Yahoo

Sarin not interested in top Yahoo post

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:11:01 -0500

Former Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin is not going to become Yahoo's next CEO.

Sarin, who left Vodafone at the end of July, will tell Yahoo he is not interested in taking over the job from Jerry Yang, according to the Financial Times, which cited people close to Sarin. Yang resigned last month following intense criticism of his failure to close a deal with Microsoft. One of the reasons Sarin is declining to be considered for the position is the precarious financial situation at Yahoo.

Sarin, 54, left Vodafone after five years on the job, and his departure surprised many. At the time, Sarin said he was retiring to California to consider work in private equity.

For more:
- see this article

Related Articles:
Arun Sarin considered for top Yahoo job
Sarin to leave Vodafone

Arun Sarin considered for top Yahoo job

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:53:36 -0500

Arun Sarin, who retired as Vodafone's chief executive in July, is being considered for the role of Yahoo's new CEO, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The report, citing people familiar with the discussion, said that Sarin is considered one of the top prospects for the job. Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang resigned last month following intense criticism of his failure to close a deal with Microsoft. Sarin left Vodafone after five years on the job, and his departure surprised many. At the time, Sarin said he was retiring to California to consider work in private equity.

Sarin is by no means a lock for the top job, and other names are being considered. Members of the Yahoo's board who are conducting the search for Yang's replacement will present their recommendations to Yahoo's full board.

Sarin, a telecom veteran, pushed Vodafone into emerging markets such as India and Turkey, and refocused the company's strategy in low-growth markets.

For more:
- see this article (sub. req.)

Related Articles:
Sarin to leave Vodafone
Déjà vu: Arun Sarin brings MWC speech to CTIA

25 Most Powerful People in Wireless

Sue Marek — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:58:35 -0400

And the most powerful people in wireless are:

In today's tough economic climate, having powerful leadership can be critical to a company's success and longevity. A powerful person can turn a critical deal into a reality. They can redefine an entire industry's business strategy. And they might even be able to influence the way consumers think about wireless technology.

How do you determine a person's "power" quotient? That's a tricky question and one that the FierceWireless editorial team has pondered quite a bit lately. We think someone is powerful if they wield the right mix of influence, business savvy, leadership and technical innovation. But they also have to have that something extra--whether it's a charismatic personality, brilliant mind or down-to-earth approachability that makes people want to work with them, for them, or just follow them in the news.

The 25 Most Powerful People in Wireless is a compilation of who we think are the movers and shakers in this industry. These are the folks who shrewdly plot the path that many of the other industry players follow. We will be revealing five of our 25 picks every day this week, ending with the five most powerful people in the industry on Friday. Be sure to check our list every day to see who made the cut.

You may not agree with all our picks but I can assure you that this list was not compiled lightly. The Fierce editors scrutinized every person we selected to make sure we could justify their position on our list. Nevertheless, I encourage you to write or comment and let us know if you disagree with our picks or think we've been negligent by not including someone.

When you take a look at our list, you may notice that it's not particularly diverse. We realize that and yet we think our list of the 25 most powerful people in wireless accurately depicts the state of the industry, which so far is still notoriously male-dominated--particularly in the high-ranking positions at many companies. We hope that trend changes in the years ahead. -Sue

Lowenstein: Who will be the next king of wireless data?

Mark Lowenstein — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:50:42 -0400

By Mark Lowenstein

I am very pleased to inaugurate this series of monthly opinion columns with Fierce Wireless, reprising the role I had for several years at Wireless Week. As many of you might know, I was most recently vice president, market strategy at Verizon Wireless. I have moved back to Boston and re-launched Mobile Ecosystem, the consulting firm I ran for five years following my role as leader of the Yankee Group's wireless practices.

