Matching a recent move by Wal-Mart (WMT), Amazon.com (AMZN) has unveiled a new promotion on Research in Motion (RIMM) BlackBerry phones, giving buyers of certain models who sign up for new 2-year plans free $100 “e-gift cards.” The deal runs from November 14 through November 20. The gift cards will be mailed automatically 6 weeks after the phones are purchased.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

The smart-phone wars are heating up. Handset makers are releasing a wave of new devices backed by a flood of advertisements, as some fight for survival in the fast-growing but increasingly crowded market.

Companies such as Motorola Inc. (MOT), Palm Inc. (PALM) and HTC Corp. are hoping new phones will help them reclaim market share from the reigning iPhone and BlackBerry. To do that, they will need a mix of impressive devices, shrewd pricing and aggressive marketing, analysts say.

Motorola has bet its future on a lineup of new phones that run Google Inc. (GOOG) software. On Wednesday, it is expected to unveil a highly anticipated device dubbed the Droid on the Verizon Wireless network. Verizon (VZ) has been touting the phone in TV ads attacking the iPhone.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

When last we left the Waterloo, Ontario-based maker of BlackBerries, Research in Motion’s (RIMM) shares were falling like a rock. Or, perhaps, like a kitchen knife. The stock is down $1.63 today, or 2.4 percent, at $67.28, after falling as low as $66.67, and down 19 percent since offering a lackluster outlook on Thursday night.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Ford Motor Co. (F) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) are teaming up to market the auto maker’s redesigned Taurus sedan.

Ford and Microsoft first teamed up a few years ago to launch the Sync telematics system, which enables drivers to hook Bluetooth entertainment and communications devices into the car. Now, Ford is using a technology from Microsoft–known as tags–in its print advertising materials in order to give potential car buyers a more interactive introduction to the car.

Looking very much like a bar code found on most consumer products, the black and white tags are integrated into the design of an ad and can be photographed by anyone carrying a camera-equipped smart phone, such as Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone, or Research In Motion Ltd.’s (RIMM) Blackberry. Once the image has been downloaded, it then links a consumer to a company-designed website.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

For the growing number of tech companies developing safety measures for texting while driving, the reasons are often personal.

Matt Howard, a co-founder of Reston, Va.-based Zoomsafer, began work on the service after nearly hitting a neighbor’s son while texting in his car. Looking for an application for his BlackBerry that could prevent that from happening, he was surprised to see nothing available. Zoomsafer’s BlackBerry app is now scheduled to become available in a few weeks, followed by versions for Windows Mobile and Google (GOOG) Android.

Timothy Smith, chairman of Aegis Mobility, heard about the company from someone who lost his son to a driver talking on his cellphone.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

For two Canadian guys who’ve spent the past 17 years together building one of the world’s most important tech companies, Research in Motion (RIMM) co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have surprisingly little in common.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Nokia Corp. (NOK), once bitter rivals in the mobile market, formed an alliance to strengthen their positions at a time when other competitors have become far more troublesome.

The deal between the two companies will bring Microsoft’s Office programs and other software to Nokia phones. It is aimed squarely at the professional market that Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM) targets so successfully with its BlackBerry line of smart phones.

For Microsoft, the deal is an attempt to increase the appeal of Office–a lucrative franchise that includes Word, Excel and other productivity programs–to a business audience that is being courted by competing products from rivals that range from Google Inc. (GOOG) to Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO). Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Though my own family might find it hard to believe, I don’t generally keep my BlackBerry on my nightstand overnight. I keep it in a bureau drawer, and the few seconds it takes in the morning to walk over there strike me as the difference between an addiction and mere avid use.

Regardless, it’s fair to say I probably use my BlackBerry a little too avidly–and I’m far from alone. The New York Times (NYT) earlier this week took a look at high technology’s central place in the modern morning routine, finding that for many people, checking email or Facebook or Twitter (or all at once, if possible) comes before breakfast, coffee or even a visit to the bathroom.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

The cell phone market right now is awash in buzz, with the debut of the Palm (PALM) Pre, updated Apple (AAPL) iPhones on the way and new models coming from Research In Motion (RIMM) and others.

But has the chatter obscured softening fundamentals?

Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek thinks so. Yesterday, he cut his ratings on 3 major players.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Internet traffic will increase fivefold over the next five years, driven in large part by a jump in the amount of video transmitted across the network, according to Cisco Systems (CSCO).

The finding highlights a study of the demand on communications networks between 2008 and 2013 that the computer-equipment maker plans to release Tuesday. Along with the study, Cisco is also releasing an application that lets people track how much bandwidth their day-to-day activities consume, and another one for iPhone and BlackBerry owners that tracks how fast the devices connect to the Internet from different locations.

(You can download the apps here.)

By 2013, Cisco expect Internet traffic–in this case a broad category that includes delivery of content to televisions and mobile phone–to reach about 56 exabytes per month, up from about nine exabytes per month in 2008.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

There’s still no mobile phone from Dell (DELL), despite plenty of chatter about that possibility over the last 18 months. But it’s gotten easier to buy from the company using a mobile phone.

Dell recently, and quietly, went live with a new version of its Web site that works better with mobile phones. The new site–-easy to reach by typing in Dell’s Web address from the browser on a BlackBerry or similar handset–-says it’s in beta mode. It makes it easy for users to search Dell’s product listings and order PCs and other devices from their handhelds. It also has a link to Dell sale items.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Research In Motion (RIMM) didn’t provide a lot of concrete news at its analyst day yesterday; there were no new models unveiled, and no updated financial guidance. But the analysts nonetheless came away from the event feeling generally more upbeat on the company than when they arrived. And that has given RIMM shares a modest boost in today’s trading.

I’d note that the most notable comments and price target changes came from the more bearish analysts on the stock; maybe they fed the gurus comfort food at lunch and gave them blankies to hold. (Hmmm…the BlackBerry Blankie…it has possibilities, no?) Here’s a rundown on some of the post-meeting analysis:

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Shopping on cellphones–long a dream among e-commerce companies–is not yet a mass-market phenomenon. But some new tools could help change that picture.

Amazon.com (AMZN) Thursday unveiled free software for BlackBerry handsets (trackball models only, please), that allow users to browse for products, read reviews, and buy on the go–just like a version for Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone that came out in December.

Read the rest of this post

During the “Launch Pad” session, five start-ups took a grilling from developers, journalists and venture capitalists, then faced a crowd vote at the Web 2.0 Expo’s version of “American Idol.”

As attendees texted their votes, moderator John Battelle, founder of Federated Media Publishing, jokingly asked: “Want to have a dance-off?”

None were necessary. The techies in attendance were starry-eyed for all things mobile, picking Nitobi’s PhoneGap, an open-source tool for building mobile apps, as the People’s Choice winner. Life-tracking site zeaLOG was a close second.

Read the rest of this post

Dell (DELL) CEO Michael Dell has done little to dispel rumors that his company is working on a mobile computing device. In fact, he all but confirmed them while traveling in Japan on March 24 when he said: “It is true that we are exploring smaller-screen devices.” What form those devices will take remains a matter of heated debate. Talk is that Dell plans a smartphone that would compete with Research In Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry, Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone, and the various devices running software from Microsoft (MSFT), Nokia (NOK), or the Google-backed (GOOG) Open Handset Alliance. Prototypes of a Dell-made smartphone are being circulated in the wild and, according to Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu, got a cool reception from mobile-phone carriers including AT&T (T) and Sprint Nextel (S).

Read the rest of this post