Who's That Girl on your mobile phone?

Madonna fans in the UK and 13 other countries will be able to watch her perform live in New York on their mobile phones, reports scotsman.

"Streamed live from the Roseland Ballroom, the concert will celebrate the release of the star's new album, Hard Candy.

Tomorrow's performance will be the first time Madonna plays live songs from her new album.

Vodafone customers will have access to the show via their mobile phones and computers."

CinemaNow to offer movie orders via cell phone

Privately held digital entertainment provider CinemaNow said on Tuesday that U.S. consumers would be able to use their cell phones to view movie trailers and order full-length movies to watch on their home television or computer through its mobile website.

The service, offered on Web-capable phones at href="http://uvumobile.mobi/cn">http://uvumobile.mobi/cn, would let U.S. consumers immediately buy or rent a movie when they hear about a new offering while they are out with friends.

[via Reuters]

Video sorting service launched on Sony Ericsson phones

Sony Ericsson has signed up to a mobile video search service that launched at the beginning of this month. Pocket-Lint reports.

"Via vtap, Sony Ericsson customers will now be able to access more than 150 million web videos on their phones.

The free service, which will be accessible though Sony Ericsson’s Fun & Downloads web portal, allows users to personalise the videos they see.

It trawls the web to find videos that match users' interests from the like of YouTube, DailyMotion, and MySpace

Videos are grouped together in the vtap browser into folders but users can also collect, organise and share videos, while vtap saves favourites.

The service is available immediately for Sony Ericsson Java Platform 8 (JP8) enabled handsets models: Z770i, K850i, W910i, K660i, W890i."

Take a Picture of an Ad, Earn a Reward

Two men’s magazines are trying to engage their readers more — by increasing their cellphone bills, reports The New York Times.

"Rolling Stone and Men’s Health are both testing programs in which readers can take cameraphone pictures of icons on ads, then send them to a certain number. In exchange, they’ll receive more information or an offer from the advertiser."

Motorola developing mobile movie service

Motorola is developing a movie store for its phones, claims UK trade magazine New Media Age via electronista.

"An alleged source at partner studio Paramount says that Motorola is in the "late stages" of offering a service that would offer full-length movies pre-formatted for Motorola's more media-friendly devices.

Paramount is currently the only studio known to be involved, though others are allegedly in talks to add their own catalogs.

The service is labeled as a "breakthrough," but would offer virtually the same means of loading media as for the iPhone; rather than download videos directly to the phone, users first download videos through the computer and sideload (transfer) the content to the phone through sync software.

The report doesn't indicate whether Motorola will offer movies for rent or purchase and mentions no pricing. However, a launch is due as soon as late May."

[via FierceMobileContent]

Your Mom's Pic on Time's Square Screen for Mother's Day

For $100 you can get your mom’s picture and a message for her on the giant Reuters screen at Times Square, for 5 seconds, thanks to FameSlot.

"People who want to choose this gift option have a 15 minute time window where they can display their mother’s picture along with their message for the allotted time.

You will also get a 5 inch x7 inch photo print of the a href="http://w3.kinemo.com/p/fameslot/">FameSlot, sent directly to her.

Along with which she will also get a notice on her mobile phone 10 minutes before the big moment. And not only this, your mom also gets to download a picture of herself on her mobile phone.

[via Gizmodiva]

Sprint Employee Sends Nude Photos to Customer's Phone

A Dayton woman is suing a Dayton man and Sprint Nextel, claiming she received unsolicited text messages and nude digital photos of the man soon after he exchanged her Nextel telephone for a Sprint telephone at The Sprint Store in Miamisburg.

[via Switched by engadget]

Nokia and Spike Lee team up with Nokia on short film

Nokia and Spike Lee are teaming up to direct a short film comprising YouTube-style videos created by teenagers and adults using their mobile phones, reports The New York Times.

"By hiring Mr. Lee for the project, Nokia is seeking to combine the populist appeal of user-generated content with the power of a famous director’s pedigree. The film will have three acts, each three to five minutes long, with the theme loosely based on the concept of humanity.

The project is an experiment for Mr. Lee, but it is also a way for Nokia to promote its wares. Cellphone companies are all trying to position their products not just as devices for talking, but as multimedia devices that can play music, search the Web and capture video."

