The Finnish firm has started to invest more in Internet services in recent years, seeking to counter falling handset prices and increased competition in smartphones from the likes of Apple and Blackberry-maker RIM.

The Linux Maemo operating system is seen as key for Nokia in its rivalry with Apple Inc’s iPhone, and many analysts and industry players have been expecting the firm to roll out numerous Linux models already next year.

“This is not necessarily worrying, but they need a hit product. It has to be a winning one and Nokia needs to continue to work on Symbian in the meantime,” said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Nokia started to sell its first Linux phone, the top-of-the-range N900 model, this month.

“The potential of Linux computer operating system is in the high-end, and we have not yet fully harnessed that,” Ari Jaaksi, head of Maemo at Nokia, said.

Full story at indiatimes.com.

ViVOtech provides end-to-end NFC Payment Infrastructure including Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning, Electronic Wallet and NFC Readers at Merchant Locations

Silicon Valley-based ViVOtech, the leader in Near Field Communication (NFC) and contactless payment systems, announced that its NFC mobile payment wallet, Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning and NFC payment readers are being successfully used by Dubai First, a Dubai Group company and du, the UAE’s integrated telecom services provider, in the first NFC mobile payment pilot in the Middle East scheduled to continue till the second quarter of 2010.

During the trial phase, identified Dubai First Platinum MasterCard customers will be able to download their credit card functionality securely to specially equipped mobile handsets over du’s mobile network. Once the handset has been personalized, customers could conduct transactions using their du mobile connections at multiple MasterCard PayPass(TM) enabled merchant locations in the United Arab Emirates.

The first pilot group is in the process of receiving special handsets from du in the next 2 weeks; facilitating the use of this unique technology at MasterCard PayPass(TM) enabled merchant locations across the UAE.

ViVOtech technology was chosen to facilitate every step of this trial:
–  ViVOtech Issuing Servers residing at Dubai First enabling the secure
Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning of credit cards to mobile handsets
–  ViVOtech Control Servers managing the provisioning and service of
electronic wallets in the mobile handsets
–  ViVOwallet electronic wallets in the handsets.
–  And ViVOpay NFC readers at merchants throughout UAE.

“We are delighted to be the end-to-end technology provider of this first NFC mobile payment pilot in the Middle East region,” said Michael Mullagh, ViVOtech CEO. “With this initiative, du and Dubai First are laying the foundation of bringing empowerment to consumers in the UAE with the most innovative and contemporary method for business transaction via mobile-commerce.”

To date, ViVOtech has enabled more than 35 NFC phone pilots globally. ViVOtech’s NFC mobile payments, promotions, Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning infrastructure software, transaction management software, NFC smart posters and contactless terminals are part of the company’s end-to-end solutions that complement and complete mobile e-commerce networks and their ecosystems.

ViVOtech (www.vivotech.com) is the leading end-to-end enabler of next generation mobile payments, loyalty, and marketing solutions. ViVOtech provides Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile payment solutions, mobile marketing and loyalty applications software, Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning infrastructure software, NFC smart posters, and contactless terminals. ViVOtech’s products are used by most prominent retailers all over the globe; the company has shipped close to 600,000 contactless and NFC payment terminals to more than 35 countries. In 2009, ViVOtech received the prestigious Frost and Sullivan North American Smart Cards Product Line Strategy of the Year Award. ViVOtech’s investors include Citi, First Data Corporation, Motorola Ventures, NCR, and Nokia Growth Partners.

7.2 HSPA-capable Smartphone from AT&T and LG Mobile Phones Packs a Powerful Punch, Features Optional Mobile Projector

AT&T and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc., announced the LG eXpo will be available online beginning December 7. Featuring the first 1 GHz processor in the United States, the LG eXpo allows business professionals to meet their demanding data sharing needs while on the go. Available exclusively for AT&T customers, the handset will be compatible with AT&T’s High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 Mbps technology, which provides a considerable speed boost to the nation’s fastest 3G network.

