Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination, is unveiling a new convenience for film fans, where they can get movie tickets sent as barcodes to their mobile phones.
Fandango is rolling out its "Mobile Ticket" program in eight markets around the country, with more markets to come.
The benefit is that moviegoers can simply take their mobile phones straight to the theater ticket-taker, who scans the phones' barcode, allowing customers to bypass the box office windows and kiosks.
Fandango's Mobile Ticket works with most mobile carriers, and does not require a smart phone. The program is rolling out to more than 100 screens in the Reading Cinemas circuit, including:
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Target is the first national retailer to offer a scannable mobile coupon program that allows guests to receive exclusive offers directly on their mobile phones. Coupons are redeemed by scanning a barcode on the phone at checkout.
Guests can opt-in to the program on their PC at Target.com/mobile, on their phone at m.target.com or by texting COUPONS to 827438 (TARGET). After opt-in, guests receive a text message with a link to a mobile Web page that contains multiple offers, all accessible through a single barcode. Offers are single use and expire on the date listed.
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SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company, today announced it has added 11 new calling plans and three new phone models to its product and service offerings.
The new Unlimited Cellular Advantage plan is ideal for the on-the-go user who needs it all. This comprehensive wireless plan bundles unlimited private and group Push To Talk (PTT) minutes, unlimited cellular minutes, unlimited text messaging and unlimited data - including access to BlackBerry e-mail - for $99.99 per month across the SouthernLINC Wireless Regional Calling Area.
The Push To Talk & More suite of plans offers a variety of choices based upon how - and how much - customers use their phones. These 10 new plans provide more minutes for the same price as previously offered plans. Three types of plans are available - PTT and text messaging only, PTT and cellular only, and PTT, text messaging and cellular.
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Rogers Communications today announced new North America One Rate wireless data plans, the latest additions to the company's affordable North American wireless roaming solutions. Recognizing the evolving needs of its business and consumer customers, Rogers has created the new North American One Rate wireless data plans to provide additional cost certainty to customers travelling to the United States, along with the flexibility and convenience to use their device's data capabilities (email, mobile web surfing, downloading documents) the same way they would at home, without incurring roaming fees when using data within their monthly allotment.
According to Statistics Canada, in October 2009 Canadians made 3.3 million trips to the United States, making it Canada's most frequent destination for travel. With more than 30 per cent of current Rogers postpaid wireless customers using data-enabled smartphones, up more than 10 per cent from early 2009, the North American One Rate plans, along with a number of other wireless voice and data roaming options already available, offer customers the greatest selection of high value U.S. and international data roaming solutions, at the most affordable advertised rates in Canada. | |
Swype, an innovative text input technology, and T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the integration of Swype’s intuitive text input solution into T-Mobile touch screen devices, starting with the new version of the popular T-Mobile myTouch 3G, the company’s latest Android-powered device, which is available beginning today. T-Mobile also plans to integrate Swype into a number of future devices including the HTC HD2, an upcoming Windows Mobile Phone from T-Mobile, which is expected to be available this spring.
George Harrison, vice president, marketing product innovation, T-Mobile USA said, "Consumers have been vocal in their demand for a more intuitive and efficient way to use a virtual keyboard on touch screen devices. As T-Mobile continues to drive innovation for the benefit of our customers, the addition of Swype to T-Mobile products places our customers at the forefront of this new solution." |  |
MetroPCS Communications, Inc. announced the launch this week of Wireless for All, its new family of service plans that includes four all-inclusive monthly service plans which encompass taxes and regulatory fees and gives consumers added simplicity and predictability in their wireless services. MetroPCS is providing more choice of unlimited nationwide talk, text and Web service plans ranging from $40 to $60 per month, as well as smartphones, messaging devices and feature handsets.
MetroPCS' new service plans now start at $40 and all plans offer unlimited nationwide talk, text, and Web services. Other service plans at $45, $50 and $60 offer additional options and features to match any mobile lifestyle including unlimited international long distance calling to more than 1,000 destinations in more than 100 countries.
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Truphone today announced the launch of its Truphone Local Anywhere service, a full GSM solution that makes it easier and more convenient for international travellers to stay in touch while saving more than 90 percent on their mobile phone bills. The new global mobile phone service provides consumers with local numbers and access to local rates for calls, texts and data in multiple countries on a single SIM card.
