// Pownce gets bought, pulls the plug

The creators of Pownce announced they’d be closing down on December 15th. Pownce attempted to differentiate themselves from services like Twitter by integrating features like photo and event sharing — with no character limit. However, unlike Twitter there was no easy way to update your status through a mobile device. The end of this service begs the question whether the dead-simple approach of Twitter is responsible for its success or: Do we need a better mousetrap?

// Verizon parent Vodafone acquires LBS company WayFinder

Vodafone, parent company to Verizon Wireless, acquired WayFinder, a Swedish location and navigation services company. WayFinder offers a number of GPS-enabled applications for mobile phones including Wayfinder Navigator which adds points of interest and social networking features to typical mapping functions. Clearly mobile carriers in Europe and the US are looking for easy wins for integrating LBS into their product offerings.

// Nokia Messaging promotes email in mobile experience

Nokia has announced Nokia Messaging, a solution that aims to integrate email into the core Nokia experience. Customized status setting and sending/receiving of IMs is also supported. However, what’s really interesting is Nokia’s ovi webmail offering, positioned to compete with popular offerings like GMail. Nokia sees value in owning the email experience from end-to-end, not just providing a conduit to existing email services.

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