Google said on Nov. 12 that it had acquired Gizmo5, a young firm that makes software for Internet telephony. According to MediaPost, Google plans to integrate Gizmo5 into Google Voice, a one-number-for-all system for linking cell, home and work phones.

As the application industry continues to grow, a company not known for its IT prowess has decided to get into the business while the getting is good.The

The estimated market in the U.S. for virtual goods in 2009 is expected to double from last year, reaching $1 billion this year, according to a recent study (Mediapost, Inside Virtual Goods). 

In what has been developing into a cautionary tale of when good apps go bad, potential class-action settlements in California and Texas surrounding Facebook's Beacon ad program may substantially affect one another.

Recently, it seemed as though the Google Voice app might have had a major security issue that could have resulted in a great privacy concern;  if it was not corrected, prying ears might have created legal issues. 

The US. could be in line for expanded Internet access in the near future, possibly copying the lead of Finland.  Although it will be quite expensive, the FCC is expected to submit a national plan to Congress this February that would increase the availability of high-speed Internet connections.

AT&T's stranglehold on the iPhone seems to have larger implications than the average customer may realize. Issues such as access, fees and Net neutrality have quickly arisen in an escalating skirmish that is less than six months old.

Now that Utah has become the second state after Michigan to put into effect a registry that blocks adult-themed messages from some e-mails and cell phones, other states may follow.

If you're a marketer, you need to understand the new rules about endorsements and testimonials that go into effect December 1, 2009. This is a fairly long post, and it doesn't hit on all the issues, but it should give you an overview of what you need to think about.

One of the latest natural progressions in both mobile devices and particuarly in iPhones recently are the increase in Crowdsourcing.  Jeff Howe, who wrote the book on the subject, defines it as: "the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call."

iPhone and iPod Touch owners will soon be capable of watching their home TV from the comfort of their own hands.  Elgato's EyeTV app will be released in the near future. 

According to this piece in Electronista, a recent AdMob study estimates Android Market's paid app market is only worth $5 million, and even high-profile, highly rated Android titles generate "much lower" revenue than iPhone equivalents.

In this article CNet's Rafe Needleman provides an excellent and comprehensive roundup of the status of publicly available transit information and the apps developers trying, sometimes in vain, to take advantage of it.

If you are lucky enough to be a member of USAA like I am and you have a bank account with USAA Federal Savings Bank, then this paradigm shifting app is going to make you say "WOW."

Berlin-based Wooga, a social gaming company, has closed a round of venture funding from Holtzbrinck Ventures. Wooga makes Brain Buddies, a popular Facebook game similar to another game called “Who Has the Biggest Brain?”

Advertising Age reports that Facebook will block apps that incorporate advertising that fail to comply with Facebook guidelines.  Two types of advertisements may no longer run on Facebook: Anything that sends "user data received from Facebook to ad networks," which limits the potential for behavioral targeting.

Want to earn some extra downloads?  Port that iPhone app to MS Win Mobile.  Microsoft has published a case study detailing how to port an iPhone application to its Windows Mobile platform. 

Horizon Group Management, LLC, one of Chicago's "premier apartment leasing and management companies," has sued a former tenant, Amanda Bobben, for libel over a tweet she posted on her public twitter feed.

BPCouncil, an international brand protection organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, is featuring a segment discussing iPhone App trademark issues, showcasing the recent InfoMedia v. Air-O-Matic dispute, commonly known as iFart v.

Apple has rejected Google’s official Google Voice app, and has removed from the App Store several Google Voice-related apps that had previously been accepted. A Google spokesperson confirmed the ban of Google Voice in a statement to eWEEK July 27: Apple did not approve the Google Voice application we submitted six weeks ago to the Apple App Store.