The LG eXpo is the first device in North America to support an optional integrated pico projector. The LG Mobile Projector snaps onto the back of the device and allows users to share presentations, slideshows and even online videos straight from their mobile phone. Weighing only 1.8 ounces and small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, the LG mobile projector provides users with powerful new technology in a compact design, featuring a projection distance as far as eight feet

“LG eXpo adds to our growing portfolio of smartphones that operate on the latest upgrade to our 3G network and offer customers a great choice,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “As we move to HSPA 7.2 technology, it is crucial to provide our customers innovative and future-proof smartphones.”

With the upgrade to HSPA 7.2 technology, AT&T continues its investments to deliver the nation’s fastest 3G network. AT&T plans to deploy HSPA 7.2 initially in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami by the end of the year. The company plans to deploy HSPA 7.2 in 25 of the nation’s 30 largest markets by the end of 2010, and to reach about 90 percent of its existing 3G network footprint with HSPA 7.2 by the end of 2011.

LG eXpo also eliminates the need for pin codes and passwords with the exclusive “Smart Sensor” fingerprint recognition from AuthenTec, which delivers a new level of added smart and personal security unlike any other mobile phone in the market. AT&T is the first to offer U.S. subscribers a smartphone that leverages the features and functions of a smart sensor. The Smart Sensor complements the touchscreen user interface of the eXpo by also providing precise cursor control for text editing, 4-way menu navigation, and AuthenTec’s unique turbo-scroll feature for rapid browsing of long emails, contact lists or websites.

The LG eXpo is loaded with Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional to help power users stay more connected with email, calendar and Microsoft Office Mobile. The phone’s projection feature allows users to display Web pages, documents, photos and videos on the go.

“LG eXpo is the perfect balance of mobile innovation and design,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing for LG Mobile Phones. “Enabling users to meet their professional and personal computing needs from the palm of their hands, LG eXpo makes on-the-go communication an effortless luxury.”

Boasting a 3.2-inch external touchscreen with 16M color, LG eXpo features a sophisticated slider design with a full size QWERTY keypad. For the dynamic multi-tasker, LG eXpo provides users with powerful functionality that supports an RSS Viewer, Podcast and aGPS. In addition to a crystal clear 5.0 megapixel camera with built-in auto flash, LG eXpo can support up to a 16GB removable microSD memory card for premium music and photo storage.

Beginning December 7, LG eXpo will be available to enterprise customers and for purchase online at www.att.com/lgexpo for $199.99 after mail-in rebate. Pay $299.99 and after mail-in rebate receive a $100 AT&T Promotion Card. Two year agreement on a minimum $69.99 plan required. The LG Mobile Projector will be available in the coming weeks for $179.99.

The application has launched today and for £6 a month people can access the Sky Sports bundle – which includes access to Sky News, the Sky Sports channels and the ESPN channels live on their handset or iPod Touch for the first time.

The Sky TV app is free to download initially and allows users to stream TV via WiFi and not 3G at this stage. It is understood this is because of restrictions from O2. It will be available to all iPhone owners, regardless of what mobile network they are signed to, including Orange, which begins selling the handset today.

Subscribers to the app will have access to live televised matches from the Barclays Premier League, Scottish Premier League and Football League, and other sport tournaments such as the European Tour golf, Premiership rugby and international and domestic cricket.

Full story at telegraph.co.uk.

“This is a major milestone in the expansion of our distribution network for SteelWorks,” said Brian Hajost, SteelCloud President and CEO. “We believe that Ingram Micro has the largest presence in the VAR and reseller community and is a crucial alliance for the broad-based commercial availability of SteelWorks. This new agreement will significantly enhance SteelCloud’s distribution and market presence for SteelWorks. We are delighted to have been able to accomplish this significant expansion in our distribution footprint in such a short period of time.”

In September, the Company began shipments of its new SteelWorks appliances for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0, which were manufactured under its OEM agreement with Dell announced earlier this summer.

SteelCloud is a developer and integrator of mobility computing appliance solutions. The Company designs, architects and develops specialized appliance solutions for mobile computing technologies including BlackBerry Enterprise Server. For both commercial and government markets, SteelCloud delivers integrated hardware/software appliance solutions that focus on ease of deployment, policy compliance, and high availability.

Over its 20-year history, SteelCloud has won numerous awards for technical excellence and customer satisfaction. The Company can be reached at (703) 674 5500. Additional information is available at www.steelcloud.com. Email: info@steelcloud.com.

