Daily Marauder

WIRELESS

(Below) Bitch slap from Apple to Windows.  As Joey would say, Whoa!

Figures released from research firm Canalys show that Apple’s iPhone in now second only to RIM (Blackberry) in the US smartphone market.  In the 4th quarter of 2007, the iPhone surged to a 28% share of the US converged device market behind RIM’s 41%, but ahead of 3rd third placed Palm on 9%. The iPhone was ahead of all Windows Mobile device vendors combined with a market share of 21%. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/06/iphone-now-in-2nd-place-in-the-us-smartphone-race-3rd-globally  2/6)

Billboard, Wired, and Car & Driver are among the first U.S. magazines to test publishing cellphone-readable barcodes in their pages, giving readers quick access to advertising-supported WAP sites. “The magazine is portable, and the cellphone is too,” notes Hachette exec Olivier Griot. (http://www.foliomag.com/2008/print-magazines-quietly-testing-bar-codes-mobile-phones  2/6)

Facebook took a new step into the mobile realm on Thursday, launching a platform for operators designed to make its social networking application work better on portable devices. (http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/02/07/Facebook-links-up-with-Vodafone-on-mobile-platform_1.html?source=NLC-WIRELESS&cgd=2008-02-07  2/7)

LG will soon bring to market a slim cell phone that has a tactile user interface that also slides out to reveal a keyboard. The company will officially introduce the KF510 to the global market next week. Yahoo!/TechWeb/InformationWeek (2/6)

Israeli startup firm Modu has inked several deals with wireless carriers for a small cell phone that fits into interchangeable “jackets” to become a more functional device. Modu has already signed deals with several service providers, as the company looks to make personalized cell phones more fashionable. (The Boston Globe/Associated Press 2/7)

Nokia on Tuesday invited some phone users to start playing with its delayed new N-Gage gaming service and rebranded its video- and photo-sharing service. (http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/02/05/Nokia-offers-N-Gage_1.html?source=NLC-WIRELESS&cgd=2008-02-07  2/5)