eBay

Americans use their smartphones for Web browsing

Sue Marek — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:07:47 -0400

Research firm M:Metrics reports that U.S. smartphone users spend an average of four hours and 38 minutes per month for Web browsing. This is nearly double the Brits, who spend about two hours and 30 minutes per month Web browsing on their smartphones. M:Metrics says that the reason for the difference between the U.K. and the U.S. is that 10.9 percent of American smartphone users have an unlimited data plan compared to only 2.3 percent of U.K. users.

Top domains that U.S. smartphone users browse are Craigslist.org (1 hour and 38 minutes per month); ebay (one hour 25 minutes per month); Myspace (1 hour and 25 minutes per month); facebook.com (1 hour 24 minutes per month); and go.com (1 hour, 7 minutes per month).

For more:
- see this M:Metrics press release

Related stories:
Study: 30% of mobile workers on first smartphone. See this smartphone study.
SPOTLIGHT: Finding the smartphone sweet spot. See this smartphone study.

BlackBerry 9000 could see summer launch

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

Rumors are swirling around the as-yet-unannounced BlackBerry 9000, which will feature a new BlackBerry OS, called 4.x. Two BlackBerry 9000 units appeared on eBay a few days ago, only to disappear after a few hours (it's unclear whether the auctions ended or if eBay pulled the listings at RIM's insistence). According to the auction listing, the 9000 will feature 3G (HSDPA), EDGE, WiFi and Bluetooth. The Boy Genius Report goes one further, claiming that A-GPS will also be thrown into the mix, along with a microSD card slot and a 2-megapixel camera. The plethora of wireless radios is reportedly leading to battery life expectancy issues. Pending the resolution of those problems, RIM should have this one out the door by July or August.

For more on the BlackBerry 9000:
- see this Engadget article
- and this Boy Genius Report article

Obopay vs. PayPal: Ease-of-use vs. cheap to use

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:59:59 -0400

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Obopay vs. PayPal: Ease-of-use vs. cheap to use

The battle is on for mobile money transfers as eBay's PayPal, the online payment veteran, is taking on the plucky, young up-start, Obopay for domination in the budding space. Just this past week PayPal announced its inclusion in Sprint Nextel's MyMoneyManager suite of mobile financial services. PayPal and partner mFoundry are on deck to provide banking services for Sprint, making the carrier the first major operator in the U.S. to enable mobile money transfers between subscribers. The battle could hinge on ease-of-use vs. price points.

Obopay made the headlines today with a new president for the U.S. business, Gregory Holmes, who has spent 20 years in the payments industry. Yesterday Obopay announced that Indian telecom Essar had bought a strategic stake in it for an undisclosed amount. The news follows a $20 million fourth round of venture capital for Obopay.

Until recently both Obopay and PayPal have had somewhat similar approaches to enabling users to transfer money through their mobile phones: Users needed an account with Obopay or PayPal in order to send money or access the money sent, and to sign up for an account you need a credit card. Users can send the money via SMS, WAP or an application residing on their handsets.

Obopay exacts a 10 cent sending fee per mobile money transfer but those receiving money do not need to pay. Users who fund their accounts from their credit or debit cards have to pay a fee of 2.5 percent.

PayPal's deal with Sprint for its MyMoneyManager suite brings a nearly free mobile money transfer solution to Sprint subscribers but it may not be as easy to use as Obopay. MyMoneyManager requires a data plan. Sprint charges users the standard rate for text messages, but no additional fees apply, according to the carrier.

Earlier this month Obopay started to allow its users to send money to other people directly out of their checking accounts. Recipients no longer need to have Obopay accounts to access the money either. Those who receive money can provide their routing and transit numbers from their mobile phones allowing the money to go directly into their accounts, too.

So, ease-of-use or cheap to use: Who wins the mobile money transfer market? -Brian

Skype expands unlimited calling plans

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Skype launched its first unlimited calling plans to phones overseas. For $9.95 a month, Skype users can now make unlimited calls to landline phones in 34 countries that include most of Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and more. The plan also includes domestic calls to both landlines and mobile phones. Users can call mobile phones in Canada, China, Hong Kong and Singapore, but not to mobiles in other countries.

