Amazon has launched a new service that enables users to remotely store and access their music from any Android handset or tablet, as well as PC and Macs. The new service is made up of 5GB of free online storage - branded 'Amazon Cloud Drive' - and the ability to play cloud-based music in a smartphone app or web browser via an 'Amazon Cloud Player.' However, the online retailer is not offering a standalone Android app for the player. Instead users must download the latest version of the company’s Amazon MP3 App which bundles the retailer’s music store as well as the cloud player. Any purchase from the store goes direct to the user’s cloud-based music collection. Significantly, there is no app for Apple’s iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Sprint formally lodged its objection to the merger between rival US operators AT&T and T-Mobile yesterday, claiming the tie-up would reduce competition and harm both consumers and the US economy. “The wireless industry has sparked unprecedented levels of competition, innovation, job creation and investment for the American economy, all of which could be undone by this transaction,” said the operator in a statement. According to Wireless Intelligence data, the combination of the current US number-two operator (AT&T) and number-four (T-Mobile) will create a market leader with a connections base of just under 130 million and a 42 percent market share - leaving Sprint a distant third on just 16 percent. As such, Sprint’s objection to the deal was widely anticipated. Indeed, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has already used the CTIA Wireless show last week to speak out against the deal.

Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has been selected to supply network infrastructure for a large-scale TD-LTE (Long Term Evolution Time Division Duplex) trial with China Mobile. With the approval of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China (MIIT), NSN will contribute its commercial 2.3GHz/2.6GHz TD-LTE equipment, professional services, and management software to conduct the major field trial in Hangzhou.

Website blocking is on the agenda again, this time in relation to copyright infringement. As reported in the Guardian last week, a government-led working group – including ministers and parties such as the BPI and Google – is to be formed to try to find a way of blocking websites that allegedly help people download songs or films without permission, avoiding potential litigation. While that might instantly conjure up Pirate Bay or Limewire in your mind, it could also include any site that hosts user-generated content, including services such as Rapidshare or Vimeo.

BT is reportedly looking to develop a free music download service to attempt to stop music fans downloading music illegally via file-sharing sites such as The Pirate Bay. The new comes via a source at The Guardian, who claims to have seen a leaked Invitation to Tender document that outlines how the new free download service will be offered to BT's 5.5 million broadband customers. BT is apparently set to unveil the service "in the near future" and currently in the midst of negotiations with major labels including Universal Music and EMI.

 

Nintendo has dropped a number of hints about what we should expect (or rather shouldn't) in the new Wii, explaining that the Wii 2 is unlikely to have 3D technology. Although the Nintendo 3DS came out with some nifty 3D tech, the Wii 2 looks to be going down a slightly different road. Given that the original Wii didn't even have HD, we can forgive Nintendo for not jumping on the 3D with glasses bandwagon for the new Wii.

On the same day that UK regulator PhonePayPlus claimed UK premium rate complaints were encouragingly down, Billingscore sounded a note of grave caution. The UK firm says fraud affects all the players in the mobile industry – from SMS wholesalers and aggregators, through to content providers, retailers, operators and of course consumers. It even argues that operators' 30 per cent rev shares are high to cover fraud and bad debt, and that this reduces the industry’s opportunity to further own the consumer’s wallet.

A Dell spokesperson has told an Australian website Apple wil give up ion iOS in the future. Andy Lark, Dell's global head of marketing, told CIO Australia Apple will struggle to keep up with Android and Windows competitors in the tablet space. "Apple is great if you’ve got a lot of money and live on an island. It’s not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise; simple things become quite complex,” he said.

Thanks to Monitise Mobile Money, Nigerians can now make deposits, withdrawals and transfers via a network of approved agents. The pilot of the first Monitise branded customer-facing service targeted at the unbanked as been launched in four cities and 11 rural locations across four states under a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provisional licence to develop the country’s mobile payments network. Monitise expects to provide its technology to other financial institutions in Nigeria as it does in other markets around the world.

Telefónica O2 Germany, a provider of broadband and mobile services, and BOKU, a mobile payments company, have announced a direct carrier billing relationship. O2 customers can now use BOKU’s payment platform to purchase virtual and digital goods ranging from Euro .09 to euro 30.00, by entering their mobile number and charging directly to their mobile phone carrier bill. O2’s mpass System allows direct carrier billing for purchase of virtual, digital and physical goods. This new partnership integrates the BOKU mobile payments platform into O2 Germany’s operator billing interface enabling the following advanced features: Support for one-off and subscription payments in Germany; Full pricing granularity; Authorisation and Capture APIs with refund support; In-App Billing support; Web Billing support.