Buzz of the week - 16-Jun-08

1. Sprint drops price of new Instinct

Sprint is debuting its iPhone-killer smartphone, the new Samsung Instinct, at a cheaper price than previously announced to counteract AT&T's plan to subsidize the 3G version of the iPhone. Sprint announced the Instinct will cost $130 with a $100 rebate and a two-year contract instead of $200 it announced earlier this month.

There may be a cost difference between the phones but the pricing plans will be about the same. Sprint customers who purchase the Instinct must also purchase a pricing plan offering unlimited data. Those plans start at $70 per month. AT&T requires a voice plan for about $40 and a minimum $30-per month data plan, up from $20 for the original iPhone.

2. Singapore's WiFi initiative thrives

An initiative by the government's InfoComm Development Authority in conjunction with operators iCell, QMax and the incumbent SingTel, the country has blanketed its population with 7,200 hotspots. The initiative, called Wireless@SG, was developed in 2006 and now has about 850,000 users who access the network for at least three hours per month to surf the net, send and receive email and access social networking sites. More here.

3. Study: Men dominate mobile web browsing 9 to 1

When it comes to mobile web browsing, men outnumber women almost nine to one according to a new study released by browser development firm Opera Software. Opera reports that more than 88 percent of mobile web surfers worldwide are male--in addition, the majority of consumers accessing the mobile web via the firm's Opera Mini browser are between the ages of 18 and 27, with more than 14.7 million total users browsing 2.9 billion pages in May 2008 alone, a 23 percent increase since March. In all, Opera Mini served more than 43.2 million MB of data traffic in May, increasing 30.4 percent in two months' time. More here.

4. 3jam unveils SuperText messaging service

Mobile messaging firm 3jam announced the private beta launch of SuperText, a web-based text messaging service that employs patent-pending PresenceText technology to route texts to a user's computer or mobile device based on their location. According to 3jam, SuperText enables users to begin text conversations via PC, enjoying the benefits of a full QWERTY keyboard and free messaging--they may also continue the dialogue on their mobile device. SuperText also promises familiar IM features including conversation threading, online message history and Reply All communication. More here.

5. Nokia to open mobile advertising labs

Nokia said it will open a series of "Ad Labs" in an effort to verse traditional advertising agencies in the intricacies of the mobile advertising model. The handset giant will open Ad Labs in London and Boston, promising training and certification for "creative and media personnel at agencies serving global brands" according to Nokia vice president and head of mobile advertising Mike Baker, speaking Wednesday at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. "We want to be a catalyst in the mobile advertising ecosystem," Baker added. "It is seen as somewhat of a black art practiced in a cottage-industry fashion... There are a lot of mobile ad technologies now, so arguments about reach and measurement issues are not relevant. It is creative that is holding the medium back. There are not a lot of practitioners in planning and creative concepting [for mobile ad campaigns]." More here.

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