SOG, nice followup letter to Mark Cuban.

Best regards,
SS9173

N E O M, Impressive! We are lining up with the best and brightest guys in the business...Should be quite a team when we are done. It will be interesting to see how all of this talent will be integrated into one seamless organization... And if everyone will remain with the Company.

SS9173

Maybe we will announce a viral campaign with Virgin Mobile some time in the near future:

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=8130192&txt2find=viral

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=8130220&txt2find=viral

SS9173

Don't forget Sponge is the fastest growing mobile company. They have just got to be in Neom's acquisition plan IMO.

http://theponderingprimate.blogspot.com/2005/07/sponge-fastest-growing-mobile-marketer.html

SS9173

Sponge might be announced next week. They have been for sale since July so it wouldn't surprise me to see that deal ready to be announced as well, especially considering Neom used them as a shining example in the 12snap PR.

SS9173

JP,

It appears your right. . .Neom is stirring things up . . .Can't wait to see Chas & Co's plan continue to unfold resulting in. . . 'The mobile media market as we know it will be turned upside down and on its HEAD ...'

Best regards,
SS9173

DD Can't Stop - Addicted to the Shindig: 3GSM Worldcon, Barcelona

http://www.telecoms.com/itmgcontent/tcoms/news/articles/20017336772.html?page=1

17 February 2006

The Informer was, as promised, sneaking around the labyrinthine corridors of the giant industry jamboree we all know and love this week.

And labyrinthine they were too - the gargantuan Feria de Barcelona is sufficiently large to accommodate the whole of Cannes, not just the Worldcon itself. Which promises more expansion.

Oh joy.

There was news. There was also a giant, furry Sonic the Hedgehog wandering the conference floor - or were the cocktail parties getting to us?

It certainly seemed real enough, but then, that could be said of many hallucinations. For example, did Nokia boss Jorma Olilla really call out both Motorola and the whole VoIP industry at the cuddly Finnish phoneco's press conference? Speaking of ultra-low cost phones, Olilla remarked that "you have to look at the long-term cost," and that there was no point making phones that would fall apart - a thinly disguised dig at the arch-rival's Emerging Market Handsets.

Regarding the launch of the Nokia 6136 UMA (GSM-WLAN) roamster, apparently "a phone is a lot easier to hold to your head than a laptop". Ooh, get you, Skype.

Skype had its own answer to that.

In a presscon held off-site at the Barcelo Sants, the VoIP firm, beloved of geeks and grannies alike (it says here) announced that Hutchison would be bundling the new Skype for Pocket PC with all its top-end Windows Mobile 5.0 gadgets and a flat-rate data tariff. Behold the bit-pipe - not something you would necessarily have expected from Hutch.

It's clearly a good move for Skype, and a necessary experiment for the industry - but why is 3 volunteering to perform the experiment on itself? No-one would say how many users were expected to make the switch, Hutchison bosses going so far as to say that it was too early to say and that no forecasts had been prepared.

One does hope it doesn't end up like One2One did when it announced free calls for a day, although the news casts last week's announcement that Nokia had grabbed a fat contract to upgrade 3's UK network in a particularly interesting light.

Back at the conference, Vodafone announced the adoption of Symbian Series 60 as a standard platform for all its phones worldwide, a deal with Microsoft (heavily present at the show, what with a stand the size of Belgium, a keynote speech from Steve Ballmer, and a ton of gadgets from HTC) to develop mobile search, and a worldwide contract for IMS kit from Nokia. Not just that, but Voda also signed up Microsoft to provide push-email software - so what will happen to its existing hosted-Blackberry service?

MSFT's stand, by the way, was a strange sight. From one corner, a Microsoft employee ceaselessly harangued the passers-by through a loudspeaker, for all the world like a crazy wino on a street corner. Not quite the way to be rid of the Evil Empire reputation, really. Perhaps he was the genuine crazy wino who the Informer saw beating a security goon, howling like a chicken (sic), outside the press entrance early on Monday?

Moving swiftly on, TDD monkeys IPWireless had news from its city-scale trial with Sprint-Nextel. Introducing some of the features included in the UTRAN Long Term Evolution plan, average downlink speeds of 5Mbits/s and 2.2Mbits/s uplink were achieved. It now seems a racing certainty that S/N will be going UMTS-TDD for its national 2.5GHz spectrum, which dovetails nicely with a distinct lack of WiMAX news of any consequence. Alcatel announced its 802.16 base station, but apart from that there was very little.

Everyone and their dog, though, was boasting about HSDPA.

Samsung, Motorola, Qualcomm, Nortel, Huawei and more all found something to trumpet, Nortel coming out tops by going one step further and demonstrating HSUPA.

And while all this was going on, guess what? The Chinese Ministry of the Information Industry kyboshed further WCDMA trials in China, nixing any further packet-switched equipment installation and demanding that vendors with test networks tear out their circuit-switched infrastructure.

