Our friends at Bothell-based AMS Services announced a new customer for its SETWrite product this week. SETWrite's multiple-carrier rating solution will be incorporated into Smart Choice, a product offered by the Worldwide Insurance Network headquartered in Greensboro, NC. This means that insurance agents using Smart Choice will be able to get accurate, real-time rates from multiple carriers without having to visit multiple websites, thanks to AMS. Earlier in October, AMS announced that NetQuote would integrate with SETWrite.

-posted by Rachel

RCR Wireless reported that T-Mobile USA will select a handful of consumers in the Seattle market to trial its T-Mobile Hotspot @ Home offering. Seattlites will be the first to demo the “landline killer” that allows users to leverage both cellular and Wi-Fi networks with a single handset.

-posted by Lindsay

Dolce & Gabbana made a splash last year with its runway-inspired gold Motorola RAZR phone and it appears Levi’s is too jumping on the fashion phone bandwagon. According to a story on Mobile Weblog, the company is developing a Levi’s branded phone aimed at Europe, one if its largest markets. Can't wait to see if other major clothing brands and fashion designers follow suit.

-posted by Lindsay

A story Friday on CNNMoney.com reported that prominent PR firm, Edelman was recently busted for “faux blogging” on behalf of its client, Wal-Mart. It’s a shame that the employees (named by first AND last name in the article) chose this unethical shortcut and risked the progress of its Working Families Behind Wal-Mart campaign. While it’s clear that blogs (like every other medium) can be manipulated, the popular form of communication should not be discredited, rather only placed in the hands of responsible individuals.

-posted by Lindsay

Rumors are flying that both Universal and Fox are backing out of the silver screen adaptation of Microsoft's "Halo." Variety reported today that both financial backers may not have Microsoft's back after all. Disputes over the budget - originally projected at $135 million but now raging out of control - spurned trouble this week as Universal and Fox tried to convince Microsoft to reduce their potential profit and cut filmmaking costs.

-posted by Mallory

A big shout out to Jeff Erwin, the new CEO leading our friends at Pure Networks (www.purenetworks.com). He's already been blogging on the company site...if there are things that really bug you about home networking, log on and let him know.

-posted by Rachel

If you're looking for some marketing talent, Big Fish Games axed a number of marketing folks in last week's layoff/purge. Layoff stories aren't new, but this one is making for a pretty interesting read over at intrepid Seattle P-I reporter John Cook's blog site. It would seem that blogs can be used to give ex-employees a place to sound off, and in doing so, give the rest of us an inside look at a business activity usually tightly controlled by lawyers and HR-types. I'll be interested to see if the company tries to PR spin its lack of finesse on how the layoff was handled -- and whether or not Argosy Cruises, which played an unwitting role in the debacle, will come away still believing that any publicity is good publicity.

-posted by Rachel

Bellingham-based Mannequinstore.com, an Internet retailer of mannequins, launched its new line of anatomically-correct buttocks earlier this month. Why? Because better display butts are apparently needed by the lingerie industry. Just looking at the website is a crackup (intentional pun).

-posted by Rachel

If you thought the letters BBC only meant the British Broadcasting Corporation, think again. I rarely comment on our competition, but I just can't let this one go by. I have to wonder how many beers were downed before the folks at Brass Bulls Corporation, also known as BBC, came up with its name. The company offers PR services to the financial market, so in a weird way, the bullish image makes sense...but I'd have a hard time stating the company name with a straight face in business meetings. With my luck, I'd slip up and change the vowels around in "Brass Bulls" to become something else entirely.

-posted by Rachel

The Software Alliance of Oregon, the state's largest trade organization, took an unusual step toward finding its new president. Last week, the group issued a press release announcing the position opening. With classified ad rates increasing, it's an interesting idea -- the wire fees might even be less expensive.

-posted by Rachel

OK, so I'm a little behind the times. I just learned that our friends at Dijji closed and locked the doors last summer. Formerly known as Dwango Wireless, Dijji's death knell probably started to sound when it changed its name. So long, Dijji...we barely knew ye.

-posted by Rachel

InfoSpace (www.infospace.com) announced recently that its revenues will be adversely impacted by the loss of a carrier customer, widely rumored to be Cingular. Seattle P-I reporter John Cooke speculated in his blog that the legal mumblespeak in the announcement probably translates into company layoffs. And Eric Savitz's blog at Barron's resurrected a phrase from the tech bubble to describe InfoSpace's dilemma: disintermediated. All much more interesting and useful information than what was in the standard reports...still, a black week for InfoSpace folks.

-posted by Rachel