So, let's get right into it with a provocative question: Name two or three companies who have built a substantial, sustainable business out of the $100+ billion in data revenues that the U.S. operators have reported this decade. Let's look at what has happened recently to some of the companies that were so instrumental in building the first generation of wireless data:

OpenWave: Operates mobile data gateways in more than 70 carriers around the globe, and its browser is on more than a quarter of the world's phones. Market cap is less than $100 million.
Verisign. Buying spree included M-Qube, which had emerged as the leading firm powering mobile marketing and off-deck content, and Jamba, one of the leading ringtone providers. Most of senior management team has left and the firm plans to divest of several wireless assets.
Infospace. Rode the ringtone wave for a time, but lost share in mobile portal business. Was acquired by Motricity in December 2007 for a modest $135 million.
Motricity. Along with Infospace, operates the "vending machines" and powers the mobile Web for the majority of North America operators. Yet this company has burned through some $300 million of its investors' money, has never reported a profit, and just laid off one-third of its staff.
Qualcomm (BREW). Qualcomm's BREW platform has successfully powered several leading operators' wireless data offerings. But the signals are pretty clear that signature operators are looking to reduce their dependence on BREW with the movement toward a more open development framework.
Handmark and Handango. These are two leading content aggregators that have done a respectable job of building a solid content library and some meaningful partnerships. Both have raised a substantial amount of money and are still looking to break out.

Now, here's another question: Thinking about all the companies you work with, the press you see, the columns you read, and the events you attend - who are the four companies that are receiving the most attention as key players in the next generation of wireless data? I would posit they are Google, Apple, MySpace and Facebook. Up there but trailing slightly behind are Nokia, RIM and Yahoo. And maybe Microsoft or AOL if combined with someone else to counter Google.

So here's what's interesting: device revenues aside (for Nokia, RIM, and Apple), few of this second wave of players is an incumbent in the wireless data value chain, and none is generating meaningful revenues today from wireless data content or applications. Also notable, if not obvious, is that the list is dominated by today's Internet kingpins, which is ironic because we've been saying for years that the mobile Internet will not be the same as the wired Internet.

Even though these companies are receiving plenty of hype and attention, their success in wireless is not a foregone conclusion. Their plans are based on the movement toward a more open, Internet model for the development of content and applications--and we are still in the very early stages of that. The monetization scheme is also highly predicated on the success of mobile advertising in various forms.

Some of the more exciting start-ups in wireless today are taking an Internet-centric approach to wireless. Look at how JumpTap and Medio, two companies with early traction in mobile search, are placing greater emphasis on advertising, or how AdMob is trying to be the "DoubleClick of wireless." And how about the seemingly dozens of companies that are taking a "widget" out of the Apple playbook (OK, I apologize) and are building, yes, widgets/tiles/applets for the mobile device.

Even as we discuss the evolution to a more Internet-like model, I think the "walled garden" will continue to be an important force. This vertically integrated approach still delivers a superior user experience, despite more limited content offerings. A good example: RIM's Facebook application is the best execution yet, in my view, of mobile social networking. But this only works on a Blackberry--and by the way, RIM is not making any additional money from this or any other app on Blackberry.com (yet). Hmmm...

What we could see is a "shifting" of the walled garden, to include some viable additions or counters to the operators. My view on the strongest contenders:

Apple. In addition to the iPhone, iTunes could become a powerful distribution mechanism for mobile content, as has happened recently with TV and movies in addition to music.
Nokia. We discount them in the U.S. because of their relatively low market share here. If you look at the moves they have made over the past three years, they are clearly looking to take on Apple and Google in the evolution of wireless.
Yahoo (along with someone). They are gaining traction with operators around the globe after years of false starts. They could be the closest the operators get to a true partner in search and advertising, especially if Google is perceived to be an increasing threat.
RIM. A dark horse candidate. They have maintained share in the smartphone market and are accelerating their product development cycle. But they need to play a greater role in the multimedia and applications universe. To compete on a larger stage, they will have to make some acquisitions, or develop more meaningful partnerships with the Internetarati.

So, for my first column, lots of food for thought...and debate. I'd love to hear your comments. Please feel free to email me.

Mark Lowenstein is managing director of Mobile Ecosystem. He can be reached at mlowenstein@m-ecosystem.com. Click here to subscribe to his Lens on Wireless newsletter.

ALSO NOTED: Instinct promo site; Alcatel Playboy phone; and much more...

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Samsung launches a promotional website for the Instinct, which is set to debut on Sprint's network in the coming months. Article | Photo

> The Playboy branded handset by Alcatel fails to impress. Article | Photo

> Microsoft walks away from Yahoo bid.