As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics services, technical support, financial services, and product aggregation and distribution. The company serves 140 countries and is the only broadline global IT distributor with operations in Asia. Visit www.ingrammicro.com.

Global Marketing Partners is a Channel Solutions Reseller providing customized vendor consolidation and marketing services to North America’s largest national IT distributors and resellers. For more information, please go to www.globalwrx.com.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images, and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.

“Safe Harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions contained in the foregoing are forward looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. It is possible that the assumptions made by management are not necessarily the most likely and may not materialize.

In addition, other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include the following: SteelCloud’s ability to obtain financing in the short term, risks associated with the integration of business following an acquisition, business conditions and the amount of growth in the computer industry and general economy; competitive factors; ability to attract and retain personnel, including key sales and management personnel; the price of SteelCloud’s stock; and the risk factors set forth from time to time in SteelCloud’s SEC reports, including but not limited to its Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q; and Current Reports on Form 8K. SteelCloud takes no obligation to update or correct forward-looking statements.

By Joe McDonald

Apple’s iPhone is making its long-awaited formal debut in the world’s most populous mobile phone market, without a key feature and at higher prices than widely available black market models.

Apple’s local service provider, China Unicom Ltd., hopes the iPhone will give it an edge against giant rival China Mobile Ltd., the world’s biggest phone company by subscribers.

Unicom was to start selling iPhones equipped for third-generation service Friday night at 2,000 stores in areas as farflung as Tibet. Chinese news reports say Unicom hopes to sell 5 million in three years, but the company declined to confirm that.

Unicom’s first iPhones lack WiFi, a possible handicap with sophisticated, demanding Chinese buyers. The technology, a key part of the iPhone’s appeal, allows the phones in other markets to use wireless networks in cafes and offices to download e-mail and the latest applications for free.

“There’s going to be a perception that the phone they have is dumbed down from the one that somebody has in California,” said Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA China Ltd., a Beijing-based technology research firm. “We’ve seen before that Chinese consumers don’t like to be treated like second-class citizens.”

Apple Inc. and Unicom also could face competition from an unusual source: unlocked iPhones brought in from abroad that have WiFi.

There are already an estimated 1.5 million to 2 million such phones in China using China Mobile 3G service that allows Internet access and other features.

Unicom’s prices range from 4,999 yuan ($730) to 6,999 yuan ($1,025) for the high-end, 32-gigabyte iPhone 3GS. That is 20 percent above the 5,700 yuan ($835) charged by merchants at Chinese street markets for a 3GS with WiFi.

Click here to read full story.

Quattro Wireless (www.quattrowireless.com), the leading premier global mobile ad network, today announced it is celebrating the company’s third birthday with the release of the first Mobile R.O.I. Report for Brands: Results and Objectives Indexes for Mobile Advertising. The report shows that mobile advertising, once thought of as the medium of mobile personalization advertisers – such as ringtones – has become an effective strategy for brand and premium direct response marketers. Industries that want to reach a broad audience, such as CPGs, Autos, Finance, and Entertainment, are embracing the medium by integrating mobile into their marketing mix and developing innovative and engaging creative, thus driving more consumers to click, respond and buy.

The findings also make it clear – by illustrating that animated ads are twice as effective as text ads, and that expanding ads also drive higher click-throughs – that those marketers and agencies that provide an engaging experience and take advantage of consumer behavior will make the most of their mobile investments. The executive summary of the report can be downloaded at http://quattro.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/10/q2-2009-mobile-roi-report-for-brands.html

As the largest and fastest-growing premium global mobile ad network, Quattro Wireless analyzes more than 10 billion mobile actions each month – ad requests, served impressions, and user actions such as page views, clicks and video plays – to target and optimize ad campaigns and provide insights to marketers and publishers on consumer behavior. In this new report, Quattro has analyzed its over 4 billion ads sold and served per month during Q2 2009 to produce valuable insights for the industry. This data can be used to benchmark campaigns and understand trends in the usage of mobile devices in a rapidly changing market.

