Batteries set to become $60 billion industry by ’13

So far in 2009, battery companies have received over $600 million in venture capital funding, compared with $478 million garnered for 2008, according to research analyst Lux Research. The investment isn’t without reason. In a report released Tuesday, Lux predicted that the energy storage market will grow to become a $60 billion industry by 2013.

Facebook Usernames: 50+ Million Claimed and Counting

In a post entitled “Designing the Facebook username land rush,” Facebook’s Srinivas Narayanan reveals the number while explaining the difficulties of building a system capable of handling 200,000 signups in 3 minutes and planning for contingencies (aka the so-called “nuclear option”). These are subjects we actually discussed with Facebook’s Jared Morgenstern and Guy Rom at Facebook headquarters the night of the launch.

All About iPhone In China/Asia, Interview with iPhonAsia

iPhone is so attractive and Asia holds such a huge mobile market. In Japan, iPhone is getting quite popular; nobody knows the exact date yet but we know it is stepping closer to China; it is not very clear about iPhone in South Korea, but at least they are in talk for a long time; and it is already rocking HongKong and Singapore. Recently, we had a great pleasure of interviewing with Dan Butterfield, managing editor of iPhonAsia.

Mobile money roundup: banking, finance and payments in mobile

Here’s a round-up of some of the mobile money stories that have been of interest to us this morning. We’ve got pieces from America, Asia, Africa and India. iPhone check feature: The USAA is a smaller bank in America, serving mostly military personnel. But it has just launched a very interesting product – an iPhone application that allows you to deposit your check through your iPhone. You take a snap of the front and a snap of the back, hit send, and it deposits with USAA. Cambodian mobile banking: Cambodian mobile service provider Smart Mobile and WING have launched a mobile money service. It allows Smart customers to send and receive cash, and make payments, via top-up cards.

Worldwide phone sales drop 6 percent — but smartphones shoot up 27 percent

Low-cost Nokias will probably ensure Nokia’s dominance of the non-smartphone market for another year. But the low end is no longer the place to be. A new report from Gartner says worldwide sales in the second quarter of 2009 dropped six percent from Q2 2008. But phones classified by Gartner as smartphones shot up 27 percent. Many people buying new phones, says the report, want either a QWERTY keyboard or a touchscreen. Still more, though, are buying on price.

Federal Communications Commission seeks answers over Apple rejection of Google Voice app

The Federal Communications Commission late Friday afternoon dashed off three letters to Apple Inc., AT&T Inc. and Google Inc. over Apple’s reported rejection of the Google Voice application for the iPhone. The letters seek detailed information on why Apple is said to have rejected Google Voice and pulled previously approved third-party applications from its App Store (see story). They also want an insight into Apple partner AT&T’s role in the rejection of the Google Voice app, which would offer voiceover IP telecommunications services that directly undercut the carrier’s voice offerings.

Base campaign strategy on target audience’s mobile habits: Forrester

Mobile marketing is gaining momentum even in a down economy, according to a study by Forrester Research. One in four interactive marketers in the United States is currently using mobile and nearly half of these (47 percent) will increase mobile spending this year.

U.S. mobile adoption catching up to Asia, Europe: Study

The United States may be closing in on Asia and Europe in mobile technology adoption, according to a study by Mobtext. The reported boost in consumer adoption of mobile technology means that marketers are approaching the prime time for mobile marketing opportunities. The study found that SMS, MMS, location-based marketing, mobile Web and branded content are the major components of growth in the mobile marketing space.

Entrust, Clickatell partner to enhance mobile security

Entrust Inc. has signed a deal with Clickatell to expand its ability to send one-time-passcodes (OTP) to mobile devices via SMS. Oftern referred to as soft tokens, the partnership for OTPs expands the options available to customers using the Entrust IdentityGuard authentication platform.

Merchants turn to iPhone app to reach tourists

For some local merchants, downtown business development is going mobile. Mobilefringe along with the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area (B.I.A.) is launching the Mobile Yonge iPhone application on their m3 platform. The Mobile Yonge application will have the ability to show promotions and events that will appeal to both visitors and residents of the popular Toronto area.

Mobile gaming market to reach $18B by 2014: Study

Due to the growing number of wireless subscribers in emerging markets, the mobile gaming market is predicted to reach $18 billion by 2014, according to a study by Pyramid Research. The predicted $18 billion in growth represents a 16.6 percent growth rate according to Pyramid’s study titled, “Mobile Gaming in Emerging Markets: Five Year Forecast and Impact Analysis.” The study takes the growth of emerging markets and puts it into context with the mobile gaming industry as a whole.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…