IPod Touch traffic saw a large growth in Decemeber as well as with its smartphone operating system market share, according to AdMob.  The iPod Touch is now the number 2 device in the AdMob Network with 4.7 percent share.

Smartphone share increased from 22 percent of total requests worldwide in May to 33 percent in December. Symbian is the number 1 smartphone OS worldwide with 41 percent share. In Asia and Africa it has more than 90 percent share, though the iPhone is surging in Latin America and Europe.

The iPhone OS had 32 percent worldwide share in December, up from 6 percent in May. Worldwide, RIM has 10 percent and Windows Mobile has 9 percent OS share. Both are strongest in North America and Latin America.

Palm has 4 percent of smartphone OS share worldwide with more than 95 percent of its requests generated in North America. In the US, Palm had 9 percent share in December, declining from 20 percent in July. Android leads Symbian in North America with 2 percent of OS share.

– Express your opinion, comment below.

In September, the social networking site launched MySpace Music with music labels like Sony, Universal and Warner Music. Users can access streaming music, ringtone downloads, videos and merchandise.

MySpace Music sets itself apart from iTunes with social networking elements and the ability to share playlists.

It couldn’t have helped that the app, created by Armin Heinrich, merely displayed a red, rubyesque gem on the iPhone screen. Yep, that’s it. “The red icon on your iPhone or iPod touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were rich enough to afford this,” the info page on iTunes trumpeted. “It’s a work of art with no hidden function at all.”

Apple officially pulled it after only eight people bought the item (six Americans, two Europeans). Apple was set to receive 30% of the app’s revenue, leaving Heinrich with a not-so-flush $5880.

The Touch iPod has a 3.5” widescreen and carries WiFi, giving the consumer the ability to surf the net using Safari and with the same scroll, flip and zoom in/out feature as the iPhone.

According to LostRemote.com, YouTube videos can be watched on the Touch iPod with the exception of being 8mm thick, the device looks just like the iPhone. Users will be able to download content from the iTunes store that can be imported to your computer. This will also be added to the iPhone.

Once nearing a Starbucks location, the corporate logo will appear on the iTunes store and users will have the ability to search and purchase music from the Starbucks music selection.

There are two models of the Touch iPod, an 8GB for $299 and a 16GB for $399. The newest version of the iPod Nano has been introduced with a 2” color video screen. The iPhone has also seen a price drop from $599 to $399, for the now only existing 8GB model.

Instead, Universal has said it will market music to Apple at will, which could give UMG the power to remove songs from iTunes at short notice if pricing terms are not agreed upon. This is an attempt for UMG to regain a bit of leverage; however it may come at the cost of a showdown with Steve Jobs.

Artists include U2, Elvis Costello, Jay-Z and Shania Twain to name a few. Major record labels have been building tensions with Apple for some time and these negotiations may be seen as the tipping point. Music business insiders have been concerned that Apple has almost created a monopoly on the market with the pricing they have put on music and the iPod’s lack of compatibility with other music services.

If Universal pulls the plug on iTunes, Apple could lose access to the record labels responsible for one out of every three new releases sold in the United States. This could prove to be very upsetting to brand new iPhone owners since the technology allow access to the iTunes program as well, making it possible to download music onto your phone.

Should Apple be the one to refuse to carry UMG’s music, the company would suffer the loss of the upper hand on the digital music market. iTunes as well as other sources account for more than 15% of UMG worldwide revenue this first quarter, which is more than $200 million.

Sony BMG Music Entertainment, number two on the totem pole, has just signed a one year contract with iTunes so the potential flight of UMG would not necessarily cause an uprising against Apple.

Apple has sold over 100 million iPods which, being tied to iTunes, has made Apple the leading seller of digital music by a large margin. iTunes is responsible for 76% of digital music sales…and climbing. The company is the number three music seller over all, behind Wal-Mart and Best Buy. With the sales of iPhones remaining to be seen, the number is sure to increase.

Jobs contends that the 99 cent price point of songs(more for songs without piracy protection) is what keeps generating new business and reduces piracy. However, music executives are pushing for Apple to charge more for popular songs and capitalize on demand, or charge less for special promotions.

Even though he is unwilling to change the price of songs, Jobs is also unwilling to license Apple’s proprietary copy restriction software to other manufacturers that would allow other players to play iTunes music, and iPod owners to buys from other sites as well. Jobs argues that sharing software would increase the amount of hacking and other issues.

Apple has asked for music companies to drop their insistence on copy protection. Only EMI, one of the four music companies, has made a deal to sell unrestricted music on iTunes.

Of course, not everyone likes the holiday. The Valentine’s Day Scrooges of the world will undoubtedly argue that what the Saint’s holiday really is, is a Hallmark scam.

There’s good news, today, for both the believer and the nonbeliever alike. CafePress.com, a leading online marketplace that offers sellers complete e-commerce services, has announced today the official launch of its Valentine’s/Anti-Valentine’s Day shopping page and its Anti-Valentine’s contest. So while the believer can hit the site for a few girlfriend/boyfriend pleasers, the nonbeliever can enter the Anti-Valentine’s contest by submitting Anti-Valentine’s Day themed designs to win one of three iPods.

“Five years ago customers wanted nothing but hearts, roses and chocolate on Valentine’s Day. Now it’s a fight to the finish between the Valentine’s Day supporters and opponents,” explains CafePress co-founder and VP of Business Development Maheesh Jain in a statement. “Judging by what we have seen so far I’m not sure what will sell better, Anti or Pro Valentine’s Day merchandise. I can’t wait to see.”

CafePress.com is known for its user created merchandise. The site offers users the tools to create and run an online shop, create their own gift items for friends and family, and a marketplace for purchasing a wide variety of whatchamacallits.

Finally, love-haters will be rewarded for holding fast against Hallmark’s day in the sun… and they’ll have the iPods to prove it.

If that last sentiment feels even the slightest bit familiar to you, it’s time to get happy. Your friends at Levi Strauss, feeling your iPod pain, have just designed a jean (for both men and women) that will allow you to switch up your tunes without ever having to take the device out of your pocket.

According to Reuters, Levi’s RedWire DLX Jeans will feature a “built-in docking cradle for the iPod as well as retractable headphones”; a joystick will also come installed in the watch pocket of these jeans, which allows you to operate the device.

Reuters correctly point out that Levi’s isn’t the first company to produce gear that’s iPod compatible (Burton did it more than two years ago, and other high end houses have taken up a similar mission). But there’s something particularly charming—and somehow ridiculous—about watching the king of everyman apparel step into the high tech ring. Expect to see the product in a mall near you this coming fall.

While the company’s iPod Nano dominates the chip-based memory segment of the market, XM Satellite Radio Inc was touting its new Samsung Electronics-designed MP3 player with the tagline: “It’s not a Pod, It’s the Mothership.” All braggadocio aside, it’s an uphill battle for Samsung considering Apple has a marketing budget to the tune of $100 million, with 75% of the market share in its grasp.

But those who attended with new products in tow argued that giving people bigger screens at a cheaper price could give them some leverage. “We found that the bigger screens are what people want,” EchoStar Communications Corp CEO Charles Ergen told Reuters. His company’s new PocketDish player lets users view programs like “Desperate Housewives” recorded on television set-top boxes. Ergen adds, “If you have the iPod, that costs 99 cents; with the PocketDish, it’s free.”

Apple’s whole competitive advantage, though, is the portability and file space of the iPod, regardless of its price. Whether XM and Samsung can test the mighty Silicon Valley giant could be one of the more interesting developments of this sector in 2006.