Full-length shows, even movies, growing on cellular

Forget short clips and "mobisodes." Cellphone providers are ramping up their full-episode TV offerings, from "Lost" to "The Office", and even movies. USA Today reports.

"Today, only about 7% of mobile subscribers (cell and data) watch video on their phones, he says. But the industry is poised for major growth: Mobile video revenues at domestic carriers jumped to $308 million in the last three months of 2007 from $112 million in the same period a year earlier, according to Nielsen Mobile.

... Mobile users are willing to watch for extended periods, says Nielsen Mobile's Nic Covey. Nearly half (47%) say their average session lasts 15 minutes or longer; 25% watch 30 minutes or more.

Says Covey: "Enough consumers watch mobile video for those lengths of time and enough consumers are interested in name-brand programming that this level of mobile viewing could be just as big an opportunity as clips."

Guerrilla Mirror Phones - Rogers Video Phone Ads

Canadian wireless operator Rogers has launched an innovative campaign to promote their new video phone service. Trendhunter reports.

"The giant cell phone decals were placed around Toronto bathrooms in restaurants, bars and clubs, with the screen portion cut out so people would have a live visual of what it would look like when they video called their friends.

The tagline reads, “Look your best. Video Calling is here.”

Gadget to bring back Berlin Wall for tourists

The multimedia handheld device mentioned here doesn't make phone calls, so it's unrelated to cell phones, but the concept is really interesting. From the AFP.

"Tourists in the German capital disappointed to find little of the Berlin Wall left will from next month be able to have it reappear before their eyes with a gadget unveiled Monday.

A handheld multimedia device, available for rental from May 1, will allow visitors walking through the city to see what the Cold War barrier looked like at the spot where they are standing.

The MauerGuide (Wall Guide) using GPS navigation technology, presents pictures, video footage and audio recordings on the history of the Berlin Wall at five prominent sites along its former route, manufacturer Antenna Audio said in a statement."

Halo launches new security solution

Halo Security Systems has launched an ingenious new product, which takes the worry out of protecting your property.

The Halo 3G RemoteView uses mobile phone and camera technology that allows the owner to hear and see any remote location in real time. The Halo 3G RemoteView automatically alerts the owner should it be triggered by a sensor. It phones the owner’s mobile phone and provides crisp images and audio so you can make a decision as to whether your presence is required!

Halo 3G RemoteView just requires a SIM card and can even operate with a Solar Panel so you don’t even need a power source.

[via HGV Ireland News]

Harrods To Use "Cult' Barcodes

Mobile barcodes are getting another push in the UK, reports The Washington Post.

"Posh department store Harrods is running a campaign thought to be the first from a major British retailer--according to a swooning article in the Times, that notes the use of the codes come 110 years after the store introduced the "world's first moving staircase."

The codes will feature in a series of ads in London and national media to publicise a new exhibition put on by Harrods called Design Icons, which features Vivienne Westwood, the fashion designer, and the architect of the new St Pancras International station."

Mark Tomblin, director of strategy at digital agency TBG, which helped Harrods create the campaign added, "This is an attempt to connect with a more tech-savvy audience, and frankly we're quite pleased if the whole campaign remains a bit 'cult'. Harrods is also creating a MySpace profile, and plan to use Twitter to send out event alerts around the exhibition."

New Service automatically saves camphone pics and sends them to your computer

Alltel Wireless and Ontela have partnered to launch a new service that unlocks photos trapped inside wireless phones. PhotoCopter automatically sends all photos taken with a camera phone to the user’s personal computer or online photo album.

Time Warner Cable To Launch Hispanic-Targeted Digital TV, Phone Service In L.A.

Time Warner Cable's Los Angeles division will launch Hispanic-targeted digital TV and phone packages with a regional event on April 24, reports Multichannel News.

"The video package will be marketed under the name Paquetazo (the package of all packages) and will be priced at $34.95 a month. The package will be a block beginning at Channel 805 and includes a mix of Spanish and English language channels.

Subscribers will also have access to 4,000 hours of free Spanish- and English-language video-on-demand programming."

