Categories
Close
Menu
Menu
Close
Search
Search

Featured Articles

Opinion

Last week at The Fonecast: 23rd July 2012

Mark

Google employee no.20 becomes the new number 1 at Yahoo!

Share:

Print

Rate article:

No rating
Rate this article:
No rating

Mark Bridge writes:

Internet veteran Yahoo! provided last week’s biggest news, at least in terms of press coverage. It appointed Marissa Mayer as its President and Chief Executive Officer, having enticed her away from Google after 13 years.

Also generating plenty of headlines was an Ofcom report that showed UK mobile users were now texting more than they talked. Apparently the average Briton sends 50 text messages per week.

And O2 mopped up the aftermath of its network problems by explaining how it planned to compensate customers who’d suffered connectivity issues last week.

Quarterly results have been hitting the headlines again – and there have been a few minor surprises so far. Vodafone’s had something of a mixed quarter, with market conditions in Europe (and European exchange rates) being blamed for much of the turmoil.

Microsoft reported its first-ever quarterly loss after writing off most of the money it spent on advertising business aQuantive five years ago. However, that didn’t stop it from generating record fourth quarter and annual revenue. In addition, it revealed details of the new Microsoft Office and said Windows 8 will start selling on 26th October.

Google announced its first quarterly results since acquiring Motorola Mobility. Total revenue and net income were both up from 2011, although Motorola reported an operating loss. Also having a good time was eBay. It revealed a particularly good quarter and, along with its PayPal business, expects mobile transactions to double this year.

Nokia’s quarterly results, with mobile device shipments down 5% year-on-year, appeared to generate a response of “could’ve been worse” from most analysts. And Qualcomm admitted that sales were slower than expected although they’re expected to pick up towards Christmas.

Quarterly figures from Apple are due tomorrow, while Facebook’s first-ever quarterly earnings report is expected on Thursday.

Finally for this week’s newsletter, we bid goodbye (sort of) to the Wholesale Applications Community. WAC’s programmes are being integrated into the GSMA, while a business called Apigee is picking up the technology assets of WAC. Despite all parties offering upbeat statements, I can’t help feeling it’s not the end that WAC would have really wanted.

Start your week with a reminder of the latest mobile headlines. Simply register at TheFonecast.com by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of our home page and we’ll send you this weekly news summary by email.

The Fonecast is sponsored by 51Degrees.mobi. More details about advertising and sponsorship opportunities are available on the About Us section of our website.

Comments

Collapse Expand Comments (0)
You don't have permission to post comments.

Opinion Articles

ExclusiveDead phone boxes are now ready for saving lives

Mark Bridge writes:

The public telephone box is disappearing as mobile phone coverage improves. In 2002, there were 92,000 BT phone boxes in the UK. Today, there are a total of 51,500 payphones… including 11,000 traditional red boxes. In order to preserve the appearance of rural life - if not the landline connection - BT has been asking parish councils across the UK if they'd like to adopt their local kiosk. Just £1 lets a community keep its red BT phone box (with the payphone taken out)… and 1,500 have been adopted so far.

ExclusiveThis week at The Fonecast: 9th July 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

Roaming charges are back in the news this week. Not the latest round of price cuts (or, to be technically correct, lower price caps) but the European Commission's plans for the future. As well as continuing the downward pricing trend for a few more years, Neelie Kroes also wants wholesale interconnection at capped rates and the option of a separate 'roaming contract' when you travel abroad.

ExclusiveThe changing face of app stores

Mark Bridge writes:

When applications first hit the headlines, there were many stories about developers making small fortunes just from selling applications. Now there’s much more focus on promoting the app.

To understand what's changed - and to discover how developers get their apps noticed inside ever-expanding app stores - I spoke to Carsten Frien. He's CEO & co-founder of mobile advertising marketplace madvertise, a company that's based in Germany and has recently opened an office in the UK.

ExclusiveRecycling mobile phones from Africa to Europe

Mark Bridge writes:

Recycling an unwanted mobile phone makes sense. It's good for the environment and it generates cash as well.

Newer phones recycled in Western Europe are likely to be reconditioned and resold locally, while older models may be reconditioned for use in developing countries. Damaged phones are either used for spares or are broken down for the metals and minerals in their components.

But what happens when people in those developing countries need to recycle their phones?

ExclusiveRIM denies fire but admits to presence of smoke

Mark Bridge writes:

Anonymous opinions about technology are all over the web... and they're not always pleasant. PC versus Mac. Apple versus Android. WiMAX vs LTE. Even a relatively light-hearted rant can be misinterpreted. Still, if some unknown voice is trying to irritate you, you just ignore them - right?

Wrong. Not if you're Research In Motion.

RSS
First6667686971737475Last

Recent Podcasts

ExclusivePodcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

ExclusiveLooking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

ExclusiveA month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

RSS
12345678910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Archive Calendar

«June 2026»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
25262728293031
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293012345

Archive