For more:
- read this article on Skype's unlimited plans

Netbiscuits integrates SMS campaign tool

Mike Dolan — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:44:43 -0400

Mobile content transcoding software provider Dynetic Solutions announced the integration of customizable SMS services into its Netbiscuits mobile Internet development platform. According to Dynetic, the new short-message campaigning tool provides its own short code, enabling content publishers, marketing and advertising agencies, application developers and service providers to combine SMS services with their mobile web efforts to deliver SMS alerts, SMS newsletters and text-based content sharing services. Dynetic also announced further enhancements to the Netbiscuits platform, including the addition of new North American and Asian mobile handsets to its global device detection database.

The Netbiscuits platform enables applications ranging from mobile advertising landing pages to user-generated content community services--Dynetic targets Netbiscuits to partners like Internet auction giant eBay, which employs the platform to enable SMS bidding alerts and related mobile tools for buyers and sellers. "Our focus in on content adaptation and delivery," said Dynetic Solutions CEO Michael NeidhÃƒÂ¶fer in an interview with FierceMobileContent. "The emphasis is on how to create the optimal user experience on a phone--the market is full of companies that say they can transcode the web to mobile, but it's a new medium, with a smaller screen and different navigation, so you need to build an experience you think your customers will use."--Jason

iPhone hacker trades unlocked phone for car

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 06:59:56 -0400

The 17-year-old hacker who soldered his way to an unlocked iPhone, has traded the unlocked handset for a Nissan 350Z and three 8GB (locked) iPhones. The teen, George Hotz, originally tried to auction the phone on eBay but received too many fraudulent bids. Terry Daidone, the founder of Certicell, contacted Hotz and made the offer over email.

Hotz explained that he would send the iPhones to the people who helped in unlock the first one: "I will be sending the iPhones, unlocked if they wish, to jpetrie (the first donater), gray (the reversing genius), and iProof (who is truly amazing at finding stuff online)."

For more on Hotz:
- read this article from macnn

SPOTLIGHT: Paypal's mobile Web e-commerce service

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:01:32 -0400

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, eBay subsidiary PayPal is developing a new, mobile payment service that will launch by year-end. The planned service is simple: e-commerce vendors will set up mobile sites (WAP?) and consumers will visit them and pay for services like concert tickets or even pizza delivery. PayPal spokeswoman Amanda Pires said, "It's easier to read, it's more secure, and it's designed for the mobile Web environment." PayPal launched its peer-to-peer mobile money transfer service about a year ago, but this service would mark its first foray into m-commerce for e-vendors. Article (WSJ sub. req.)

FEATURE: Net Neutrality's threat to wireless

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 19:01:33 -0500

Net Neutrality issues loom for wireless carriers

By Brian Dolan

There's a growing debate over whether or not basic net neutrality rules apply to wireless networks. Earlier this week the New America Foundation organized a panel debate on this topic that drew a crowd of more than a hundred attendees.

The wireless net neutrality issue is gaining traction, thanks to a petition filed with the FCC on Feb. 21 by eBay subsidiary and VOIP provider Skype. The petition asked the FCC to confirm that basic net neutrality rules apply to wireless networks. It also questions whether Carterphone rules also should apply. Skype's petition is a derivative of a white paper written by Columbia University Law School Professor Timothy Wu and published by the New America Foundation in January. The paper claims that the wireless carriers' control over which handsets can connect to wireless networks has stymied innovation in the industry and has even led to some cases of alleged consumer fraud.

The CTIA, of course, disagrees with Wu and Skype. CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent says that Skype's filing contains glaring legal flaws and a complete disregard for the vast consumer benefits provided by the competitive marketplace.

During the panel, Wu said that the debate about wireless net neutrality does not center on horizontal competition within the industry, but with vertical competition and the effects of the "carrier oligopoly" on the handset market. Those effects include difficulty in entering the equipment market, feature crippling on handsets, consumer fraud over false promises for 3G services and data plans as well as issues surrounding application development.

