Sony Ericsson launches mobile magazine

Sony Ericsson, the mobile handset maker, is using a Mobizine, a mobile magazine, as part of a brand awareness campaign for its latest Sony Walkman phone.

In its adverts, mobile users will be encouraged to text: mobi styl 1 to the number 63333. If they do, they will receive a link, which when clicked on, will deliver The Soundtrack to your Life magazine. This will include music and entertainment info daily, and gig info on Thursdays.

The Sony Ericsson W810i Walkman phone will hold up to 15 music CDs on a 512 Mb memory stick.

Mobizines were developed by UK-based Refresh Mobile. They cost between 3p and 10p to download and there are 17 Mobizines currently available, including a snack-sized Time Out.

www.mobizines.com

Nokia’s average selling price above expectations

The average selling price of a Nokia handset globally was 103 euros in the first quarter of 2006, the Finnish handset maker pre-announced on Tuesday.

This was above its previous forecast that the average selling price (ASP) “in the first quarter would be flat to slightly down sequentially”. In the fourth quarter of 2005, the ASP was 99 euros. The company did not make any forecast for the second quarter of 2006.

Earlier this month, the company announced that it was going into the mobile applications hosting market with Nokia Mobility Hosting.

Research group Ovum forecasts that the size of the hosting market will double to 1.35 billion euros by 2009, from around 670m in 2005.

"We feel operating service platforms is one area that some operators will offload to outside parties in the coming years," said Jean-Charles Doineau, Service infrastructure practice leader, Ovum.

“Only a handful of vendors have started to look at the potential in this market, and Nokia is one of them.”

http://www.nokia.com

Generation M keenest on mobile data

In its February Benchmark Survey, the measurement firm M:Metrics found that Generation M, 13 to 24-year-olds, are the most predisposed to use mobile data services. It believes that: “Content companies should not overstate the importance of this group, however, as subscribers 25 and older comprise in excess of 70% of mobile content consumers.”

In fact, 13 to 24-year-olds make up less than 20% of the mobile audience in the UK and Germany. In the UK, 62% of the Generation M group use one or more mobile application; in Germany the figure is 47%.

Games, video clips and handset personalisation, such as ringtones and “wallpaper” are all popular with this age group.

M:Metrics February survey of UK consumption of different types of mobile content across all age groups shows that after text messaging (83.6%), the most popular content application is photo messaging (26.6%), followed by browsed news and information (10.7%), with ringtones in fourth place.

Study shows tumour risk from heavy mobile use

A Swedish study has found an increased risk of getting a brain tumour among heavy mobile users. Kjell Mild, who led the Swedish study, said the figures meant that heavy users of mobile phones had a 240% increased risk of a malignant tumour on the side of the head the phone is used.

He said his study was the biggest yet to look at long-term users of mobile phones. The phones have been available in Sweden longer than in many other countries – since 1984 in a portable form.

The Swedish National Institute for Working Life looked at the mobile phone use of 2,200 cancer patients and an equal number of healthy control cases.

Published in the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, its study defines heavy use as 2,000 plus hours, which "corresponds to 10 years' use in the work place for one hour per day." Early use - starting to use a mobile phone before the age of 20 – may also be a risk factor.

"The way to get the risk down is to use handsfree," Mr Mild told Reuters.

www.arbetslivsinstitutet.se/pdf/060331MildHardell_Article.pdf