Mobile voice revenues will reach their peak during next year, generating $580 billion in revenues, after which they are likely to start declining, according to ABI Research. By 2014, mobile voice revenues will have contracted by 9.6%, due to increased competition. On the other hand, total mobile data services should generate $169 million in 2009 and will grow at a CAGR of 9% until 2014.

By the end of 2009, the declines in annual ARPU will be felt most severely in Asia-Pacific (-8.7% to $105) and Africa (-7.8% to $134). North America’s ARPU, however, will decline for only 0.6% to $526, due to increased use of mobile Internet among the consumers.

As for the capital expenditures, it’s recession out there, so we’re not surprised they’ll shrink 5% in 2009 to $132.5 billion. This is not to say carriers are not investing in infrastructure — quite the contrary, they do spend on core network and radio access network upgrades to support higher data throughput…

Additional details are available on ABI Research’s website.

I’m not sure just how “mobile” this news is, but it’s interesting nonetheless. The company called Kirusa has launched the Call-n-Tweet service, which allows Twitter users to send Voice Tweets (short audio snippets) to update their Twitter status!

The service is still in alpha and is available to U.S. residents, only, but we expect it grow, considering just how popular Twitter is these days.

Here’s how it works:

• Sign up at callntweet.com.
• Then when you want to update your Twitter status, simply call +1 212-796-6975, speak a tweet and hang up.
• Your status on twitter.com is automatically updated with a URL link to the voice tweet. A follower can click on the link to hear the voice tweet and comment on it.
• Additionally, you can search for interesting audio clips, rate and comment on them at callntweet.com.

Now, the perfect thing would be to include some voice-to-text technology to the mix and eventually enable Skype calls. But that’s another story…

It’s been a long time since I noticed an interesting iPhone case. Now I spotted a new one called BackFlip which comes with a 2-way kickstand that works both horizontally AND vertically. Meaning it allows you to watch your beloved handset in portrait and landscape mode, which is cool.

Here are usage scenarios according to the company which makes the case:

• Flip it Out sideways for watching movies and videos
• Flip it Up for calls, texts, and just about every other application
• Flip it Back to put in your pocket or purse

I like it! And before I let you go, it’s worth adding that we’ll see more BackFlip cases released during 2010 which will be made for other devices, iPod Touch and Moto Droid/Milestone included.

Mobile advertising network ZestADZ doesn’t want to miss the Android boat, hence they’ve launched the Android SDK Beta Program, allowing Android app developers to monetize their work by displaying ads.

Apparently the code ZestADZ is providing is super optimized and will take only a fraction of memory. Developers can request up to 5 ads at one time.

At the moment, SDK supports Android 1.5 only, but the updated version that includes Android 1.6 and 2.0 support is coming soon. Also coming soon is the full featured analytics feature, which is currently in beta… Additional details are available from a dedicated page on ZestADZ’ website, from where you can also sign-up and grab the SDK.

While doing some poking around in the BlackBerryOS forums today, I happened to notice something disappointing… especially for the good folks residing in Israel. Seems as though BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) App World is no longer available in the country. Paid apps disappeared first, and now, apparently free apps aren’t available either. Strange.

I know there is quite a BlackBerry community over in Israel, so this news just flat out sucks if you’re packin’ a BB and are looking for new apps. If any BlackBerry users in the country could comment or shed some light on this situation, it would be much appreciated.

Looking for an LG KEYBO or Shine at a new low price? Koodo up in Canada has thrown these two devices on their ‘refreshed’ list… When I say ‘refreshed’, I really mean ‘refurbished’, because that’s what these units are. If you don’t mind using someone else’s trash (OK, maybe that’s just a tad harsh), and are OK with some minor cosmetic dents and scratches, both of these LG beauties are going for $100 outright. You save $75. Not bad.

You can check out all the details over at the Koodo Bargain Bin.

Update: Looks like the KEYBO is nowhere to be found in the bargain bin. Guess they sold out (that’s my guess!)

[Via: MobileSyrup]

So, now that I’ve touched a bit on some BlackBerry app deals for Turkey Day (and beyond)… it’s time to share some iPhone app love. The folks at Gameloft are celebrating Thanksgiving (and Black Friday) with decent sales on some of their more popular games.

Available now through Sunday the 29th, Gameloft has the following games up for grabs, for only $0.99:

• Terminator Salvation
• Shrek Kart
• Blades of Fury
• Real Tennis 2009
• Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes
• Castle of Magic
• Hero of Sparta

I have to admit, I’ve only tried out Real Tennis 2009. It was pretty darn good, and I expect the other titles to be solid as well. To check ‘em out for yourself, hit up the App Store.

Bplay is kicking off the Thanksgiving holiday ’shopping season’ with a ‘7 Days of Deals’ promotion. As each day passes, a new deal is revealed. The first day featured a buy one get one free offer… Buy EA Sports Madden NFL 10 for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM), and you get the Space Slideshow theme for free. Be sure to check the 7 Days of Deals page each and every day to see what the latest deal is. Me thinks the deals are going to get better as time goes by, no?

Again, here’s that link. Happy Thanksgiving!

I couldn’t resist. A very Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends and colleagues. Gobble, gobble!

Shazam has announced the availability of its (PRODUCT)REDTM Special Edition App on the App Store. New iPhone and iPod touch users who download the (SHAZAM)RED App, or existing users who upgrade, will have access to the same fantastic music discovery features as the recently launched Shazam Encore along with updated content related to (RED)™. For each app purchased 20% of the price is contributed to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. (RED) funds are directed to HIV and AIDS programs in Africa.

(RED) is a simple idea that transforms the collective power of shoppers into a financial force that helps those affected by AIDS in Africa. The goal of (RED) is to create both awareness and a sustainable flow of money from corporations into the Global Fund. Shazam is the first mobile app developer to link up with (RED) and joins several iconic brands including American Express, Apple, Bugaboo, Converse, Dell, Emporio Armani, Gap, Hallmark and Starbucks.

The (SHAZAM)RED Special Edition App can be identified by its unique and specially designed red-coloured product icon. The app itself will include the same enhanced feature set, newly redesigned look and user interface as the recently launched Shazam Encore App to give the user the ultimate music journey experience. (SHAZAM)RED users will enjoy unlimited song tagging, music recommendations, access to Shazam music charts to keep up with what’s hot and popular in music around the world and the ability to search music by artists, album or track. While driving, users can dock their iPhone or iPod touch to enter car mode and still discover whatever song is playing on the radio. (SHAZAM)RED will also include a dedicated tab linking to a web page featuring more about the impact of (RED) plus associated products and events.

Like Shazam Encore, the (SHAZAM)RED Special Edition App will initially launch in eight languages across twenty-two global markets and is available for the same price of £2.99/ €3.99/ $4.99, depending on location, from the App Store.  All existing Shazam and new users will have the option to upgrade to (SHAZAM)RED.