Well, at least Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has spelled out what it’s prohibiting from its upcoming app store. InformationWeek reports that the software giant has listed 12 application types that it will ban from the memorably named Microsoft Windows MarketPlace for Mobile, expected to debut in the second half of the…

—Music-Editing Phone: Design firm Pilotfish has shown a concept for a music phone which “will enable good quality recording of three separate sound tracks and allow editing of the music by physically twisting and bending the phone…The phone’s main touch-screen, which is similar to today’s folder phones, consists of three…

—CBS (NYSE: CBS) On IPhone: CBS has released an iPhone application for its TV.com site that plays full episodes of TV series, including CSI and Star Trek. Notes the NYT Bits blog: “The TV.com application appears to be the first with a lot of mainstream network content that can watch…

China has announced it will extend its recent crackdown on online smut (which saw search engines like *Google* and *Baidu* criticized) to mobile phones. “We will incorporate ‘lewd’ messages spread via mobile phones into the crackdown,” the report quoted a joint notice from the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry…

—*Apple* App Store Problems: There’s been a couple of stories about problems with selling stuff on the iTunes App Store, although I don’t think they are specific to that distribution channel. For example, James Bossert was happy that his Whack ‘em All iPhone game had 400 new users in one…

Juniper Research has lowered its forecast for adult mobile service revenues in 2008 to $2.2 billion, 3.5 percent lower than the analyst had previously forecast. Before you go supporting Larry Flynt and Joe Francis in their request for a porn-industry bail-out the market was $1.62 billion in 2007, so still…

UK pay TV giant Sky is readying plans to offer Sky Bet as a mobile service, which will be an extension of the companies existing online, interactive TV and telephone betting services. The service is set to launch later this month. BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) (which owns Sky and Sky Bet)…

Update: Wall Street is cheering this news in a big way: the stock has been up around 17 percent in mid-day trading. Christie Hefner, CEO of Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) for the last two decades, is leaving the family business, stepping down as chairman today and as CEO Jan. 31,…

As many online publishers have answered the “premium or free?” question by dropping pay walls for ad support, one of the few areas left strictly pay-for - aside from business news - has been adult content. But could that be about to change? London-based Mobile Streams - better known for…

CBS’s citizen journalism efforts aren’t getting press for the reasons the network would like ... instead, there’s more news today about how even adult-oriented content is making its way onto the newly launched iPhone app, AdAge reports. “A visit to CBSeyemobile.com turns up a few photos that walk the line…

Worldwide mobile gaming revenues are on pace to hit $4.5 billion in 2008, representing a 16.1 percent increase over last year, according to Gartner. The industry has struggled a bit over the last few years to hit its stride—and hasn’t seen the kinds of increases that other content has—such as…

—  Palringo Available On RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) Devices: Mobile instant messaging company Palringo has released its software client for BlackBerry smartphones. The firm’s Rich Messaging Service is now available for free for the Pearl, Curve, and 8800 series. The service is also compatible with Windows Mobile, Symbian and Java-based clients,…

One of the most controversial mobile content plays is pornography, and last week at CTIA, arguably the biggest name—Playboy (NYSE: PLA)—launched a series of mobile initiatives. Perhaps because of the controversial nature, the press conference was held at night at Hugh Hefner’s Sky Villa at the Palm’s (NSDQ: PALM) Casino…

Playboy (NYSE: PLA) has signed a multi-year worldwide deal with THQ (NSDQ: THQI) Wireless for Playboy-branded, lifestyle themed, non-nude mobile games featuring bikini-clad Playmates. To give you an idea, the first title will be Playboy Games: Pool Party, which will be “based on actual events held at the Playboy Mansion”…

Juniper Research has issued its (typically bullish) predictions for mobile content, predicting the total global mobile content market will rise from $20 billion in 2007 to more than $64 billion by 2012. This is lower than previous predictions from the company—which at the end of 2006 predicted the market would…

The launch of the iPhone raised the visibility of mobile content and services among the general public—and it apparently caught the attention of porn vendors, too, reports PC Magazine. Several porn companies at the AVN show in Las Vegas say the growing power of mobile handsets—embodied in the iPhone—make them…

Giant Mobile has won its case against Larry Flynt Productions, after the pornography producer terminated a mobile distribution contract. The case was started almost two years ago with Giant claiming that LFP manufactured excuses to terminate the agreement solely to sign a more lucrative agreement with Mobival. The judge apparently…

Minick has won a deal from Playboy (NYSE: PLA) to help the company expand its European mobile content business. Playboy will use Minick’s platform to launch video, mobile TV, games and other types of content, and to develop more interactive services, and sell them both on and off operator decks.…

Mobile adult services will bring in nearly $3.5 billion by 2010 according to Juniper Research. This is a slight increase form a year ago, when Juniper predicted that adult content would bring in $3.3 billion by 2011. Western Europe is predicted to remain the largest regional market for adult content…