It's clearly a sign that the way is being prepared for China's homebrew standard, TDSCDMA, to be rolled out whether it works or not.

France Telecom terminated 17,000 staff, a positive severance binge in response to dire financials that were mysteriously announced while everyone who covers the industry was stuck in the bar queue at Motorola's 3GSM party.

Ah yes, the Motorola party.

Held at legendary nightclub 'Pacha' out in studentville, next to the Nou Camp, bar queues were running at 10-15 minutes all night long, although for some attendees the latency failed to spoil the throughput. It permitted the Informer to finally answer the question of nature and nurture: What would happen if you subjected 2,000 telecoms engineers to possibly the best sound system in the world, with free drinks?

The answer is - based on empirical observations - that changing the environment has no effect on their ability to boogie at all.

Nothing can make them dance short of electric shock, which is considered unethical in most jurisdictions. It was an ironic commentary on all the hipper-than-thou HELLOMOTO posters plastered over the city. And there was a ton of those. Strange really, given that Motorola didn't announce very much at the congress.

Blag of the week went to Telecoms.com editor Richard Barry, who extracted a new Sony Ericsson P910i from the unwilling hands of SE. If he'd done any better he'd have walked off with a small central European phone company "on product review".

The Informer contented himself with one of those leather screen wipes from the Nokia press office.

Certainly the coolest thing at the show, though, was on NTT DoCoMo's stand, just opposite the raving nut at MS, where a whole rock band of phones was on display, each one feeding a miniature Marshall practice amp with its part streamed over the 3G network.

It was deeply cool and will probably appear all over the Internet by the time you read this.

See you next year,

The Informer.

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SS9173

Movieguy, I have been in meetings all morning and just learned the news during lunch. WOW is right! And your post today just changed my paradigm of Neom's strategic plan:

NeoMedia is not waiting for the camera lens to evolve, they are taking what the market can do now, and building their mobile marketing solution. They are not building a one-trick-pony business (a.k.a ScanBuy) but a multifaceted mobile marketing solution that has literally hundreds of applications.

WOW! I Like it!!!

Thanks for a great post!

SS9173

Thanks Yellowjacket and everyone else for your kind thoughts on last evening's M&A post.

SS9173

N E O M, I don't believe Neom has any business dealings with Neven based on MartyMac's prior post:

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=8247959&txt2find=neven

Some other interesting Ihub posts on Neven include:

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=8244806

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=8207091

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=7904603&txt2find=neven

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=7904477&txt2find=neven

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9744210&txt2find=neven

SS9173

Walden, Exactamundo!!! You get it! That's why I believe Neom is headed for getting about half that Mobile Marketing pie chart wrapped up ASAP...and Sponge will now be the next acquisition to get to the 50% mark. Mobot, 12snap, and Sponge will be marketing PC to the wireless service providers, brand marketers, and mobile search entities. It's just a matter of time (hopefully sooner, rather than later) that the "Big Gorillas" will be getting on the on-ramp and traveling down that highway...you know...the one with the toll bridge.

SS9173

DD MySpace unwired

http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/16/technology/business2_myspace0216/?cnn=yes


News Corp.'s youth-oriented Web portal extends its influence into the wireless world.

By Matthew Maier, Business 2.0 Magazine staff writer
February 16, 2006: 6:31 AM EST


SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0) - MySpace.com, the website that has become a nationwide craze, is headed to a mobile phone near you.

If you aren't familiar with MySpace, the nation's most popular social networking website, your children, nieces or nephews almost certainly are. It has become a daily meeting place for hundreds of thousands of 15-35-year-olds who are looking to stay in contact with friends, find the latest music, or check videos of their favorite artists.

The site has an estimated 55 million users, and MySpace.com is the second-most-viewed-website in the U.S.—just behind Yahoo (Research), and ahead of Google (Research) -- and accounts for 12 percent of online advertising. News Corp (Research). spent $580 million last summer to get ahold of this audience and let advertisers reach its coveted -- and famously fickle -- youth demographic.

Now News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch hopes to extend MySpace's influence beyond the PC. Today, the popular site is expected to announce a partnership with Helio, a wireless carrier backed by Internet service provider EarthLink (Research) and SK Telecom, a Korean wireless carrier which operates what's viewed in the industry as the world's most advanced cell-phone network. This spring, MySpace and Helio will launch a service that will let users access MySpace from their mobile phones.

MySpace on my phone
For MySpace, the deal is another move to keep its users bound tightly to it, communicating with friends or listening to music from artists featured on the service. Such innovation should help MySpace avoid the fate of social-networking pioneer Friendster, whose users ended up going elsewhere when it failed to introduce new features.

