Sprint is considering whether to allow rival T-Mobile invest
in Clearwire. Sprint Nextel Corp. has bet its future on offering
speedy data services to mobile devices over a new high-speed, "4G"
network and has joined with upstart Clearwire Corp. to build it.
August 30, 2010
An unknow number of Samsung Galaxy S handsets could be reset
back to their factory settings just by connecting them to a computer,
the manufacturer has warned.
August 26, 2010
The price of wireless phone services declined each year from
'99 to '08, despite reduced competition as the $150 billion industry
consolidated, says the Government Accountability Office.
August 23, 2010
Groups representing broadcasters, musicians and record companies
say they may ask Congress to require that new mobile phones include
equipment to receive FM.
We help you choose the right cell phone and wireless service plan.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Sprint
is considering whether to allow rival T-Mobile invest in Clearwire.
Sprint Nextel Corp. has bet its future on offering speedy
data services to mobile devices over a new high-speed, "4G"
network and has joined with upstart Clearwire Corp. to build
it. Read more
(September 1, 2010)
An unknow number of Samsung Galaxy S handsets could be reset
back to their factory settings just by connecting them to
a computer, the manufacturer has warned. Samsung discovered
that in limited circumstances connecting a Samsung Galaxy
S device to a PC via Samsung's proprietary software program,
Kies, can cause an auto-reset of the device . Read
more
(August 30, 2010)
The price of wireless phone services declined each year from
'99 to '08, despite reduced competition as the $150 billion
industry consolidated, says the Government Accountability
Office. Read more
(August 26, 2010)
According to a USA Today report, groups representing broadcasters,
musicians and record companies say they may ask Congress to
require that new mobile phones include equipment to receive
FM. The National Association of Broadcasters and the Recording
Industry Association of America are finishing up a framework
for a deal, tech media outlets reported last week. . Read
more
(August 23, 2010)
A recent survey found that 34 percent of AT&T iPhone
users plan to wait until the iPhone is on another carrier
before they upgrade. The AT&T network has always been
one of the biggest gripes about the Apple iPhone, and a recent
survey confirms that over a third of iPhone owners plan to
wait until the iPhone is on another carrier before they buy
another one. Read
more
(August 18, 2010)
Google and Verizon have reached an agreement on how they
think the FCC should regulate rules on how ipads, Smartphones
and other wireless devices access the internet. The deal has
not yet been officially presented to Washington lawmakers,
but that would be the next step in the corporate moves to
control wireless device internet acces. Read
more
(August 10, 2010)
The number of cell phones shipped worldwide rose 14.5 percent
in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, with much
of the growth coming from smaller challengers like the iPhone
and BlackBerry, according to research firm IDC. Read
more
(July 30, 2010)
San Francisco passed a new law last month that requires all
retailers to display the amount of radiation a cellphone emits.
Predictably, that law is now coming under fire from CTIA,
the wireless industry group. CTIA has filed a lawsuit to block
enforcement of the ordinance. Read
more
(July 27, 2010)
Barely two months after its release, Microsoft has pulled
the plug on its "Kin" smartphone. It is the latest
sign of disarray for Microsoft¡¯s recently reorganized consumer
product unit. Read
more
(June 30, 2010)
Verizon Wireless may finally be on the verge of getting the
iPhone. According to a Wall Street Journal article, a new
iPhone is in the works and that Apple "appears to be
working on a model for U.S. mobile phone operator Verizon
Wireless. . Read
more
(March 30, 2010)
A new study from psychologists at the University of Utah
suggests that very few people can safely drive while chatting
on a cell phone. Read
more
(March 29, 2010)
More than a month after officially unveiling the new Android-based
phone, Google has opened up a US support number that will
be answered by a human being. Read
more
(February 9, 2010)
Doctors at the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
in Tampa say using cell phones may actually protect against
and even reverse Alzheimer's Disease. Read
more
(January 7, 2010)
Nexus One Google phone is finally unveiled. The new handset
reflects Google's effort to expand advertising sales on mobile
devices, a market that may reach $2 - 3 billion by 2013, according
to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.. Read
more
(January 5, 2010)
AT&T and Terrestar announced more information this week
about their hybrid cellular/satellite handset launching early
next year. The two companies plan to release a Windows Mobile
3G phone called the Terrestar Genus that will be aimed, at
least initially, at business and government users. The handset
will use AT&T's network for traditional cell phone service,
and switch to Terrestar's satellite phone service when out
of range of a cellular signal. Read
more
(October 1, 2009)
According to a New York Times report, passengers on foreign
airlines have routinely begun using cell phones and other
wireless devices mid-flight while the flight attendants union
urges Congress to ban in-flight phone calls and airline passengers
shows strong opposition to allowing cellphones on planes in
the United States. Read
more
(September 29, 2009)
According to a report by the Associated Press, PC maker
Dell Inc. is working on a smart phone for China Mobile Ltd.,
China's biggest cell phone carrier. Rumors of a Dell phone
date at least to 2007. Now Dell spokesman Matthew Parretta
says the company showed a "proof of concept mobile device
prototype" at an event hosted by China Mobile in Beijing
on Monday. Read
more
(August 19, 2009)
According to a Bloomberg News report, Microsoft and Nokia
signed an agreement that will put Microsoft’s Office
word-processing and spreadsheet software as well as corporate
instant-messaging programs on Nokia phones. Microsoft and
Nokia will jointly market the products to businesses, wireless
carriers, and consumers, the companies said. Read
more
(August 12, 2009)
Apple's rejection of an iPhone application that would have
enabled Google Voice has caught the attention of the Federal
Communications Commission. According to a reprort by the Wall
Street Journal, the Federal Communications Commission has
launched an inquiry into why Apple Inc. rejected Google Inc.'s
Internet-telephony software for the popular iPhone. Read
more
(August 3, 2009)
According to a report by the Associated Press, researchers
announced, at Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas,
a devastating, self-propogating technique that would allow
hackers to remotely hijack almost any GSM phone including
iPhone. Read more
(July 31, 2009)
Verizon Wireless on Tuesday officially announced plans for
its VCast Application Store, a venture that executives painted
as complementary to existing app store offerings. The app
store will launch in the fourth quarter, and developers will
take home 70 percent of their revenue. Read
more
(July 29, 2009)
After the break of the report, the research report “Using
Wireless Communication Devices While Driving” finally
has been made public. Read
more
(July 28, 2009)
According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, more
Americans are accessing the Internet using wireless mobile
devices such as smartphones and laptops. According to the
survey, 39 percent of people have used a laptop to get on
a wireless network. Another 32 percent have used a mobile
device - smart phone, cell phone or handheld device - to go
online. Read more
(July 23, 2009)
According to a report by the New York Times, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration gathered hundreds of
pages of research and warnings about the hazards of drivers
using cell phones, but withheld the information from the public
in part out of fear of angering Congress. Read
more
(July 21, 2009)
State officials are urging Congress to approve legislation
allowing states to jam illegal cell phones used by prisoners.
South Carolina Corrections Director Jon Ozmint said his petition
was filed Monday with the Federal Communications Commission.
He said it bears signatures from corrections directors in
25 states and three cities. Read
more
(July 15, 2009)
According to a report by the Associate Press, motorists in
central Kentucky will soon get a sobering reminder to stash
the cell phone until they are safely off the road. The National
Safety Council has begun a nationwide campaign called "Death
By Cell Phone" that includes billboards in Lexington
and Frankfort. Read
more
(July 13, 2009)
Amazon is taking another stab at cellphone and service sales.
A new site, AmazonWireless, currently in beta, will offer
phones and plans from Verizon and AT&T initially, with
other carriers to follow. Amazon has long offered cell phones,
but this is the first time it has placed them on a specialized
Web site. Read
more
(July 11, 2009)
AT&T has taken aim at politicians who are criticizing
the company over several issues consumers have long cried
foul about. In a letter sent Wednesday to Senate Judiciary
Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl, D-Wis., AT&T
Senior Executive Vice President of External and Legislative
Affairs James Cicconi said American wireless services are
among the most innovative and lowest priced in the world.
Read more
(July 9, 2009)
Acccording to a Wall Street Journal report, the U.S. Justice
Department has begun looking at big telecom companies such
as AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications to try to determine
if they have abused their market power. The journal, which
cited unnamed sources, said the Antitrust Division's review
was in its very early stages and was not yet a formal probe
of any specific company. Read
more
(July 6, 2009)
You could make payments by cell phone in the near future.
For several years we've been hearing that, pretty soon, we
won't need cash or debit cards when buying groceries, clothing,
gasoline or other items at local merchants. Instead, we will
be able to use our cell phones as a 21st-century form of high-tech
wallet. Read more
(July 3, 2009)
MetroPCS Communications Inc on Wednesday unveiled a discounted
international calling service, its latest effort to appeal
to cost conscious U.S. consumers. The low-cost wireless carrier,
which recently entered large U.S. northeast markets such as
New York and Boston, said its $5 a month unlimited service
for calls to 100 countries could be added to its $40, $45
and $50 unlimited domestic plans. Read more
(July 2, 2009)
Cell phone users in the European Union will enjoy significant
savings when "roaming" within the bloc's 27 member
states from July 1 with the introduction of new pricing rules.
Under the new system, the maximum cost of making calls between
two EU member states will be €0.43, down from ¢æ0.46,
while receiving calls now costs €0.19, down from €0.22.
Read more
(July 1, 2009)
Cellphone Makers Agree to Universal Charger
The world's ten major mobile phone manufacturers have agreed
to produce a universal charger for users across Europe, with
the first such chargers expected to be introduced on the EU
market next year Read
more
(June 30, 2009)
Sony Considers Cellphone/Game Gear Hybrid
According to report by Reuters, Sony Corp is considering
developing a cellphone-game gear hybrid in a bid to better
compete with Apple Inc's highly popular iPod and iPhone, the
Nikkei business daily said on Saturday. Read
more
(June 29, 2009)
Verizon, Alltel to Refund Unwanted Charges in Florida
According to report by the Associated Press, Verizon and
Alltel have agreed to refund an estimated $30 million to Florida
cell phone customers billed for ringtones and other features
that people did not order or did not know would add monthly
fees from $9.99 to $49.99. Read
more
(June25, 2009)
T-Mobile announces second Google phone
T-Mobile announced the company's second Android phone, the
MyTouch 3G, on Monday, based on the HTC Magic platform. Based
on the Google Ion/HTC Magic platform, the MyTouch 3G is a
touch-screen, slab-style smart phone with improved multimedia
features, Microsoft Exchange support, and some applications
that will be exclusive to T-Mobile. Read
more
(June 22, 2009)
FCC to Examine Exclusive Cell Phone Deals
The Federal Communications Commission will investigate whether
exclusive cell phone deals, such as the one that locks the
iPhone to AT&T, are good for consumers. The acting chairman
of the Federal Communications Commission, Michael Copps, has
instructed the commission's staff to review exclusivity arrangements.
Read more
(June 19, 2009)
Survey: Cell Phones Used For Cheating
According to a report by USA Today, a significant number
of U.S. teenagers say they know of students using their cell
phones to cheat in class, a recent study says. Pollster Joel
Benenson said the survey found that more than 50 percent of
the 1,013 teens asked reported knowing someone at their school
taking part in such electronic cheating, USA Today said Thursday.