> Burger King serves mobile food for thought.

> Digital media revenue rising.

> Associated Press launches mobile news network.

And Finally... Mobile phones that can save your life. Article

Vlingo - Top Wireless Company 2008: FierceWireless, Fierce 15

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:11:05 -0400

Vlingo

Where it's based: Cambridge, Mass.
When it was founded: 2006
Website: www.vlingo.com

Why it's Fierce: Vlingo garnered much attention last month when it was revealed the voice recognition company was the engine behind Yahoo!'s oneSearch 2.0 service, an expansion of its mobile search service enabling users to initiate queries using text or voice. Vlingo's voice search technology enables users to seek out any and all information without following prompts or adhering to specific search terms. Yahoo will officially launch the oneSearch 2.0 service later this year. Immediately following Yahoo!'s announcement, Vlingo announced the completion of a $20-million series B financing round led by none other than Yahoo!

What to Look For: Look for this type of voice search technology to have a major impact on mobile Internet consumption. By giving consumers control of the mobile Internet using their voice, Vlingo is providing a quantum leap in usability for mobile data services that are currently limited by the vast number of clicks and menus customers have to scroll through to reach the content they want.

VC: Vlingo get 2nd round investment

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:59:52 -0400

VENTURE CAPITAL
COMPANY	AMOUNT/ROUND	LEAD INVESTORS	DESCRIPTION
Vlingo Cambridge, MA	$20M second	Yahoo	Vlingo makes voice recognition applications for the mobile platform.
SiBeam Sunnyvale, CA	$40M third	New Enterprise Associates	SiBeam is looking to win the wireless HD standard war.
Aperto Milpitas, CA	$20M N/A	Quicksilver Ventures	Aperto makes WiMAX base stations and subscriber units.

ALSO NOTED: 3UK going bit-pipe? First certified WiMAX products; and much more...

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Pepsi taps MyClick for mobile marketing. Article

> Is 3 U.K. moving toward a bit-pipe model? Article

> WiMAX Forum certifies first WiMAX products. Article

> World Economic Forum praises WiMAX. Article

> More clues about the 3G iPhone. Article

> WorldTV teams with Qik for cross-platform video. Article

> News Corp. may join Microsoft in Yahoo bid. Article

And Finally... Verizon Wireless helps widower find his deceased wife's voicemail greeting after it got deleted during a service upgrade. Article

ALSO NOTED: Samsung seeks top spot; Another Hummer phone; and much more...

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Samsung looks to become the top mobile phone maker in the U.S. by the second half of this year. Motorola is the current top dog. Article

> Softbank added the most subscribers last year by adding close to 2.7 million subscribers. Article

> Supergirl flies onto Sprint's handsets. Article

> Yahoo contends that Microsoft's bid is too low. Article

And Finally... The second coming of the Hummer phone. Article

SPOTLIGHT: Yahoo adds to oneSearch

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:52 -0400

Yahoo leads $20M Vlingo funding round

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:38:22 -0400

Voice-powered mobile user interface developer Vlingo announced the completion of a $20 million Series B financing round led by web services giant Yahoo, which today also named Vlingo its software partner on the new oneSearch 2.0 text- and voice-enabled mobile search service. According to Vlingo, proceeds from the funding round--which also included existing investors Charles River Ventures and Sigma Partners--will be earmarked to fuel international expansion and continue its R&D efforts.

Yahoo to launch voice-enabled oneSearch 2.0

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:06:03 -0400

Yahoo continued its aggressive mobile push as the web services giant announced the summer 2008 launch of oneSearch 2.0, an expansion of its mobile search service enabling users to initiate queries via text or voice. Marco Boerries, executive vice president of Yahoo's Connected Life division, announced the oneSearch upgrades during a keynote appearance Wednesday at CTIA Wireless 2008, and said the company will open the search platform to publishers to stimulate content integration, simplify search input and make search instantly accessible on device idle screens. "We want to create indispensable mobile services for everyday people--the kinds of services people use many times a day," Boerries said. "We believe the mobile opportunity is too big and too complex to do it alone."