CBS Launches Citizen Journalism Site For Mobile

CBS News has quietly launched CBS imobile, a citizen journalism site, where users can upload photos and videos directly from their mobile phone, for everyone to see.

[via mocoNews.net]

Mobile TV To Be Biggest Mobile Ad Revenue Generator By 2010

Although the vast majority of mobile advertising is currently based on SMS, Juniper Research predicts that streamed and broadcast mobile TV services will become the most lucrative channels for mobile ads by 2010.

Juniper that spending on mobile TV advertising will grow from $335 million in 2008 to more than $2.5 billion in 2013.

[via The Washington Post / MocoNews.net]

Nokia Shows 3G NFC Capable Mobile Phone

Nokia has launched a new 3G mobile phone - this time including Near Field Communication (NFC).

"With the Nokia 6212 classic, people can swap items like business cards or calendar notes by simply tapping their handsets together. With ever-increasing device functions and services available, ease-of-use is essential. One way to keep things simple is NFC," says Jeremy Belostock, the Head of Near Field Communications, Nokia.

By tapping an NFC-enabled tag, consumers can receive new content such as weblinks, audio files or contact data directly to their phone. They can activate a profile in their handset or open applications such as FM radio or web browser. ..."

[via Cellular News]

Local TV Station Owners Push Mobile TV

According to the AP, owners of more than 800 local TV stations where ad revenue has plunged recently said they've formed a group that's testing three standards for s ending local digital TV signals to cell phones, laptops and other mobile devices.

"The Open Mobile Video Coalition said at the National Association of Broadcasters meeting in Las Vegas that it will push for an open standard by next year that would allow members to bypass cell phone companies and tap into what they think will be a $2 billion market for mobile advertising.

The station owners say transmitting directly to mobile devices would give them a third means of delivering local programming - and capturing revenue - along with broadcasting to TVs and streaming it on station-owned Web sites."

For Tomorrow's Cellphones, It's About Speed

Joel Espelien of Packet Video explains in the WSJ how faster networks will change the way we use cellphones.

"Most phones even low end will have Wi-Fi. They'll be designed from the ground up for a world in which devices are connected to always-on data networks. They'll have built-in Web capability and built-in multimedia capability for movies and music and pictures.

With a newer phone, you might be able to see not just your friends, but what they are doing now, the latest pictures they uploaded and some messages based on pictures you might have sent them.

... There will be a lot of video that is on-demand. Many shows are already on the Web, and people will be able to have access to them using Internet streaming."

New Satellite Will Supply TV To Cell Phones

A satellite that could affect cell phone service headed for space Monday afternoon, reports Orlando's Wesh 2.

The satellite is designed to provide 10 to 15 live television stations for mobile phones in the future. It is powerful enough to not require a dish to receive broadcast.

It's first-of-its kind technology. It cost an estimated $500 million to build, launch and test the TV satellite."

Vote-rigging fears spark polling booth mobile phone ban

Camera phones have been banned from Italian polling stations amid fears over vote-rigging by the Mafia, according to Amateur Photographer.

"The government crackdown follows previous cases of the Mafia tempting Italians to vote for a particular politician – and telling them to prove who they voted for by photographing their ballot paper.

In previous elections the Mafia paid voters the equivalent of £35 for a picture of their ballot paper, according The Scotsman newspaper.

Voters who fail to hand over their phone at polling stations face a £700 fine or six months in jail, reports the newspaper's Nick Pisa in Rome.

In one such case a man in north-east Italy was reportedly arrested after being caught taking a picture during the elections, which started yesterday.

'Police were called after the noise of a camera click was heard from his booth,' adds the article. 'The mobile phone was confiscated.' "

Nude Pictures Over Cell Phones Now Part of Teen Dating

Well that title certainly got my attention.

The Associated Press reports that Central Ohio teens are now using their cell phones to send nude pictures of themselves and don't see anything wrong with it, leaving Mark Raiff, a principal at Columbus' Olentangy Liberty High School, speechless.

"Detective Brian Marvin of the FBI Cyber Crime Task Force says he has seen everything from a strip tease to explicit sex sent by cell phone. He says the content sometimes makes its way to Internet Web sites for others to see.

Experts say teens often don't understand the dangers. They suggest parents pay attention to their kids' phones."

