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Google Brings AdSense Onto Mobile

First it was AdWords. Now, Google is extending its AdSense program to mobile, allowing for the contextual targeting of ads to mobile Web site content. More ...

Google To Announce Mobile Operating System

Google's mobile phone operating system is getting ready for a formal unveiling, possibly next month, according to their sources. The tech blog has christened the Linux-based system the "Gphone OS," which it says is a long time in coming. Google in 2005 acquired the mobile software company Android, whose former president and CEO Andy Rubin has been spearheading big G's OS project. Apparently, Rubin's team is currently shopping the program around to handset makers and carriers, whose various agreements Google needs to establish distribution. Engadget expects an OS announcement with distribution partners to come sometime after Labor Day. Meanwhile, the report downplays the possibility that Google is planning a phone of its own, saying that Google is sticking to the turf of Microsoft and Opera instead of competing with handset makers like Nokia and Apple. More ...

Google's Massive Wireless Push

Now that Google has upped the mobile wireless ante, the world is wondering whether the company plans to release an actual Google phone. The answer is yes, but not anytime soon. Indeed, the company is investing hundreds of millions in all kinds of cell phone research and development, including handset prototypes, although insiders say the models aren't as impressive as Apple's iPhone. In the short-term, Google's more focused on developing ad-supported mobile applications and services--and making sure they come bundled with as many cell phone plans as possible. "We are partnering with almost all of the carriers and manufacturers to get Google search and other Google applications onto their devices and networks," a Google spokesperson said, but refused to comment on Google phone speculation. At the D: All Things Digital conference in May, Google CEO Eric Schmidt pointed out that ads in mobile phones are "twice as profitable or more than nonmobile phone ads because they're more personal." More ...

Apple Sells 500,000 iPhones, Despite Problems

A slow cellular network and expected first-generation bugs are two things that kept many from buying Apple's iPhone. There were also activation problems for several new iPhone owners this weekend. Most of the complaints came from AT&T business customers who were unable to quickly transfer there new phones to a business account. Other complaints came from those switching carriers. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said the overwhelming majority of customers could activate service "within minutes." Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimates that Apple sold a half a million iPhones over the weekend. That amounts to between $250 million and $300 million for Apple. TechCrunch reckons that Apple's margins on the device are probably closer to 20%, leaving an estimated $50 million to $150 million profit. More ...

Consumers Not Gaga for Mobile Ads

While advertisers are giddy at the prospect of placing ads on cellphones, many consumers are wary of the prospect. A Harris Interactive survey found consumers ambivalent to the idea of ad-supported content and services on their cellphones. When asked of the different forms of cellphone advertising, from text links tied to search results to a promo ad when turning on the phone, the overwhelming majority of respondents found them "not acceptable at all." More ...

Pandora Loses its Box

Internet radio startup Pandora has gone on air—literally—after announcing deals on Wednesday with mobile phone carrier Sprint Nextel and in-home wireless music device maker Sonos. The agreements mean that Pandora, which specializes in user-selected music on the Internet, can now beam its signal though the airwaves, a move that one analyst said amounted to a direct challenge to the traditional broadcast radio industry. More ...

Ask Mobile Rides GPS Wave

Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp. Internet empire on Monday marched into mobile search with Ask Mobile GPS, launching location-based services into the spotlight. Ask Mobile GPS on SprintNextel will feature mobile versions of IAC’s Ask.com, Citysearch, and Evite. IAC plans to eventually add its Match.com, Ticketmaster, and RealEstate.com properties into the mix. More ...