The move also gives News Corp a foothold in the rapidly growing mobile market. More than 60 million teenagers now carry cell phones, and most take them everywhere they go. MySpace Mobile, which is a free service, could turn into another lucrative advertising venue for News Corp.

For Helio, the partnership will vastly increase awareness for the fledgling wireless carrier, which is also set to begin operations this spring. Helio's deal with MySpace is exclusive, so MySpace fans will need to buy one of Helio's two specially designed, advanced phones to access the service.

EarthLink and SK Telecom, Helio's parent companies, are investing $440 million to launch the new carrier, so they'll need to find a way to attract subscribers quickly to break even. EarthLink founder Sky Dayton, who is serving as Helio's chief executive, estimates Helio will need 3 million subscribers to recoup the partner's original investment.

"I think its a smart play on Helio's part," says Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin. "This gives Helio a strong tie to users most likely to try data services."

Ringing up minutes
Wireless users who subscribe to data services typically ring up higher bills than customers who only make voice calls. So Helio's plan is to use MySpace Mobile as a way to introduce users to their phones' data features. The more Helio users go online, the better chance the wireless carrier has of charging for highly profitable data services, like downloading ringtones and sending cameraphone pictures.

While Helio's success depends on MySpace users' reaction to the wireless service, the idea is not without precedent: In Korea, where Helio partner SK Telecom operates the nation's most popular wireless network, consumers are accustomed to watching live television on their cell phones, as well as snapping pictures and downloading music over the airwaves.

_______________________________

SS9173

DD From Fiercewireless email today

Live from 3GSM: The rumor mill is churning

The rumor mill is churning out expected encounters, with droves of bankers walking the exhibit floor here in Barcelona as well as plenty of M&A that should shake out in the aftermath. Despite the troubles we in the press had finding a place to plug in our Ethernet cords once the press lounge closed this afternoon--yep, a wireless conference with no working WiFi for the press--the rest of the conference seemed to hum with activity as it comes to a slow stop. Here are the scoops:

Microsoft bought a mobile search company called MotionBridge that's based in France, which compliments the Google/Vodafone deal from earlier in the week. Mobile search is one of the big stories coming out of this conference. Since it's an enabling app for mobile content, its uptake seems warranted just before we jump into the abyss of mobile content out there.

Tekelec's Mark Whittier took me through his company's strategy of monetizing the transition period from now until IMS becomes widespread--and helping operators maintain cost points in the process. Although IMS has been met by some serious skepticism here and there, most folks see it as an inevitability. As Mark said, "We will wake up tomorrow and the sun will rise and it will shine on IMS." FMS is one of the apps that Tekelec is pushing to move toward IMS, but the entire migration of a network onto IMS is a generational thing.

I also met with I-play's CEO David Gosen. He said the spotlight on mobile TV at 3GSM is warranted and exciting but pointed out that after SMS, mobile gaming is the big revenue generator for carriers. Along with that, I-play launched a mobile game version of the TV show '24.' Gosen then explained the difficult balance mobile gaming companies need to maintain when licensing content for mobile games: license at haste, repent at leisure. If you get an exclusive license to make a mobile game based on something, you better get it right, but you also need a strong set of original content too, he said.

Samsung's party at the hotel Rey Juan Carlos was classy yet still full of stilt walkers and street performers. I met some strategists with Samsung and a few execs from European operators like KPN. Thanks to everyone for the kind words about FierceWireless and also for being flexible in the midst of such a busy show. See you all at CTIA. - Brian

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SS9173

YJ, And I suppose you think I have all the answers...LOL... Well a little birdie told me the answers lie in future PR's. Stay tuned for more announcements.

SS9173

MLD38, nice post! Thanks EOM

Wooger, Good to hear from you. I think you make a lot of sense in that 12snap only cost us $2.5 million in cash, the balance in stock. 12snap would not have agreed to this had they not had high expectation that the stock price is going higher. Now as far as that big announcement after the acquisitions are complete...boy I sure hope you are right on that one...you know I truly believe it is critical that we get a license or partnering agreement with one of the "Big Gorillas" to enable that "Big Hairy Audacious Goal" (BHAG) of becoming the Mobile Marketing SuperCompany.

SS9173

Pimps, I share some of your concerns about acquisition vs. licensing / joint venturing. First of all, the easy part of M&A is actually the DD and buying of the company. The harder part is always effectively integrating the new company into the overall organization. If the integration is not done properly, the acquisition will not be as successful as originally planned. Secondly, although I understand as Dr. Myke pointed out earlier today that dilution is a price to pay for growing the business, Neom's pps is being held down by some degree by its expanding share dilution rate. So, I agree with you that Neom should try to get an attractive licensing or joint venture agreement first, and if such a deal cannot be mutually agreed upon, then go the acquisition route to achieve their Mobile Marketing SuperCompany objective.

