You may think Samsung should close its own mobile app store, but honestly – there’s no reason for doing so with the rising number of Bada smartphone owners. To be fair, they [Bada smartphone owners] are just a fraction of Android or iPhone users, but they represent a respectable market nevertheless. Moreover, Samsung Apps is…
French Chess Grandmasters caught using text messages to cheat [Is nothing sacred anymore?]
The game of chess is more than 500 years old and is one of the most beautiful ways ever created to keep your mind sharp. Players all over the world sit in front of a board with 64 squares, 32 pieces, and strategically move them with the goal of defeating the opponent’s king. Ever since…
Bling Nation expands FanConnect to Austin
After Chicago, San Francisco and Palo Alto, mobile payments provider Bling Nation is extending its FanConnect social rewards program to the Austin area, allowing businesses to connect with their customers through rewards platform on Facebook. Among the local businesses already participating, we find such companies as Dominican Joe, Jeanie’s Java, Portable, Silver Grill, Simply Fit…
Augmented reality technology provider Total Immersion raises $5.5 million in a round led by Intel Capital
Augmented reality technology and service provider Total Immersion announced that it has secured $5.5 million in a funding round led by Intel Capital joined by existing investors Partech, iSource and Elaia Partners. The company will use the new money to further develop its D’Fusion platform and to drive new usage of augmented reality for end-users.…
LiMo 4 device class specifications ready for prime time; First devices expected to ship in H1 2011
LiMo Foundation — a global consortium of mobile operators, device and technology vendors which seems to be desperately fighting for its place under the Sun — approved the four classes of devices that will “underpin the commercial launch of LiMo 4 devices” in the market. The four classes of devices mentioned include flagship smartphones, mid-tier…
Expedia Hotels coming soon to the AppStore
Expedia.com will soon launch the Expedia Hotels app for iPhone and iPod Touch, with a promise to give travelers an “intuitive, quick way to research, filter and book hotel rooms” from their mobile device. The upcoming application comes on the heels of the company’s recent acquisition of Mobiata, and is said to be the “first…
UK: Proposed law would let teachers confiscate their students’ mobile phone and go through it
Trouble is brewing in the United Kingdom due to the proposed Education Bill for England that would allow teachers to search students, confiscate their mobile phone, and even go through their phone in order to find evidence of any misconduct. Everyone is of course outraged, with the NASWUT (National Association of Schoolmasters / Union of…
Square Enix opens “Hippos Lab” to work exclusively on games for mobile phones
Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, two of the largest franchises in gaming history, were both born at Square Enix. The Japanese firm knows games and they’ve been making a pretty penny by porting over their existing titles to Apple’s iPhone, but now they feel that it’s time to come up with something a bit more…
World’s first mobile money life insurance pilot launched in Ghana, Africa
International insurance group Hollard Insurance and mobile financial services enabler MFS Africa launched what they say is the world’s first mobile money insurance service, mi-Life. Available through MTN Ghana‘s Mobile Money, the new service provides users with the opportunity to buy life insurance via their mobile phones. Moreover, there are options to initiate claims, queries…
Jabra FREEWAY speakerphone rocks 3 speakers, HD Voice Ready technology
Jabra used the CTIA to announce the FREEWAY, its new speakerphone that features three speaker system along with HD Voice Ready, ensuring “superior audio quality” on both ends of a phone call. The company said the FREEWAY is good both for using inside and outside the car, and for calls as well as listening to…