The age of in-flight internet connectivity is here, but it’s going to cost you a pretty penny. Depending on how long and when you’re flying the friendly skies, airborne WiFi service is going to dent your wallet for around $10. But, you’ll be glad to know that GoGo is offering 30% off on your next jaunt on GoGo Inflight Internet. We just got an email in our inbox, letting us know that you can get online while in the air for about a third less than normal.
Next time you connect to GoGo WiFi, make sure to enter “2trywifi” in the promo code field. You’ll save 30% off your session. The offer is good through April 7, 2010, so if you’re traveling between now and then, you’ve got a good reason to stay connected.
The LinkedIn one seems like a natural fit and you’ll be able to send messages, check status updates, and do what you expect from this type of program. It’s interesting that Twitter is also being put into this category, and it shows just how far the service has come in such a short time. I don’t think there’s much doubt anymore that Twitter can be an effective business tool and this move just cements that sentiment. The Twitter app looks like it will enable you to tweet, search, direct message, retweet and more.
No word on what RIM means by “almost here,” but it shouldn’t take too long to roll out. Oh, follow us at @Intomobile and me at @marinperez.
In a bit of shocking news, it looks like MySpace is the most popular social networking application on the Android Market.
MySpace also said its apps is the third most-popular app overall for Android Market and it attributes this success to the deep integration with the operating system.
“We also allow users to set MySpace photos as background wallpaper on their phone’s home screen,” MySpace said on its blog. “Close integration with the native Android camera contributes to the customized experience and makes it easy for MySpace users to take, upload and share pictures of their friends out having fun.”
I’ve used the app before and it is well-done, but I have no friends still using MySpace. I thought it had been relegated to bands and perverts, but I guess I’m wrong. The Fox-owned network did have the first-mover advantage because it has been on the platform since about launch, while an official Facebook app didn’t come until much later. It will be interesting to watch if MySpace can keep up this performance in a year or two.
You knew it was only a matter of time before YouTube mobile had ads and so it’s not a big surprise that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) said advertisers can now buy space on the mobile version of the popular video service.
Thanksfully, the ads on the mobile version don’t appear very intrusive and it will be sold on a daily basis for YouTubers on the go in Japan and the United States. I also rarely visit the mobile site – I just watch videos directly – so this won’t have a big impact on my daily life.
The move makes complete because Google needs better ways to monetize YouTube and people using their handsets to watch videos are a prime target for advertisers.
“This is a great way for advertisers to reach YouTube viewers across multiple platforms,” YouTube said on its blog. “In fact, at launch YouTube will immediately provide one of the largest audiences for a mobile ad campaign anywhere on the mobile web. And because YouTube mobile attracts early adopters, the site can deliver to advertisers a coveted demographic of tech trendsetters.”
YouTube watchers on Symbian and Windows Mobile will want to update their applications to 2.4, as the latest version includes suggested search results, account support so you can access favourites and subscriptions, and a redesigned home screen. While the account support lets you to access everything you’ve established on a PC, I’m curious if you could mark favourites, add subscriptions, or leave comments; if not, they would be nice features for a future release.
The European Commission has informed Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) and France Telecom that it has granted clearance for the proposed merger of their UK-business operations – otherwise known as T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) UK, and Orange UK, respectively. The implementation of the integration measures can start immediately, with the closing of the transaction expected in Spring.
Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom offered to divest 2×15 MHz of their joint GSM spectrum (1800 MHz) by the end of 2011. Of the divested spectrum 2×10 MHz needs to be cleared by 30 September 2013 at the latest and further 2×5 MHz need to be cleared by 30 September 2015 at the latest. In addition, the existing network sharing deal with 3UK, owned by Hong Kong based Hutchison Whampoa, was reinforced.
For those of you in to financials:
The new joint venture company is expected to generate estimated synergies with a net present value in excess of 4.0 billion euros (£3.5 billion). This continues to remain the case. The new business will have pro forma 2009 revenues of approximately 8.5 billion euros (£7.57 billion) and EBITDA of 1.55 billion euros (£1.38 billion).
The board of the new joint venture company will have balanced representation from Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom. The T-Mobile and Orange UK brands will continue to operate in the UK for at least 18 months after the completion of the transaction.
With a combined customer base of around 29.5 million the new joint venture company will be the number one player in the UK mobile market and it will be in a stronger position to invest in innovative services and to exploit new technologies. It will offer major customer benefits, including expanded network coverage, enhanced network quality for 2G and 3G services, providing the platform for unparalleled mobile broadband offers as well as better customer proximity through a larger network of own shops and improved customer services.
