Digital Daily » Apple App Store

FCC Greenlights First Ad-droid Phone

John Paczkowski — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:14:59 +0000

The HTC Dream, the first handset based on Google’s (GOOG) Android mobile platform, has been given the Federal Communications Commission seal of approval. With that last hurdle cleared, the device is ready for market–though it now looks like it may arrive a bit later than expected. A short-term confidentiality request in the documentation HTC filed with the FCC suggests that the Dream will be released in November, not September.

What can we expect from this first Android device? Sadly, the HTC documentation doesn’t offer much detail. Those who claim to have seen it, however, say it will feature a trackball and a screen smaller than the one on the iPhone. They also believe it will offer access to an upcoming T-Mobile (DT) App Store similar to Apple’s (AAPL) App Store for iPhone/iPod Touch applications. The Dream will support push email, but only via Google’s Gmail service. Finally, it will use Google’s advertising platform to serve up ads based on user interests and location. Which, as far as Google is concerned, is the whole point here. “We can make more in mobile than desktop, eventually,” Google CEO Eric Schmidt said recently. “The reason is because the mobile device is more targeted. Think about it: You carry your phone with you everywhere. It knows all about you. We can use that to do a very, very targeted ad. Over time, Google will make more money from mobile advertising.”

EA's Take-Two Two-Step

John Paczkowski — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:00:04 +0000

[ See post to watch video ]

Softbank iPhone Deal Announced With 1-Button Press Release

John Paczkowski — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:10:43 +0000

With less than a week to go before Apple CEO Steve Jobs’s June 9 Worldwide Developers Conference keynote address and the expected debut of the 3G iPhone–and perhaps the Apple App Store and Mac OS X 10.6 as well–the company has finally closed a deal that will bring the device to Japan, one of the world’s largest and most demanding mobile-phone markets.

Softbank (SFTBF), Japan’s No. 3 wireless provider, broke the news in a spartan press release that would do even Apple (AAPL), a company renowned for its minimalist gadgets, proud. If ever there was a one-button press release, this is it:

SOFTBANK MOBILE Corp. today announced it has signed an agreement with Apple® to bring the iPhone™ to Japan later this year.”

Well, there you go. Presumably, Jobs will fill us in on the details on Monday. In any event, lining up a wireless partner in Japan is an important step for Apple, which hopes to gain a 1% share of the global cellphone business by the end of 2008. Nomura Research Institute estimates that Apple can sell 2 million to 3 million iPhones annually in Japan–-about 5% of the market–if it plays its cards right.

Also announced this morning, a deal with Telefonica (TEM), which has agreed to distribute the iPhone in Spain through its Movistar subsidiary. Together the two deals bring the iPhone distributor count up to an even 70, with more countries presumably waiting in the wings.

(Image credit: AAPLinvestors)