Read more
(June 18, 2009)
IRS Dropped Cell-Phone Tax Plan For Businesses
According to a report by the Associated Press, the Internal
Revenue Service is backing away from proposals to more uniformly
enforce a law that taxes personal use of employer-provided
cellphones. Read
more
(June 17, 2009)
AT&T's iPhone 3G S Preorders Already Sold Out
According to report by the Computer World, AT&T and Best
Buy have sold out their pre-order allotments of the iPhone
3G S, slated to go on sale Friday, but Apple said it still
was taking early orders. Read
more
(June 16, 2009)
Samsung Debuts Solar-Powered Cell Phone
Samsung announced Wednesday its first solar-powered GSM
mobile phone, the E1107, also known by the catchier name Crest
Solar. The phone is a dual-band GSM (900MHz and 1800MHz) and
can be charged anywhere the sun is shining. Read
more
(June 13, 2009)
IRS Eyes Taxing Your Work Cell Phone
IRS is looking for ways to improve compliance of a tax that
has been on the books for two decades.The IRS this week issued
a notice seeking public comment on ways to revise the current
system. Options include letting employers deduct the entire
sum of a worker's cell phone use if a worker can establish
she uses a personal phone for some period, and letting employers
use statistical sampling to generalize about usage. Read
more
(June 12, 2009)
Nokia Developing Ambient Radio Wave Powered Cell Phones
Nokia has a battery-less alternative power source for our
cell phones lined up: radio waves. The company told MIT's
Technology Review that it is working on technology to suck
up enough power from ambient radio waves emitted by Wi-Fi
transmitters, cell phone antennas, and television masts to
keep a cell phone charged. Read
more
(June 10, 2009)
Japanese Experiment GPS Cell Phones to Prevent Pandemics
According to a report by the Associated Press, the Japanese
government has approved a research experiment from cell phone
company Softbank that will use GPS enabled mobiles to simulate
the spread of a virulent disease and to see if it can stop
future pandemics. Read
more
(June 9, 2009)
Palm's Pre Debuts as iPhone Alternative
According to report by Bloomberg, Palm Inc.’s Pre,
the device touted as the biggest competitor yet to Apple Inc.’s
iPhone, goes on sale today through Sprint Nextel Corp., with
investors counting on the handset to win customers and reverse
sales declines. Read
more
(June 6, 2009)
Cell Phone Running Windows XP Unveiled
A Chinese company showed what it calls the world's first
mobile phone to run Windows XP at the Computex exhibition
in Taipei on Friday. Basically, said device comes as a combination
between a mobile phone and a pocket-sized computer and has
been developed by In Technology. Read
more
(JUne 6, 2009)
The Cicinati-based Kroger grocery chain has a new pitch for
frequent shoppers: Free minutes for every $100 spent a month.
The company has teamed with its wireless phone marketing parnter,
i-wireless LLC that will allow customers who use the KrogerPlus
card to earn free cell phone minutes over the Sprint Nextel
network on i-wireless phones sold at the grocery stores. Read
more
(June 3, 2009)
Too Much Chatting and Texting Can Lead to Cell Phone Elbow
According to a CBS report, the latest over-use or repetitive
motion injury to join the Digital Age list is Cell Phone Elbow:
this new type of health hazard is becoming popular with people
who spend hours a day chatting on their cell phones. Read
more
(June 2, 2009)
Samsung Announces 12-Megapixel Camera Phone
Samsung Electronics announced the Pixon12, a 12-megapixel
monster that will be the first such high-end cameraphone to
actually hit store shelves. Read
more
(June 1, 2009)
18 Android Cell Phones Expected By The End Of The Year
According to a report by the Information Week, Andy Rubin,
senior director for mobile platforms for Google, said at the
Google I/O conference that Google, along with its partners,
is readying as many as 18 new Android phones by the end of
this year. Google also expects 20 new handsets to be on sale
as well. Rubin said these devices will be made by eight or
nine different manufacturers, although he did not name the
companies. Read
more
(May 29, 2009)
Sony Ericsson launches Aino touchscreen phone with PlayStation
connectivity
Reuters report said Sony Ericsson introduced a mobile phone
that allows consumers to connect to their PlayStation3 gaming
consoles, in its strongest sign yet of integration with parent
Sony. The world's fifth-biggest handset maker had hits some
years ago with its Sony Cybershot and Walkman-branded phones,
but has since lost market share as demand for so-called feature
phones has suffered during the recession. Read
more
(May 28, 2009)
Cell Phones May Be Used Soon Instead of Tickets by the Chicago
Transit Riders
According to a report by the Associated Press, Chicago's
Regional Transit Authority is looking at a plan that would
allow Chicago Area commuters to pay for rides using their
cell phones. Money would be deducted from a rider's online
account. Read more
(May 28, 2009)
Verizon Offers Live Streaming Weather Update
Verizon Wireless customers can get the up-to-date weather
news using two applications from WeatherBug(R), the leading
provider of live, local weather information Read
more
(May 27, 2009)
Sharp Develops Solar-Powered Cell Phone
First Sharp announced the development of the world's first
waterproof solar-powered cell phone, and now the company has
done the world one better by developing the thinnest solar
module for mobile devices ever. The LROCGO2 Solar Module measures
just 0.8 mm thick--the width of eight human hairs. Read
more.
(May 26, 2009)
Samsung recalls Jitterbugcell phones
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary
recall of Samsung "Jitterbug" cell phones that fail
to reach emergency 911 in some areas. Read
more
(May 23, 2009)
Maryland Governor Signs Order To Ban Cell Phone Use In State
Vehicles
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has signed an executive order
barring executive branch employees from using handheld cell
phones while driving state-owned vehicles. O'Malley said his
action Thursday was part of a new driver safety program. The
order comes after the General Assembly adopted a bill banning
text-messaging while driving, but rejected curbing cell phone
use while driving. Read more
(May 22, 2009)
Smartphone Sales Growth Strong
Worldwide cell phone sales fell in the first quarter of this
year, but smartphones continued to grow, despite a deepening
recession, according to a report published by Gartner Wednesday.
Cell phone manufacturers, such as Nokia, had reported disastrous
earnings for the first quarter. But the growth in smartphone
sales, which were up 12.7 percent compared to the first quarter
of 2008, provides some hope for the industry. Read
more
(May 21, 2009)
Cellphone Industry Hopes For A Blockbuster Summer
Some highly anticipated phones — including the Palm
Pre, an updated iPhone and new phones using Google's Android
operating system — have focused the industry's efforts
this summer. Read more
(May 18, 2009)
AT&T Touts Its Smart-Phone Lead
Citing independent market research, AT&T announced its
customer base now boasts twice as many smartphone users as
any other U.S. mobile operator, reporting that close to 32
percent of its postpaid subscribers now use an integrated
device. Read more
(May 16, 2009)
Massachusetts banned drivers of trains, street cars and buses
from using or even carrying cell phones at work, the toughest
such measure imposed by a U.S. state transit agency. Read
more
(May 14, 2009)
More Cell Phone Users Cutting Landlines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued
preliminary results from their National Health Interview Survey
(NHIS). The survey has found that homes without a landline,
but at least one wireless phone, continues to grow. The current
statistic they found was that 20.2% or more than one out of
every five American homes had only a wireless phone. Read
more
(¤Ñ¹¦ 8 , 2009)
Cell Phone Reception Critical to Hotel Choice
A survey commissioned by Repeated Signal Solutions (RSS)
found that 54 percent of travelers who cannot get strong cell
phone reception at a hotel may never return. Similarly, most
people won’t return to a meeting space or hospital/medical
center with poor coverage either, the survey of 1,000 adults
reveals. Specifically, 45 percent said they would not want
to return to a meeting facility with poor coverage and 35
percent said they would not want to return to a hospital/medical
center with poor coverage. Read
more
(March 24, 2009)
Millions Expected to Cut Back Cell Phone Costs in Recession
According to a recent study performed by the New Millennium
Research Council (NMRC the recession is prompting millions
of Americans to disconnect their cell phone plans to cut spending.
The survey found that two out of five Americans with contract-based
cell phones are likely to cut back to save money if the economy
continues to slide over the next six months. The survey polled
2,005 Americans. That represents 39 percent of contracted
cell phone users, or 60.3 million consumers who would ditch
a cell contract to save some dough. Read
more
(March 23, 2009)
Safety Council Seeks Total Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving
The National Safety Council called for a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving, a prohibition opposed by the industry. While there are a few state and local laws banning drivers from using hand-held cell phones, the National Safety Council (NSC) believes it's time to make it unanimous. Read more
(January 12, 2009)
AT&T Will Test In-Home Cell Phone Boosters
According to AP report, AT&T is testing a technology
that can improve the signal available to cell phones in subscribers'
homes, and plans to make it available in a trial market next
year. The company said said they are ttesting so-called "femtocells"
in employees' homes, and is looking at a broader, city-sized
test with customers in the second quarter. Read
more
(December 9, 2008)
Cell Phones More Distracting Than Passengers
According to Reuters report, new research suggests that mobile
phones, even when used hands-free, are more distracting to
drivers than passengers or being drunk. The study, published
in the Journal of Experimental Psychology (PDF), concludes
that driving while talking on the phone is significantly worse
than chatting to a passenger, but if you're going to talk
on the phone then having a co-pilot helps. Read
more
(December 2, 2008)
IPhone Ousells RAZR To Become Top Cell Phone In U.S.
Apple's iPhone 3G became the top-selling mobile handset for
U.S. adults in the third quarter, ending the Motorola Razr's
long reign and signaling a shift in consumer tastes toward
more feature-laden phones, according to new data from market
research firm NPD Group. Read more
(November 11, 2008)
Google Phone Goes on Sale
Google is jumping into the mobile phone business with its
new G1 phone. The G1 is available starting today for $179
with a two-year contract from T-Mobile. The G1, which has
iPhone-like features - such as a touch-sensitive screen, Internet
access and a music player - runs on Google's new operating
system, Android. Read more
(October 22, 2008)
First Google's Android Phone Unveiled
Google and telecom carrier T-Mobile unveiled Tuesday the
first mobile device powered by the Internet search giant's
software, a smartphone seen as a potential rival to Apple's
popular iPhone.
The T-Mobile G1, informally known as the "Google phone,"
will cost 179 dollars and will be available in stores in the
United States from October 22. The first device to run the
search giant's operating system will feature a touch screen
as well as a Qwerty keyboard. Read
more
(September 22, 2008)
Asian Market Pushing Cell Phones
According to analysis by Frost & Sullivan, approximately
573 million cell phone users are expected to join the mobile
market emerging in Asia by the last quarter of 2012. Bangladesh,
Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and
Vietnam are expected to produce more cell phone subscribes,
which will bring the market into big billion dollar territory.
To be exact, Asia will close out 2012 with about 1.06 billion
cell phone users. Read more
(September 3, 2008)
Try a Headset that Talks Back
Almost everyone with a cell phone also uses a wireless Bluetooth
headset – and almost every user has been confused by
them. As the Associated Press points out, given the fact that
the buttons lack markers and there is only one indicator light,
it is hard to tell what they do – and how to get them
to do what they are intended to do. Read
more
(August 29, 2008)
Verizon Announced LG Voyager in Titanium
Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc.
