The success of Apple’s iPhone is well known, as is the fact that a growing number of competitors are trying to beat the iconic gadget. But final success may not be decided in America or Europe, but in China. The Financial Times reports that hundreds of small “grey-market” Chinese phone makers are now trying to become legitimate manufacturers of more advanced devices by using Google’s Android operating system, which they can legitimately use for free, while Microsoft and Nokia charge phone makers for the use of their operating systems. That is ironic, because Google has great political difficulties in China and two high-profile Android phone launches last month had to be delayed, which analysts say could hurt confidence in Android’s development in China. (Source: Financial Times)

In the last quarter to December 2009, UK Yellow Pages publisher Yell managed to beat its own forecasts and the expectations of the market, registering a rise in share prices of 13 percent. Yell said its small business customers were gaining in confidence.

Nearly half of the time, people in the UK spend on the mobile Internet, is spent with Facebook, which was visited by 16 million people who were using three of the UK’s five mobile networks in December. Once the remaining two, T-Mobile and 3, are added, that figure is bound to rise. The average per user was 418 pages and 307 minutes in December.

In January, European Directories has released two augmented reality applications for Mediatel in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

With the explosion of the mobile Internet, European Directories has been investing significantly in its mobile portfolio of services, including mobile adapted websites as well as iPhone, Android, and Java applications for all its operating countries.   In January, European Directories announced the release of the latest addition to its mobile products – two augmented reality applications for Mediatel in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The new applications are based on the Layar augmented reality browser platform (http://layar.com/), run on iPhone 3GS and Android devices, and will provide cutting edge directory search services by allowing consumers to better understand their surroundings while on the go. (Source: European Directories)

Coming in Q2, AgendiZe Self-Serve will introduce a whole new way to engage new markets by helping web designers, small businesses, freelancers and marketers add engagement functionality to their own websites, blogs and email newsletters. In just a few clicks, they can design and build their own engagement buttons to easily add Click-to-Call, Online Scheduling, Save & Share and Click-to-Chat with zero programming. The best part is that agencies and publishers can brand and resell these buttons to clients as a unique, value-added service. 



R.H. Donnelley today announced it has successfully emerged from its Chapter 11 restructuring as Dex One Corporation and will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange today under the ticker "DEXO," with 50 million shares outstanding.

"Today marks a new chapter in our company's history," said David C. Swanson, chairman and CEO of Dex One Corporation. "We completed a very complex restructuring in less than a year, eliminating more than $6 billion in debt and approximately $500 million in annual interest expense. We strengthened our capital structure while continuing to help our clients – local businesses – sustain and grow their operations. And we re-launched our company to capitalize on our highly-recognizable 'Dex' go-to-market brand and product portfolio."

Time was when mobile phones were used for telephoning. Now that seem to be a minority use for handsets but as long as they are switched on, they can be used to track cars and measure their speed. The Financial Times writes that the UK government is considering plans to monitor drivers’ journeys by tracking mobile phones in their car. Currently, the Highways Agency, which runs Britain’s roads, uses CCTV cameras and vehicle detection loops under road surfaces to calculate vehicle numbers and speeds, and to spot congestion. Pilot studies this week using this pioneering technology will show when a car (with a mobile inside) is moving from one observation square, or cell, to another, monitoring vehicles’ routes and speed.