AT&T Inc. today announced a new phase of the company's branding strategy. Overnight, AT&T kicked off this phase by replacing the Cingular brand with AT&T on all in-store signage, store kiosks, and point-of-sale materials in approximately 1,800 company-owned wireless retail stores. In addition, key stores in major markets also unveiled new exterior signage displaying the new brand.

If you had $25 billion in your pocket you could be the current owner of Alltel Wireless...TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners did just that buying the company for $71.50 per share. The purchase price per share represents a 23% premium over Alltel's closing share price prior to media reports of a potential transaction published on December 29, 2006. Alltel intends to pay its regular quarterly common share dividend until closing.

Research In Motion today introduced the BlackBerry® Curve™ smartphone - the smallest and lightest full QWERTY* BlackBerry smartphone. With its smooth and friendly design encompassing a large display, easy-to-use keyboard and intuitive trackball navigation system, this powerful new smartphone makes it easy to stay connected to the people and information that matter most.

Microsoft Corp. today announced it has agreed to acquire ScreenTonic SA, a Europe-based mobile advertising pioneer, in a move that combines the breadth of Microsoft® Digital Advertising Solutions offerings with the mobile expertise and industry relationships of ScreenTonic to help advertisers reach a global audience of mobile users. ScreenTonic’s mobile solutions provide advertisers with a complete range of ad formats, from display to text, as well as ad management and reporting capabilities, while serving the needs of mobile operators and independent publishers equally. ScreenTonic will continue to operate out of its current headquarters in Paris. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Frucall announced the availability of Version 2 of its popular mobile search service for price comparison shopping. Frucall is a free, phone-based service that lets consumers hear current online prices and purchase products using their mobile phones, anytime, anywhere. The voice-based service can be accessed by calling 1-888-DO-FRUCALL. The service blends the benefits of in-store shopping with the frugal and flexible nature of online shopping. The release of Frucall Version 2 extends the voice-based service with the addition of an optimized and easy-to-use mobile web component with Frucall mWeb as well as search capabilities via SMS through the beta version of Frucall Text. Frucall does not require any special software or downloads and is entirely free. Frucall Version 2 also offers benefits for businesses looking to advertise to a highly-targeted audience at the point-of-purchase through Frucall SmartAds.