Please also note my opinions above are philosophical in nature and are not meant to question the decisions that have been made up to this point (BSDS, Mobot and 12snap). Understand that we shareholders just don't have access to all the DD that CF and CJ have done in making their licensing vs. buy decisions. As shareholders, we have to trust that Management have done proper DD weighing all the options and arrive at the right decision regarding these matters. Up to this point, I have no good reason to not trust that Management is doing exactly that.

JMHO.

SS9173

YJ, Agreed. Increasingly, I am really liking the paint side of the business. I think it will be a cash cow before long.

SS9173

Thanks Lemonhead1de...Neom's future is very bright indeed. EOM

Today's PR is communicating to shareholders!!! Some key phrases include:

NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (OTC BB: NEOM), has implemented an acquisitions strategy designed to impact corporate shareholders,...

The initial application of PaperClick is targeted at mobile marketing, a market projected to exceed $1 billion in 2008 according to Infinity Research.

President and CEO Charles T. Jensen has devised a program of strategic acquisition of what he called "quality mobile marketing service providers in the U.S. and abroad.

Mobot campaigns require no changes to existing visual media and work seamlessly with all wireless carriers.

Mr. Jensen said that NeoMedia's strategy for 2006 and beyond "focuses on companies that leverage their intellectual properties as a competitive advantage, and serve markets with major share growth potential

"We are confident that PaperClick will be embraced by consumer goods and services companies in many industries, all over the world," said Martin Copus, NeoMedia's COO and chief executive of its PaperClick wireless business unit.

"A recent campaign was developed and implemented by Sponge, a London-based mobile provider, ..."NeoMedia recognizes and salutes this pioneering success in mobile marketing as we work to be a driving force in the industry," Mr. Jensen said. That statement implies we are looking at acquiring Sponge in the near future.

"We have put, and continue to put, stakes in the ground in the U.S. and Europe, implementing strategies designed to make us an industry leader. Today," he said, "we believe that NeoMedia is well positioned due to its access to significant capital, connections to growth markets, solid IP position, proven technology, known customer acceptance, convergence of market trends, demonstrated business models, and its management built from the respective markets the company serves."

In addition, he said NeoMedia has two new business units "representing opportunistic investments in markets and companies with major shareholder upside potential" - NeoMedia Micro Paint Repair and NeoMedia Telecom Services.

NeoMedia Micro Paint Repair was formed in 2004 following the acquisition of CSI International, Inc., of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, a company recognized for its significant growth potential in the emerging micro paint industry and what Mr. Jensen called "a superior IP competitive advantage."

Mr. Jensen said NeoMedia's goal "is to increase the business unit valuation by aggressively growing Micro Paint Repair into the leading player in the cosmetic paint repair industry."

For the 12 months ending July 31, 2005, total revenue for the Triton companies was $7.4 million. ... "This coming acquisition," said Mr. Jensen, "will launch NeoMedia's entry into the telecom industry and is expected to immediately inject revenue into the company.

NeoMedia is working to bring more innovative technologies to the forefront through its proprietary technology, valuable partnerships and opportunistic acquisitions, with further newsworthy announcements anticipated in the near future."

We have been asking for this type of PR for many, many months. We now have it. I salute Management for putting it out there for the benefit of its shareholders. Thank you...Thank you!!!

SS9173

Will today's PR with its proclamation that Neom will have a steady stream of revenues coming in, and formally announcing its strategy move the pps? Or will the MM's continue to hold it down? It should be an interesting day.

What is the pps doing over in Europe today?

SS9173

If there was ever a doubt the QP was now over, today's PR puts an end to it for sure IMO. This PR is as forward-looking as they come.

SS9173

Imagine if Michael Murphy gets smart about Neom. Maybe SOG should write him. The only thing is spikes in the pps like what happened with Mobl will not be sustained for long IMO.

SS9173

Koko, Thanks for your help...I got it figured out. EOM

TS stated in last night's update that we should expect Neom to make further acquisitions. Neom's recent press releases also imply that they are not done with M&A activity.

From the 12snap press release:

This is NeoMedia’s first European acquisition. Last week it took what Mr. Jensen called "the first step in our plan to build the broadest range of mobile marketing solutions and services possible on the foundation of our ground-breaking PaperClick® technology" when it acquired Mobot®, Inc., of Lexington, Massachusetts, a mobile visual recognition technology pioneer.

Who's next to be acquired? IMO, the answer lies in the chart below, which was presented at the December 16, 2005 shareholder meeting:



Looking at the "Enabling Technology" side of the chart, we now have working relationships or have acquired the following:

1) A LOI for a Strategic Partnership with Nextcode

http://www.nextcode.com/

http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2004/20041206.jsp

The question is where does Neom stand with taking the next step with Nextcode. Perhaps the answer lies in a future PR.