– better known as simply LG Mobile Phones – are
launching a new mobile device, the LG Voyager in Titanium.
It features a dual screen and the same features as its predecessor.
Like the name implies, the cell phone also features a sleek
titanium exterior. In addition, it supports V CAST Music with
Rhapsody and Visual Voice Mail. These are two of the most
popular services offered by Verizon Wireless. Read
more
(August 27, 2008)
Mobile Devices Charged by Motion
M2E Power, Inc., a company specializing in renewable energy
and designs, intends to push ahead with their newest design.
Namely, they intend to move ahead with their development of
a charger for wireless and mobile devices. The catch? The
charger will use electromagnetic fields and the motion they
produce. The electromagnetic motion will be converted into
a clean energy that will then be stored in the charger to
power up mobile devices. Read more
(August 26, 2008)
Verizon and Google Closer to Striking a Deal
It seems like Verizon Communications Inc. and Google Inc.
have been trying to reach a deal for decades. According to
the Wall Street Journal, they are finally getting closer to
that point. They are at long last getting close to reaching
an agreement to form a far reaching partnership. Read
more
(August 25, 2008)
New Smart Phone Launched by Palm
Palm is rolling out the new Treo Pro smart phone on Wednesday,
says the Mercury News. Although they recognize that no one
is likely to wait on line for hours just to get first crack
at this new phone, Palm has high hopes that the phone will
be able to carve its own special niche in the mobile phone
industry. Read more
(August 22, 2008)
Purchase of Cell Phones Decreasing in U.S.
The Associated Press reveals that consumers in the United
States are buying less cell phones – yet they are paying
more for the phones when they do buy them. Reporting on an
NPD Group report published on Tuesday, the Associated Press
goes on to say that only twenty eight million phones were
sold during the second quarter of this year. This is 13 percent
less than how many were sold in the second quarter of 2007.
Read more
(August 20, 2008)
Survey Split Over Allowing Cell-Phone Use On Flights
According to an article published by the Associated Press,
nearly half of U.S. residents have stated that they would
oppose the use of cell phones on flights – even if there
wasn’t an issue of the cell phone use interfering with
onboard communication systems. Approximately four tenths of
those surveyed in the Department of Transportation survey
have said that cell phone use should either definitely or
probably be allowed on flights. Read
more
(August 7, 2008)
Ikea to Offer Pay as You Go Phones
Ikea will offer pay-as-you-go phones. But only to customers
in Britain, says Business Week, who announced the Sweden based
company’s decision on Monday, August 4. The wildly popular
retailer of home furniture and furnishings is throwing their
own contender into the huge cell phone market. They intend
to try their hand at being a wireless provider by offering
Pay as You Go SIM phones at a substantially lower price than
their competitors in the United Kingdom. Read
more
(August 5, 2008)
Congress Takes a Stand against Cell Phones on Planes
A report by the Associated Press reveals that members of
Congress are grumbling about the danger and annoyance of cell
phone usage on airplanes. In fact, they think cell phones
should be banned on airplanes permanently. Read
more
(August 1, 2008)
Sprint Offers Better Cell Phone Signals
Sprint is offering a new type of hardware which will boost
cellular phone signals within your home or office. The new
femtocell hardware is called the Airwave. Samsung makes them
and, basically, they are like a small, localized cell phone
tower. In addition to promoting greater cell phone coverage,
it gives consumers another of many incentives to quit using
their land lines altogether. It works quite simply, connecting
to the Sprint network through your broadband network, at which
point it makes a phone network on a small scale. Read
more
(August 1, 2008)
Cell Phone Companies Continue Getting Penalized for Early
Termination Fees
Cell phone customers are continuing their battles against
individual cell phone providers who charge exorbitant amounts
for early termination fees, according to the Mercury News.
There are numerous lawsuits currently going on and being filed
all around the United States. In this latest lawsuit, Californians
in the Bay Area won a suit filed against the Sprint Nextel
company. Read more
(July 23, 2008)
Slydial’s Effect on Dating and Business
The Associated Press reports that there is now a new phone
service, available for cell phone or land line users, that
may make it easier to break up with someone, give bad news,
or avoid getting pulled into a long winded conversation when
you are in a hurry. Read more
(July 22, 2008)
LG Phone Sales on the Rise
LG Electronics reported that sales of their mobile phones
increased during the second quarter of this year, up 84 percent
from the same period during 2007. The company said that during
that time frame, they earned a total of $694.4 million, which
is a new credit for the wireless manufacturer. All told, they
sold 22.5 percent more phones, making for a whopping $7.1
billion increase from a year prior. Read
more
(July 21, 2008)
Cell Phone Providers Lowering Termination Fees
According to Newsday, that long awaited day has finally arrived
– many of the big name wireless providers are finally
cutting the exorbitant fees usually charged for early terminations
and cancellations.
This has been in the works for quite time, as cell phone
users get increasingly tired of having to pay fees as high
as $200 for canceling their contracts early. Just recently,
former users have been getting so fed up with these fees that
they have taken the issue to courts. Even those cell phone
users who have not filed suit are given to complaints and
cries for a little relief. In 2006 and 2007 alone, Newsday
reports that the Federal Communications Commission heard over
3,700 complaints from disgruntled consumers. Read
more
(July 18, 2008)
Choosing the Right Cell Phone
Given the sheer number of different cell phones and mobile
devices on the market today, choosing the right one can be
difficult for consumers. WMUR 9, out of New Hampshire, offers
several different tips to help you choose the right device
for you, so that you can make sure you get maximum efficiency
at an affordable price. Read more
(July 16, 2008)
Can Your Smart Phone Save You Money?
It can if you live in San Francisco, according to the New
York Times. In one of the most ambitious steps towards reducing
the parking problem, San Francisco intends to test six thousand
metered parking spaces that will, through a wireless sensor,
be able to tell drivers which parking spots are available
at any given moment. This ambitious undertaking will begin
in the fall and is related to the death by stabbing of a nineteen
year old named Boris Albinder two years ago; the youth was
stabbed over a parking space. Read
more
(July 15, 2008)
Do You Need to Keep Your Child Away from Cell Phones?
UPI reveals that people living in Canada are receiving warnings
from the Toronto Public Health department to limit the amount
of time their children spend on the cell phones, due to increasing
health concerns. Read more
(July 14, 2008)
Settlement Reached in Verizon Suit
It seems like the class action suit involving cell phone
users unhappy with Verizon Wireless’s astoundingly high
early termination fees has been going on forever, but an Associated
Press report reveals that there is finally an end in sight.
The lawsuit, which was filed jointly by a number of customers
in California, reached a turning point when Verizon Wireless
recently agreed to pay a settlement of $21 million. Read
more
(July 12, 2008)
iPhone Is Going Global
According to Mercury News, it is officially official and
breathtakingly imminent: Apple may well be attempting to take
over the world via the new iPhone 3G, which will go global
on Friday, in twenty two countries. Read
more
(July 11, 2008)
Saving Yourself from Cell Phone Scammers
According to the August 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, there
are three ways for consumers to save themselves from the threat
of cell phone scams, which seem to get more and more common
as mobile phones themselves become more popular. It is no
longer enough that we have email inboxes filled with spam;
nowadays, we have to worry about what is going to show up
on our cell phones as well. This is a particularly unsavory
thought because, unlike with email, most of us have to pay
for unwanted text messages and voicemail messages. Read
more
(July 10, 2008)
Cell Phone Unlocking May be Getting Simpler
Business Week revealed today that between a brand new service
being offered by MetroPCS and new regulations which the FCC
is considering, it may soon be much easier to unlock your
cell phone – so that it actually works. Because, as
Business Week further points out, while it is currently possible
to unlock a device to try and make it work for a different
network, sometimes the complicated steps it takes to get to
that point end up making the cell phone quit working altogether.
Read more
(July 9, 2008)
5 Choices Comparable to the New iPhone
The U.S. News and World Report lists five different touch
screen cell phones, comparable to the Apple’s new iPhone
and perfect for consumers who either cannot afford such pricey
smart phone technology or who simply do not need something
quite so advanced. Read more
(July 8, 2008)
Washington Sees Limited Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving
In Washington state, holding a cell phone while driving may
garner a $124 ticket starting July 1. With Tuesday’s
cell phone restrictions – limiting motorists to hands-free
devices – Washington and California have joined three
other states (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) with similar
bans. Read more
(July 3, 2008)
Google’s Android Is On Schedule
Bloomberg reveals that Google Inc., which owns the most popular
and widely used search engine in the world, will be launching
their line of mobile phones, the first to run on the company’s
operating System, Android, right in schedule. They are due
to be available by the latter half of 2008. Given the enthusiasm
of carriers, makers of handsets, developers, and consumers,
the project is rapidly gaining momentum. Read
more
(June 23, 2008)
Tips to Keep Tabs on Your Teen’s Texting
These days, it pays for parents to monitor theirr children’s
Internet usage, as well as the people they hang out with and
the movies and television shows they watch. Monitoring your
child’s cell phone is becoming equally important, according
to the Daniel Island News. Read
more
(June 20, 2008)
Verizon Offering Discounts to Customers without Land Lines
The Associated Press reports that Verizon Communications
Inc. is preparing to offer discounts to their wireless customers
who subscribe to Verizon’s Internet or television services
but who do not have a land line phone. Read
more
(June 19, 2008)
Sprint or AT&T: Who Has the Better iPhone?
Sprint’s new Samsung Instinct, the most feasible competition
for the iPhone, is not only being launched first but will
also be less expensive, so a writer for the Washington Post
is launching a comparison. Read
more
(June 18, 2008)
Spammers Targeting Cell Phones – How to Stop Them
Although it is by no means as widespread as email spam, text
message spam on phones is becoming increasingly common –
and annoying. According to the Seattle P-I, however, there
are several things cell phone users can do to block unwanted
texts – 1.5 billion of which are expected to strike
people this year. Read more
(June 17, 2008)
New Smart Phones for New Customers
PC Magazine reports that Verizon Wireless recently released
a new smart phone, called the Palm Centro, which is already
seeing quite a bit of success. It is not a phone targeted
towards people who like or already have smart phones, PC Magazine
goes on to say, but rather it is being marketed towards people
who have never really thought about using a smart phone before.
Read more
(June 13, 2008)
Government More Important than Consumers?
According to the Associated Press, recently Nextel decided
that it would not charge the government the costly fees --
often called exorbitant, and by government officials at that
? that it charges its customers for early contract termination.
The Associated Press quoted this carrier as saying of the
government that they "will never, never accept such penalty
amounts," which is really quite interesting. Read
more
(June 12, 2008)
Verizon Wireless to Buy Alltel
If regulators agree that there are no monopoly violations,
Verizon Wireless (joint venture between Verizon Communications
Inc. and British Vodafone Group PLC) will have bought Alltel
Corp. by the end of the year in a $28.1 billion deal. This
deal covers a payment of $5.9 billion as well as Verizon assuming
a $22.2 billion Alltel debt. Approval is likely, though Verizon
will probably need to sell its asset where there is an overlap
of coverage with Alltel. Read more
(June 9, 2008)
Wisconsin Residents Can Add Cellular Numbers to Do-Not-Call
Lists
The widely utilized and extremely popular Wisconsin based
Do Not Call list is expanding to include cell mobile phone
numbers, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Wisconsin
Governor Jim Doyle added the inclusion of cell phone numbers
into the budget repair bill. As of June 5, mobile users have
until the end of August to put all cell numbers onto the Do
Not Call list, which will be sent to telemarketers in October.
