standards and the activities of humans themselves," The Economist writes. "This convergence may not be instantly discernible, because it is happening in many places at once and is often not …

Hulu's Plus subscription service on Thursday got rid of its invite-only requirement, and became widely available nationwide. Hoping to further accelerate adoption, Sony's Playstation 3 is expected to being offering the premium video streaming service next week. "All PS3 owners with a PlayStation Network account, which is free, will be able to download and subscribe to Hulu Plus," Hulu's Rob Wong said in a statment. "This will also coincide with an updated PS3 application that incorporates some of the feedback we've received to date." As Wired.com notes, "Hulu Plus first became available as an app for the PS3 in …

It's a rite of passage for every would-be tech giant to establish a presence in our country's capital. Joining the likes of Google and Facebook, Twitter has just hired its first government liaison, reports TechCrunch. Adam Sharp will be joining the company to help the "government better communicate with constituents," according to a tweet by Twitter employee Katie Jacobs Stanton -- which has since been confirmed by Sharp. Sharp's official title will be Manager, Government and Political Partnerships, the micro-blogging leader tells TechCrunch. Sharp comes from C-SPAN, where, as the executive producer of digital services, he …

A not-insignificant 37% of publishers say they expect mobile to significantly impact their revenue in just two years, according to a survey from the Audit Bureau of Circulations and ABC Interactive. What's more, the number of respondents who believe digital delivery is important to their strategic future is up from 55% to 65% year-over-year. That said, far more -- 78% -- don't believe that their publications will be delivered in digital-only format even five years from now. Also, as Folio Magazine points out, while Apple is listed as the number one e-reader manufacturer in the ABC survey, only 19% …

Gurtej Sandhu is on his way out as Times Newspapers' digital director, paidContent is reporting. This after Sandhu was brought on to relaunch the News Corp titles as paid digital products in January. Next stop? No word yet, but paidContent said to expect an announcement before February. Prior to his work for Times Newspapers, Sandhu served as SVP of new media and information technology at News Corp's Star TV channel in India. "His departure coincides with the completion of The Times project's big first phase and with Tuesday's disclosure of its sales figures for the first four …

Location, location, location. As many tech watchers, entrepreneurs, and investors insist, location-based services may represent the next frontier for digital media. Yet, according to new findings from the Pew Research Center, few consumers know it yet. "The number of people using location-based services like Foursquare and Gowalla remains small, and does not appear to be growing," writes The New York Times, citing Pew's data. On your average day, a measly 1% of adult U.S. consumers are presently using location-sharing services, according to the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life …