2) A license agreement and settlement with Airclic

http://www.airclic.com/

http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2005/20050712.jsp

http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2004/20040623.jsp

3) Patent infringement lawsuit against Scanbuy

http://www.scanbuy.com/

http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2004/20040126.jsp

http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2004/20040421.jsp

http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2005/20051019.jsp

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=9711359

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9711608&txt2find=scanbuy

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9712742&txt2find=scanbuy

IMO, Scanbuy appears to have a weak defense. However, I wouldn't be surprised for litigation to continue for quite some time.

4. Neomedia acquires Mobot - Closing expected by February 16, 2006

http://www.mobot.com/

http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20060209.jsp

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9653167&txt2find=mobot

5. Gavitec is a likely acquistion target - perhaps the next one. They were discussed at the December shareholder meeting.

http://www.gavitec.com/

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/replies.asp?msg=7651208

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=7647022&txt2find=gavitec

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=8980524&txt2find=gavitec

OK...Now lets switch to the Mobile Marketing pie chart and review acquisitions in process and future acquisition possibilities:

1. Mobot is involved in both enabling technology and mobile marketing. We expect to complete our acquisition of them later this month - see above for links.

2. We announced this week that we are acquiring 12snap

http://www.12snap.com/english/12snap.html

http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20060214.jsp

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9716148&txt2find=12snap

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=9708255

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9708370&txt2find=12snap

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=7146101&txt2find=12snap)

3. Sponge might be another next likely target...they are up for sale

http://www.spongegroup.com/

http://theponderingprimate.blogspot.com/2005/07/sponge-fastest-growing-mobile-marketer.html

http://www.spongegroup.com/news/article.html?articleID=128

4. What about Enpocket?

http://www.enpocket.com/

http://www.enpocket.com/wrapper/page/about/index.html

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=9708545

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9708615&txt2find=enpocket

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9311359&txt2find=enpocket

5. DD on MQube

http://www.m-qube.com/

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9719314&txt2find=m-qube

6. Last, but not least, IPSH may not be a likely acquisition candidate as they were recently purchased by Omnicon

http://www.ipsh.net/

http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2005/10/11/omnicom_acquires_mobile_agency_ipsh/

http://theponderingprimate.blogspot.com/2006/01/womens-entertainment-launches-mobile.html

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There is a lot of information in this posting. I made it to be a reference post for myself. Hopefully, others will find it useful as well. I would be interested in your thoughts on whom you believe will be the next acquisition target(s), and why.

Best regards,
SS9173

Can someone advise how to copy and paste an image in a Ihub post? TIA.

SS9173

DD Yahoo! Joins Symbian Platinum Partner Program
14 February 2006

http://www.telecoms.com/itmgcontent/tcoms/news/articles/20017335841.html


Symbian and Yahoo! Collaborate to Provide Mobile Consumers Anywhere, Anytime Access to Wireless Content and Entertainment on Symbian OS

3GSM World Congress, Barcelona, 14 February, 2006 - Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, and Symbian Limited, provider of the market leading open mobile OS, today announced that Yahoo! has joined the Symbian Platinum Program to support the growing market for Symbian OST phones and applications. Symbian develops and licenses Symbian OS, the leading open operating system for advanced, data-enabled mobile phones also known as smartphones, to the world’s largest handset manufacturers.

Last month Yahoo! announced its new Yahoo! Go Mobile service which will soon launch in North America, Europe and Asia (http://go.yahoo.com). This new service provides Symbian OS phone users with access to their favorite Internet content and services. Yahoo! Go Mobile integrates the power of the Internet into consumers’ mobile phone experiences by combining real-time connectivity with access to their community, information and content services from across the web.

This new service will be the first time Yahoo! has brought a comprehensive set of the company’s industry-leading products and full access to services across the Web into a single application for mobile phones. From their Symbian OS mobiles, users can access Yahoo! services including Mail, Address Book, Messenger, Search, Photos News, Sports, Finance and Games. Yahoo! Go Mobile will be available for demonstration on Symbian OS phones at the Symbian stand during 3GSM 2006 at B20/B21, Hall 8.

Since utilizing Symbian OS for its Yahoo! Go Mobile service, Yahoo! has now decided to join Symbian’s Platinum Program to leverage additional technical resource to further develop the product. The rapid growth of the open OS phone market which Gartner expects to grow to 20 percent of the total phone market and Symbian’s market leading position underpinned Yahoo!’s decision to put its Yahoo! Go Mobile content and services on top of the Symbian OS. As of Q3 2005, almost 48 million Symbian phones had shipped and been deployed to over 250 major network operators worldwide.

"Yahoo! sees Symbian OS and the open phone market as a tremendous opportunity to provide its services to customers worldwide," said Christian Lindhom, vice president, global mobile products, Yahoo!. "We welcome the support provided by the Symbian Platinum Program in helping to leverage Yahoo!’s visibility in the mobile mass market and enterprise spaces as well as with key players in the device manufacturer and mobile carrier markets."