The service launches today for the United States and the U.K., and the company plans to rapidly roll out Truphone Local Anywhere to a number of key business and leisure destinations in 2010, both across Europe and in longer haul destinations such as Australia, Hong Kong and South Africa. Truphone Local Anywhere offers customers four main benefits:
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| Cricket Communications, Inc. today announced it is allowing Cricket customers to make unlimited free calls from their Cricket phones to Haiti to check on the status of loved ones in the wake of this week’s earthquake. The feature is available to all Cricket voice-plan customers from now until midnight Eastern Standard Time on Friday, January 22, 2010.
In addition, Cricket is participating in a text messaging initiative with the American Red Cross to enable Cricket customers to make a donation to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Cricket customers with text messaging capabilities can make a $10 donation directly from their Cricket phone by Texting “Haiti” to 90999. Donations will be debited from the customer’s prepaid Flex Bucket account or Cricket PayGo account. | |
MetroPCS Communications, Inc. has announced the launch this week of Wireless for All?, its new family of service plans that includes four all-inclusive monthly service plans which encompass taxes and regulatory fees and gives consumers added simplicity and predictability in their wireless services. MetroPCS is providing more choice of unlimited nationwide talk, text and Web service plans ranging from $40 to $60 per month, as well as smartphones, messaging devices and feature handsets.
MetroPCS’ new service plans now start at $40 and all plans offer unlimited nationwide talk, text, and Web services. Other service plans at $45, $50 and $60 offer additional options and features to match any mobile lifestyle including unlimited international long distance calling to more than 1,000 destinations in more than 100 countries.
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TASER International Inc. has introduced a new family safety platform called PROTECTOR, a toolset that gives parents the ability to supervise their children's mobile phone usage and driving behaviors.
Parents can manage the contact lists and content of their child's mobile phone - including calls, texts, emails, photos and video, and can automatically limit phone functionality to prevent dangerous distractions while driving. PROTECTOR uses integrated GPS, allowing parents to track their child's location, monitor driving habits, and release vital records to the authorities in emergency situations.
PROTECTOR works on multiple devices, each managed through an intuitive control panel accessible through a smart phone, PC, MAC or smart TV. Parents can control who their children interact with and monitor their mobile phone activity and driving behavior at any time - and change permissions and settings in real time. PROTECTOR is carrier-independent and seamlessly connects parents and children, even if they're on different cellular networks.
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Magic Jack inventor and founder Dan Borislow introduces another industry first: the smallest, lowest cost, plug and play femtocell technology.
What is our femtocell?
magicJack’s femtocell technology enables your cell phone or smart phone to connect through our Voice Network, instead of your carrier network. By utilizing our network via a magicJack account that costs just $20 a year, you may save hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year by offsetting cellular minutes. In addition, when calling internationally, customers will save anywhere from 95-100 percent off current cellular carrier rates. Up to 50 percent of mobile users have terrible phone reception in their houses or small businesses. With our femtocell technology, people will get exceptionally clear quality voice calls every time.
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| Skype today announced support for Skype video calls on PCs in 720p high definition (HD), as well as Skype software embedded into Internet-connected widescreen televisions from its consumer electronics manufacturer partners.
The latest version of Skype for Windows can deliver up to 720p HD-quality video calling at 1280 x 720 resolution, at up to 30 frames per second, giving individuals an even smoother and richer video calling experience. To make an HD video call, users will need a high-speed broadband connection, a new HD webcam, a PC with a 1.8 GHz dual-core processor and Skype 4.2 Beta for Windows.
New HD webcams are due to arrive in early 2010. At CES, faceVsion and In Store Solutions introduced new HD webcams that are optimized to work with Skype. |  |
If you like watching videos on your cell phone then you may want to check out Vuclip. Vuclip is one of the most widely-used mobile video search portals in the world, and the only mobile video service that dynamically transcodes, optimizes and delivers any Web video to any mobile phone across all wireless networks in real-time.
The service is free, although standard carrier data charges apply. Vuclip also enables online publishers and content owners to mobilize their video content through its “white-labeled” Vuclip Video API Program. Vuclip has 40 employees and is based in the Silicon Valley, with offices in Beijing and Delhi. | |
Aisle411, the St. Louis company that partnered with Ace Hardware to launch the world’s first voice recognition product location mobile phone service, is now launching a text messaging coupon service tied to weather activity at twelve Missouri and Illinois Ace Hardware stores.