Related:

-- Colorado Middle school kids take camphone pics of themselves nude

-- Students Traded Nude Photos Over Cell Phones

-- Alabama Middle school students swap nude cell phone photos

Instant Digital Prints (and Polaroid Nostalgia)

Polaroid wants to conjure up those golden analog days of vast sales and instant gratification — this time with images captured by digital cameras and camera phones. The New York Times reports.

"This fall, the company expects to market a hand-size printer that produces color snapshots in about 30 seconds.

Beam a photograph from a cellphone to the printer and, with a gentle purr, out comes the full-color print — completely formed and dry to the touch.

The printer, which connects wirelessly by Bluetooth to phones and by cable to cameras, will cost about $150. The images are 2 inches by 3 inches, the size of a credit card."

... The potential market for instant printing of photos captured by phones and digital cameras is vast and largely untapped, said Steve Hoffenberg, an analyst at Lyra Research, a market research firm in Newtonville, Mass. “There’s an explosion in picture taking,” he said, “primarily because of the sheer number of camera phones out there on a worldwide basis.” Lyra projects shipments of about 880 million camera phones in 2008.

At Newseum, Mobile Phones, Bloggers Upstage Old Media

When the Newseum was last open to the public in 2002, a prominent feature was Walter Cronkite's hulking TV camera. Today, when the journalism museum reopens in Washington, a spotlight will be on Jamal Albarghouti's phone. Bloomberg reports.

"Albarghouti used his mobile phone's camera to record video during last year's massacre at Virginia Tech University. The graduate student e-mailed his footage to CNN, bringing the news to the nation before the networks got anywhere near the scene.

That shift sums up a new mission of the interactive Newseum, which at $450 million is among the most expensive museums ever built: to reflect the revolution in the media, where citizen reporters, bloggers and Web sites have overtaken an industry once dominated by a few centralized news sources. "

Create Your Own QR Code With an Army of Little Robots

A company called Cross Borders created a fun little program that lets you generate your own QR codes—a 3-dimensional bar code common that can be read by cell phone camera.

All you have to do is enter a URL, and the service dispatches an army of little robots that start off standing at random but quickly start hopping into position until they make sense together and can be scanned by IR.

[via Tokyomango]

The WiFi umbrella

Spotted on Popgadget, a WiFi camera umbrella.

The high-tech brolly allows you to take pictures with a built-in camera. These can be uploaded to Flickr (a photo-sharing website) via a wireless internet connection and within two minutes you can watch downloaded photo-streams on your umbrella screen with a simple wrist-snapping movement.

Invented in Tokyo (where else?) the Pileus umbrella also has GPS and a digital compass, which uses Google Earth to help you navigate yourself around the world. They are working on incorparating a video camera as well.

Web firm to offer TV streaming to iPhone

According to The Guardian, two leading UK broadcasters are exploring a service that would allow live streaming of their programmes to Apple's iPhone.

"London-based web TV technology specialist Best Before has developed server-based technology called Millicent that allows a broadcaster or other content producer to provide an edited video feed to be watched on the iPhone without needing to hack into the handset.

iPhone users would be able to view live TV on their handset through Safari, the Apple device's web browser, using a local wireless network. The iPhone's data connection through the Edge network would also work but would be less reliable."

Blu-ray movies to play nicely with iPhone

NetBlender, a company that specialises in network-connected convergent media, will announce a new technology this week that allows Blu-ray content to run seamlessly on Apple handhelds.

Dubbed the BD Touch, the company's solution uses Blu-ray's networking capabilities to allow users to interact with movies by using their iPhone and iPod Touch as remote controls.

[via Tech.co.uk]

Video glasses anyone?

Vuzix has teamed up with UK wireless operator 3, to offer video glasses. TrustedReviews reports.

"Beginning this week, Vuzix's flagship model of 'iWear video glasses' will touch down in selected 3 stores around the country (to both try and buy) and will also be available from the threeaccessories online site.

The 'AV920' creates a viewing area the equivalent size of a 62in TV when worn and can connect virtually any device from iPods, DVD players, mobile phones, games consoles and camcorders.

It's designed for train and plane journeys and comes with its own built in headphones (though they are detachable should an owner wish to use their own)."