OpenID software creator JanRain is launching a new iPhone SDK today, called JanRain Engage, which allows an app developer’s visitors to sign-in to the app with their existing accounts on Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo, LinkedIn or other networks and then publish their comments, purchases, reviews or other activities from the app to multiple social networks.

The social networking product, which is available through an SDK, allows developers to choose from a list of up to 12 login providers and specify the order in which they appear via the Janrain Engage dashboard. Janrain Engage will also remembers an app user’s preferred network on return visits and will provide a single-click return experience. And Janrain Engage allows a developer’s iPhone application to authenticate users through iPhone’s native UI.

For app developers, the benefits of integrating a comprehensive social network login product helps create between 6 to 25 new referral visits for each social action a user shares with friends. JanRain also offers an OpenID iPhone technology, which launched earlier this year. The company raised $3.25 million in Series A funding last year.

• Facebook Hiring Up For More, Potentially Larger Acquisitions
• “Stealth” Advertising Startup AK Networks Raises $8 Million

We’ve learned that super stealth advertising related startup AK Networks has closed an $8 million round of Series A funding. A SEC Form D filing reveals that the round was co-lead by True Ventures’ Jon Callaghan and DCM’s Dixon Doll and that the company, founded in March, is based out of New York (with the distinction of a Park Avenue address, even). About.com founder Scott Kurnit, listed on the filing as executive and director, is CEO.

We’ve confirmed that the plethora of other investors in this round included Spark Capital, betaworks, First Round Capital, the New York Times, Lerrer Ventures, David Cowan, Stan Shuman, and Kurnit himself. The New York Times investment is particularly notable as Kurnit’s previous venture, About.com comprises a large proportion of its online revenues.

Oh and guess what? They’re hiring!

Thanks: FormDs

• Sony Ericsson To Pre-Load Gokivo Navigator Onto New Windows Mobile…
• Jingle Networks Rings In The New Year With A $6.7 Million Funding…

Facebook‘s biggest advertisers are increasingly spending more on the site, while ad prices have held their ground, which means its revenue may rise to $1.4 billion or more in 2010. That’s one major take-away from this Bloomberg article, based on an interview with chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg.

More interestingly, in my humble opinion, Facebook reportedly plans to make more and potentially bigger acquisitions in the near future, and is in the midst of recruiting another dealmaker to get them closed.

Vaughan Smith, the company’s director of corporate development (previous jobs involved dealmaking for the likes of eBay and Move Networks), told Bloomberg reporter Brian Womack:

“As we get bigger and our platform gets more stable, I fully expect that we will be doing more significant acquisitions. This is working for us, and it’s working for the people that we’re acquiring.”

He also said Facebook tends to purchase small-sized startup, typically with a dozen or fewer employees, to bring in entrepreneurs at heart who can grow into future leaders within the company. This rings true; Facebook’s recently appointed CTO is Bret Taylor, who joined Facebook thanks to its $50 million acquisition of FriendFeed a year ago.

Smith also told Bloomberg the company intends to keep up its acquisition pace (it recently coughed up $10 million for the purchase of Hot Potato and moved to acquire travel recommendation service Nextstop and, earlier, Octazen, ShareGrove and Divvyshot – this year alone.)

Smith said he plans to hire another corporate development executive, adding to the one person helping him secure deals presently.

The team will be mostly looking at companies focused on virtual currencies and mobile social networking, and startups that can help ramp up advertising revenues from its 500+ million users on its way to an eventual initial public offering.

And to bring more guns to the upcoming war with Google, of course.

• Zuckerberg: “Guess What? Nobody Wants To Make Lists.”
• JanRain Engage Offers Social Publishing For The iPhone

Unlike most other smartphone platforms, Windows Mobile doesn’t come with a mapping application pre-installed by default. While this may very well change with the soon-to-be-announced Windows Mobile 7, it has thus far been up to the handset manufacturer to throw in a map app if they so choose.

Later this week, messaging/location technology providers TCS will announce that Sony Ericsson has chosen their turn-by-turn application, Gokivo, to be pre-loaded onto future Sony Ericsson-made Windows Mobile handsets.

The first Sony Ericsson handset to come with Gokivo out of the box will be the Aspen, which was just announced last week.

This is pretty big news for TCS; they just acquired the company behind Gokivo, Networks In Motion, back in December, and this is the first time any manufacturer has chosen to pre-install the app at the factory.

The flagship features, according to TCS:

• Local Search
• Traffic and Weather
• Location Sharing

While it’s great news for TCS, I have to wonder: with Nokia and Google’s recent moves toward making turn-by-turn navigation a standard feature on S60 and Android, how much longer will smartphone consumers be willing to cough up a subscription fee?

• Windows Phone 7 Series: Our Take
• “Stealth” Advertising Startup AK Networks Raises $8 Million