Just in time for the benchmark holiday of summer, Independence Day, Verizon Wireless is getting patriotic.

And we can join in the fun thanks to their patriotic ringtone and ringback jukebox. Verizon Wireless unveiled the two new ringback jukebox bundles this week, which will be available through the operator’s VZW Tones Deluxe service.

Customers can now choose from hundreds of patriotic, customizable tracks to prepare for whomever may ring for the Fourth of July:

· “American Pie,” by Don McLean
· “R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.,” by John Mellencamp
· “Born In The U.S.A.,” by Bruce Springsteen
· “American Girl,” by Taylor Swift
· “Summertime,” by Herbie Hancock
· “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” by U.S. Military Academy Band
· “American Soldier,” by Toby Keith
· “Only In America,” by Brooks & Dunn
· “Good Vibrations,” by The Beach Boys
· “God Bless The U.S.A.,” by Neal E. Boyd
· “Star Spangled Banner,” by Jimi Hendrix
· “1812 Overture,” by U.S. Air Force Band
· “The Star Spangled Banner,” by Beyonce

Ringtones are available for $2.99 per ringtone, while individual ringback tones are available for an annual fee of $1.99.

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Microsoft is gearing up for the launch of its Windows Marketplace for Mobile app store later this year, and some new details have emerged as to how it will all play out.

Coinciding with the launch of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.5 OS, the new Marketplace for Mobile will debut with over 600 apps available from day one.  Although there are thousands of Windows Mobile-based applications already available, Microsoft says only a small percentage have made it through the selection process to be available via the Marketplace at launch.

Like other app stores, the Windows Marketplace will feature both paid and free apps, but in addition to offering credit card payments for premium apps, operator-based billing will also be offered- meaning users can purchase apps and pay for them on their cell phone bill.  Users will also have the option of returning the app within 24 hours of purchase if they’re not satisfied, a feature that will likely find its way into other app stores in the future.

According to Microsoft, Windows Marketplace for Mobile will debut in 29 countries at first.  The storefront promises developers 70 percent of all revenues as well as transparency throughout the certification process.  Developers will also have the option to set their own prices in each market, enabling them to maximize their revenues based on targeted pricing strategies.  Microsoft is slated to begin accepting Windows Marketplace for Mobile application submissions later this summer, with the initial launch of the marketplace slated for this Fall.

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Barnes & Noble has unveiled a new B&N Bookstore application for the Apple iPhone.

Providing access to millions of books now at the touch of your finger, Barnes & Noble worked with software partners Evryx Technologies and Spotlight Mobile to design, customize, and launch the new app, which is a red-hot download so far this week.

The app lets users take a photo of a book cover and, seconds later, the user gets all the information his or her heart could possibly desire about the title, author, publisher, etc.

More importantly from a business standpoint, however, consumers can use the app to purchase or reserve a copy of their desired title directly from the application.

The decision to plunge into the mobile realm isn’t new for the book giant. B&N recently bought digital book retailer Fictionwise for close to sixteen million dollars.

Given that Barnes & Noble operates nearly eight hundred bookstores in all 50 states, there is huge potential for this seemingly long-overdue app.

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To quote Heath Ledger as the Joker: “if you’re good at something, never do it for free.”

That seems to be the thinking of late around the corporate towers of the New York Times.

And the “joke” could very well end up on lovers of the original mobile content provided by the venerable but financially struggling newspaper.

At some point soon, it is likely that the New York Times will begin charging users to access its news coverage on mobile devices.

Until now, the popular service has been free.

Citing lost revenue opportunities, the company is eager to move forward with aggressive plans to improve the service for which they will now charge.

“Mobile offers a better opportunity for paid content,” says a NY Times executive to Bloomberg News. “For publishers to offer their content for free in the mobile platform forever without getting paid very much money, I don’t think it’s going to be tenable.”

For now at least, The New York Times mobile content is available free of charge on the Apple iPhone.

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Amazon.com search subsidiary A9 has scooped up SnapTell, a company, as we all know, that allows mobile users to take photos of products or advertisements to get special deals or more product info.

Although no dollar amount was ascribed to the acquisition, the development can prove quite valuable to SnapTell users, particularly those who download the application to their iPhone and then use their phone camera to snap a picture of an advertisement or a product and then send it to SnapTell in return for a variety of information about the product or the company that produces it.

SnapTell also has a database of “millions” of pictures of DVD, CD, book and video game covers. When end-users snap a photo of a cover and send it to SnapTell, they get information back about prices for the product at stores.

Looking to build upon their popularity, SnapTell is now taking their brand one step further.

“One of the most heard requests was how we could integrate better with Amazon’s fabulous shopping experience,” SnapTell said in a public commentary regarding the acquisition. “We should be able to do so pretty well now.”

Amazon created A9 in 2003 to develop search technologies, including Search Inside The Book, which lets users search for a book by character names or even obscure phrases.

SnapTell fits with A9 like a glove.

For more information, check out www.snaptell.com

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Tetherball, a mobile solutions company specializing in “mobile loyalty and rewards,” is testing a new RFID mobile marketing platform with Dairy Queen in the US that aims to combine mobile coupon solutions with location-based marketing and customer loyalty- all in one integrated platform.  

Tetherball’s approach aims at helping clients “tether” their brand to target audiences by identifying what their customers want and delivering mobile campaigns that interact with permission-based mobile coupons, mobile rewards, mobile sweepstakes and mobile notifications.  The new RFID platform works by integrating traditional marketing methods, such as in-store advertising, in hopes that customers are engaged to sign up for mobile loyalty rewards programs offering promotional discounts.  Upon joining, customers are given a “Tetherball Tag,” a tiny RFID chip that is affixed to their mobile phones, which uniquely identifies them through Tetherball’s platform.

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Apple’s anticipated Worldwide Developers’ Conference today disappointed on one level: No Steve Jobs appearance.

Regarding the latest iPhone news: I’m sure fans are excited about the latest bells and whistles–including the addition of features other smartphones have long had. But will they be enough to keep Apple ahead of other handset-makers, and in the eyes of discerning, budget-conscious consumers? Even Apple honchos, perhaps unintentionally, referenced the growing competition. Luckily, all this will only boost mobile marketing’s importance.

The newest, fastest version of Apple’s handset, called iPhone 3Gs, finally allows cut-and-paste, improved software (like mail search) and video capture–the latter of which happens with an improved 3-megapixel camera whose unveiling reportedly garnered “booming applause.” Not much that other phones already have.

Without the price break some analysts expected on the latest iPhones (save for the new $99 tag on the current 8-gigabyte iPhone 3G that debuted last year), these little improvements might not mean much to consumers who still need convinced that they should shell out the money for the sleek handset and accompanying service plan. Especially when rivals like Palm’s Pre start nabbing great reviews and sellouts at Sprint stores. Read the rest

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