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In a landmark move, Verizon has said that it will allow devices and software - and other applications not offered by the company - to run on its network, according to the Hollywood Reporter (via Yahoo News).
By early next year, Verizon will begin publishing technical standards that will allow third-party developers to make cell phones, mobile devices and other applications compatible with the Verizon network. Subscribers, then, will have a choice: to stick with Verizon software and hardware or switch to a different company’s offerings.
The point of this is that consumers will be able to use any CDMA-compatible phone as they would a Wi-Fi equipped computer or wireless PC card: When they need to connect, they could log onto the nearest Verizon access point without having to sign up for a long-term contract, writes Cnet News.
The move indicates that the wireless industry is beginning to realize the opportunities it has to capture some of the huge projected increases in wireless internet traffic.
The decision is seen as having been made as a reaction to Google’s Android platform which will make free mobile software available for use on phones. Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile are signed on to be carriers for the phones in the U.S.
The newly-opened network could be a boon to Google, which has lobbied to make an open network a requirement to companies wishing to bid in the upcoming wireless airwave auction, MarketingVOX writes.
Vending machines filled with a “synthetic blood nourishment beverage” called Tru Blood have sold out - but vampire fans can get more of the bloody refreshment at events across the country promoting a new HBO drama.
The series True Blood,…
Total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the first half of 2008 closed at $11,554,569,406, down 3.1 percent compared with the first half of 2007, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB), Magazine Publishers of America reported (via MarketingCharts).
Ad pages during the first…
Internet coupons have become of increasing interest to consumers, with 11 percent of households now obtaining coupons via the internet - an increase of 83 percent since 2005 - according to (pdf) a recent analysis by Scarborough Research, reports MarketingCharts.
However, the…
AMC’s Mad Men snared 16 Emmy nominations, including best drama - the first time a basic cable series was nominated in the best-series category.
The show received the most nominations of all dramatic TV series. FX’s Damages also received a…
Vogue will follow the lives of three young women as they enter the world of top modeling, pulling video together for a web-based reality series called Model.Live. Clothing retailer Express LLC paid in the low seven figures to be the…
Antiperspirant manufacturer Mitchum is launching a promotion, kicked off in the Pacific Northwest this month, that offers consumers $1 coupons attached to hangers that come from dry cleaners.
This is the third time Mitchum has partnered with EcoHangers - a company…
