Next Great Thing

China Internet Population Tops 200 Million [PCWorld]
China is on target to become the world’s largest wired nation (to the US) in a matter of months: its online population grew 53% last year, from 137 million in 2006 to 210 million in 2007. The majority of new users were aged 18 to 30 and about 40% were from rural areas, the overseer reported, while 87% used online music apps, 81% sent IMs, and 57% sent e-mails.

Airwaves, Web Power at Auction [NYT]
The FCC’s $10 billion+ auction for highly valuable national airwaves begins Thursday, with wireless companies like AT&T and Verizon, as well as online media firms like Google, expected to take part. Can you feel the excitement??

Cell Phones and Virtual Worlds Morphing Shopper Ways [Reuters via Canada.com]
Retailers should embrace the growing potential of virtual worlds, mobile phones, and bar-code readers to positively impact their sales, panelists at the National Retail Federation’s annual NYC convention conveyed last week. Asia is already leading the way: in South Korea, McDonald’s customers can order food on their handsets; in China, mobile commerce is on its way to reach $1 trillion by 2010.
Related: Mobile Barcodes Finally Catching On In The US? [mocoNews]

Toshiba Unveils Bizarre Phone/Modem Combo [Tech.co.uk]
The pocket-sized Portege G450 mobile device doubles as a USB HDSPA modem and phone.

Super Cheap Nokia Phones on the Way [Tech.co.uk]
Nokia announces a new line of inexpensive phones after a study indicated that mobile phone-sharing is on the rise in emerging markets. The Nokia Sharing Survey found that half of respondents in India and Pakistan share, or would share their phone with family or friends.
Related: Rumors indicate Nokia may be in talks to install a Facebook mobile tool on hundreds of thousands of its handsets, as well as buy a small stake in the social networking site. [Guardian]

Campaign Reporting in Under 140 Taps [NYT]
Political correspondents from major publications like Slate and Time.com are practicing microjournalism thanks to social nets like Twitter and Facebook.
Related on NextGreatThing.com: Presidential Candidates Use Mobile To Boost Campaigns

British Youth Seek Out Bargains Online [Tech.co.uk]
Three-quarters of British 18-24-year-olds said price was their top priority when shopping, with brand affinity coming in second, according to survey by web analytics firm Coremetrics.

The Video Game May Be Free, but to Be a Winner Can Cost Money [NYT]
E.A. throws out its traditional business playbook and announces plans for a new installment of its hit Battlefield series that will be distributed online for free. Advertising and small in-game transactions for virtual items like new outfits, weapons, and other gear will help fund the game, titled “Battlefront Heroes,” which will be released this summer.

New Music Based Games Driving Digital Downloads
“Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero III” alone account for over 7 million music downloads since November.

Hundreds of Layoffs Expected at Yahoo [NYT]
Faced with increasing competition from Google and social networks like MySpace and Facebook, Yahoo is planning to lay off hundreds of employees from its 14,000-member workforce. This comes after Yahoo’s CEO announced in October that the site will refocus its efforts on becoming a “starting point” on the web, extending its advertising offerings online, and opening its infrastructure to third-party developers and publishers.
Related: While Yahoo goes back to the fundamentals, Google continues to expand exponentially, going as far as funding a DNA testing firm in Europe [NYT]

“C’Mon. Give Us The Juice”
Back in November, we profiled a college gossip network gaining popularity across the country, CampusGossip.com. Now advertising its features on Facebook is the latest in Perez-wannabe sites, JuicyCampus.com, which already tracks the latest from schools like Duke and Arizona.

And some homework…
Watch “Frontline” Tonight: Growing Up Online on PBS tonight (9pm/ET) on the “risks, realities, and misconceptions of teenage self-expression on the World Wide Web.” Going out? Set your DVR through DirectTV’s new mobile scheduling service (Verizon subscribers, use TiVo Mobile!)