But there’s only one question on my mind – what are they going to call it? The two names don’t fit together like the singular names that the press find for many celebrity couples, so could we eventually see a complete rebrand? If so the wowzer, that’s going to be an expensive exercise!
AppSpy is a new web site specializing in iPhone gaming needs. AppSpy aggregates App prices for games and alerts iPhone App users when such applications become free. The cleverest function of AppSpy is the price tracking feature. Price Tracking is a great way of getting the games you want without having to pay the high prices of a newly released game. App prices generally fluctuate soon after a mobile game releases. Price Tracker allows the user to tag the desired App for tracking and be informed of any price reductions and take advantage of ‘one-day only free’ promotions.
In addition to being alerted when prices drop, users can read and watch quality reviews of all the new games, while gathering information on the latest iPhone gaming news.
AppSpy has a team of enthusiastic iPhone gamers who play and review the latest release games from across all categories in the AppStore. There are up to six game reviews released a day, including full video reviews which demonstrate actual game play. All videos are linked to AppSpy’s YouTube channel. Reviews include a list of pros and cons, verdict, screenshots and a 1 to 5 rating system.
The AppSpy news team keeps an eye on all upcoming game releases, product launches and technological advances for their users – so if this sounds like something that floats your boat, check out AppSpy here.
There’s some disturbing news coming out of CareerBuilder, as a recent survey found more than half of workers with smartphones use the device while in the bathroom, or while driving.
Of the 5,200 workers surveyed, 54% said they check their smartphone while driving and 57% use these devices while in the restroom. I can’t lie – I’ve done both. The rest of the survey shouldn’t be too surprising for those of us who use smartphones as business tools. It also found 62% check during meals, 60% check while on vacation, 18% check while on a date (guilty), 11% check while at church, and 50% check while lying in bed at night.
“It is challenging for workers to maintain a good work/life balance when they are constantly connected to the office, so turning their devices off is important for their health and safety,” said CareerBuilder’s Rosemary Haefner in a prepared statement. “The lines between work and life can be very blurry these days … To reduce burnout and avoid potentially risky behavior, workers should allot technology-free time when away from work.”
Alright IntoMobile readers, where’s the worst place you’ve checked your smartphone?
Casual games platform provider Oberon Media has announced that it has continued its efforts to bring social functionality features to casual games by launching connected features in download games. This builds on the success the company has gained leveraging these features in Smartphone and online games and highlights Oberon’s aggressive push to bring social connectivity to game experiences on every platform as part of their 2010 strategy.
The connected social features allow players to link to their social network through Facebook Connect, see friends who are also playing the game, suggest the game to others and share achievements as they are earned in-game. Players can take advantage of these features in City Sights: Hello Seattle and Paradise Quest, both published by I-play, Oberon Media’s publishing division.
Following this initial release, Oberon will optimize a platform experience that will be rolled out to their Game Center partners and allow for creation of “premium social” games. Oberon is also working with developer partners to test their new SDK that further leverages this new functionality and will continue to introduce these capabilities to global developer partners in the next quarter.
“Oberon’s massive footprint of users, games and platform presence represents a tremendous opportunity to leverage social graphs integration on a large scale.” Ofer Leidner, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Oberon Media, commented, “This can be done through enabling a large number of existing games to become more social across many platforms or through creating games designed around the social graph from the start, but optimized for platforms outside of Facebook.com.”
It’s difficult to envisage the tighter integration of casual gaming and social networking as something that won’t happen – with the momentum that each of these trends has, we can, and perhaps should, expect that even pick-up-and-play titles will have native social integration in the near future.
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) today announced that their browser-based Maps will be including bicycling directions, on top of existing car, public transit and walking directions. Dedicated bike paths are in dark green, while bike-friendly routes are marked in light green, and passable ones are dotted green lines. While bicycle directions are restricted to those visiting maps.google.com for now, the press release says rather distinctly that “a mobile version is planned”. How long that will take, exactly, is anybody’s guess. Considering all of the data is being implemented as a separate layer, a mechanism already supported by BlackBerry, S60, and Windows Mobile, one would assume it wouldn’t be hard to do.
Google has already done a lot for navigation and directions on mobile, most recently with Navigation on Android, which managed to single-handedly destroy the traditional PND market. The bicycle directions feature is more in tune with Google’s numerous green initiatives, and given their recently-relaunched philanthropy site, I think we can expect more eco-centric mobile apps in the future.
