Mobile Technology shorts:

1 Billion ! handsets shipping in 2006
Cellphone makers shipped more than 1 bln handsets for the first time in 2006, driven by a strong holiday season in which shipments rose nearly 20% to a record 295 mln devices, IDC reported in the newspaper USA Today.

US text messaging rapidly increasing
Although 79% of consumers find the idea of mobile ads annoying, early efforts at mobile marketing have revealed that consumers will happily engage in campaigns as long as marketers deliver valuable information or content. According to Forrester Research, a growing number of consumers are shifting from voice-only mobile services to other activities , creating a viable audience for mobile marketing. 35% of US households that own a mobile phone currently engage in text messaging and 11% access the mobile Internet

$1.6 Billion in revenues from Mobile Gaming in Asia
Mobile gaming in Asia/Pacific has been successfully established, with revenues reaching $1.56 bln in 2005, reports In-Stat. Mobile gaming in Asia/Pacific will reach $4.4 bln in 2010. 3G users spend 70% more per month on mobile gaming than 2G users. Interest levels in mobile gaming are low, with more than half of both 2G and 3G users indicating they would be unlikely to play mobile games within the next six months.