CTIA's head counsel Michael Altschul countered Wu by saying that three of the four wireless carriers in the U.S. are offering 3G services that match DSL speeds, which means in some markets there are as many as 12 broadband service providers.

Skype's director of government and regulatory affairs, Chris Libertelli, however, argued that worldwide the mobile device market has a split of about 50-50 when it comes to where consumers get their phones from: carriers or independent channels. In Asia about 80 percent of phones are sold through third parties. In Europe about 70 percent are sold through independent channels. In the U.S., 90 percent to 95 percent of phones are sold through carriers. "We think the consumer should have that meaningful right to attach any non-harmful device to a wireless network, just like Carterphone allows in the wireline space," Libertelli says.

Stifel Nicolaus' investment banker Blair Levinson said that a service provider agnostic device in the U.S. would be a revolutionary move for the industry--much more revolutionary than the launch of Apple's iPhone, expected later this year. However, he believes that Skype needs to demonstrate harm in a marketplace that most people think is fairly robust. CTIA's burden is proving that wireless carriers' practices with handsets are really in the consumers' best interests.

Consumer Union's Jeannine Kenney argued that mobile broadband is not a substitute service. And while there are choices for mobile broadband services, it doesn't make sense for a consumer to switch providers when all the providers are discriminating. In addition, she noted that consumers are increasingly locked into contracts for bundled services.

The impromptu discussion at The New America Foundation framed the growing debate over wireless net neutrality, but this is a discussion that has just begun. This issue will have a serious impact on the wireless industry and wireless carriers, in particular, if it continues to gain traction.

ALSO NOTED: Vodafone-eBay; Daily Trivia Question; and much more...

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:01:30 -0500

> Japan mobile phones top 100 million. Article

> Federally funded public safety wireless networks debated. Article (WSJ sub. req.)

> Valista, Volantis and Vignette team on rich media content platform. Release

> Vodafone to offer eBay on mobile phones. Article

> Fixed-mobile substitution is accelerating in Western Europe. Release

And Finallly... Your daily dose of wireless trivia: On what date was this now famous ringtone first publicly heard? Click here to listen to the ringtone. Submit your answer here.

Yesterday's Question: Fill in the blank to complete the name of this now defunct startup: Wheels of ____. Hint: The founder also founded Apple. Answer: Zeus. First correct answers came from: Ed Bachner, Rosetta Wireless; Jeff Popoff, Redknee; Howard Gutowitz, Eatoni Ergonomics.

Skype to once again charge for out-calling

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:01:36 -0500

Skype, the VoIP service acquired by eBay last year, said it will begin charging an annual $30 fee for unlimited calls to landline and mobile phones within the U.S. and Canada. Those types of calls have been free because of a promotion that began in May, but previously Skype users had to pay per call. The service's pricetag is still far below other VoIP plans--like those offered by Verizon and AT&T, which charge about $25 a month for VoIP. The new rates come with a promotion of their own: Sign up by Jan. 31st to get a 50 percent discount on the annual fee, about 100 minutes of free international calls and $50 in coupons for Skype gear.

For more on Skype's new rate plan:
- check out this article from USA Today

Cingular to launch mobile banking

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 19:01:38 -0500

Cingular Wireless is planning on launching a mobile banking service early next year that would allow subscribers to check account balances, transfer funds and pay bills through their mobile phones. Cingular is teaming up with Firethorn Holdings to launch the service. Currently no banks have greenlit the service, but I assume that's why the carrier is waiting a few more months to launch. Firethorn argues that banks have an incentive to offer the service because it creates flexibility for their customers. Much like content providers, my guess is the banks are wary of security on the mobile platform.

Mobile payments are already in the market and include Amp'd's Obopay services and eBay's mobile PayPal service which makes use of SMS. Nokia and MasterCard are pushing the "mobile wallet" and just today Visa announced its mobile payment vision: "secure, over-the-air delivery of payment account information to the mobile device, access to point-of-sale mobile payments using Visa Contactless and Near Field Communications (NFC) technology, as well as remote payments delivered through secure mobile messaging and the mobile Internet."

For more on Cingular's mobile banking service:
- take a look at this article from the WSJ (sub. req.)