Read more
(June 6, 2008)
AT&T Settles Over Disputed Third Party Fees
According to an AP report, AT&T cell-phone customers
may be eligible for refunds who have ringtone and some other
third party content charges on their phone bills. This is
part of a settlement in a group of class-action lawsuits and
the customers can claim refunds for some charges that appeared
on a maximum of 3 monthly bills between January 1, 2004 and
May 30, 2008. Read more
(June 4, 2008)
Free Television On Cell Phones
TV might be the next big (and free) trend with cell phones,
according to The Street. The Korean based LG company certainly
has its heart set on the new trend. The Street reports that,
as per Reuters, LG as just announced and introduced a handset
which will let users watch televison via over the air digital
broadcasts of channels on their phone – and they will
not be required to pay their wireless companies a monthly
fee to enjoy it, either. Read more
(May 30, 2008)
Google Shows Off Android Phone
The Associated Press reports that Google revealed its new
“Android,” an open-source platform created for
smartphones and Internet-capable mobile devices which they
initially announced seven months ago. Among other things,
the Android will be able to unlock cell phones by drawing
a shape on the screen rather than submitting a password; add
favorite places to the phone’s browser; help users navigate.
Read more
(May 29, 2008)
Unlocking the iPhone Imminent?
Cell phone companies such as T-Mobile and AT&T suffered
a blow on Tuesday, when the Supreme Court rejected their bid
to dismiss a class-action lawsuit regarding unlocking cell
phones, filed against them by agreed customers. Read
more
(May 29, 2008)
Supreme Court Rejects T-Mobile’s Appeal
AP has reported in a dispatch dated May 28 from Washington that Supreme Court has rejected T-Mobile’s appeal in T-Mobile v. Laster case. T-Mobile appealed against Californian High Court’s order in respect of ignoring the arbitration clause laid down in contracts executed by T-Mobile with its consumers . Read more
(May 29, 2008)
Wanna Cut Off Your Landline? Think Twice….
According to a WINK News story on May 26, more and more households
in the US are doing away with landlines and opting for cell
phones as their only means of connectivity. Those in favor
of depending on cell phones only argue, and quite convincingly
so, that if you have a cell phone you are constantly connected
with the callers able to reach you wherever you are. If you
add to it the convenience of carrying a cell phone –
it can be in your pocket, purse or in your car without being
obtrusive or bothersome in any way, it is surely a winner
all the way. Read more
(May 28, 2008)
Hop1800 - The $10 Utility Cell Phone
Hop-On Inc. has come up with a super cheap cell phone which
can easily be used as a standby by all those who sport those
cutting-edge hi tech mobile phones. It is priced at a rock
bottom level, well, frankly speaking, even lower than that
as it were at $10 apiece and would be available at all retail
and convenience stores. Hop1800, as this phone is called,
can very well qualify as a disposable phone especially if
we consider its dirt cheap price, but the company offers a
$5 rebate on all returns just to highlight its concern for
environment and desire to ‘go green’. Read
more
(May 27, 2008)
Verizon Attempts To Reduce Termination Fees
Verizon Wireless is trying to seal a deal with consumer groups
and Federal Communications Commission to put at rest once
and for all the vexed issue of termination fees charged to
customers if they scrapped their contracts prior to normal
expiry. Read more
(May 27, 2008)
Wireless Sales on the Decline
Sales are dropping as the wireless market reaches its maturation
– approximately 84% of Americans have some type of wireless
device – and the United States economy slows. CNET News
revealed that this was the first time since 2005 the NPD Group,
a market researching firm, saw such a decrease in sales. Read
more
(May 22, 2008)
Wireless Carriers to Strike Deal with Government on Termination
Fees
It is possible that cell phone users may no longer face expensive
charges when they terminate their service with carrier companies,
says the AP. Verizon Wireless, in conjunction with several
other major cell phone companies, actually initiated the proposal,
drafted to the Federal Communications Commission. Read
more
(May 22, 2008)
Possible Link Found Between Cell Phones and Children
The results of a test conducted by universities in Los Angeles and Denmark, set to be published in the July issue of Epidemiology, indicate a link between pregnant women who use mobile phones and possible behavioral problems in their offspring. Read more
(May 21, 2008)
Unlocking Cell Phones Can Equal Better Rates
News 3 reports some interesting news for mobile phone users, via the Saving You Money Team. Cell phone contracts force consumers into a commitment they may not appreciate. A lot of cell phone companies usually “lock” the cell phones they offer, meaning that those cell phones will only work with that company’s carrier. That forces people to give up their cell phones if they decide to switch to a different company – usually. Read more
(May 21, 2008)
Internet Influencing Cell Phone Purchases
A new study conducted by the Pew Internet & American
Life Project shows that information and shops on the Internet
are helping a lot of Americans to compare prices, research
products, and ultimately make a purchase. However the study
also found that few of those purchases are rarely made through
an online store. Most people who are on the Internet use it
only to research certain products, not to buy them. Read
more
(May 20, 2008)
Landlines Losing Popularity
Landlines are on their way to becoming as obsolete as the
8-track due to the fact that a growing number of people either
do not pay attention to their land line or do not have one.
According to an AP report regarding the results of a federal
study published on May 14, almost three out of every ten households
reported that they used cell phones in lieu of landlines,
whether they had a land line or not. Read
more
(May 16, 2008)
Cell Phone Spam Text Messages Are Rising
Americans are expected to receive an estimated 1.5 billion
unsolicited text messages on their cell phones in 2008, according
to San Francisco's Ferris Research, which tracks mobile messaging
trends. That's nearly double the amount received in 2006.
Read more
(May 12, 2008)
Court Upholds School Cellphone Ban in New York City
According to a New York Times report, the battle over cell
phones in schools ended with the state's appeals court voting
to uphold a ban on cell phones in public schools in New York
city. The Department of Education passed the ban in 2005,
saying that phones are disruptive, and that students could
use them to cheat on exams. Read
more
(April 23, 2008)
Cell Phone Ban Lifted in Cuba
According to AP, cell phone service has now become available
to all Cuban citizens for the first time ever. In response,
citizens of the island nation are flocking to phone stores
everywhere. Cuban government has eased restrictions on buying
cellular phones for the first time and also allowed registering
those they had held illegally. Read
more
(April 15, 2008)
Emergency Alerts May Come To Your Cell Phone
The FCC has approved a new nationwide alert system that will
send text messages to cell phones to alert Americans when
an emergency, disaster or attack occurs. The plan itself will
deliver three different types of charge-free text alerts to
mobile phone users. Read more
(April 10, 2008)
EU Approves In-Flight Cell Phone Use
The European Union has approved in-flight cell phone use
for all of its 27 member nations. Under the new rules, phones
usage will fall under the same rules as regular electronics
meaning passengers can¡¯t yak on their phones during takeoff
and landings. In addition, the flight crew can disable phone
usage at any time. Read more
(April 8, 2008)
AT&T CEO: 3G iPhone Due ‘In Months’
According to a Reuters report, AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega said that AT&T was expecting a 3G iPhone within the next few months., when asked about plans to sell a third-generation (3G) iPhone. Read more
(April 2, 2008)
Verizon Wireless Files Lawsuit to Stop Telemarketers
Verizon Wireless filed a lawsuit to stop unknown telemarketers
from calling its customers and employees with an offer of
an extended car warranty.
The Basking Ridge, N.J., wireless voice and data network
operator said the lawsuit alleges telemarketers illegally
used an autodialer to reach its customers, a violation of
the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and also used
"spoofing" techniques to mask the origin of the
calls. Read more
(March 27, 2008)
Study: Hands-Free Cell Phones Phones Still Distract Drivers
According a USA Today report, a study by a Pittsburgh scientist
on the effects of driving while answering questions found
that simply hearing a cellular phone call may distract drivers.
The study, conducted by Marcel Just, director of the Center
for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University,
monitored the brain activities of 29 people who drove a simulated
vehicle while choosing whether auditory statements were false
or true, USA Today reported. Read
more
(March 11, 2008)
Study: Cell Phone Now Most Valuable Communication Device
For the first time, Americans reported their love for their
mobile phones trumped both their feelings for television and
landline phones, according to a survey released by the Pew
Internet and American Life Project. Read
more
(March 4, 2008)
Nokia Reveals Flexible Cell Phone
Nokia and the University of Cambridge jointly revealed a
new stretchable and flexible mobile device of the future called
Morph. This is a new concept of the cell phone of the future
basically, as the phone has the ability to flex, bend, and
stretch. Read more
(February 26, 2008)
T-Mobile Offers Home Phone Service
T-Mobile will test an Internet calling plan designed to
replace consumers' home wireline-based phone service. The
provider begins offering a $10 per month Internet-based phone
service in Dallas and Seattle as an add-on to its mobile service.
Read more
(February 21, 2008)
Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile Offer Unlimited Cell Phone
Plan
AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA on Tuesday announced
flat rate plans for unlimited calls in the United States.
Verizon Wireless said early on Tuesday it had started offering
unlimited calls for $99.99 a month. AT&T followed with
a similar plan, while T-Mobile USA went a step further by
including unlimited texts as well as calls for the same price.
Read more
(February 19, 2008)
Study: Heavy Cell Phone Use Link To Cancer
A recent study of nearly 500 Israelis has shown that frequent
cell phone use is linked to a 50% increased risk of developing
cancer. A new study has shown that Tumors of the parotid (salivary)
glands are significantly more common in people who use cellular
phones over a relatively long period. Read
more
(February 18, 2008)
Startup Modu Launches Modular Cell Phone
Israeli startup Modu is looking to revolutionize the mobile
industry with a new modular phone. This phone allows you to
dress it in various “jackets” or enclosures. This
hallows customers of the cell phone to have a very intimate
experience with the phone as they can customize it to their
liking. Read more
(February 8, 2008)
Nokia Smartphone Can Read Documents for Blind
According to AP, the world's first smartphone that translates
photographs of written text into audio and then "speaks"
the words aloud to users is expected to become available in
early 2008. The device is the product of a joint venture between
the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and world-renowned
inventor Ray Kurzweil. Read more
(January 28, 2008)
Study: Cell Phones Might Interfere With Sleep
According to a report by UPI, a study in Sweden and the United
States finds that using a cell phone just before bedtime interferes
with sleep patterns. "The study strongly suggests that
mobile phone use is associated with specific changes in the
areas of the brain responsible for activating and coordinating
the stress system," one researcher said. Read
more
(January 21, 2008)
EPA Launches Cell Phone Recycling Campaign
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has teamed up with
cell phone makers, service providers, and retailers to promote
cell phone recycling.
The EPA and its "Plug-In to eCycling" partners
said they would be involved in a year-long campaign to increase
capacity and outreach about existing recycling programs; educate
the community about the benefits of cell phone recycling,
including how and where the phones can be recycled; and work
with communities to hold special cell phone collection drives
and events. Read more
(January 10, 2008)
Cell Phones Are a Drag on the Commute
Drivers talking on cellphones are probably making your commute
longer, a new study concludes. According to research from
the University of Utah, cell-phone users drive more slowly
than their non-cell using counterparts.
