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News
Mobile search reaches new heights in the US
More people are searching more frequently for answers on their mobiles than ever before. Mobile search functions were used by 46 million mobile data users in the US in the third quarter of 2007, according to Nielsen.
China hits 200 million netizens
New internet users across China increased at the rate of 200 a minute in the second half of last year reaching a total internet population of 210 million.
In-flight internet access on the rise
Four major US carriers, Southwest, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America have announced that they will launch onboard WiFi access later this year. This follows the BetaBlue offering from JetBlue.
Ad-supported model favoured for games, music and podcasts
Electronic Arts' Battlefield Heroes, will be freely available online but not in shops later this year. It will be completely supported by ads. This new distribution model and pricing structure has already proved successful in Asia.
Comment
Bitesize
MySpace photo loot tops download charts
Forget porn. Wedding photos, baby photos and random personal photos which made up a large portion of a loot of photos stolen from MySpace were hot downloads last week. The 17 gigabyte file containing half a million personal photos made The Pirate Bay’s top ten list of popular downloads.
Zero cars and zero carbon to power 150,000 businesses
Take 50,000 people, no cars, no carbon, chuck in some cutting-edge technology and you could get a model eco-friendly, self-sufficient city complete with 150,000 businesses. British architects, Foster + Partners, have dreamed up this “walled city” in the desert.
Alimama opens doors to China
Entering the China market is now easier than ever for advertisers thanks to the female incarnation of Alibaba (the Chinese version of eBay).
Geek gear gets funky
As TVs become slimmer by the minute and the iPhone becomes a fashion "must-have", laptops are not only getting Twiggy thin but also lighter, brighter and funkier. Targeting the female geek, the red Samsung Q45 is hot on the heels of Apple's sleek and slender MacBook Air in the fashion stakes.
Mobile phone-guides to have degrees
Think techie phone salesmen with the ability to explain complex mobile functionality; add on a degree and you have the Japanese government’s latest innovation: qualified mobile phone guides who have passed exams on the subject.
The Numbers Page
Music on mobiles is now the norm
Listening to music on phones has increased dramatically in Europe and the US, according to a survey by M: Metrics which found that 10.7% of mobile subscribers reported listening to music on their mobile device.
Yahoo!'s pick of intriguing and innovative sites
Yahoo!’s annual Find of the Year competition lists top websites not for their hit-rate but for their weird, wonderful, innovative and functional quality.
The rise of the single influential woman
Women in the 18-24 age group now make key decisions when purchasing consumer electronics, according to a recent study. More than 90% of women in this category made these decisions in 2008 compared to 69% in 1998.