Spain's FON talking to U.S. cable operators

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 20:01:34 -0400

Spain's FON, which is creating a global wireless Internet community by turning home or business Internet connections into hotspots, revealed that it expects to sign some major deals with cable companies in the U.S. during the next six months. Backed by VC money from Google, Skype, eBay, Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital, FON says it has 95,000 registered users and 20,000 hotspots. FON is selling one million Internet routers that would let hot spot owners share in small daily fees charged to roaming computer users for five euros in Europe or $5 for those in the U.S. The service is already available on a limited basis in six countries: the U.S., Spain, South Korea, Germany, France and Italy. The largest number of users is in the U.S. and Spain. FON plans to enter the Chinese market later this month.

For more about FON's potential deals with cable operators:
- check out this article from Red Herring

ALSO NOTED: WiMAX on track to dominate; Mobile LBS to make bank in Europe; and much more...

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:01:30 -0400

> More on the "iPod-killer," Zune's wireless functionality and song sharing capabilities. Article

> Report: WiMAX on track to compete for dominance in wireless. Release

> Australian pay TV mogul Steve Cosser now heads the WiMAX Spectrum Owners Association. Article

> Metric: Mobile LBS services to reach €622 million in Europe by 2010. Release

And Finally... OK, eBay hawkers, time to scoop up a few dozen TMX Elmo's before the holiday season. "Analysts" say its sure to be a repeat of 1996, and the kids need their Elmo, even if he's "tickle me to the extreme" Elmo. Article

SPOTLIGHT: Information on phones not really erased

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 20:01:32 -0400

Trust Digital bought 10 used e-mail-enabled phones on eBay this summer, in order to test out phone security tools it sells to businesses. Despite the fact that users had erased the contents of the phones, Trust Digital was able to resurrect information on nearly all of the phones using specialized yet cheap software found on the Internet. Information ranged from one company's plans to win a multimillion-dollar federal transportation contract to racy exchanges between lovers. Article

M-payments heat up with PayPal's plans

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 19:01:39 -0500

The idea of mobile commerce is heating up again, but this time there is finally some reality to it. eBay's PayPal is testing a service would let mobile phone users send or receive payments to other people or make purchases directly if the retailer provides a short-text code for that purpose. The idea of m-commerce imploded in 2002. Lousy user experience, bad user interfaces, slow-speed networks, security issues and the problematic distribution of money between content providers, retailers, carriers and handset vendors all contributed to the quick downfall of the m-commerce dream. Today, it appears some of these shortcomings have been addressed, and we're seeing some well-known e-commerce players entering the space and handset makers incorporating the idea of the m-wallet. Of course, using text messaging for purchases isn't that exciting, but text messaging is a service a lot of folks know how to use. It will take players like PayPal, one of the world's renowned payment-processing companies, to push m-commerce mainstream.

To read more about PayPal's mobile commerce plans:
- check out this article from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)

PayPal planning mobile payment group

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 19:01:39 -0500

PayPal began recruiting business and product heads for a new mobile payments start-up unit. The subsidiary of online auction house eBay has posted ads on job boards for a business manager and a senior product manager in what it calls the PayPal Mobile group. While a nascent market, TextPayMe has already introduced a new PayPal-like service that allows users to send and receive funds via SMS. This might be the kick in the pants m-commerce needs.

To read more about PayPal's mobile payment plans:
- read this article from finextra.com

Convergence evolves from buzz word to market reality

Thu, 22 Dec 2005 19:01:39 -0500

Everyone has been talking about convergence for years, but 2005 was to be the year convergence moved from the marketer's lexicon to wireless market reality. We predicted that convergence would show up in two ways: the quadruple play and the combination of cellular and WiFi data access. It did. Sprint signed a huge deal for quadruple play offerings with most of the major cable companies. Sprint and its four partners--Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Advance/Newhouse--signed a quadruple play deal that will span 20 years! Cable companies moved quickly to launch combined TV, broadband Internet and Internet telephony services starting in 2003.