Driving while chatting on the phone isn't just dangerous
- it's also a drag on traffic, University of Utah researchers
contend. Read more
(January 3, 2008)
Boston Underground Railway Gets Cell Phone Coverage
Accoding to a report by the Boston Globe, passengers on Boston's
public transport train service can now use their mobile phone
in selected areas of the underground network. Massachusetts
Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) General Manager Daniel
A. Grabauskas announced that wireless services are available,
for the first time ever, in the train tunnels connecting the
four downtown Boston stations that comprise the core of the
nation's first subway. Read
more
(December 28, 2007)
Japan's Mobile Carrier DoCoMo To Offer Google Services
Japan's largest mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. will tie up with U.S. Internet search engine Google Inc. to promote its Internet service for mobile phone users, Kyodo News said. Through the tie-up with the World's No. 1 search engine, NTT DoCoMo will apply Google's search and e-mail functions to its proprietary i-mode Internet service for handset customers, Kyodo News citing a report said, citing unnamed company sources. Read more
(December 26, 2007)
Air France Introduces Cell Phone Services
Air France has kicked off its very first in-flight mobile
phone service trial onboard a single Airbus A318, which operates
on European routes. Air France has joined hands with OnAir
for the same. With this service, at first passengers will
be able to send and receive text and picture messages along
with emails through phones with internet access. Read
more
(December 24, 2007)
Analog Cell Phone Network To Shut Down In 2008
In 2008 wireless carriers will begin shutting down the analog
cell phone network. Starting February 19, 2008, cell phone
carriers, including AT&T, Alltel and Verizon Wireless,
will be turning off their analog networks. Other mobile carriers
including Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile do not have analog networks
and their customers will not be affected. Read
more
(December 21, 2007)
iPhone Outsold Windows Mobile in Q3
According to research firm NPD, US handset sales in Q3 had
their largest increase and best quarter since the firm started
keeping track in 2005. According to Bloomberg "U.S. customers
shelled out 40 percent more for handsets last quarter than
a year earlier, just as Apple Inc. put its Web-browsing iPhone
on sale and Research In Motion Ltd. brought out BlackBerry
e-mail phones with video features. Spending rose to a record
and jumped the most since at least 2005." Read
more
(December 20, 2007)
US Spending On Cell Phone Service Surpasses Land Lines
Accoring to an AP report, U.S. households are starting to
spend more on cell phone services in 2007 as more Americans
cutting the cord to their land lines, industry and government
officials say.
The most recent government data show that households spent
$524, on average, on cell phone bills in 2006, compared with
$542 for residential and pay-phone services. By now, though,
consumers almost certainly spend more on their cell phone
bills, several telecom industry analysts and officials said.
Read more
(December 18, 2007)
Consumer Reports: More Than Half Of Cell Phone Users Dissatisfied
According to the latest survey by Consumer Reports, the cell
phone industry is making slow progress addressing a number
of issues including call quality, poor coverage, unsatisfactory
customer service and contracts. The cellular industry notched
a satisfaction score of 67 out of 100, up a point from last
year and up two points from 2002, when Consumer Reports began
surveying its subscribers. Read
more
(December 17, 2007)
Canadian Cell Phone User Rings Up $85,000 Bill
According to a Reuters report, Canadian oil-field worker,
Piotr Staniaszek, stunned to get a C$85,000 ($83,700) cell
phone bill. The trouble stems from the new phone he received
when he renewed his mobile phone contract. In return, he received
a new cell phone. The new model allows him to connect with
his computer and download data. Read
more
(December 13, 2007)
Nokia Unveils Eco Phone Concept
Nokia has revealed a concept eco-mobile. The manufacture
would make use of environmentally friendly materials such
as plant-based plastics and recycled steel. Additionally,
there would be no traditional battery charing required. As
might be predicted, the Eco Sensor Project would make use
of a solar panel, although it would be attached to a bracelet
rather than to the phone itself. Read
more
(December 12, 2007)
Study: More Than One In Eight Houselholds Have Only Cell
Phones
A new federal study by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics
(NHIS) indicates that more than one out of every eight American
homes (13.6%) had only wireless telephones during the first
half of 2007. Read
more
(December 10, 2007)
FCC To Unlock Cell Phone User Access
According to a report by the Mercuy News, the Federal Communications
Commission will begin auctioning off a coveted swath of airwaves
ideal for offering new high-speed Internet services next month.
Companies including Google, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and
some promising start-ups have signaled or confirmed they will
bid for chunks of the 700 megahertz spectrum that's expected
to fetch at least $15 billion for the U.S. government. Read
more
(December 10, 2007)
Nokia Introduces Feature Rich, Yet Classically Designed
Nokia 6263
Designed for customers who want to have the latest features,
but also appreciate a classic design, Nokia today announced
the new Nokia 6263 phone, now available nationwide from T-Mobile
USA, Inc. Read more
(December 7, 2007)
Sonim Tech Introduces the “Indestructible” Mobile
Phone
Sonim Technologies has today launched its Sonim XP1 in Europe.
Having been available in the US for a few months already,
the "indestructible" IP-54 certified, mil-spec approved,
bluetooth and Push-To-Talk enabled GSM phone finally makes
its way to Europeans. Read
more
(December 6, 2007)
Mobile Phones to Replace Paper Boarding Passes
According to a USA Today report, Continental Airlines says it will begin allowing customers to substitute paper boarding passes with a cell phone-based boarding pass system. For the next three months Continental will test the system out of the Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. It won't be the first, according the news report. Since September Air Canada has been using the system and allowing user to board aircrafts with their cell phone or PDA - sans a paper pass. Read more
(December 5, 2007)
AT&T to Quit Pay Phone Business
With an enormous percentage o the American public using mobile
phones, AT&T Inc. announced today plans to exit the shrinking
pay phone business by the end of 2008. To providers, pay phones
are a pain to operate and maintain, subject to the elements,
vandalism, and needing regular service and collection by way
of a real life human being.
Read more
(December 3, 2007)
NEC Develops Cell Phone That Translates Japanese On The
Fly
Japanese electronics giant NEC has created a world-first
real-time translator on a mobile phone, which can instantly
turn Japanese travellers' words into English. When a traveler
speaks Japanese into the cellphone, it displays the recognized
words and then attempt to translate it into English, which
is then displayed on the screen. Read
more
(December 3, 2007)
Google Rolls Out Cell Phone Locator
Google on Wednesday released upgraded mapping software that
figures out the general vicinity a mobile telephone is in
based on which transmission tower it is using. Unlike the
satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) technology
Google uses the exchange of signals between the phone and
nearby mobile phone towers to estimate the phone's location.
Read more
(November 29, 2007)
Verizon Wireless Plans to Open Its Cell Phone Network
Verizon Wireless subscribers will be able to use handsets
and mobile applications from other companies by the end of
next year, the #2 U.S. cell phone carriers announced on Tuesday
in a major reversal of business strategy. For years in the
U.S., consumers have been locked to networks, saddled with
expensive two-year contracts, and restricted from doing things
they would like to do with the products they buy. Read
more
(November 28, 2007)
AT&T Launches LG Shine Multimedia Phone
AT&T and LG Electronics have released a new mobile phone
in time for the holiday shopping season, the companies said
Monday. The Shine by LG is a sliding form-factor device, offered
exclusively through AT&T. Made and set in a full metal
body and a sliding design the LG Shine can really catch your
eyes. And aside from its great façade, this LG phone
also comes filled with great capabilities. Read
more
(November 27, 2007)
Campaign Against Cell Phone Addiction In Korea
Accoding to a report by the Korea Times, a civic group called
School Beautiful Movement has launched a campaign to teach
the youth proper cell phone use in South Korea.
South Korea has one of the world's most advanced cell phone
systems and services. However, the wide use of the handsets
has resulted in addiction, especially among teenagers, with
cell phones dominating their daily lives. Read
more
(November 26, 2007)
According to a TMCNet report, Verizon Wireless' iPhone look-alikes,
Voyager and Venus by LG Electronics, are debuting in stores
this week in time for Thanksgiving, like the carrier had promised.
Competition in the touch-screen cell phone market is bound
to heat up in the U.S. with the introduction of the two new
LG models with advanced features at a competitive price. Read
more
(November 20, 2007)
AT&T, Samsung Launch Napster Phone
AT&T unveiled the SLM by Samsung, a lightweight clamshell
cell phone that's designed for music and multimedia. The phone
is AT&T's first to include Napster Mobile, a new service
that allows subscribers to search a catalog of five million
songs, preview snippets of songs, and download them wirelessly.
Read more
(November 19, 2007)
Google Plans to Bid 4.6 Billion For US Spectrum Auction
Google is reportedly going ahead with plans to buy up the
700MHz spectrum at a Federal Communications Commission auction
next year, according to a published report on Friday.
The Wall Street Journal said the company, which announced
its Android mobile device software in late October, is planning
to use some combination of its own cash and borrowings to
fund the bid.
(November 16, 2007)
Disney Plans to Launch Mobile Phone Service in Japan
According to a Reuters report, Walt Disney Co. will begin
mobile- phone services in Japan in spring next year using
Softbank Corp.'s network, relying on the popularity of characters
such as Mickey Mouse to win customers in the $81 billion market.
Read more
(November 14, 2007)
Google Releases Android along with $10 Million Developer
Contest
Last week the firm unveiled Android, the programming platform
it hopes will soon find a home on a phone near you. According
to an AP report, Google Inc. is offering $10 million in prizes
for people who build the best software to enhance the company's
upcoming cell phone operating system. Read
more
(November 12, 2007)
Google Confirms Its Cell-Phone Plans
Confirming its long-rumored foray into the mobile market,
Google said Monday it is developing a free cell phone software
package so the Internet search leader can more easily peddle
ads and services to people who aren't in front of a PC, reports
the Associated Press.
Google won't be making the phones, nor does it plan to stamp
its prized brand on the devices. Instead, it will work with
four cell phone manufacturers who have agreed to use Google's
programs in their handsets. Consumers will have to buy a new
phone to get the Google software because the bundle wasn't
made for existing handsets. Read
more
(November 5, 2007)
WSJ: Google to Announce Cell Phone Within Weeks
The Wall Street Journal reported that Google plans a series
of announcements over the next two weeks about Google mobile-phone
software, which would bundle together most Google applications
--search, maps, YouTube, instant-messaging--on a mobile platform.
The Google phone, sometimes called the gPhone in semi-mocking
reference to the Apple iPhone, would not be an actual cell
phone. Instead, it would be an operating system, possibly
free, that would run on several different models of cell phone.
(October 31, 2007)
Nokia Widens Lead While Motorola Sales Plunge
According to market researcher iSuppli, Nokia is still outselling
its competitors in the mobile-phone handset market by more
than two to one, and the company's market share increased
from the second quarter.
The analyst firm said that Samsung remains Nokia's closest
competitor. Nokia, however, controls 39.5 percent share of
the market, while Samsung shipped only 15.1 percent of those
phones sold during the third quarter. Read
more
(October 25, 2007)
AT&T To Offer Napster Music Downloads
AT&T Inc. is making Napster Inc.'s entire music catalog
of more than 5 million songs available for wireless download
starting early next month.