Aisle411’s Helpful Hints allows retailers to create mobile marketing campaigns tied to weather activity. Aisle411 will send text messages to Ace customers to alert them to coming storms or good weather days, and include Ace Hardware coupons and special offers for weather-related items. For example, if the weather service issues a warning for freezing rain, that may trigger the system to alert Ace Hardware’s customers and offer them coupons for items like Ice Melt or salt for the sidewalk. |  |
If you want to keep up with your favorite TV shows via your mobile phone you may want to check out PrimeTime2Go. PrimeTime2Go gives you access to over 60 prime time shows from major networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, MTVN, Disney, ESPN, Discovery Communications and more.
All shows are downloaded via Wi-Fi. You can choose to automatically download your favorite shows or get them on demand. You can watch the shows when you want; even when your smartphone is offline. With PrimeTime2Go you will not incur large data charges and you can download as many shows as your MicroSD card will allow.
PrimeTime2Go is currently available in the U.S. to AT&T and T-Mobile customers with the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphones for just $9.99/month.
The service will also soon be available to T-Mobile customers with Motorola CLIQ and BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphones and will be extended to other leading smartphones and geographic locations.
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From today stressed-out workers can ‘dial-a-beach’ as a pioneering new service from Orange launches in Britain – playing some of the UK’s most relaxing sounds.
Nearly seven in ten Brits (67%) found the sound of the sea lapping against the shore the ultimate calming environment to listen to, followed by a crackling log fire (47%), the sound of a forest (33%), birdsong (33%) and a typical English village green (18%). Now customers can listen to them for free on the Orange Relaxation Line, whenever they need some time-out in the run up to Christmas. | |
McDonald’s begin offering free wireless Internet via access Wi-Fi at its U.S. restaurants next month. Starting in mid-January, McDonalds will eliminate the current $2.95 fee it charges for two hours of Internet access at 11,000 of its 14,000 U.S. locations. With the free Wi-Fi there will be no time limit. The free Wi-Fi is a partnership with AT&T.
McDonalds hope is that with the free Wi-Fi more customers will stay in the restaurants between meals and buy McCafe coffee drinks and the new line of frappes and smoothies. Additionally, McDonalds wants their restaurants to feel more like a "hang out spot" instead of just a hamburger joint.
AT&T claims its public Wi-Fi access points have been used more than 51 million times in 2009, which is more than double the number of connections made in all of 2008.
McDonald's decision to offer free wireless Internet access could be a strategy to compete with Starbucks and other coffee chains.
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TwitVid.com, the fastest and easiest way to add video to Twitter, today announced the launch of a suite of new features that improve the way people share videos online. Available immediately are two first of its kind features, including real-time video search and video analytics, and virtual gifting.
TwitVid.com’s real-time search feature lets anyone see the most popular videos on Twitter, at that moment in time. The search engine aggregates all TwitVid and YouTube video links currently being shared on Twitter. The proprietary real-time ranking algorithm then ranks the videos based on their relevancy to the search term, current popularity and buzz on Twitter, as well as by their freshness, with the newest videos ranking highest. | |
Cox Communications, Inc. announced today that it is first introducing its new wireless phone and mobile high speed Internet services in Hampton Roads, Va., Omaha, Neb.; and Orange County, Calif. (Cox initially announced last year, their intention of entering the wireless market.) Today’s announcement continues the company’s long history of introducing competitive telecommunications services to the marketplace.
Cox was the first cable company to begin offering traditional landline telephone services in 1997 and Cox customers were among the first in the nation to enjoy a competitive choice among providers. Today, Cox is the number one phone company in many markets it serves. In September, Cox received highest honors in J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Residential Telephone Customer Satisfaction StudySM in the East and West, marking the seventh consecutive honor in the West. |
Goober Networks today announced the release of its newest communication product, free video messaging for peer-to-peer and business use. Easy to use, a simple click on http://video.goober.com/ and a webcam enable video messages to be sent to virtually any email recipient on the planet.
Goober Networks offers a series of creative templates that allow people to customize their free video messages with falling snow, Christmas designs, hearts and other holiday scenes. "The video is simple to create and send, and the quality of the image is the best available on the market," says Uhlich. The completely web-based offering is launching in time to help friends and families stay in touch during the holidays when many people have reduced their travel plans due to the economy.
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