"Yahoo! Go Mobile combines mass market appeal and innovative usability focus, to provide easy access to information, content and entertainment through mobile devices with Symbian OS", said Simon Garth, vice-president marketing, Symbian. "We are delighted to welcome Yahoo! to the Symbian Platinum Program thus further broadening the reach of the Symbian Ecosystem."

- End -

Notes to Editors

About the Symbian Platinum Program
The Symbian Platinum Program includes companies that have a technology or strategic position that is key to the success of mobile computing technology surrounding Symbian OS. As part of the program, Platinum Partners benefit from a range of commercial services, including technical support and joint marketing opportunities as well as privileged access to Symbian OS source code and a dedicated Partner Support team. Symbian Platinum Program

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! seeks to provide online products and services essential to users’ lives, and offers a full range of tools and marketing solutions for businesses to connect with Internet users around the world. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California

About Symbian Ltd.

Symbian is a software licensing company that develops and licenses Symbian OS, the market leading open operating system for advanced, data-enabled mobile phones also known as smartphones.

Symbian licenses Symbian OS to the world’s leading handset manufacturers and has built close co-operative business relationships with leading companies across the mobile industry. In the first three quarters of 2005, more than 23 million Symbian OS mobile phones were sold worldwide to over 250 network operators, bringing the total number of Symbian OS phones shipped to almost 48 million.

Symbian has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom with offices in the United States, Europe (England and Sweden (UIQ Technology AB)), Israel and Asia (India, P.R. China, Korea, and Japan). For more information, please visit www.symbian.com

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SS9173

DD Nokia pushes cellular-WiFi convergence at 3GSM
By John Walko

EE Times
Feb 13, 2006

http://www.commsdesign.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180200484


BARCELONA — Nokia announced a host of initiatives in seamless connectivity between cellular and WiFi networks as well as cooperation with other handset makers on interoperability of DVB-H compliant handsets and networks on the opening day of the 3GSM World Congress here.

The company also announced Monday (Feb.3) that it is working even closer with Vodafone than previously to spread the uptake of Platform S60 based handsets and launched additional frequency variants of its Flexi W-CDMA compliant base stations.

“The global device market is continuing to show amazing growth, and there are huge opportunities for those able to innovate quickly,” said Jorma Ollila, chairman and CEO of the Finnish company.

Nokia also previewed what a “seamless solution” for Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) convergence including both network equipment and new handsets for what is becoming the talking point of the huge 3GSM Congress.

“We are taking a complete approach for this technology that offers seamless handover of voice and data between GSM cellular and WLAN networks, as well as being a useful approach to extending GSM indoor coverage,” said Ollila.

Its second generation UMA compliant handset, the 6136, incorporates a host of voice and data enhancements and network operators Orange is to be the lead customer for the converged phone, which should be available during the second quarter of the year.

On the handsets side, the Nokia chairman offered some optimistic forecasts for the prospects for 3G. “We expect to ship about 40 million 3G/W-CDMA devices globally this year, and capture 40 percent of the total market. We also plan to ship close to 80 million devices with integrated music players, and nearly double that for devices with integrated FM radio.”

The co-operation with Sony Ericsson on interoperability in DVB-H enabled devices would significantly boost the prospects for mobile TV, said Ollila. “The feedback from all the trials the industry is doing, including the ones we have been involved in, suggests people really will to take to this, and perhaps we should start referring to its as Personal TV,” he suggested.

Ollila acknowledged there will be a multitude of technologies suitable for accessing different types of content over mobile phones, and suggested DVB-H will be the preferred option for terrestrial digital broadcast.

As a staring point to secure interoperability with multi-vendor mobile TV pilots, the companies will use the Open Air Interface implementation guidelines that Nokia outlined and made publicly available last August.

The company’s networks division has started pushing to operators new frequency variants of its small and modular Flexi W-CDMA base stations. Versions for the IMT-2000 frequencies 2100MHz, 1700 MHz, 18OO MHz and 1700/2100 MHz will be available from the second half of the year, with variants for 850MHz, 900 MHz and 1900 MHz appearing in the first half of 2007.

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SS9173

DD The C Word (Convergence)

http://www.telecoms.com/itmgcontent/tcoms/news/articles/20017336304.html

15 February 2006

Convergence is back in fashion, fuelled by some big deals and rapid uptake of new technologies. But what does it mean for media and telecommunications companies in this rapidly evolving market and who's reacted so far, asks Chris Wynn.

So, it's finally started.

Following years of debate about what it actually is, when it would take place and how it would happen, it's come up and bitten us without so much as a friendly warning.

If you looked carefully you could say the signs were there. Another round of multibillion dollar deals based on earnings multiples that would make even the most cautious analysts wince, might be proof enough.

