M-Commerce

As more phones and other small-form handheld devices get "smarter," so does the potential for people to use them more often, and for many varied and different purposes. The number of mobile cell phone subscribers worldwide surpassed 1 billion in 2006, and technological innovation continues apace as...

In the first major move since its acquisition of BellSouth, AT&T is folding the 6-year-old Cingular wireless brand name into its 100-plus-year-old telecommunications brand. AT&T purchased all rights to Cingular with its US$86 billion acquisition of BellSouth last month. Beginning Jan. 15, th...

In the first major move since its acquisition of BellSouth, AT&T is folding the 6-year-old Cingular wireless brand name into its 100-plus-year-old telecommunications brand. AT&T purchased all rights to Cingular with its US$86 billion acquisition of BellSouth last month. Beginning Jan. 15, th...

In the first major move since its acquisition of BellSouth, AT&T is folding the 6-year-old Cingular wireless brand name into its 100-plus-year-old telecommunications brand. AT&T purchased all rights to Cingular with its US$86 billion acquisition of BellSouth last month. Beginning Jan. 15, th...

Visa and Nokia on Tuesday launched a mobile payment platform that aims to turn digital devices into digital wallets. The system allows consumers to swipe a phone across a credit card scanner, which then reads the credit card information on a microchip that is embedded in the handset. Customers autho...

When many consumers are asked about receiving advertising on their cell phones, they react as if they've bitten into a sour apple. Nevertheless, the mobile universe has begun ripening nicely for marketers, according to a report released last week. The report by Forrester Research noted: "In 2003, Fo...

From the apparently sudden arrival of Web-based video distribution options to the growing sophistication of TV-like advertising online and the social networking phenomenon, the Internet drew attention and dollars away from newspapers, TV and radio in 2006. This coming of age did not take place overn...

CBS is hoping an innovative approach will ignite excitement in its fall TV lineup. The television network is planning to use Bluetooth technology to beam clips of the new shows from billboards to the mobile devices of passersby. Starting in September, billboards located in New York City's Grand Cen...

Hoping to connect advertisers with a key youth demographic and pave the way for broader use of mobile marketing, Virgin Mobile USA on Tuesday said it would debut a program that lets pay-as-you-go members earn minutes by watching ads. Virgin says its SugarMama service will be a way for users to earn ...

Which mobile marketing technology is most effective? Is it short message service, or instant dialing? Evidence is now emerging that can help advertising agencies -- and brand marketers -- determine which direct marketing technology is best for persuading consumers. It may be too early to tell whethe...

If retail marketers are going to capture the loyalty of the next generation of spenders, they're going to have to get hip to the new Web, according to a report from Forrester Research. "The 73 million people under the age of 18 in the U.S. represent one thing to marketers and sellers: the next gener...

Wireless technology is everywhere. Consumers, professionals and businesses are finding they can no longer survive without having wireless access in some form or another -- whether through PDAs, mobile phones, BlackBerries or laptops. One industry that really stands out when it comes to getting real ...

A new survey from America Online's Tegic Communications division shows that a "surprising number of people" in America and Europe are sending Christmas and Hanukkah greetings by text messaging this year, rather than through conventional, paper cards via the mail. The survey is based on data from the...

A year after Asian mobile carriers first launched them widely, consumers are still not rushing to adopt systems that enable mobile phones to be used as electronic payment devices. NTT DoCoMo launched a wallet phone service in its native Japan last year and more carriers have announced plans to follo...

In what could be a glimpse into the future of mobile-driven commerce and a preview of how hand-held devices might enable a range of consumer purchases, a Japanese carrier has launched a service that uses mobile phones to identify, locate and purchase music heard on the radio or elsewhere. The servic...