Vodafone planning Live! portal makeover

European telecoms giant Vodafone is reportedly poised to relaunch its Live! mobile multimedia portal to emphasize richer personalization, new social networking features and a deeper integration with the operator's broadband service. Mobile Entertainment reports that Vodafone execs began plotting the Live! makeover during a June 19 meeting, with sources saying the strategy is about "85 percent" formed--scheduled to debut in April 2009, the revamped Live! will herald a move away from the portal's current retail storefront approach following Vodafone's recent acquisition of social networking outfit ZYB as well as its fledgling mobile music deal with social networking kingpin MySpace. Vodafone's director of Internet services Pieter Knook, hired away from Microsoft in February, will spearhead the Live! effort.

For more on the Live! makeover:
- read this Mobile Entertainment article