Deals that the money men and women said would never happen again, a bubble that would never be blown again and painful writedowns that would never be repeated. Perhaps the industry is still in denial that a second internet bubble is growing ever larger. It's a different bubble but a bubble nonetheless.

Thankfully current activity isn't being driven by the whim of the engineer or the need for a company to be 'online'. It's being driven by necessity. Everyone's parking their tanks on each other's lawn - fixed-line telcos are becoming broadcasters, pay-TV operators are becoming ISPs, and online companies are turning telephony providers.

In its most simple form, convergence is well under way. But as with any disruption to the known order, there are opportunities and threats, winners as well as losers.

The age of the one-dimensional strategy is coming to a close and the smart companies are moving fast into virgin markets and learning new disciplines to position themselves are the ones that will succeed.

The BBC puts it very well: "any time, any place, anywhere." Easy to say for a publicly funded broadcaster, but what about the established companies with shareholders demanding to know what the board's converged strategy is?

Well, there's neither a 'quick fix' nor a 'one size fits all' strategy for these companies, but many are embracing change as a reaction to already dwindling customers bases or preparing for an onslaught from new competition.

Much of the recent activity has focused on broadband. And perhaps rightly so if you believe that the high-speed internet connection will be the gateway for all communication and entertainment delivered to the home in years to come.

BSkyB, for one, knows that it can no longer rely solely on digital satellite distribution, despite its qualities as a cost-efficient means of delivering TV channels. The company acquired internet provider Easynet in the knowledge that more than half of its eight-million subscriber base are high-speed internet homes.

If a Sky broadband product can be bundled attractively with pay-television, and further down the line voice over IP (VoIP), it's going to be hard for those loyal Sky homes to say no.

Sky can have the best of both worlds, using the technologies to best serve each customer.

And incumbent telco BT is hitting back too. Later this year it will launch its own video product, incorporating on-demand TV content and linear channels from the Freeview service, but for no monthly subscription. BT is applying the 'pay as you go' model to TV.

As one cable TV executive described it: "Everyone is giving away the other guy's product."

But the major players have also identified the importance of mobile. While BSkyB has cleverly managed to push its brand into the mobile space for its content, cable operator NTL is looking to merge with MVNO Virgin.

Most in the industry are still evaluating the success of the "triple play" - voice, broadband and television - so it remains to be seen whether customers are prepared to pay for four products, all on one bill.

Regardless, NTL's move represents converged thinking and it sought to take out one of the few available mobile operators in the market with a strong brand.

Indeed, in a world where distribution becomes increasingly commoditised, the ability of a brand to stand out and earn goodwill among discerning customers may determine the fate of these companies. France Telecom, through acquisition and its pan-European strategy, has amassed a multitude of brands. But this year it has decided enough is enough, bringing together its Wanadoo internet brand under the Orange mobile umbrella.

One thing's for sure, a great brand alone does not guarantee success.

The ability to get hold of content is now at the forefront of everyone's thinking - not just the TV players, but the mobile phone operators and the internet service providers too.

The problem is, there's not enough attractive content to go round, be it sports, high quality drama, or the latest US comedy series. One feels that this is where convergence will get really interesting. Watching major global telecommunications and broadcasting players all fighting it out to buy premium shows and sports.

Who knows, by the end of the decade it could be Vodafone making that polished costume drama and not the BBC.

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SS9173

JP, No problem. Looking forward to your thoughts when you have time. Of course, 12snap became a reality today and we have already pondered that one over this board quite a bit today. Nevertheless, I have deep respect for your perspectives so come back at me at your convenience.

Thanks,
SS9173

Saskwatch, well said. Emerging companies like Neomedia are valued by Wall Street on growth potential - not P&L. It will be a few years before Neom is held accountable to quarter by quarter 10Q results.

SS9173

DD From TS promotional WaveWire email today:

SURF'S UP: Content To Go -- By Tobin Smith

VeriSign today sounded the gun for the start of the next big platform race -- the mobile content platform, that is.

The company signed a definitive agreement to acquire 3united mobile solutions, a leading wireless applications service provider based in Vienna, Austria.

Once this transaction is completed, VeriSign will have relationships with carriers using 3united's platform for distributing mobile digital content (songs, ringtones, video, games, etc.), including SingTel, One, Hutchinson3G, Mobilkom/Vodafone, Maxis, Debitel and Polkomtel.

VeriSign has been trying to get into the space internally, but gave up and bought their way in.

3united is a small player in the mobile content aggregation business. Motricity (a company that I am a private investor in) and m-Qube are the major players in the space.

Why all the excitement? And why do the giant mobile phone and mobile wireless companies need to work with content aggregators?

Because the future of the world's mobile telecom and datacom companies is coming from the sales of games, entertainment, information, music and video to your mobile device.