According to AP report, the service will expand the company's
over-the-air download offerings beyond the independent music
it offered through eMusic.com and allow it to compete with
offerings from rivals Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp.
Read more
(Ocotber 22, 2007)
Western Union To Transfer Money Over Cell Pone
According to AP report, the Western Union is teaming up with cell phone service providers to develop a system that would allow consumers to transfer money from country to country via their mobile phones.
Western Union has successfully tested cell phone money-transfer services in a number of U.S. cities. It will work with the GSM Association, an international trade group of cell phone service providers, on commercial and technical issues to enable services to be offered internationally. Read more
(October 19, 2007)
Broadcom Introduces 3G Phone Chip
Communications chip maker Broadcom Corp. said it has developed
a single-chip processor for 3G phones ahead of its rivals.
Broadcom said the multifunction HSPA, or high-speed packet
access, chip will allow mobile phone manufacturers to build
sleek 3G phones with a long battery life at a fraction of
the cost of the technologies they currently use. Read
more
(October 15, 2008)
Speculation on Google's Gphone Continues.
The speculation on on Google Gphone continues. Lehman Brothers
reported that we could see a Gphone by February 2008. However,
Google has refused to confirm any plans for the GPhone
One speculation is that Google won't be making a physical
mobile phone, but instead creating a Linux-based operating
system and software which could theoretically work on a large
number of mobile phones. Read
more
(October 11, 2007)
AT&T Releases Windows Mobile-Based Tilt Smartphone
AT&T Wireless launched its first Windows Mobile 6.0-equipped
smartphone, the AT&T Tilt, combining the features of a
cellular phone, handheld computer, GPS navigator, and 3-megapixel
digital camera into a single $299 device.
The smartphone has a slide-out Qwerty keypad and a 2.8-inch
color screen that tilts up, making it more convenient to write
e-mail, browse the Web, and play videos. Read
more
(October 8, 2007)
Verizon Links Landline and Verizon Wireless Services
Facing competition from cellphone providers, cable companies,
and online companies that now offer dial tones, Verizon Communications
Inc. introduced a voice package that integrates cellphone
and landline service.
Beginning October 1, customers within Verizon's landline
service area can bundle home and wireless calling at prices
starting at $59.99 a month. Read
more
(October 2, 2007)
Nokia To Buy Navigation-Software Group Navteq
According to an AP report, Nokia Corp. announced Monday that
it would buy U.S. navigation-software maker Navteq Corp. for
around US$8.1 billion as part of its push to expand the range
of services and content it offers.
Chicago-based Navteq is one of the world's leaders in electronic
mapping, which enables in-vehicle navigation devices and a
new generation of mobile-phone applications used for shopping,
emergency services and advertising. Read
more
(October 1, 2007)
Disney to End Cell Phone Service
The Walt Disney Company said it would stop operating its
United States-based mobile phone service at the end of the
year to reassess how it competes in a tough market for high-end
cellphone services.
The service had been tailored to the communications needs
of families and children, offering features designed to enable
parents to stay in touch with their children and help youths
learn to use cellphones responsibly. Read
more
(September 28, 2007)
Palm Introduces the Centro
Palm announced the Centro, its first non-Treo PDA/cell phone hybrid based on the Palm OS.
The Centro phone will cost $99.99 and initially be available exclusively from Sprint Nextel starting in mid-October.
The smallest Palm smartphone yet, the Centro is a little black or red lozenge of 4.3 by 2.1 by 0.75 inches and 4.2 ounces, with a bright yet small 2.2-inch, 320-by-320 color screen, and a full keyboard of small, raised, close-together keys.
(September 27, 2007)
T-Mobile Introduces New Sidekicks
T-Mobile USA is updating its Sidekick cell phones, adding
a high-end model Sidekick LX and the first Motorola-built
Sidekick Slide with a screen that swivels to reveal a keyboard.
The LX, the new flagship Sidekick, is just about the same
size as the existing Sidekick 3, at 5.1 by 2.36 by 0.86 inches,
but it's considerably lighter at 5.7 ounces. It packs a WQVGA
widescreen that T-Mobile says uses Sharp's Aquos hi-definition
LCD technology. Readmore
(September 26, 2007)
Giorgio Armani and Samsung To Release Mobile Phones
Italian designer Giorgio Armani and South Korea's Samsung
Electronics Co. said they have sealed a long-term strategic
partnership to develop a line of high-end electronic goods.
Unveiling the new luxury mobile phone manufactured by Samsung
and designed by Armani, the two partners said the cellphone
- which will retail at EUR650 starting November in major European
countries - is just the first product under the new strategic
alliance. Read more
(September 25, 2007)
Apple iPhone Sales Top a Million
Apple Inc. sold its millionth iPhone less than three months
after the device's debut, allaying investor concerns that
demand had slowed.
The benchmark sale occurred on Sunday, just 74 days after
the device went on sale. Apple had said that it expected to
hit the million-sold mark by the end of September. It took
almost two years for Apple to sell a million iPods, the chief
executive, Steven P. Jobs, said in a statement.
(September 11, 2007)
Apple Cuts iPhone Price
Apple slashed the price of its iPhone by a third yesterday
as it unveiled several new iPod music players, hoping to boost
sales for the holidays.
Apple cut the price of its iPhones by $200 after only two
months, selling its more expensive and popular version for
$399; a second model with less storage will be priced at $299
until supplies run out. The phone requires a two-year commitment
with AT&T Wireless.
(September 6, 2007)
4 Billion Cell Phone Subscribers Worldwide
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) claims there were nearly four billion phone subscribers worldwide by the end of 2006. Largely because of the mobile phone boom in developing countries, telephone service has quadrupled in the past decade according to a report Tuesday from the UN telecommunications agency.
The increase has been especially strong in developing countries that have been able to provide cellular phone service to tens of millions of people much more cheaply than having to wire up homes and offices for fixed-line telephones.
(September 5, 2007)
iPhone is July's Biggest-Selling Smartphone
Apple’s new iPhone outsold all other smartphones on the U.S. market for the month of July, according to a new study published by market research firm iSuppli. Sales of the iPhone accounted for 1.8 percent of all cellphone sales for July, according to the report.
iSuppli claims that 52 percent of those purchasing the iPhone in July were male, 62 percent held college degrees and 57 percent were 35 years old or older. One quarter of those new iPhone buyer switched to AT&T Wireless from another cell phone carrier, according to the report.
(September 4, 2007)
AT&T Introduces Mobile Parental Controls
AT&T Inc. launched an online service that enables parents
to manage their children's use of wireless devices by limiting
their talk time, messages and credit for downloads, such as
ringtones and games.
With AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless, parents can go onto
the Internet at any time to also filter access to inappropriate
mobile Web sites, set the time of day the device is used and
designate numbers that can be called or received, spokeswoman
Dawn Benton said. One of its features lets parents allocate
minutes among users of shared wireless plans. Read
more
(September 4, 2007)
AT&T Laywers Start To Act on iPhone Unlocking Software
Several groups have now said that they have software ready that robustly unlocks the Apple iPhone and enables users to use the iPhone on other carriers. One of these groups has apparently got a call from AT&T lawyers reports Engadget. AT&T is going after the mercenary group trying to profit from the iPhone unlocking.
(August 28, 2007)
Nokia, Samsung Gain Cell Phone Market Share
Nokia and Samsung Electronics increased their share of the mobile phone market in the second quarter, putting a squeeze on Motorola as market researcher Gartner reported an overall increase of cell phone deliveries. Read more
(August 24, 2007)
Apple Reportedly Signs iPhone Deals for Europe
According to a Financial Times report, Apple Inc. has signed its first deals with mobile phone operators to offer its iPhone in three of Europe's largest markets. Germany's T-Mobile Deutschland GmbH, France's Orange SA and Britain's O2 (UK) Ltd. are reported to have signed exclusive deals to sell the iPhone in their respective markets.The operators have agreed to give Apple 10 percent of the revenue they generate from the sale of voice and data services for the device, according to the report, which cited unnamed sources.
(August 22, 2007)
Websites Let You Swap Your Cell Phone Contract
According to a Baltimore Sun report, online companies have
since launched to match buyers and sellers of cell phone contracts.
Celltradeusa.com and Cellswapper.com are the two major players
in this fledgling industry. Both charge about $20 to the consumer
unloading a contract once one or more prospects are found.
Read more
(August 20, 2007)
AT&T Unveils Trax Phone by LG
AT&T has launched the new LG trax music phone, offering a thin clamshell design with high-speed HSDPA data access the companies hope will make tapping into mobile content and data service offerings all that more tempting—and practical.
"The trax by LG is more than a music phone," said Carlton Hill, AT&T wireless unit's product management VP, in a statement. "With top-notch video and data capabilities, in addition to a sleek design, this device will hit the right note with many of our customers." Read more
(August 13, 2007)
Cell Phone Import Ban Against Qualcomm Upheld
According to Union Tribune report, Bush administration will
not overturn a ban on the import of new cell phone models
that contain Qualcomm chips found to infringe upon a patent
from rival Broadcom. In allowing the ban to stand, U.S. Trade
Representative Susan C. Schwab said Monday afternoon that
the effects on companies, innovation and public safety were
not compelling enough for her to veto the ban.
In June, the U.S. International Trade Commission banned the
importation of all new phone models that use Qualcomm chips
as punishment for the company's infringing on a patent held
by rival Broadcom that helps conserve battery power.
(August, 7, 2007)
Nokia, Microsoft Team on DRM
Nokia has licensed Microsoft¡¯s PlayReady digital rights management
(DRM) technology for use in its S60 and Series 40 mobile device
platforms in a bid to expand the use of wireless content worldwide.
Microsoft's technology lets users of Nokia cell phones share
protected pieces of content?like music, games or videos?between
phones, PCs, and other devices.
PlayReady is a new content access technology from Microsoft
that makes it easier for content owners and service providers
to deliver virtually any type of digital content. The system
enables more flexible business models for rights owners, and
allows consumers to share their content between wireless devices
and PCs. For example, a consumer could purchase content directly
from their Nokia device and then transfer it for viewing on
a PC or on another mobile device.
(August 6, 2007)
Google Bets On Mobile Market
According to The Wall Street Journal , Google Inc. has approached
wireless phone operators and handset makers as it looks for
a piece of the market for advertisements on cell phones.
The company, which has invested hundreds of millions of dollars
in its cell phone project, has approached several wireless
operators in the U.S. and Europe in recent months, the Journal
reported.
Google has also developed prototype handsets and talked over
technical specifications with manufacturers. LG Electronics
is one of the manufacturers to have held talks with Google,
the paper said.
(August 1, 2007)
Google Wins Partial Victory In FCC Ruling
The Federal Communications Commission moved cautiously Tuesday
toward the creation of a new open national wireless broadband
network, handing a partial victory to Google, which was pushing
for more competition in cellphone services. Read
more
(July 31, 2007)
Japan's KDDI to Offer Google-Based PC, Phone E-Mail
According to IDG News Service, Japan's number two cell phone
carrier KDDI will launch an e-mail service based on Google's
Gmail in September. A sample version of the interface shown
Monday revealed that the new service will look almost identical
to Gmail but with the carrier's logo at the top.
