Apple reveals iPhone software development kit

Pretty much as expected, Apple has revealed the iPhone SDK: a software package that will enable application developers to create programs for the Apple iPhone. The iPhone developer tools are based on the company's existing 'Cocoa' tools for developing Mac software. Developers can download a free version of the beta iPhone software development kit, although the full version of the kit will not be available until June. In addition, Apple announced a deal with Microsoft that will soon enable iPhones to work with Microsoft's Exchange business email software. It also said business iPhone users will be able to access virtual private networks, which allows companies to give their staff mobile access to internal computer systems. [Sources: Macworld.com, WSJ.com]

Americans love their mobile phones

Pew Research, which provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world, has just released a new study that says the majority of all Americans are part of a wireless, mobile population. In a December 2007 survey they found that 58% of adult Americans had used a mobile phone or PDA for non-voice data activity - and 41% of adult Americans had logged onto the internet with a wireless laptop connection or a handheld device. Overall, this gave a total of 62% using digital mobile services. When asked how hard it would be to give up a specific type of technology, the majority said it would be their mobile phone, followed by the internet, TV, and fixed-line telephone. In 2o06, the number one technology was fixed-line phone, followed by TV and then mobile.

Lamp-posts get padding to protect texters

Spot the publicity stunt. Lamp-posts in London's Brick Lane have been padded to protect mobile phone users from 'walking and texting' injuries. The experiment has been arranged by the Living Streets charity after research by directory enquiries company 118 118 found that 10% of us had hurt ourselves while looking at a mobile phone screen. [Sources: ITN.co.uk, Engadget.com, Cellular-News.com]

Hiccup for Virgin's mobile plans in India

The Virgin Group's new mobile phone partnership with Tata Indicom (announced last week) could be illegal, according to the Cellular Operators Association of India. Tata has just launched a mobile phone service using the Virgin brand. Mobile Virtual Networks - buying mobile services from a network and then reselling them - are not permitted in India, although Virgin insists it is running a franchise, not a MVNO. The Indian Department of Telecommunication is apparently investigating the complaint. [Sources: TimesOnline.co.uk; original PDF press release]

2.6 billion mobile tickets by 2011

Over 2.6 billion tickets worth almost $87 billion (£43 billion) will be sent to mobile phones by 2011, according to a new study from Juniper Research. The main users of the new technology are expected to be transport and entertainment organisations, with on-screen barcodes and Near Field Communication devices both being used. [Press release]

Mobile advertising is working

A new report from Nielsen Mobile reveals that 23% of mobile customers in the USA have seen mobile advertising in the past 30 days - and half of those people have responded to the ad. Nielsen Mobile's Mobile Advertising Report also says text messaging is the most popular way of responding to ads, with 26% of those who saw an advertisement having responded at least once via SMS. The 13 to 17 age group was most likely to remember mobile ads. [Sources: MediaWeek.com, Reuters,]

New edition of 'The Fonecast' now online

This week's free edition of The Fonecast, a weekly downloadable podcast about the mobile industry (in partnership with Mobile News), is now available to download from TheFonecast.com. Our main feature is an interview with Jez Harris about the new Orange commission clawback changes that'll affect dealers. There's a quick look at the new Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot camera phone - and you'll also discover the latest mobile industry news and gossip. Each broadcast can be downloaded by including us in your RSS reader, by using iTunes, by visiting TheFonecast.com or by visiting the Mobile News website.

Google Gears goes mobile

Google has created a mobile version of Google Gears, which allows customers to use online services when there's no internet connection. The mobile version, which currently only works on Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices, will let people keep using web services even when there's no mobile coverage. [Google blog]

Acer buying Glofiish smart phone manufacturer E-Ten

I.T. manufacturer Acer has said it plans to buy PDA and smart phone manufacturer E-Ten for NT$9 billion (around £146 million). Both companies are based in Taiwan. E-Ten is best known for its Glofiish handset range, although has also made products for other companies. [Press release]

No VAT for charity texts

Donations made to charity via premium-rated text messages are not subject to VAT. That's the response from the Treasury following a campaign by Vir2 Ltd, an SMS-based marketing company, and Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten. [Press release]

Mobile users not taking security precautions

Online security company F-Secure says over three-quarters of mobile phone users are aware that their mobile devices can be infected by viruses via Bluetooth but don't have any security software. Researchers contacted 1,169 mobile users in January across the USA, Canada, UK, France and Germany. On average, 28% of respondents said they used their mobile device to access the internet, with 86% saying they had no mobile security. The UK was above average for internet access, with 47% of users going online with their mobile device. When it came to security, only 21% of users regarded Bluetooth connections safe and 15% said WiFi connections were safe.

Vodafone demonstrates image-based web search

The New York Times reports that Vodafone has been demonstrating Otello, its image-based internet search engine, at the CeBIT technology show. Instead of entering words, users send a picture from their mobile phone and receive information about the image. However, Reuters points out that the service failed to identify German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Microsoft and Nokia working together

Nokia says it plans to bring the Microsoft Silverlight enhanced browsing service to its Symbian-powered S60 menu system, as well as Series 40 devices and Nokia Internet tablets. Microsoft Silverlight is a cross-platform browser plug-in that allows a variety of multimedia features to run within a standard web browser. [S60.com press release]

Yahoo! announces new mobile internet service

Yahoo! has announced a new mobile service called onePlace, which organises personalised information using your mobile phone's browser. Everything is kept up to date automatically, whether news feeds, websites, videos, images, email or search queries. The Yahoo! onePlace content management service is expected to launch by summer 2008. [PDF press release]

Mitsubishi to leave mobile phone industry

Mitsubishi Electric has said it'll stop developing and producing mobile phones due to declining market profitability in Japan - after 25 years of handset manufacturing. The company currently provides handsets to Japan's NTT DoCoMo. [PDF press release]

Ofcom updates Sitefinder cell site database

Ofcom has reached an agreement with 3, O2, Orange, Vodafone, Airwave and Network Rail (but not T-Mobile) to publish the location of GSM, TETRA and UMTS mobile phone base stations on its Sitefinder web site. The regulator says it anticipates a High Court hearing about its legal obligation to reveal full details of the database, which led to the networks withdrawing their support last year.

3G Apple iPhone in June 2008?

There could be a 3G version of Apple's iPhone on sale in June, according to a variety of recent reports. Most of the speculation centres on German chip maker Infineon Technologies, which makes parts for the current iPhone and is said to be swapping its EDGE manufacturing for 3G. [Sources: CNNMoney.com, AppleInsider.com]

T-Mobile blocking access to Nokia's Ovi service?

T-Mobile could stop selling any Nokia handsets that offer access to Nokia's Ovi online multimedia service, according to a report in German magazine WirtschaftsWoche. T-Mobile Germany is reported to have dropped 5 Nokia phones from its range in the last five weeks, currently offering 10 Nokia phones - none of which support Ovi services. The two companies are apparently in negotiations about Ovi. [Source: Cellular-News.com]

4G customers to exceed 90 million by 2013

There'll be more than 90 million people using 4G technology for their mobile services by 2013, according to ABI Research.

Yet another excessive data bill

The Sunday Times reports on a Vodafone customer who ended up with a £11,000 bill after downloading episodes of the TV sitcom Friends via a mobile phone. The customer's wife started downloading the programmes while in the UK but, when the download was still in progress, her husband travelled to Germany. The download automatically resumed at international rates when the customer connected to the network in Germany.