As calling plans sell more and more minutes for fewer and fewer dollars, mobile companies HAVE to sell more digital content to make up the lowering average revenue per user. And the business of delivering and billing mobile content to millions of people who own thousands of different phones is a completely different biz from building and running a wireless network.

If you download digital wallpaper from Verizon, or a ringtone from Cingular, or an MP3 file from Sprint, the company that takes your order, delivers it to your phone and then bills you is actually Motricity or m-Qube. It's THEIR platform that performs and bills you for this magic ... and the mobile content game is just starting.

Imagine subscribing to get those funny films from IFILM.com or Break.com automatically loaded to your Treo or laptop for that matter. Imagine playing seven card hold 'em on your laptop or Treo while waiting for your plane to take off.

This will be a fun space to watch as the mobile content wave grows from a $1 billion a year business (retail sales to consumers) to a $15 billion-$20 billion a year business.

The incremental profits from these sales are needed to pay for the next generation and then the next "next" wireless network generations.

It's been fun to watch an industry hatch and rocket ahead -- NOW we need a pure play stock to own to make money on the mobile content wave.

Stay tuned.

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My comment: "Stay tuned"...maybe in 2007 when Neom is on the Nasdaq he will be talking about us at that "pure play" stock. By the way, Verisign is on my list of top 8 "Big Gorilla" candidates to do a license or partnering agreement with Neom.

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=7876550&txt2find=yahoo


SS9173

I wonder if PP went to the 3GSM to be part of all the fun and excitement.

SS9173

Walden's post is a "must read" - a great post! I agree 100% with his thoughts. He is right on the mark IMO!

Walden, accolades to you for pulling that together and putting it out there for the rest of us.

Best regards,
SS9173

I would imagine Neom will not sign any type of agreement with a "Big Gorilla" company until the BSDS merger is finalized. Otherwise, it may be difficult for Cornell to contain the pps to its present level. Make sense?

SS9173

Inforit1, I agree with another poster that there was irrational exhuberance in predicting future pps expectations. During early 2005, I would consider myself in that category as well, although not to the extreme of some on this board...I had predicted a 2005 year end pps of 88 cents. Then, I like many on this board, became frustrated with how long it was taking to close on BSDS and other LOI's and I wrote this post on August 19th:

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=7427057

I will paraphrase what I said then below:

Realistically IMO, it will take until at least Q1 to complete DD and the legal process for finalizing the Mobot acquisition. Mobot will take Paperclick and WordRegistry to the next level, significantly increasing commercial / user acceptance. It is truly the mobile marketing marriage of the year as PP stated, and has huge pps upside impact potential over the long term.

So, with all this taken into account, it will probably be sometime between November 2005 and April 2006 for the pps to reach back to the previous high of approximately $0.70 or higher. Look for it to be closer to November 2005 if we get some positive forward-looking press releases from Neom upon SEC approval of the BSDS S4. I also expect the Q3 10Q to show continued sales growth, which should boost the pps to some degree. As previously stated, I am very excited about the synergy and leveraging potential of Mobot's technology. I would hope that this in combination with more favorable 10Q's (2005-Q4 and 2006-Q1) would be taken into account in the pps by April 2006 - remember JP's list of revenue building opportunities that should eventually contribute to 10Q financial reports (see http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=7086678&txt2find=revenue). Of course, other presently unknown developments (e.g., license agreements) may be being negotiated or finalized during this quiet period that would accelerate the timing for this pps projection when released to the public.

In hindsight, that August post has turned out to be more true than even I would have liked. The good news is we are now on the move getting BSDS, Mobot, and now 12snap done.

I also agree with Allin and others that most likely the pps is being held down until the BSDS merger is officially announced as complete. Once that happens, we should start to see the pps climbing back toward last years high of near 75 cents.

SS9173

Success622, exactly...I would anticipate an 8K for the 12snap acquisition to be filed after the close today or tomorrow.

SS9173

craft work, see smoke20's post this morning:

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=9708370

SS9173

JP, Well said on this post and all of your other posts this AM. Thanks for sending flowers courtesy of Ihub to Ft. Myers. I am sure they appreciate it...We know they pay attention to our DD. :>)

SS9173

Congratulations Longs!!!

I am excited to have 12snap as part of the Neom team. Martin Copus' past responsiblities with them should help in ensuring a smooth acquisition transition. Plus they are cash flow positive.

Now, I just hope the pps starts to respond. It is in France, lets see what happens in the U.S. Hopefully, it will respond equally well, and more importantly, sustain the gain.

Maybe one of the big gorillas will start to take notice now, and strike a licensing or partnering deal. That's what we really need IMO. This market is too enormous for Neom and these relatively small acquisitions to handle. IMO, they need the resources of a huge big brother. JMHO.

Have a great day,

SS9173