Telefonica launches single pan-European mobile data tariff (Europe)
Telefónica banishes bill shock with the announcement of its first standard pan-European data roaming tariff – giving smartphone customers 25MB of high-speed Internet usage anywhere across the 27 European Union member states for just $2.54 a day.
Telefónica’s EU-wide tariff means mobile customers – on Movistar or O2 networks – will no longer have to worry about the cost of sending or receiving emails, updating their Facebook status or browsing the web on their smartphones when travelling or holidaying abroad.
For $2.54 a day, Telefónica is giving its smartphone customers travelling in the EU a data volume of 25 Megabytes – which translates to 250 visits to essential websites like Facebook, Twitter, Google or BBC Online and up to 500 emails.
Additionally, customers will only pay for days they choose to use data, and will not be charged should they wish to switch off their phone.
The Telefónica tariff weighs in at a fraction of new price caps announced by the European UnionFacebook, Twitter, Google – which ruled that as of 1 July, one data megabyte should cost no more than $0.9, or $22.25 for 25 MB. On a per megabyte basis, Telefónica’s European tariff works out considerably cheaper than the EU’s regulated rate.
José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman and CEO of Telefónica Europe, said that users no longer need to switch off their smartphones when travelling within the EU, and neither do they need to worry about bill shock when they get home. Further, their European data tariff gives smartphone customers great value while allowing them to do what really matters – to stay connected wherever they are in a simple and transparent way and with complete peace of mind.
Smartphone customers use on average around 6MB in a day, but any Telefónica customers exceeding 25 MB will be immediately notified. The Pan-European tariff launched in Germany in May and will be available this summer to O2 and Movistar customers in Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Nokia unveils new mobile phones for faster internet experience (Pakistan)
Nokia has unveiled two new mobile phone models as it continues to accelerate its strategy to connect the next billion consumers to information and the internet. The Nokia 110 and Nokia 112 have been designed to appeal to young, urban consumers who want to experience a fast, affordable online experience.
Both devices are perfect for communicating across Facebook, Twitter and social media networks. The internet experience is also smooth thanks to the Nokia Browser. This innovative technology allows users to consume less data by up to 90 percent, by compressing websites in the cloud. Both devices offer direct access to Facebook and Twitter from their home screens. The Nokia 112 also features preloaded eBuddy instant messaging service right out of the box, so users can use popular chat services to keep conversations going 24/7.
In common with other Nokia mobile phones, consumers can choose from thousands of apps to download on the Nokia Store. With the upgraded camera, they can now customize their contacts with pictures, and share them with friends via social networks and Bluetooth.
Mary T. McDowell, executive vice president, Mobile Phones, Nokia, said that today’s mobile phone users want a quick internet experience that allows them to discover great content and share it with their friends – but without being held back by high data costs. The new Nokia 110 and Nokia 112 devices combine browsing, social media, apps, world-class entertainment and long battery life to create a great package for young, urban consumers who want to do it all.
The devices all feature a generous 1.8″ display optimized for a great gaming experience. In the coming months, the Nokia 110 and Nokia 112 will bring free 40 key EA Games, valued at EUR 75 if bought separately, including well known titles like Tetris, Bejeweled, Need for Speed(TM) The Run, Monopoly Here & Now, and SimCity(TM) Deluxe. Consumers will be able to easily access the content by clicking on the Games Gift EA icon on their home screen which will take them to the Nokia Store to download the games. Once they have accessed the offering, they will have 60 days to download the games of their choice, keeping the games forever.
Both new phones offer an improved VGA camera for sharp and clear pictures with support for up to 32GB of external memory, enough for more than 6000+ songs or 90,000 pictures. Consumers can tune into their favorite radio stations and share their favorite songs with friends over Bluetooth. The phones have been optimized to provide a long-lasting battery life, with over 10 hours of talk time and nearly a month’s standby, meaning that consumers can stay in-touch and entertained all day long.
