Branson launches glossy iPad magazine, ‘Project’
British billionaire Richard Branson has unveiled a glossy magazine designed for Apple Inc.’s iPad, taking on News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch in the race to develop publications for the hot Apple device.
According to Branson, the monthly magazine-‘Project’, will cover entertainment, design, technology and entrepreneurs and will be available for $2.99 a month in Apple’s app store.
Branson, founder of Virgin Group Ltd., is the first to get a publication designed specifically for the iPad off the ground.
According to sources, Murdoch’s News Corp. is creating a subscription news product for the iPad called The Daily†that will cover national general interest news. The company is also planning to introduce the $1-a-week product in the U.S. in the first quarter.
According to Branson, this is not a battle; it’s not a war but is about the future of publishing.
According to Virgin, the product looks like a style magazine and acts like a website, and has been created with U.K. publisher Seven Squared. The publication is headed by Branson’s 29-year-old daughter, Holly Branson, who is special projects manager at Virgin Group, and Editor-in-chief Anthony Noguera, former editor of FHM in the U.K. and Emap East.
Nokia’s launches Ovi Life Tools on Bharti Airtel’s Mobile Service
Nokia and Bharti Airtel have come together to launch Nokia’s Ovi Life Service tool targeted at providing Airtel’s mobile customers with access to significant content on agriculture, education and entertainment. The joint venture between Nokia and Airtel symbolizes a wide scale division model, that plans to empower Indian people with enhanced access to information available in a simple icon based, graphically rich user interface.
With this union, Airtel customers will be able to flawlessly activate Ovi Life Tools across areas with network which is available at affordable prices.
According to Shireesh Joshi, Chief Marketing Officer, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel, this exciting partnership with Nokia, which is first of its kind, extends Airtel’s increasing suite of services focused on India’s Rural & Semi-urban market. The company hopes that Ovi Life Tool becomes a key component of their emerging market portfolio, enabling easy access to information, enhancing productivity & improving the quality of life for the customers.
This service is available on a variety of Nokia handsets, including the popular entry level devices. Customers can avail these services in 11 Indian languages including Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada and Punjabi in addition to English.
LATAM Board members announced by MEF Announces
The results of the election for its inaugural LATAM Board have been announced by The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF).
In order to accelerate the growth of mobile media and entertainment across the region by creating dialogue between the industry and regulators, MEF’s LATAM Chapter was launched in November 2009.
Ron Czerny, CEO of Playphone, who has been elected Chairman of MEF LATAM, expressed his heart felt gratitude and welcomed their very experienced board of directors, a group which represent the interests of the entire mobile entertainment value chain.
According to him, the company will be building upon MEF’s expertise in fostering collaboration between the industry and regulators to promote sustainable business models and ensure that regulation is proportional to protect and grow members’ revenues and safeguard consumers.
A few more important dignitaries included in the MEF LATAM Board are Jorge Partidas, Co-Founder & CEO, WAU M³vil (Vice-Chairman), Rafaela Furtado (Mobile Business Manager, Abril Digital) and Ana Paula Lima (Sales Director VAS, Spring Wireless).
Deutsche Telekom unveils UK Mobile App Store with 15,000 Apps
Deutsche Telekom’s software download portal, softwareload.co.uk has unveiled its UK mobile app store. It contains more than 15,000 mobile app for download.
A visitor can shop for apps which may range from navigation, games, software, business, communication and organizational tools. They can securely install them directly onto their mobile device or via their PC.
According to Dirk Lebzien, Head of Softwareload, consumers and business people alike are using mobile devices far more often for work or entertainment on the move. As a result they’re demanding wider access to exciting new apps to make the most of their mobiles.
In his opinion, with the launch of their UK mobile store on Softwareload.co.uk, shoppers can choose from more than 15,000 software titles that they can quickly and securely install onto their mobile device.
iPhone App now Child’s Play
Kindle Entertainment, an independent production company has come up with an iPhone app version of the CBeebies pre-school show ‘Big and Small’. It will be available in the Apple Store from April 1.
It has been developed by Ace Games in partnership with Kindle. The application features video clips and songs from the series, as well as sound effects from the two main characters, Big and Small.
According to Kindle, the company has targeted the iPhone as a key emerging platform for Big and Small as parents who own the devices often share them with their children. The app features voice of Lenny Henry and Imelda Staunton. the aim of Big and Small is to open young children’s minds to a variety of outlooks and encourage them to appreciate that people have many different ideas and opinions.
Buongiorno Enters Gaming Market
Buongiorno, the world’s biggest mobile entertainment company, has announced its entry into the online and mobile ‘skill games’ market in Italy. The company seeks opportunities in business with the launch of WINGA, which includes a set of skill games, including slot machines, roulette, black jack and baccarat, plus casino, poker and bingo.
The company expects to launch WINGA by the end of Q2 2010 as it has secured a license to operate in the gaming business from the State Monopoly. In order to launch its commercial activities, as soon as the regulatory framework in those countries allows it, the company is also monitoring the evolution of regulatory procedures in other markets where it is already successfully operating in the B2C segment.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Andrea Casalini, the company sees a major opportunity opening up at the international level. After Italy, their target is the developments in gaming regulations in Europe.
