Next Great Thing

Reaching Out to Students When They Talk and Text [NYT via PSFK]
The Bloomberg administration announces a plan to give cell phones to poor minority students at two dozen NYC schools to motive achievement. Schools will send text messages to students encouraging them to do well in classes in exchange for concert tickets and other benefits. Organizers hope celebrities like Jay-Z and Chris Rock will also participate by sending texts to students. The program also enlists thousands of mentors to call students on their cells to remind them to study or congratulate them when they do well.
Related: Hip-Hopping the Digital Divide [BusinessWeek]

Registration Open for Virtual College Fair [USAToday]
CollegeWeekLive.com hosts 100 schools and 10,000 prospective students at a two-day virtual college fair, allowing students to interact with admissions officers, who will offer streaming video of campus-related content and hold panel discussions on the admissions process.

Look Out, YouTube: Here Comes Bebo [AdAge]
Bebo launches Open Media, a platform of channels offering free content from major broadcasters, including Turner, CBS, MTV, and ESPN. Media companies will retain full control over their individual channels and retain 100% of advertising revenue. Bebo says new “personal video profiles” will add a word-of-month element currently missing from top online video sites like YouTube.
Related: NBC, Fox Loop Rivals Into Hulu in Push to Build Pro YouTube [AdAge]
Related: Slick Webisodes Could Be the Missing Link[USAToday]

Social Networks Reach Out More With Cellphones [USAToday]
MySpace, Facebook, and a variety of other social networks like Groovr and Loopt, are quickly invading the mobile scene. An estimated 20% of U.S. adults will access mobile social networks by 2011.
Related: Inbox 2.0: Yahoo and Google to Turn E-Mail Into a Social Network [NYT]

McCaw Bets Again On Wireless Frontier [WSJ]
The Sprint-Clearwire split puts the first nationwide WiMax service on hold, but that’s not stopping Clearwire’s CEO, Craig McCaw, from seeking new partnerships with companies ranging from Intel and Comcast to Google.

Marketers Reach Key Demos Via Mobile [MediaPost]
Members of Gen Y use their mobiles for 76% of all personal calls, and 56% spend time looking for new things to do on their handsets, according to a new report by InsightExpress.
Related: Zipit Wireless announces mobile device that does everything but make voice calls [AdWeek]

Celebrities Chat With Athletes, in Reebok Gear [NYT]
Reebok will sponsor a six-part interview series, “Framed,” on the IFC cable network this fall. Reebok-sponsored celebrities will be interviewed, as well as do the interviewing: first up, Nelly sits down with Allen Iverson.

AOL Renews Casual Gaming Focus [MediaPost]
Tapping into the rise of casual gaming, AOL designs Games.com—adding 20 new games including Bingo and Multiplayer Solitaire—after a poll finds that 44% of online adults who play games also play versions of those games online.

Online Retailers Plan More Perks For the Holidays [WSJ]
Internet retailers are planning a variety of offerings—including free shipping, web-only discounts, and gift wrap—as U.S. consumers gear up to spend an estimated $33 billion online this holiday season.

Singing a New Zune [WSJ]
It’s still no iPod, but Microsoft’s second-generation Zune player is a vast improvement over its previous offering. New features include a redesigned controller, an attractive online store, and increased Wi-Fi capabilities.