Reality check on mobile search

Despite recent data suggesting mobile search is taking off, the current reality is less-than-thrilling, says AdAge. Citing Forrester Research, the article points out that 80 percent of marketers say they either use or plan to employ Internet-based search marketing, yet less than one-third of retail marketers and one-half of consumer goods marketers expect to use mobile search as part of that plan. The reason? Traffic. Only about 5 percent of the nation's 190 million mobile phone subscribers have ever used mobile search, according to M:Metrics. The reason: (wait for it….) bad user experience.

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Yahoo expands mobile apps to Windows phones

Yahoo has made its Yahoo Go for Mobile service available as a download for Windows Mobile powered phones worldwide. Yahoo Go for Mobile includes Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Search and Yahoo Photos, among other services. It also is working to strike deals with manufacturers to embed the service suite in new phones still in development.

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Wi-Fi Cards Expose Laptops to Hackers

Security researchers say they have found a flaw in WiFi drivers that could give hackers access to passwords, bank accounts and other sensitive information when the system isn't even connected to the Internet. David Maynor, senior researcher at network security firm SecureWorks, and fellow researcher Jon "Johnny Cache" Ellch said the problem is with the software built into wireless-networking hardware that allows it to communicate with a computer's operating system.

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Ofcom Publishes 3G Measurement Plans..

Telecoms regulator Ofcom has published the methodology that it proposes to use to determine the extent to which the 3G mobile network licensees - O2,Vodafone, Hutchison 3G, T-Mobile and Orange - have complied with their obligation to roll out services. Under the terms of their licences, each is required to cover 80% of the UK population by 31 December 2007.
Ofcom's proposed approach is intended to measure the availability of each licensee's service which should, under normal circumstances, be able to provide a range of applications such as voice, text, video and multimedia services.
Ofcom's methodology, which is subject to consultation, is as follows:
Ofcom will assess coverage on the basis of data about base stations supplied by the licensees and population data from the 2001 Census. It will use planning tools to perform an engineering analysis of the signal strength receivable at outdoor locations. This will be supported by sample measurements around to the UKto verify the results.

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