Overnight news roundup: 13-14 December

Have you received mobile ads on your phone? Probably not

According to a study from research firm Jupiter, which surveyed 2,000 Americans asking them if they had ever received ads on their mobile phones, only 10 per cent claimed to have received a text message from a company.

Mobile advertising has been slow

"Ads on cell phones have long been hailed as the next big thing. But flipping through industry forecasts," Didier Kuhn says, "I don't believe the figures I am seeing."

Contary to analyst predictions, mobile phone advertising adoption has been extremely slow. In fact, one analyst believes it will take the industry another five years to surpass the $10 billion mark (it was once believed this would happen by 2010).

Most only make calls

Unfortunately for companies looking to advertise on mobile phones, most owners simply don't use their phones for anything besides making calls. The study found that only 16 per cent of respondents do so.

Regardless, almost every expert agrees on one point - that the future of mobile advertising will be huge and although growth has been slow up until now, look for it to pick up steam as we head into the next decade.

Hand-cranked digital camera

Sony on Thursday showed off a new digital camera that will satisfy those on a budget (and those looking for some exercise). According to Sony, its new digital camera concept called the Twirl N' Take can be hand-wound for 15 seconds, which will allow the user to take one picture. The 3-megapixel camera features a self-portrait timer, but it remains a concept only for now.

In other news...

Nvidia has unveiled a three-way SLI design that's built for the gamer in all of us. The new setup can be used with either the GeForce 8800 GTX or the 8800 Ultra and will allow three video cards to work in tandem to create the best experience. According to the company, Alienware will be the first to feature the new setup and those computers will be made available immediately.