The Nokia 110 and Nokia 112 are both Dual SIM phones, featuring the benefits of Nokia’s unique and industry leading Easy Swap technology. This enables users to switch between SIMs quickly without having to remove their battery or turn off their phone. The Easy Swap technology can personalize and remember up to five different SIM cards, giving consumers full control over their costs.
The Nokia 110 will also be available as single SIM versions - Nokia 111 and Nokia 113, with this last one available in Europe and Eurasia only. The estimated retail price for Nokia 110 and its single SIM versions is about $45 and they are expected to start shipping in the second quarter of 2012. The estimated retail price for Nokia 112 is about $49, excluding taxes and subsidies, and is expected to start shipping in the third quarter of 2012.
RIM introduces the BlackBerry Curve 9320 (Canada)
Research In Motion announced a stylish new smartphone for socially-connected customers. The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone features all the core BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features that keep people connected, and it offers global 3G connectivity backed by long battery life to allow users to make the most of their day.
Carlo Chiarello, EVP, Smartphone Business at Research In Motion, said that the new BlackBerry Curve 9320 is designed to make it incredibly easy for users to stay socially-connected. The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be especially popular with customers upgrading to a smartphone for the first time and existing Curve customers looking for a step up in speed and functionality.
The BlackBerry Curve 9320 has everything a customer needs to stay in touch with the people and things that matter most to them. It features a dedicated BBM key, bringing the power of RIM’s popular mobile social network up in an instant, as well as the best keyboard in its class for quick and easy typing. It includes a built-in FM radio, allowing users to tune into their favorite local stations, and listening to the FM radio does not require a data plan or use data services. Designed to allow both 3G connectivity and long battery life, customers can get up to 7 hours of talk time or up to 30 hours of FM radio listening or music playback with headphones.
Customers can easily interact with their social network in real time, using preloaded apps for Facebook and Twitter. The new Social Feeds 2.0 app is also preloaded, allowing users to post updates to multiple social networks simultaneously and capture updates from news sources (RSS), social apps and instant messaging apps all in one consolidated view. The integrated camera includes a flash and supports video recording, and pictures can be tagged with their location thanks to the smartphone’s built-in GPS.
The BlackBerry Curve 9320 comes with the new BlackBerry 7.1 OS, which supports features such as Mobile Hotspot and Wi-Fi calling where available. Parental Controls is a brand new, on-device feature that provides parents and guardians with simple options to help protect children by restricting access to specific functions, features and applications.
Catalina acquires Mobile Commerce innovator Modiv Media (USA)
Catalina Marketing Corporation, the leader in precision consumer marketing, announced that is has completed its acquisition of Modiv Media, the industry-proven provider of mobile commerce solutions. The integration of Modiv into Catalina provides brands and retailers the ability to engage shoppers, influence their behavior, and boost loyalty with a unique mobile experience that saves shoppers time and money.
Catalina helps manufacturer and retail brands deliver unprecedented performance and healthier outcomes with integrated in-store and online marketing platforms. The acquisition extends Catalina’s targeted consumer engagement to include shoppers’ smartphones.
Jamie Egasti, CEO, Catalina Marketing said that they have been watching Modiv for quite some time now. Their success in driving in-store innovation is unmatched and their ability to deliver a scalable mobile commerce solution is exactly what retailers are looking for. The acquisition will allow Catalina to drive greater consumer engagement before and during the buying experience for brands, and deliver increased revenue and shopper loyalty for large-scale retailers.
Mike Grimes, SVP of mobile commerce for Catalina and former CEO of Modiv Media, said that Modiv’s retailer-proven mobile commerce solution, coupled with Catalina’s scale, analytics and content, provides an unmatched mobile shopper marketing solution for large retailers. Helping shoppers save time and money through an intuitive and relevant mobile experience is paramount to the future of retail. When combined with Catalina’s deep targeting and large CPG-funded offer pool, this becomes a must-have for retailers.