The new service will launch just over a year after Google
and KDDI began working together.
(July 30, 2007)
Study Calls Cell Phone Towers Safe
A British study has cast doubt on whether cell phone towers can make people sick. The study has revealed that the theory that exposure to signals from mobile phone towers cause people to fall ill may be unfounded, for there is no evidence to prove the same. Read more
(JUly 27, 2007)
Motorola To Develop Mobile Phone With Display Projector
Motorola has signed an agreement that could lead to a device that can be built into a phone that projects a larger virtual screen than can fit in a pocket-size unit. It will be working with Microvision on this company's ultra-miniature laser-based display engine, called PicoP.
The two hope to eventually give users the ability to project content from a mobile device onto a wall, object, or even a curved surface. This will allow people to more easily share presentations, web sites, images, or videos with friends or business colleagues.
(July 26, 2007)
FCC Skeptical Over Google's Spectrum Bid
U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin
has expressed doubts over Google's plan to bid on wireless
spectrum at an upcoming auction, according to a Bloomberg
report.
Last week, Google sent an open letter to the FCC pledging
to spend a minimum of $4.6 billion at the auction, if the
agency agreed to require the winning bidder to operate the
spectrum on a wholesale basis.
(JUly 25, 2007)
AT&T Video Share Expands Nationwide
AT&T launched its new Video Share product in 160 markets
on Monday. The new service allows cellphone users to share
live one-way video and two-way audio with each other. Both
participants in the conversation must have the service.
AT&T Video Share enables one-way live streaming-video
feeds that can be seen by both parties while they are participating
in a two-way voice conversation. Once the parties have initiated
a Video Share call, either one can be the one generating the
video stream for the other to see. Read
more
(July 24, 2007)
Cell Phone Providers Profiting From Old Tax
According to AP report, a decade-old telephone tax intended
to help bring affordable service to rural areas has instead
turned into a bottomless and politically protected well of
cash for cell phone companies that do big business in rural
America.
The Universal Service Fund has collected $44 billion over
its 10-year lifetime from a surcharge on the phone bills of
nearly every American. Payments have gone from $131 million
in 2003 to an expected $1.1 billion this year, an Associated
Press analysis shows.
The report says regulators and lawmakers long have viewed
the fund as flawed. But efforts to change it have been derailed
repeatedly by companies that benefit from the largesse and
by supporters in Congress.
(July 23, 2007)
Verizon, Broadcom Make Licensing Pact
Stepping out of a raging dispute between two Southern California
chip makers, Verizon Wireless said Thursday it would pay licensing
fees to Broadcom Corp. to avoid a ban on importing new mobile
phones.
Broadcom will receive $6 per handset ? up to $200 million
over the life of the agreement, the companies said. The agreement
will give Verizon Wireless the right to use a patent found
to have been infringed by Qualcomm.
(July 20, 2007)
RIM Launches Dual-Mode Cellular, Wi-Fi BlackBerry
Research In Motion announced a new BlackBerry model Tuesday
that will provide wireless voice and data access over both
cellular and Wi-Fi networks. The BlackBerry 8820 is the first
dual-mode BlackBerry handset, combining EDGE/GPRS/GSM cellular
and Wi-Fi connectivity for data access and voice support through
UMA (unlicensed mobile access) for fixed-mobile convergence
(FMC) service offerings from various wireless carriers around
the world. Read more
(July 19, 2007)
EU Backs Nokia's DVB-H As Mobile TV Standard
The European Commission endorsed Nokia's standard for TV
broadcasts to cell phones, saying Europe needed one common
standard for mobile TV and it would look at ways to mandate
its use. Read more
(July 18, 2007)
AT&T Unity Plan Allows More Free Minutes
AT&T Inc. announced that the AT&T Unity(SM) Plan -- the premier wireless-wireline converged calling plan -- is going to the next level. Now with the addition of wireless Rollover(TM) Minutes and fewer requirements, the plan allows more consumers and small businesses to join free calling community. Read more
(July 16, 2007)
Samsung Introduces SGH-L760 Mobile Video Blogging Phone
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has introduced SGH-L760, a new 3G mobile phone which allows users to maintain their blogs without accessing a PC, wherein they can update content and photos to their blogs anywhere in a simplified manner by uploading contents as in the form of title, description and tag. This would help users keep their blogs up-to-date, especially while traveling. Read more
(July 12, 2007)
Skype Available on Nokia N800 Internet Tablet
Nokia announced that it would add eBay Inc.'s Skype Internet telephony service to a new smart phone. The N800 tablet handset will allow owners to make calls using Skype whenever connected to the Internet via a public Wi-Fi hotspot. Along with Skype, the new phone uses the open-source Linux operating system instead of Windows Mobile and supports up to 8 Gigabytes of storage.
(July 11, 2007)
Nano-based iPhone May Be In Works
According to Reuters report, JP Morgan analyst Kevin Chang
issued a report saying Apple will convert the iPod Nano into
a mobile phone, likely in the fourth quarter of this year.
Chang, who quotes unnamed supply chain sources, as well as
a patent Apple recently filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office, believes "iPod Nano will be converted into a
phone because it's probably the only way for Apple to launch
a lower end phone without severely cannibalizing iPod Nano."
Chang suspects the phone will go for a maximum of $300 and
will have "rather limited functionality" compared
to the more expensive iPhone. The phone would also be likely
to be available globally much more quickly than the iPhone,
according to Chang.
(July 10, 2007)
Motorola and Nokia Says Faulty Phone Batteries Are Fakes
Mobile phone batteries that exploded in flames during tests by officials in southern China were counterfeit, spokeswomen for Nokia and Motorola said Saturday.
According to an Associated Press report, Motorola spokeswoman Mary Lamb said that Motorola immediately sent a team to Guangdong province and found that the tests were legitimate, but that the three batteries labeled Motorola were counterfeit. Read more
(June 9, 2007)
Verizon, Dooney & Bourke unveil mobile wristlet case
Verizon Wireless and international fashion brand, Dooney
& Bourke introduced a new mobile phone carrying case.
Both fashionable and functional, the Dooney & Bourke Limited
Edition Mobile Phone Wristlet fits most of today's slim, compact
mobile phones like the Chocolate by LG.
Cut from Dooney & Bourke's multi-colored signature white
"It" fabric, this elegantly designed case offers
stylish service and protection for your cell phone. Beginning
July 9, the Dooney & Bourke Limited Edition Mobile Phone
Wristlet will be available for $49.99.
(July 6, 2007)
Chinese Killed in Cell Phone Battery Blast
A China man was killed when a mobile phone battery exploded in his chest pocket, Chinese media said Wednesday. The official Xinhua News Agency said that welder, Xiao Jinpeng, died on June 19 while working at the Yingpan Iron Ore Dressing Plant in Gansu's Jinta county. Read more
(July 5, 2007)
LG Takes YouTube To Cell Phones
South Korea's LG Electronics said it has signed an agrement
with YouTube, the world's biggest video-sharing website, to
develop a mobile phone which can operate the service.
The service will allow users to shoot video on their handsets
and send it directly to the popular online video site, LG
said in a statement. The first phones with the ability to
do this will be available worldwide "at the end of the
year."
(July 3, 2007)
Verizon Wireless Launches Mobile E-Mail On Get It Now
Verizon Wireless customers can now get their e-mail on-the-go
and stay connected to family and friends with the company's
new Mobile E-mail application on select Get It Now(R)-enabled
phones. Mobile E-mail provides Verizon Wireless customers
with access to the popular e-mail services, including Yahoo!(R)
Mail, AOL(R) Mail, AIM(R) Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, Verizon.net
accounts and more on their mobile phones. Read
more
(July 2, 2007)
Motorola MOTO Z8 Media Phone Launched In Europe
Motorola launched MOTO Z8 kick-slider handset in Spain, with
other parts of Europe and Asia to follow. The Z8, offering
mobile TV1, video and music from one unique device, is available
through Telefonica via Movistar. Read
more
(June 30, 2007)
HIgh Anticipation for iPhones
Apple Inc.'s much-hyped new iPhone hits store shelves 6 pm
today in a consumer spectacle that has whipped gadget fans
into a frenzy over a device that challenges business as usual
in the mobile phone industry.
According to AP, by early evening Thursday, short lines of
eager customers were camped out at Apple and AT&T stores
across the nation. At Apple's flagship store in New York City,
the trickle of customers that began queuing up since Monday
grew to about 50 people late Thursday, ready to brave yet
another rainy night on the pavement of Fifth Avenue, outside
the only 24-hour Apple store.
(June 29, 2007)
Samsung SGH-t409 Provides Support to T-Mobile Hotspot @Home
Samsung today announced the availability of SGH-T409, one
of the first mobile phones to support T-Mobile HotSpot @Home.
Exclusive to T-Mobile, the T409 is a flip phone with a host
of features, including Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth wireless
technology, a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera with digital zoom
and picture and ringer caller ID. Available in a sky blue
color, the t409 seamlessly makes and receives calls over a
home Wi-Fi network with T-Mobile HotSpot @Home. Read
more
(June 28, 2007)
Visa, Wells Fargo to Test Mobile Payment
Mobile payments and banking are now moving into the United
States through some big names, but the speedy checkout system
is slow to put in place. As part of a pilot program, up to
50 Wells Fargo employees soon will begin paying for some products
and services with specially equipped phones instead of credit
and debit cards. Read
more
(June 28, 2007)
T-Mobile USA Launches Wi-Fi Calling Service
T-Mobile USA launched a new service that enables customers
to make phone calls on their cell phone over home wireless
networks and Wi-Fi hotspots, using the Internet to make those
calls much more cheaply.
The service would improve indoor coverage by automatically
swapping calls from the cellular network to run over Wi-Fi,
a radio technology found in most laptop computers and an increasing
number of cell phones. Read
more
(June 27, 2007)
Survey: One-Third of Mobile Phone Owners Wouldn't Give Up
Their Phones for $2 Million
According to a recent Mobile Life survey of 24 British cell
phone users, one-third of respondents would rather give up
alcohol, chocolate, sex, tea or coffee than live without their
mobile phone for a month. and 16 percent said that price was
no object when it came to keeping their beloved electronic
companion.
One in three people would not give up their mobile phone
for a 'million pounds or more', and women lead the way of
those most likely to refuse. The results form part of the
Mobile Life 2007 report produced by Carphone Warehouse in
conjunction with the London School of Economics.
(June 26, 2007)
Apple, AT&T Unveil Service Plans for iPhone
AT&T Inc. and Apple Inc. on Tuesday announced wireless
service for the iPhone will range from $59.99 per month to
$99.99 per month. All three plans include unlimited data,
Visual Voicemail, 200 SMS text messages, roll-over minutes
and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling. With everything else
already included, iPhone customers can choose the plan that's
right for them based on the amount of voice minutes they plan
to use each month. In addition, iPhone customers can choose
from any of AT&T's standard service plans. Read
more
(June 26, 2007)
Nokia Eseries Available in U.S.
Nokia today announced the availability of Nokia Eseries business
devices in the U.S., including the Nokia E61i and Nokia E65.
