• AdMob launched its first advertising unit for Android applications. The first developers to leverage AdMob’s new Android ad unit in their applications include AccuWeather, Jirbo and TapJoy.
• Telecom expense management solutions provider Rivermine received $5 million in funding led by SoftBank Capital, with participation from existing investors Valhalla Partners, Longworth Venture Partners and Columbia Capital. The funding round comes on the heels of a record 110 percent year-to-year sales increase in 2008.
• Just in time for the Super Bowl, KlickSports announced the launch of its wireless predictive gaming platform for pro sports. KlickSports is a free mobile, Twitter-style game where players make predictions on live sporting events while the event is in progress, competing with other users around the world.
• Tyco Electronics Wireless Systems announced that its P25IP (P25 to the power of IP) digital communications system has been successfully deployed in the City of Oakland, Calif. The implementation of the P25IP network is the first stage in the city’s migration to a P25-compliant digital radio communications system, which will support Oakland’s Police and Fire departments and a number of other city agencies.
• The Ballroom Dance Channel announced a mobile application that teaches Apple iPhone owners how to ballroom dance. The cost to download the first step is 99 cents; entire lessons for the Rumba, Salsa, Waltz or Samba can be downloaded for $4.99.
• Mobile application distributor GetJar says it opened a new Silicon Valley office and appointed Patrick Mork as vice president of marketing and Chris Dury as vice president of product. Mork previously was marketing director for EMEA at Glu Mobile. Dury previously led product management and marketing with scanR and was co-founder of UniFone.
• In Real Life (IRL) and GeoMe, a mobile phone service that allows users to explore, share and connect via messages on a map, announced the creation of a central platform for location-based social networking services on both mobile phones and the Web.
• GOSUB 60 announced the Solitaire Deluxe 16-Pack, a stack of 16 card games that allows players to sync directly with Facebook Platform, giving users the option to play online with friends or on-the-go. Additional new features include the opportunity to compete with other players for top scores via Daily Deals, spend Rewards Points and accept new game challenges with Poker Solitaire and Spiderette.
