As the year-end wrap-ups, top 10 lists, and ’08 retrospectives flood in, I noticed this item released last week from Pew (I was out last week). The part that stuck out is that the Internet has overtaken newspapers for the first time this year as a source for Americans to get their news (see chart …

We’re out with our predictions for 2009. But what’s the final word for 2008? Truly, it was a very stimulating and thoughtful year for our local media and commerce industry. But speaking for myself, it’s hard to say whether it was a good year, especially with fresh layoffs that we are hearing about every day. …

Mobile application development has reached the collegiate level, with MIT coursework now devoted to building applications on mobile platforms. A new class titled “Building Mobile Applications” has begun to do just this. I missed this item from being out for a little while, but it still has legs in my view — especially with respect to …

As expected, iPhones can now be purchased at 2,500 Wal-Mart locations throughout the U.S. This won’t come with Wal-Mart’s signature markdown, as speculated. The 8 gigabyte model will sell for $197 — only $2 less than those sold at Apple and AT&T stores.
But this will be more about accessibility and sales reach than price. It should …

From a relatively slow holiday period, here is a roundup of recent posts, in case you missed any.
Where.com: GPS Is Trigger for Local-Mobile Social Portal
Local mobile portals make a lot of sense since most phones (even the iPhone 3G) don’t really lend themselves to much surfing. Another social/viral dimension is added through social networking enhancements …

Local mobile portals make a lot of sense since most phones (even the iPhone 3G) don’t really lend themselves to much surfing. Another social/viral dimension is added through social networking enhancements via profile pages, Twitter and especially GPS.
Two services seem to be leading the way for locally based mobile social networking right now: Silicon Valley-based Loopt, …

The Egypt Yellow Pages, operated by Dubai-based Al Wahda Express LLC, has launched an online/mobile mapping service. According to the announcement, users will be able to view local businesses on their mobile phones in either satellite or map view.
We believe mobile search will be a critical usage channel overall in the coming years, but even …

Hyperlocal sites aspire to grab headlines from everywhere and be a one-stop for the neighborhood. That’s been accepted practice, providing the site links back to the origination site, and too much copy isn’t exposed. It tends to build traffic for everyone.
But GateHouse Media, which owns 125 newspapers across Massachusetts, doesn’t feel especially grateful about the linking …

R.H. Donnelley has recently opened up the beta version of its new DexKnows IYP platform (the new search box is above right), known internally as DK2, which TKG previewed last week with Brian Barnum, president of RHDi, and Jeff Porter, VP & GM and the one charged with product development for DexKnows.com. This project has …

The local media industry is so fragmented that it seems increasingly essential to aggregate local classifieds from a number of sources. Google Base and Oodle go a long way in this regard — the latter having recently signed Facebook and MySpace as partners for its growing network. But other classified aggregators are coming up the horizon, …

Online coupons are getting more attention, and even adding mobile channels. But no single company has really broken through at the local level. They’re largely for national franchises.
Longtime Move.com execs Adam Leff and David Bay clearly recognize the challenge, and the major opportunity in the local merchant space. Since February, they formed a company named …

The U.K. online Yellow Pages directory Yell.com has announced a partnership with IdealHomeShow.co.uk, giving the home improvement and garden trade show Web site access to Yell.com’s local business listings in related headings.
This agreement is a first for Yell.com, according to the company, and it appears to signal a new strategic direction toward syndicated Yell …

Increasingly, we’re seeing pressure on newspaper publishers to forgo seven-day delivery. The idea is they’d refocus on the development of profitable niche sites and the Thursday, Friday and Sunday editions packed with retail advertising. Under this concept, the other days in the week would have online access to daily replica e-editions and/or smaller print editions …

Local online video ad provider Jivox strengthened its ability to reach small-business video advertisers today by partnering with Examiner.com. The online news network will offer Jivox’s self-serve online video creation tool to its advertisers on a white-label basis.
Jivox has been one of the online video success stories in building out a network of 600 local …

Palm has announced a new on-deck marketplace for mobile applications. This involves a partnership with app distributor PocketGear that lets it hit the ground running with 5,000 applications (about 1,000 are free). It has also received new submissions from about 1,500 application developers.
Named Software Store, it will join Apple’s App Store, Google Android’s “Market” and …

Omniture has announced a new version of its SiteCatalyst analytics engine that’s designed specifically for iPhone apps.
As iPhone penetration grows, data consumption will grow with it. The conversation will begin to shift from how many users have downloaded which applications to how they are using those applications. Depending on the application, there will be the …

In disappointing-but-not-unexpected news, Deutsche Bank has discontinued its coverage of local media (i.e., newspapers and television stations). Most of the companies in the space have lost 70 percent to 90 percent of their equity value over the past three months. Concurrent with the news was the layoff of a wave of analysts.
The first rate reports …

I missed this last week while at SES Chicago: Citysearch has launched its iPhone app as anticipated.
The features are similar to those offered by Yelp’s iPhone app. Though it’s later to the game than some other popular local search apps like Yelp, Urbanspoon and Zagat, it should get a fair amount of traction among iPhone …

Here are the highlights from the TKG blog last week, in case you missed any posts. Click below to read each post in full.
These Realtors Really Love Google’s Tools
Realtors are a vocal bunch, especially on the blogs. When something isn’t right, you really hear about it. Today, there was a bubbly post on Active …

Realtors are a vocal bunch, especially on the blogs. When something isn’t right, you really hear about it.
Today, there was a bubbly post on Active Rain, an excellent real estate community site, by Missy Caulk, an Ann Arbor Realtor. She was invited to have lunch at Google’s offices in Ann Arbor after enthusing about all …