BEIJING, September 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Today SINA, China’s leading online media company, announced that they have joined as a sponsor in Nokia’s ongoing mobile multiplayer games competition to support the global search for new game developer talent and bring a new breed of innovative, connected mobile games to the Chinese market. As a result of SINA joining the competition, Nokia announced that the deadline for accepting mobile game concepts based on the SNAP Mobile platform has been extended to September 24. Selected concepts based on SNAP Mobile will receive free development support and preparation for market deployment.

“SINA will provide the winners of the multiplayer competition with a fast track opportunity to distribute games in China. This competition encourages developers and publishers to raise the bar on mobile game innovation, and developers located anywhere in the world, can compete,” said Terry Tian, Network Business Dept Director, SINA. “We are keen to add more SNAP Mobile based games to our portfolio, and see this competition as a unique way to speed deployment of innovative games to market.”

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Market-leading phone maker Nokia on Sept. 17 moved to bolster its mobile advertising front by agreeing to acquire Enpocket for an undisclosed sum.
Boston-based Enpocket makes a mobile advertising campaign management and delivery system that uses analytics technologies to draw a bead on consumer interests and deliver mobile advertising via SMS (Short Message Service), MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and video.
Nokia, based in Espoo, Finland, said in a statement that it plans to leverage Enpocket’s mobile ad platform along with its partnerships with advertisers, publishers and operators, including Vodafone, Telefonica and Pepsi.

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The long-term cancer risk of mobile phone use cannot be ruled out, experts have concluded.

A major six-year research programme found a “hint” of a higher cancer risk.

But the UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHRP) did rule out short-term adverse effects to brain and cell function.
Researchers are now expanding the programme to look at phone use over 10 years, and the specific impact on children, which has not been studied.

The MTHRP programme, funded by the government and communications industry, has carried out 23 separate studies into the health impact of mobile phones, masts and base stations.

Programme chairman Professor Lawrie Challis said it was now up to the government to offer advice.

The team found that there was a slight excess reporting of brain and acoustic neuroma (ear) cancers.

Researchers said this was on the borderline of statistical significance.

Professor Challis said that it was only responsible to do more research, citing the way smoking was not linked to lung cancer at first.

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Google Inc. has filed a patent that would allow users to pay for goods from vending machines and retailers — as well as make larger payments — via text message, or SMS (short message service) technology.

U.S. Patent 2007/0203836, called “Text message payment,” was published last Thursday by Google engineer Ramy Dodin. The invention, dubbed Gpay in the supporting drawings, is described as “a computer-implemented method of effectuating a payment, comprising: receiving at a computer server system a text message from a payor containing a payment request comprising a payment amount sent by a payor device operating independently of the computer server system; debiting a payor account for an amount corresponding to the amount of the payment request; and crediting a payee account that is independent of the computer server system.”

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HELSINKI, Finland: Nokia Corp. unveiled new Internet services and gadgets Wednesday to help customers download music and play games on mobile handsets — in a strong push to challenge rivals, including Apple’s iTunes and iPod.

The latest move by the world’s largest mobile phone maker, which has a strong position in emerging markets with basic handsets, is further recognition that high-end markets require multitask handsets with photo, music and video capabilities and quick access to the Internet.

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Nokia today stepped up its defence of the mobile market, launching a new range of handsets and an online music store in an attempt to counter the threat posed by Apple’s iPhone. The Nokia Music Store will be accessible through a new mobile internet portal dubbed Ovi and will compete head-on with Apple’s iTunes, the dominant force in online music. Nokia’s new online platform, which will also offer games and mobile mapping tools, is expected to launch in the UK in the autumn.

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For all the boom box junkies from the 80’s you’re going to love the MD-7W. Walking around pumping your tunes wirelessly will be sure to impress the ladies or make them running in the opposite direction, depends on your collection. 130 Euros.

Last is the most impressive device, something that I’m sure will sell by the ton and something I can’t wait to see the Chinese copy, the Power Pack DC-1. It is simply a 105 Euro 2800 mAh battery that can charge your Nokia devices that use the new standard 2.0 mm charger plug. I’m still waiting for the Multimedia and Enterprise guys to adopt a one cable to rule them all strategy like the Mobile Phones group. Good things should come after the reorg in 2008.

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Time to pimp your ride as mobile manufacturer giant Nokia has launched Nokia 500 Auto Navigation, its first handsfree personal navigation device. This further supports the forecast we’ve covered last May that personal navigation is the next the big thing in the mobile industry.

“The Nokia 500 Auto Navigation is an expansion of our extensive enhancements portfolio. Our solutions are tightly integrated with our mobile devices, allowing users to enjoy quality handsfree communication with their phonebook, music and competitive navigation,” said Nokia Automotive director Marcus Stahl, in a

A more exciting part of this whole personal navigation domination is that established GPS companies like TomTom and Garmin are currently developing mobile phones with GPS devices.

ESPOO, Finland, August 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Nokia , the world leader in mobile communications, announced today that they are teaming up with Vivendi Games Mobile, a division of Vivendi Games, to bring the legendary Crash Bandicoot (R) franchise to Nokia’s new N-Gage mobile gaming platform launching this fall.

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The New Jersey teen who hacked the iPhone is going to get his wish - well, at least one of them.

George Hotz, who last week found a way to manipulate Apple’s new cell phone so that it will work on other networks besides AT&T’s, is trading one of the two phones he hacked for a new car. And, as Hotz would put it, it’s a “sweet” one at that, a new Nissan 350Z.

“This has been a great end to a great summer,” Hotz wrote on his blog.

The teen said he is trading the iPhone to Terry Daidone, co-founder of CertiCell, a Louisville, Ky.-based mobile phone repair company. In exchange, Daidone is going to buy him the car and will give him three brand new iPhones, which Hotz plans to hand out to members of his informal team that helped crack the iPhone.

As part of the deal, Hotz will have a paid consulting job for CertiCell. He plans to visit the company’s Kentucky offices later this week to demonstrate his iPhone hack in person.

Daidone and other CertiCell officials did not return calls seeking comment, but the company’s Web site confirmed the consulting deal.

Hotz initially tried to sell the iPhone on eBay, but said he ended the auction after it received multiple bogus bids.

Instead, he solicited a deal through his blog, which is how he hooked up with Daidone. Now he’s eagerly awaiting his new car.

“I have it in writing,” he said. “It’s all signed and good.”