Would You Watch Ads for Free Phone Time? Alcatel-Lucent's Optism Is for You

When the subject of mobile advertising comes up, it's usually something to do with the ongoing smackdown between Apple and Google. And now, here comes another player to the arena that's doing it a completely different way--by bartering mobile phone time for your attention.

Franco-American firm Alcatel-Lucent announced today the arrival of Optism, a mobile advertising solution that is expected to bring mobile operators, phone users, and advertisers together. Sounds impenetrably techy. It's...