Internet search giant Google quietly announced yesterday a major new development in the mobile space for Android and Sprint fans.

Sprint customers in the US can now pay for all Google Play purchases directly through their phone bill.

That was the big announcement from Google this week, underscoring how Sprint Nextel can now charge all Google Play digital content purchases to their wireless bill.

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Although monetizing mobile users has been a problem for Facebook, getting people to access the social network through their mobile device hasn’t been tough at all.

With nearly 500 million people regular Facebook users, more and more information regarding the social network’s mobile popularity is coming to light.

According to a report Thursday from NPD Group, Facebook’s app and website were accessed by nearly three-fourths of U.S. Android smartphone users in March, making it the most used social networking website and app on the Android platform.

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The winds of change are blowing for The Weather Channel App for iOS.

On Thursday, The Weather Channel companies (TWCC) announced a major re-design of The Weather Channel App for iPhone and iPod touch.

The Weather Channel App, available now on the App Store, offers a simpler interface and a visually stunning design for a more personal weather experience.

If it seems like it’s been a while since the last refresh, you’re right. This is the first major redesign of the app since 2009.

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Local ad spending is getting really comfortable in mobile territory. That’s the newest discovery by BIA/Kelsey, which shows that local advertising spending will experience a compound annual growth rate of 2.6 percent between 2011 and 2016.

During that time, revenues are projected to climb from $132 billion to well over $150 billion.

BIA/Kelsey expects spending to increasingly shift from traditional media and direct advertising to digital alternatives. Mobile and online will account for the largest increase in local ad spending, nearly doubling from $11.1 billion in 2011 to $21.8 billion in five years.

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The U.S. Post Office is a big supporter of mobile marketing and the digital tools of the modern trade.

To that end, the post office is offering the 2012 Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion to encourage commercial mailers to use mobile marketing tools such as QR codes on their mail.

The move comes just as the post office itself clings to solvency as dwindling revenue continues to hinder the institution.

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With only hours to go before Facebook becomes a publicly traded company, the social networking giant has what could be it’s final acquisition before debuting on NASDAQ.

According to Tech Crunch, Facebook has “just closed a deal to hire the full team of seven employees from Android photosharing app developer Lightbox.”

The latest acquisition comes just one month after Facebook gobbled up Instagram for $1 billion.

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As the most recent major U.S. carrier to get the iPhone on its network, one would expect the globe’s most popular smartphone to instantly make a splash – and some big bucks – for the third largest mobile operator in the United States.

But given the huge subsidy Apple charges its carrier partners for access to the device, it can take some time for the iPhone to bring in the green.

A long time.

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