According to Millennial Media’s Mobile Mix Index, for the first time Android surpassed iOS as the largest smartphone operating system on Millennial Media’s network last month, with an 8% month-over-month increase and 46% of the impression share.
Verizon Wireless and Apple have just announced that the iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon network beginning on Thursday, February 10. Verizon customers will be given the opportunity to pre-order CDMA iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability.
US-based online retailer Amazon has opened its mobile application store to submissions from developers. The Amazon "Appstore" is due to launch in the US during 2011 and will be available for Android devices that run versions 1.6 of the operating system and above.
Today at the Consumer Electronics Show, Skype has officially launched group video calling for consumers and enterprises. Group video calling is available as part of the new Premium package which offers group video calling together with access to live chat customer support as a day pass for $4.99 (€3.49/£2.99) or as a monthly subscription for $8.99 (€5.99/£4.99) per month.
comScore has released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending November 2010. After several months of strong growth, Google Android captured the #2 ranking among smartphone platforms with 26.0 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers.
Skype has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services. Qik has 60 employees, and is headquartered in Redwood City, California and has an office in Moscow, Russia. The transaction is expected to close in January 2011. The companies informed that terms of the acquisition will not be disclosed.
Vonage has announced the successful completion of its planned refinancing. According to the company, the new $200 million, five-year term loan facility provides Vonage with "a more efficient capital structure" and is the result of the its solid financial and operating performance highlighted by EBITDA and free cash flow generation of $150 million over the past twelve months.
AT&T and Qualcomm announced that AT&T has agreed to purchase spectrum licenses in the Lower 700 MHz frequency band from Qualcomm for $1.925 billion. According to AT&T, the move "will bolster the company’s ability to provide an advanced 4G mobile broadband experience for its customers in the years ahead."
Broadcom has announced a new baseband platform that provides simultaneous HSDPA modem connectivity and Android-based applications processing. According to the company, the new Broadcom BCM2157 dual-core baseband processor delivers high-end smartphone features on more affordable 3G Android handsets: this includes mobile hot-spot, multi-touch screens, innovative media and applications processing, "and other capabilities that will help handset makers drive these features to a larger tier of users."
VIZIO announced the introduction of their new Theater 3D technology with the launch of the 65" Theater 3D Edge Lit Razor LED LCD HDTV with VIZIO Internet Apps. The 65" XVT3D650SV is VIZIO’s largest HDTV ever.