China Mobile looks to put Google on its mobile phones

China Mobile, China's largest cell-phone carrier by subscribers, said Thursday it's in talks with Google to launch an Internet search engine for mobile services in China.

China Mobile is keen to explore mobile data services to offset declining revenue from the traditional voice services.

"I recently met with Google's CEO for the second time. And we both share the same idea: how to turn cell phones into a new kind of Internet search engine," said Wang Jianzhou, chairman and chief executive of China Mobile.

Wang didn't elaborate on the two companies' cooperation on the mobile search engine, but he said it will mean significant progress in China's mobile service. Representatives from Mountain View, Calif.-based Google weren't immediately available for comment.

- - -

High-def video for cell phones: Chipmaker Micron Technology has a thumbnail-sized digital sensor that enables pocket-sized cameras and cell phones to capture bursts of 10 high-quality photos in a single second or even high-definition video. Production of the new 8-megapixel digital image sensor is expected to begin early next year at Micron's fabrication plants in Idaho and Italy.

Devices using the new chip should reach consumers by late 2007 and will feature high-speed, high-megapixel digital photography capabilities normally found in more expensive, single-lens reflex cameras. Micron's new sensor allows users to shoot up to 10 images per second at 8-megapixel resolution or 30 frames per second at a resolution of 2-megapixels.

Analysts say the technology, which is also used in memory chips and microprocessors, will challenge the dominance of traditional light-sensing charge-coupled devices, or CCDs. But Chris Chute, research manager for IDC Digital Imaging Solutions said it may take a while for the new sensor to become commonplace in consumer cameras. Most digital cameras are made in Japan and manufacturers there tend to buy image sensors from Japanese suppliers, who primarily produce CCD chips.

- - -

Japanese mobile phone merger: Japan's Softbank Corporation said on Thursday it would set up a mobile phone handset and content joint venture with Vodafone as it looks to take on NTT DoCoMo and KDDI. Shares in Softbank, a new entrant into Japan's $78 billion mobile phone market, rose on news of the venture, which is expected to help the Internet conglomerate procure phones at lower costs and offer innovative services.

In a move to further stoke competition, KDDI said it has reached an agreement with Google, the world's most popular web search provider, to offer Google's search engine on its mobile phones, sending its shares higher. Google competes with Yahoo and Yahoo Japan, a Softbank subsidiary.

Softbank, which recently bought Vodafone's Japan operations, said the 50-50 joint venture will carry out joint development and procurement of mobile phones. The venture, which will be capitalized at a maximum of $99 million and be set up by this summer, will also procure news and entertainment content for distribution on the two firms' mobile phone networks. Softbank and Vodafone also plan to jointly develop a new internet portal and key software for their handsets in the venture.

Source: wired

Tags: China | Google | Mobile