Egasti added that Modiv has spent the last several years building in-store mobile solutions from the ground up, engineering for a very complex environment. Today, they have the only mobile commerce solution designed to meet the demands of high-frequency retail. From comprehensive integration with POS systems to leveraging loyalty and CRM to influence behavior, this solution integrates perfectly with Catalina and will change how retailers and brands engage and empower consumers.
Since its founding in 2001, the Modiv solution was built on the premise of connecting the physical store with the shopper via a mobile device. Already in over 350 locations, their retailer-branded solution influences over 1 million shopping trips per month that drive over $1 billion in retailer sales annually.
This February, Modiv introduced Modiv Social which enables retailers and brands to offer shoppers an integrated mobile coupon wallet experience that aggregates coupons from any couponing source (web, retailer, mobile, digital, etc.) and gives shoppers the unique ability to share select mobile coupons via Facebook. Going far beyond simple sharing, Modiv Social enables retailers and brands alike the ability to track, monitor, manage and analyze the lifecycle of a socially shared coupon, as well as identify ëshopping influencers’ and rewarding those who share these coupons.
The entire Modiv team will remain in the Boston area and will be the foundation of Catalina’s mobile efforts. The company is currently evaluating a new office location in Boston’s Innovation District to support expansion plans for the mobile team.
Microsoft, Facebook announce patent agreement worth $550 million (USA)
Microsoft Corp. and Facebook announced today a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will assign to Facebook the right to purchase a portion of the patent portfolio it recently agreed to acquire from AOL Inc. Facebook has agreed to purchase this portion for $550 million in cash.
In the initial AOL auction, Microsoft secured the ability to own or assign approximately 925 U.S. patents and patent applications plus a license to AOL’s remaining patent portfolio, which contains approximately 300 additional patents that were not for sale.
As a result of today’s agreement, Facebook will obtain ownership of approximately 650 AOL patents and patent applications, plus a license to the AOL patents and applications that Microsoft will purchase and own.
Upon closing of this transaction with Facebook, Microsoft will retain ownership of approximately 275 AOL patents and applications; a license to the approximately 650 AOL patents and applications that will now be owned by Facebook; and a license to approximately 300 patents that AOL did not sell in its auction.
Brad Smith, executive vice president and general counsel, Microsoft, said that today’s agreement with Facebook enables them to recoup over half of their costs while achieving their goals from the AOL auction. As said earlier this month, they had submitted the winning AOL bid in order to obtain a durable license to the full AOL portfolio and ownership of certain patents that complement their existing portfolio.
Ted Ullyot, general counsel, Facebook, said that the agreement with Microsoft represents an important acquisition for Facebook. This is another significant step in their ongoing process of building an intellectual property portfolio to protect Facebook’s interests over the long term.
The parties are evaluating the accounting treatment for these transactions. These transactions are also subject to customary closing conditions, including clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.
Globe Telecom to launch first GCASH mobile app for Apple iPhones (Philippines)
Philippine telecommunications giant Globe Telecom, through its internationally acclaimed mobile commerce service GCASH, announces a first in the industry with the launch of the GCASH mobile app for Apple iPhones by March 2012. The GCASH iPhone app will be available for download at the iTunes App Store for free.
The new GCASH iPhone app makes it more convenient for users to do their GCASH transactions like sending money, buying airtime load, and paying bills, without the need to memorize keywords or access numbers. In addition, the app boasts of a new feature enabling users to send money not only to people in their phonebook but also to their e-mail and Facebook contacts.
Paolo Baltao, President of G-Xchange, Inc., has said that the new GCASH mobile app for iPhones will make customers enjoy doing their GCASH transactions. Further, they are setting a new standard for customer experience in the field of financial services.
When a subscriber launches the GCASH mobile app, he just needs to type in his mobile number and Mobile PIN (MPIN) to log in. He will be greeted with his ‘moneybook’ which lists down all his GCASH transactions for the month in real-time. Clean and intuitively-designed screens will guide the subscriber in doing his GCASH transactions.