We had a good feeling about Time Warner and Sprint last year: "The first cable company to make a push for this market will likely be Time Warner, which last week entered talks to launch a wireless MVNO through Sprint." Of course, the MVNO never went through and Time Warner said they'd much rather leave the wireless side of things to Sprint itself.

As for the rest of the quadruple play: VoIP increased its market value this year as eBay shelled out big money for VoIP provider Skype. IPTV is taking off in leaps and bounds abroad, and the U.S. is sure to follow. ISPs took heat from the onset of the muni-WiFi trend as cities and towns across the country looked to their Homeland Security funds and considered deploying citywide WiFi services. The triple play, however, remains largely intact and the quadruple play will replace it for at least the next two decades.

ALSO NOTED:

Thu, 22 Dec 2005 19:00:41 -0500

WiMax: Although we hoped it would, the WiMax hype factor never seemed to cool down. With the incredibly devastating hurricane season, launch of WiBro in Korea and the recent ratification of 802.16e, WiMax stayed in the headlines for what seemed like much of the year. As predicted, 2005 was not the breakthrough year for WiMax, even though there were a few commercial deployments worldwide. Next year will be the true litmus test for the technology as its fixed standard launches in full force and tries to live up to expectations.

Wireless VoIP: Last year, FierceWireless correctly predicted that wVoIP would penetrate the enterprise for use over corporate WLANs and public hotspots. Of course, the big VoIP news this year is eBay's astronomically expensive Skype acquisition. With the FCC chairman's recent nod toward taxing and voice service that uses phone numbers, you can bet VoIP providers will start pushing into the wireless space on a quest for more revenues to keep cost-competitive and make switching worth it. Wireless VoIP emerged as a forward-looking industry topic of 2005, and judging by muni-WiFi deployments and plans, wVoIP will certainly become a market reality in 2006. More on that in our next issue.

Bluetooth: As expected, Bluetooth made its way onto more devices than ever in 2005. Analysts say one-in-six phones sold in the third quarter had Bluetooth capability. The real question still remains: Why does this matter? Carriers still don't make much money off of Bluetooth-based applications. However, US consumers are increasingly willing to shell out the money for Bluetooth, especially because of its in-vehicle usage. Nokia, EMI Music and others recently launch trials of free music downloads using Bluetooth.

Ultrawideband: Last year, we noted that the UWB standard was still bottlenecked in the IEEE and no resolution to the standards fight was in sight. The end of 2005 carries the same grim message for UWB; this time next year we may not even be talking about it.

Judge denies stay in RIM suit, won't impose settlement

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:01:39 -0500

As expected, Judge James Spencer denied RIM's request to stay the BlackBerry patent lawsuit and also refused to impose the $450 million settlement the two companies had discussed back in June. Spencer did not issue an injunction against RIM to stop all sales and service of BlackBerry devices in the US. Spencer said he would request briefs and set a hearing date to deal with the remaining issues of the injunction and damages.

NTP is hoping that Spencer's ruling will convince RIM to reach a settlement. NTP said the sum would not necessarily be higher than the $450 million, as many analysts have speculated. However, RIM doesn't seem willing to consider any new figures. After the ruling, the company said that it is continuing to prepare an appeal to the US Supreme Court. Apparently the company sees the Supreme Court's recent decision to review a patent-related injunction against eBay as a good sign for its case. However, many analysts think that RIM has worn out its legal possibilities and will end up paying about $700 million to put an end to the lawsuit.

For more on the latest development for RIM, NTP:
- check out this article from The New York Times

PLUS: RIM fights for patents in the UK, too. Article

ALSO NOTED: National Lampoon launches mobile content service; QUALCOMM responds to antitrust complaints; and much more...

Sun, 30 Oct 2005 19:00:41 -0500

> National Lampoon launches mobile content comedy service offering video, audio and more. Release

> QUALCOMM answers telco's EU complaints. Release

> Wired takes a look at the Apple and Motorola relationship. Article

> Following the Telefonica-O2 deal, talk of Cable & Wireless being acquired reignites. Article

> Chutes & Ladders: airBand names John McCleod EVP of operations and technology. Release

And Finally... eBay's Meg Whitman tops FORTUNE's "Most Powerful Women in Business" list. Article