According to Yahoo, improved content integration will yield oneSearch results based more on actual content, not just web links, and provide multi-dimension information--for example, a search for "Italian restaurants" would include traditional results like addresses and phone numbers as well as user recommendations and available reservations. While oneSearch 2.0's Search Assist feature promises faster and easier input, predictive text completion and contextual recommendations, Yahoo will also partner with speech-recognition developer vlingo to enable voice search allowing for users to seek out any and all information without following prompts or adhering to specific search terms. While Yahoo will officially launch the oneSearch 2.0 service later this year, a technology preview is now available for download on BlackBerry devices.

ALSO NOTED: Motricity restructures; Vodafone's MMS-based search; and much more...

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Cricket Wireless plans to add 100 jobs. Article

> China Mobile CEO still interested in iPhone. Article

> OpenMoko releases service that lets users design the body of a phone, too. Article

> Motricity restructures and returns to its carrier-focus. Article

> Yahoo debuts mobile content management system. Article

> Microsoft inks Silverlight deal with Nokia. Article

> Vodafone demos an image-based mobile search application. Article

And Finally... Ofcom vows to take action after a couple is charged thousands for downloading four episodes of Friends onto their mobile. Article

ALSO NOTED: Alltel's celebrity vmail; SMS delivery mess; and much more...

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Alltel offers voicemail MAX with celebrity greetings. Article

> Sorting out the SMS delivery mess. Editorial

> Opera taps Google over Yahoo for mobile search. Article

> Mobile Marketing Association adds 33 new members. Article

And Finally... Playboy looks for Miss Playboy Mobile 2008. Article

ALSO NOTED: Microsoft WM-Zune phone? iPhone Australia; and much more...

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Yahoo at work on multi-platform digital ad effort. Article

> Mobile music revenues should hit $17.5 billion by 2012. Article

> Admob and Unicast have partnered on mobile advertising. Article

> Microsoft mulling Windows Mobile Zune phone? Article

> Understanding Motorola's troubled search for a buyer for its handset division. Video

> Symbian CEO Nigel Clifford on the 53 percent jump in Symbian OS-equipped devices. Video

And Finally... Exclusive deal for the iPhone could be illegal in Australia. Article

Microsoft names Lees to lead mobile unit

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Microsoft will name Andrew Lees to head up its mobile division following the exit of Pieter Knook, who will take over mobile web initiatives for telecoms group Vodafone. The executive shuffling comes as Microsoft makes a major push into the mobile consumer market, a move typified by its bid to acquire web services giant Yahoo. According to The Wall Street Journal, Lees, a 10-year Microsoft veteran, will be named senior vice president in accordance with the promotion.

For more on Microsoft's mobile shuffling:
-read this Wall Street Journal article. (sub. req.)

ALSO NOTED: Nokia taps Google; Yahoo and T-Mobile; and much more...

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Nokia and Google to offer Google Search across Nokia's handsets. Release

> Yahoo and T-Mobile enter into strategic partnership. Release

And Finally... LiMo unveils handset at NEC booth at Mobile World Congress. Article

ALSO NOTED: LiMo handsets, members; AOL's open mobile platform; and much more...

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> LiMo foundation unveils handsets and adds members. Article

> AOL's Open Mobile platform on tap for this summer. Article

> Openwave launches online contextual advertising network. Article

> Trolltech integrates QT framework with WebKit. Article

And Finally... Yahoo formally rejects Microsoft's bid. Article

ALSO NOTED: Qualcomm inks Mio deal; MFS to generate $587B by 2011; and much more...

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Qualcomm inks deal with Mio for connected personal devices. Release

> Report: Financial transactions from phones to generate more than $587 billion by 2011. Release

And Finally... AT&T and Yahoo expand their strategic alliance. Release

ALSO NOTED: Cisco invests in SoonR; Yahoo's mobile strategy; and much more...

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Cisco invests $9.5 million in SoonR. Release

> Yahoo revamps mobile Web strategy. Article

> Congress continues to review the acquisition of 3Com by Bain Capital and Huawei. Article

And Finally... Supreme Court to hear payphone case against AT&T and Sprint. Article