Andy Miller, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Quattro Wireless, said, “The entire team at Quattro Wireless is proud of becoming the leading premium global mobile ad network in just three short years. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Quattro employees, we have built a sustainable business and successful partnerships with many of the world’s largest marketers, agencies and publishers. Today, we are excited to release our first Mobile R.O.I. Report for Brands, which continues to demonstrate our ability to deliver value to our clients and to promote the mobile channel as a critical component of driving ROI for all marketers.”

In addition to bringing new publishers and advertisers into the mobile marketing space, Quattro Wireless has been recognized by its peers and the business community with multiple awards and honors. In 2009, these included: CEO Andy Miller named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009 in the Emerging Company category in New England; selection as a Northeast 100 Top Private Company by AlwaysOn Media; and selection by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange as a finalist for the Mobile 2009 category in the 14th Annual MITX Interactive Awards, for its campaign for the Concha y Toro Xplorador brand of wine.

“We congratulate Quattro Wireless on celebrating three successful years in mobile advertising,” said Phuc Truong, Managing Director of the U.S. for Mobext, a Quattro Wireless client. “Quattro has set a high standard for service and delivering results with their focus on premium inventory and innovation. Given the team’s track record, I am not surprised. They have been a terrific partner to us and our clients.”

“Quattro has been an essential partner in driving mobile advertising success for BrandinHand and our clients for the past three years,” said John Hadl, Founder and CEO of BrandinHand, a Quattro Wireless client. “They have reached this milestone as a leader in the industry because they always go above and beyond to ensure that our campaigns make the most impact on our target audiences. We applaud their release of the first Mobile R.O.I. Report for Brands as part of their ongoing efforts to provide actionable insights that help us better understand the mobile landscape, and we look forward to working with them long into the future.”

Quattro Wireless is the leading global mobile advertising company, empowering advertisers and publishers to reach and engage their target audiences across mobile web, application and video platforms with unrivaled precision, transparency and ROI. Employing Q Elevation dynamic targeting technology to optimize every impression, the company’s ad serving, tracking and analytics platform and global network of sites and applications (many exclusive) deliver superior results. Leading companies including P&G, Ford, NetFlix, Time Inc., Visa, Disney and the NFL partner with Quattro Wireless because the company has turned the art of engaging and converting mobile audiences into a repeatable science.

Orange plans to launch Google Mobile App across its footprint in a phased approach and will deliver it across a large range of Orange Signature phones, which are customised for a better user experience. Initially, Orange is giving customers instant access to Google Search from the homescreen on Signature Android handsets, alongside other services such as Orange TV. In the UK and France, Google mobile search results will also include relevant content from Orange’s own mobile portal, combining results from both partners for the first time. From October, the Orange Signature Android series, including LG Eve (France, Spain), HTC Tattoo (France, UK, Spain) and HTC Hero (France) will also feature specially designed services like the Orange Email Wizard which lets users set up and use their chosen mobile email services – including Google Mail – in one easy-to-manage place.

Google Mobile App will later be made available across a wider range of Orange Signature devices operating on Symbian S60, RIM (BlackBerry) and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile. On these platforms the application will include links to services like Orange mobile portal, Google News, Google Maps and Google Mail, giving Orange Signature customers even greater access to content and tools that are useful in daily life. Together with the new services, Orange customers can continue to browse and download mobile applications that are personal and relevant to them, for example, from the Orange Application Shop.

Raoul Roverato, Executive Vice-President for New Growth Business, Orange, says, “People want easy access to the best content and services on the Web on any screen. At Orange, we have developed a range of applications that our mobile customers can directly access from their homescreen, such as Orange TV, Orange Games, My Social Place or My Social Life and the Orange mobile portal.” Raoul adds, “This partnership will also let us give customers direct access to the best Google applications across a large part of our Signature portfolio, combining the strength of two leading brands to create and deliver the kind of content people want to find and use on their mobile.”

Vic Gundotra, Vice-President of Engineering at Google, adds: “Google Mobile App makes it easier than ever for people to find and use information that matters to them when they’re on the move. Partnering with Orange is a great opportunity for us to provide their customers across Europe with instant access to the web.”

