There’s a rather sad story out of Cincinnati where a high school girl hanged herself because a nude photo she sent to her boyfriend via cellphone ended up spreading around the school, if not the town itself. It’s called “sexting,” and it’s apparently a big deal on high school campuses. And because of this legitimate tragedy‐why on Earth would kids tease this girl to the point where she decided to hang herself?—people are no wondering what, if anything, should be done to stop the phenomenon.
by Nicholas Deleon on March 24, 2009
by Erick Schonfeld on March 24, 2009
The iPhone now accounts for 50 percent of mobile Web traffic from smartphones in the U.S., according to an AdMob Mobile Metrics report released this morning. Over the past six months, the iPhone has taken share from Blackberry and Windows Mobile. In August 2008, the iPhone made up only 10 percent of mobile Web traffic from smartphones. During the same time, Blackberry’s share has gone from 32 percent to 21 percent (with the Curve and the Pearl coming in stronger than the Storm), while Windows Mobile has taken an even bigger hit, declining from 30 percent to 13 percent. Palm is also down to 7 percent from 19 percent six months ago.
The only other smartphone operating system that is showing gains in mobile Web usage is Android, which has captured a strong 5 percent share just three months after launch. And that is up from 3 percent in January. The gains shown by the iPhone and Android show what is possible when phones are built with fully capable browsers and support a rich array of Web apps.
On a worldwide basis, smartphones running on the Symbian OS (mostly from Nokia) still dominate mobile Web traffic with a 43 percent share. But that is down from 64 percent in August. The iPhone has gone from 4 percent to 33 percent of mobile Web traffic on a worldwide basis. All the other mobile operating systems are down as well.
by Peter Ha on March 23, 2009
Online dating site Match.com is releasing a native iPhone application for its 15 million members to date on the go. The app allows users to edit their profile, upload photos, and even has an opt-in to a location based feature that allows them to see singles in their area.
The last feature seems to be the most innovative one - there is definitely a market for location based dating on iPhones and other smart phones. We wrote recently about Scout, a location-based dating iPhone app, and said that location based dating might be more successful and appealing via big dating sites like Match.com and eHarmony. Now that Match has unveiled its new app, we think this could become really popular amongst its exisiting member and perhaps even draw new ones.
by Jeremy Kessel on March 23, 2009
Although Nokia had previously promised to bring its gaming service to the firm’s hot N73 (they’ve sold roughly 20 million of these badboys), as of today, all bets are off.
Citing the phone’s “limited computing power,” Nokia has decided to pull the gaming plug on the N73 before someone gets terribly hurt disappointed.
Now back to your regularly scheduled mobile news programming…
by Greg Kumparak on March 23, 2009
Immediately after the Motorola Alexander took its first steps into the internet’s oh-so-harsh light, things looked bleak. Purported to be Moto’s “last stand” in the mobile hardware biz, folks were expecting it to be some valiant effort to change the world (or at least the world’s opinion of Motorola’s post-RAZR handset lineup); instead, it ended up being a crappy Windows Mobile 6.1 phone with a cramped looking keyboard. When the QWERTY-less version of the Alexander, the A3100 (otherwise known as “Atila”), debuted at CES, things looked no better. This was essentially half of the Alexander, and it sucked something fierce - so at its best, ol’ Alex would be 50% suck.
Whether its due to the impending launch of (and the lack of compatibility with) Windows Mobile 6.5, their new found love for Android, or a sudden realization that the handset just wasn’t up to par, Motorola has killed Alexander’s great voyage before it even left the dock. Lending credibility to the idea that the handset just plain sucks, they’re also cutting back on the number of markets in which they’ll be peddling the A3100.
Don’t worry - you’re not missing much.
by Greg Kumparak on March 23, 2009
When a Nokia 7205 with a silver keyboard and a Nokia 7205 with a pink keyboard love each other veeeeerry much, they … dance. Then they spin around while showing off their features. It’s an odd mating ritual, but it’s about as sensual as phones can get without, you know, goodie bits.
We’re not sure if this video is headed for the airwaves any time soon, as it was sent to us by one of our buddies on the inside with nary a detail. What we do know, however, is that the 7205 apparently has way more swagger than we ever will.
by Peter Ha on March 23, 2009
Let us all for a moment believe that last week’s rumor of new iPhone hardware is true. With that in mind, let’s all settle in for the latest batch of rumors regarding the new hotness from Apple according to the Boy Genius. BGR’s sources within AT&T have revealed a slew of tasty morsels about the upcoming handset announcement.
Read More
by Greg Kumparak on March 23, 2009
The only Nokia handsets Verizon ever picks up are the flip phones, and now they’ve got a new one on top of the chain: the Nokia 7205 Intrigue.
It’s your basic flip at its core, but they’ve wrapped it up in an ultra-slick shell and tossed in a new “Habitat Mode” screen. On this new Verizon-exclusive screen, “contacts are presented in chronological order, providing an engaging and intuitive way for customers to track, visualize and connect with their contacts”. Yeah, we have no idea what’s new about that either.
The Intrigue is available in Black/Silver or Black/Pink for $180 bucks on a 2-year contract, and VZW will lop an additional $50 off if you buy it online. Specs after the jump.
by Jeremy Kessel on March 22, 2009
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