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Anywr is a new service that lets users stay in touch with their contacts and events from anywhere around the world and using any device that they could get access to.

After a user signs up, Anywr asks him to import his contact information from Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo and AOL. Users could also invite their contacts to start using Anywr and whenever they will update a contact information on Anywr it will automatically be updated everywhere. Anywr does this by using SyncML (Synchronization Markup Language).

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Compete has published an interesting survey about the Mobile Banking landscape. Mobile Banking was unsuccessfully launched around the year 2000, but is now seeing a revival as a result of improved Mobile Banking Strategies and better and more secure wireless technologies. Some key findings of the survey are:

• 29% of online bankers said they would definitely or probably use banking features if they available on a wireless phone
• An additional 33% were undecided, illustrating an opportunity for banks and wireless providers to win over another group of consumers
• Almost 70% of those open to using Mobile Banking would be interested in checking account balances
• Active bankers were interested in using less complex mobile banking services: contacting customer service, locating ATM/branches, transferring money and reviewing statements all received about 50% interest.
• More complex services, such as brokerage services and retirement account management ranked low in terms of interest
• Surprisingly, interest in swiping a phone at a retail point of sale ranked relatively low

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Dennis Crowley, founder of the mobile social networking service Dodgeball, alongwith Alex Rainert employee#2 of the company have resigned from Google, which acquired the service in May 2005. Dodgeball suffered from lack of innovation or even development ever since the Google acquisition and lost its shine to the likes of Twitter, Jaiku and Loopt in the mobile social networking space.

Dodgeball founders are yet another set of entrepreneurs to leave Google. Previously Blogger team members and dMac founders left Google to do something exciting on their own. This to me has to do with the resource allocation algorithm in place at Google as well.

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A good 2 decades ago Apple Computers unveiled the Apple Macintosh a personal computer that was a revolutionary innovation in terms of User Interface and Usability. Microsoft responded to it not by creating its own PC but just by developing (they actually got it from somewhere) an Operating System, Windows. What happened next is history and is taught in the CS curriculum around the world.

Fast forward 2 decades, Apple launches iPhone a phone that is atleast a decade ahead of its time when it comes to usability and interface design. Microsoft is targeting it once again, not with a phone of its own but once again a piece of software, DeepFish.

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WSJ is reporting(subscription required) that Google has entered into a partnership with LG Mobile to provide Google applications pre installed on its mobile devices.

Users might be able to get Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps, and Blogger amongst other things pre installed on their LG mobile phones.  At the moment we dont know for sure what apps will be loaded or not on the phone, as nothing concrete has come out from either company.

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ZenZui is a spinoff from Microsoft that primarily is a web browser geared towards making web surfing easier from mobile devices. According to the official statement “It is designed to transform how people engage, consume and interact with the web content through revolutionary mobile user experience and information ecosystem.”

ZenZui divides the mobile screen into 36 6×6 virtual grid of website widgets. These widgets can then be panned and zoomed in or out using touchscreen or number pad. Users can zoom all the way into one widget and as far out as a 4×4 grid of widgets.

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Admob, which claims to be the largest mobile ad platform, has raised $15M in a second round of financing. The round was led by Accel Partners and included the existing investor Sequoia Capital. Admobs launched last year and has served more than 1.6 BN ads. The company claims to top player in this space ahead of Third Screen Media.

Admob and Third Screen Media are in a claims clash as well with Admob claiming to serve 600 million ads in Feb and March and Third Screen Media announcing 175 Million impressions served. Admobs has 1200 publishers in 160 countries. It allows advertisers to target geography, behavior, demography amongst other things.

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GotZapp, the Youtube for Mobile Phones let you send receive and create Zapps.

The Zapps are mobile photo galleries, blogs, stories, music and media clips that you can send to most color mobile phones with internet access. Users could create these Zapps using the “Zirada” mobile content creator, which is a free program offer by the same company.

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Zannel, last week launched a mobile based social network for sharing videos and pictures with friends.

Zannel has already bagged deals with video game publishers, philanthropic organizations and channel partners. Its partners include Japan based video game publisher Konami Digital Entertainment, the X PRIZE Foundation and 15,000 other content partners including Warner Bros. Inc.

Zannel would be creating direct distribution mobile channels for their content. The channel partners for Zannel include independent filmmakers, comedians, bands, game publishers, Hollywood entertainment companies, and youth brands.

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