The Google Mobile App search experience has been tailored to combine Orange’s own mobile search results, so relevant content exclusively available to Orange customers – such as Ligue1 football news in France – is readily available alongside independent Internet content. Orange’s own data shows there is a strong and growing consumer appetite for simple, internet search on the mobile – mobile searches increased by 120% over the last 12 months. As such, the different approach to this partnership, combining services and content, enables Orange to continue to deliver on its promise to give customers the very best mobile multimedia experience.

Olaf Swantee, Senior Executive Vice President Personal Communication Services Orange, says: “Through this partnership we continue to deliver on our promise to make the mobile Internet even more pervasive to our customers. As the first operator to partner with Google in this way, we are setting a benchmark for openness in the mobile industry that inspires our customers, builds loyalty and helps grow our business.”

“We are very excited to see our customers respond so positively to our Pizza Hut App,” said Brian Niccol, Pizza Hut CMO. “Reaching one million dollars in sales with the App emphasizes the value of ordering innovation to our customers and how important it is for Pizza Hut to continue to create successful new ways to engage with them.”

Pizza Hut is the first national pizza chain to introduce an ordering App for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch, and is quickly approaching one million downloads. A leader in App design, this year, the Pizza Hut App was the winner of an OMMA award, and a finalist for one MOBI award and two MMA awards.

The Pizza Hut App is a convenient and entertaining way to order from Pizza Hut. It uses innovative iPhone and iPod touch features including the Multi-touch user interface and accelerometer to make ordering each individual menu item a fun and customized experience:

> When ordering pizzas, users virtually build their own pizza by choosing a type of crust in the scroll wheel, “pinching” to select size, and dragging-and-dropping toppings onto the pizza, all with visual confirmation. If an overeager pizza customer adds too many toppings, the pizza explodes and toppings go flying across the screen with an alert to make their pizza happier with fewer toppings.

> The section used to order WingStreet(R) wings starts with a bowl of wings that changes as users choose the type of wings they want. Next they select a sauce and are prompted to “sauce their wings” by shaking their iPhone or iPod touch until the wings are covered. Shake too long and the sauce flies across the screen. As with the pizza ordering, customers finish with a representation of the wings order.

> The App has a virtual waiter on call to take your Tuscani Pastas order. You can select from four delicious varieties including Meaty Marinara, Creamy Chicken Alfredo, Premium Bacon Mac ‘N Cheese and Lasagna.

Pizza Hut also has given consumers a way to pass the time as they wait for their order with a game called Pizza Hut Racer, in which users are challenged to deliver a pizza quickly while avoiding obstacles in the road. The pizza delivery car speeds up or slows down depending upon the angle of the device, and vibrations and beeps alert users when the driver hits the curb or runs into obstacles. Each time a user orders using the App they get 20% off their entire order.

The Pizza Hut App is available from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore, and a video demoing the application’s features and functionality can be found at pizzahut.com/iphone. For more information on Pizza Hut, log on to pizzahut.com or interact with Pizza Hut at facebook.com/pizzahut and twitter.com/pizzahut.

Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest wireless 3G broadband network, and Motorola, Inc., a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID by Motorola, the first smartphone powered by Android 2.0. DROID by Motorola features the brainpower and breakneck speed of a modern smartphone, designed to outperform where other smartphones fall short.

“We’re proud to work with Verizon Wireless and Google on the first smartphone to feature Android 2.0,” said Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices. “DROID by Motorola delivers a rich consumer experience with warp-speed Web browsing, a mammoth screen, and Motorola’s expertise in design and voice quality. Combined with Android’s open, flexible graphical user interface and the power of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, DROID is a smartphone that simply doesn’t compromise.”

“This is an exciting announcement for Verizon Wireless, as the DROID by Motorola is the first device that we are bringing to market under our ground-breaking strategic partnership with Google,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “DROID by Motorola gives customers a lifestyle device with access to more than 12,000 applications that will help them stay in touch, up to date and entertained, using the best 3G network in the country.”

DROID by Motorola has a solid exterior, intelligent interior and is one of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones available. It is a no-fuss, high-tech, location-aware, voice-recognizing, over-the-air updating, multi-tasking machine – and it is available just in time for holiday wish lists.