Mobile Industry News 12/14/09

Quattro Wireless' daily take on interesting and important news for the mobile industry. See something today that we missed? Post it in the comments or send it our way on twitter @intheq

Q&A: Ford To Hit Ground Running In 2010

The year is winding down, but not for Ford Motor. After a strong showing in a dreadful year, the Dearborn, Mich. automaker is keeping the marketing heat on for current products and the raft of new vehicles coming in 2010.

Opera launches new cross-platform mobile browser
Mobile Marketer
Opera Software has introduced a new cross-platform user interface for mobile devices.Opera Mobile 10, available on Google’s Android, Brew, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Nokia’s Symbian/S60 smartphones, now includes the new user interface. The new user interface unifies the look and feel of the mobile browsers for the various operating systems. 

Apple's Mac And iPhone Sales To Be Better Than Expected This Quarter 

Silicon Alley Insider

Apple's Mac and iPhone sales are going to be better than expected in the fourth quarter, says JP Morgan's Mark Moskowitz via Reuters.He's raising his price target to $230 from $220 on the stock.

What To Look For In Mobile In 2010
mocoNews
We continue to be excited about the mobile sector and the opportunities for entrepreneurs to build large companies. The industry has seen the smartphone universe expand dramatically and now no smartphone is complete without an app store. New business models like mobile advertising, which were touted in 2005 and 2006 but failed to live up to early expectations now seem to be blossoming. That said, we believe we’re still in the early innings with many more innovations to come.

GooglePhone Taking The World By Storm
Silicon Alley Insider
Google confirmed that it is handing out Google Phones to employees in a blog post this morning.  "Googlephone" immediately became one of the top search terms in the country.  And Twitter is abuzz about it.

The 30 Essential Android Apps
Silcon Alley Insider
In a year, Android's gone from shaky upstart to mobile juggernaut. And nowhere is that more apparent than the apps—the Marketplace is positively bursting, with over 14,000 apps.

The Google Phone Is “Like An iPhone On Beautifying Steroids”
Silicon Alley Insider
We told you the Google phone was confirmed. And now some Googler’s seem to be confirming it, too. There is a lot of chatter on Twitter about Google employees with HTC-built unlocked Google Phones running Android 2.1. And the devices look to be coming out in January.

New Platform Helps Carriers Tap Into Mobile Advertising Opportunity
mocoNews
Oracle has launched a new advertising platform that helps carriers get into the mobile advertising business, and ensures they don’t get left in the cold when it comes to any potential new revenue streams.

Motorola's Milestone (The U.K.'s Droid) Flies Off The Virtual Shelves
mocoNews
Some very positive news for Motorola (NYSE: MOT) as we head into the weekend ... Online retailer eXpansys says that the Milestone—the U.K.-version of the Droid—sold out in just three hours. eXpansys is the exclusive seller of the handset; the company said it had received well over 1,000 pre-orders for the Milestone a week before it went on sale. eXpansis expects a second shipment of Milestones to arrive in time for holiday orders.

Mfuse Launches iPhone Betting App
Mobile Marketing Magazine
Mfuse has launched an iPhone web application for its Sportsbook clients. The app  provides iPhone users with a live sports betting service installed directly to their homepage. The system will use Mfuse’s mobile provisioning and transaction technology to provide the majority of the functionality found in an online sportsbook, including complex bet types, in-running betting and credit/debit card deposit and withdrawals.