Designed to mobilize the most-used business applications
and processes, Nokia Eseries business devices offer advanced
voice features with superior voice quality, business email
with attachment handling, and manageability with business-class
device security to the most demanding business users. Read
more
(June 25, 2007)
Apple's iPhone Top Choice To Buy, Survey Shows
Apple Inc.'s iPhone was a top choice in a survey of people
who plan to buy an advanced mobile phone in the next three
months, a sign the new device may take market share from rivals.
Conducted in April, the study shows that just over a quarter
of all potential buyers in the consumer field are set on buying
the Apple phone when it launches this mont. Read
more
(June 23, 2007)
iPhone May Lead A Sea Change For The Industry
According to AP report, analysts think the iPhone may also
change the landscape of the consumer electronics industry,
by ushering in a new era of mobile convergence that is as
geared toward soccer moms as it is toward the business executives.
They believe it could make a difference in the way products
are designed, analysts said, testing consumer demand for a
premium media-centric and Web-centric gadget.
And since Apple had so much control over the design and function
of the device, the iPhone's performance might give handset
makers more power over designs that make it into the hands
of American users.
(June 22, 2007)
Verizon to Offer Mobile Payments with Obopay
Verizon Wireless announced that its subscribers will soon
have the option to pay for products and services using Obopay.
Verizon Wireless says this will make it the first major U.S.
wireless carrier to offer mobile payment.
The Obopay service works as a BREW application, which will
be available as a download from the Verizon Wireless Get It
Now store. Using the application, subscribers will be able
to receive, send, and spend money instantly. If you need access
to your mobile money, then the service provides an Obopay
prepaid Mastercard. That way if someone sends you money you
will have instant access to it whether through an ATM or at
a retail outlet.
(June 21, 2007)
Levi's Introduces Cell Phone
In tune with its young consumers, the Levi's brand is adding
a fashionable, steel mobile phone to its range of lifestyle
accessories. The Levi's phone embraces mobile technology and
enables young people to connect, enjoy music, exchange images
and videos whilst on the go. Read
more
Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0 To Launch On Friday
Yahoo Inc. anounced it would introduce later this week a
faster, enhanced version of its Internet services for U.S.
mobile phone users, while expanding into key markets in Asia,
Canada and Europe.
The enhanced version lets users download Yahoo Mail, organize
e-mail into folders or read file attachments. Users can search
the Web on their phones for locally relevant answers or zoom
in on maps with current local U.S. traffic conditions. They
can check numbers in their Yahoo Address Book.
(June 20, 2007)
AT&T Launches Wireless Video Share Service
AT&T Inc. launched what it said is the first service letting callers share live video between cell phones.
Video Share allows users to have the ability to show others exactly what they see, when they're seeing it, and to share that experience across town or across the country. Read more
(June 19, 2007)
Europeans Get Approval For In-flight Mobile Calls
According to Dow Jones report, the European Aviation Safety
Authority has given clearance for the use of GSM equipment
in airlines, meaning airline passengers in Europe will be
able to use mobile phones and Blackberry devices during flights
for the first time. Read
more
(June 19, 2007)
Touch Screens & Move Sensors On Mobiles "The Next
Big Thing"
According to Reuters, optical sensors and touch screens are
the leading technologies that cell phone makers are likely
to use as improvements to the tiny keypads on many of today's
handsets.
Touch screens enable cell phone makers to hide numeric keypads,
while optical sensors pick up movement of the phone. For example,
shaking a phone could initiate a call to your loved one, or
turning it around would open an Internet connection.
(June 18, 2007)
Bell Service Links WiFi, and Cell Phones
A new service that improves reception for cell phone users
is being launched by Cincinnati Bell Inc.
The "CB Home Run" service gives subscribers a handset
that connects the GSM mobile phone network with the wireless
Internet (wi-fi) network, Bell said in a news release. The
wi-fi network provides better reception and clarity in areas
where cell phones normally have problems, like basements and
elevators, the company said. Read
more
(June 18, 2007)
Nokia Introduces 3 New Mid-Range Handsets
Nokia Corp. unveiled three new models designed for the mid-range
market during its annual Nokia Connection event in Singapore:
Nokia 6267, Nokia 3500 classic and Nokia 6121 classic. These
new mobile phones are expected to begin shipping in the third
quarter 2007. Read
more
(June 18, 2007)
Mobile Phone Charger Powered By Wind
Bristol-based Orange UK is showing its Orange Mobile Wind
Charger, a new phone charger that is powered by wind energy.
The portable phone charger is the recent result of research
done with Shashank Priya, a professor at the University of
Texas at Arlington. Orange UK lauds it as the solution for
summer music festival attendees and campers who live in tents
for days at a time.
While much research still needs to be done before the product
is considered commercial, a fully functional model will be
demonstrated at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, which
spans 900 acres and draws in crowds as large as 175,000. The
turbine is small enough to fit in a backpack and mounts on
top of tents.
(June 16, 2007)
Wafer-Thin Cameras Coming To Cell Phones
A new "wafer-thin" camera for mobile phones has
been shown off by Tessera Technologies. Tessera's OptiML WLC
technology makes it possible for cameras to be manufactured
at the wafer level, drastically reducing the size and total
bill of material cost of camera modules.
Tessera's solution is designed to overcome the cost, size
and manufacturing roadblocks facing the industry as cameras
become pervasive in mobile phones and other electronics. Using
OptiML WLC technology, thousands of lenses are manufactured
simultaneously on a wafer, and then bonded at the wafer level
to create the optical element of the camera. This new process
can simplify assembly, saving up to 30% for the optical component
of the camera module. Wafer technology also reduces the size
of the camera up to 50% in conventional camera modules in
cameraphones today.
(June 15, 2007)
Surveys Show Massive iPhone Demand
According to The Wall Street Journal, two new consumer surveys
show that "AT&T Inc. stands a good chance of stealing
customers away from other wireless operators by carrying Apple
Inc.'s highly-anticipated iPhone . "Two-thirds of mobile-phone
users who are interested in purchasing the iPhone aren't AT&T
customers but would be willing to switch carriers to obtain
the device, according to a survey in May of about 11,000 cellphone
users by M:Metrics Inc., which tracks wireless industry trends."
The Journal reports "The carrier with the most to be
concerned about is T-Mobile USA, according to the survey,
with 12.5% of its customers expressing a high interest in
the phone; followed by 8.1% for Sprint Nextel Corp.; and 6.7%
for Verizon Wireless. Read
more
(June 15, 2007)
Sony Ericsson Announces K850 5 Megapixel Camera Phone
Sony Ericsson has unveiled 5 megapixel camera phone: Cyber-shot K850. The new GSM handset includes a 5 megapixel sensor and a lens with auto focus and an accompanying Xenon flash. The new handset also includes quad-band GSM and a tri-band HSDPA radio and will be available in the US in the fall.
The screen of the K850 is a 2.2-inch model with QVGA (240 by 320) resolution that auto-rotates to the right orientation, depending on how you hold the phone. Read more
(June 14, 2007)
British Omnifone Launches Music Download Service For Cell Phones
According to Reuters report, the UK-based Omniphone has announced the launch of a new service called MusicStation. The new music service will allow consumers to directly download an unlimited number of tracks to their cell phones for a small weekly fee from wherever they are.
Omnifone said it had signed content deals with the four biggest music groups in the industry and had agreements with 30 mobile operators in a bid to steal the thunder of the much-hyped iPhone made by iPod maker Apple. The service will launch first in Sweden on June 14 with Scandinavian operator Telenor.
(June 14, 2007)
9GB Walkman Phone Coming Soon
IDG news reports that Sony Ericsson is releasing six new phones, including a high-end Walkman-branded handset with around 9GB of internal Flash memory.
The music-centric Walkman will more than double the internal memory of previous models and feature a newly designed media player and large-touch display for easy navigating. But unlike Apple Inc.'s planned iPhone, the new Walkman will include a keyboard.
(June 14, 2007)
Nokia N77 Multimedia Computer Phone Starts Shipping
Nokia is launching its much-awaited N77 multimedia computer phone that lets the user watch live TV on phone starting in Finland.
The phone has a wide 2.4-inch flat screen and high quality stereo sound and looks stylish with complete Nokia Nseries functionalities.
The phone is based on DVB-H technology that lets users to tune into TV channels on the device. The best feature of the phone is its capacity to remember the last channel viewed. Viewers can also set reminders to alert when a programme is starting and access it at the push of a button.
(June 13, 2007)
Sony Denies Imminent PSP Phone
Sony Ericsson has moved to quell rumours that it is about to launch a mobile device that combines gaming and phone functionalities.
Sony told Reuters that it is not poised to launch a phone based on the PSP, but did not rule out the possibility of such a device in the future.
(June 13, 2007)
Motorola May Lose No. 2 Spot In Cell Phone Maker
Motorola may be poised to lose its status as the world's No. 2 mobile phone maker, ceding the spot to rival Samsung Electronics, analysts, quoted by an Associated Press report said. A series of miscues in its handset division has sent Motorola's market share tumbling to 15.3% in the second quarter, down from a high of 22% last year, according to forecasts by CIBC World Markets analyst Ittai Kidron, which were quoted by the report.
Meanwhile, South Korea-based Samsung, which has seen its market share climb to 14.5%, is a close third.
(June 12, 2007)
Linux Wireless Phone Standards Published
The Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum announced the publication of its first mobile phone specifications, in order to encourage more application development for Linux phones.
The specifications include a reference model, address book, voice call enabler, text input programming interfaces and user interface services such as widget sets, and they will be posted on the LiPS website.
The forum, which was launched in late 2005, is working to standardise a layer of software in Linux phones. The aim is to make it easier for developers to create a mobile application that can operate across different phones.
(June 11, 2007)
Qualcomm Chip Ban Hits Wireless Industry
According to AP report, federal agency's decision to ban U.S. imports of new cell phones made with Qualcomm semiconductors could slow the introduction of new handsets and lead to higher prices for cell phone users.
The U.S. International Trade Commission said Thursday it was banning the phones because the Qualcomm chips violate a patent held by Broadcom Corp.
The import ban would not apply to mobile phone models that already are being imported, just to future models. But because mobile phone models are updated rapidly, the exception for current models could last only a limited time.
If the ban on imports goes on too long, wireless companies such as Verizon and Sprint ?which rely almost exclusively on Qualcomm chips ?and manufacturers such as Samsung and Motorola will look to other suppliers.
(June 9, 2007)
Chinese Firm Claims World's 1st Solar Cell Phone
A Chinese company has claimed to have developed the world's
first mobile phone that uses solar energy to recharge itself,
providing 40 minutes of talk-time after sitting in the sun
for an hour.
Hi-Tech Wealth, telecommunication products supplier in China,
claims its mobile phone is the world's first to use solar
power to recharge its battery. The company says a scale-like
solar panel on the top side of the clamshell-designed phone
can also be recharged by light from other sources including
candles.
(June 8, 2008)
Sprint Unveils GPS Shopping
Sprint Nextel announced a new service letting consumers find
shops via GPS-equipped cell phones. The new service, which
was developed by GPShopper and is called Slifter, providers
shoppers the nearest location of stores selling products.
Sprint plans to charge subscribers $1.99 per month for subscribers
with a data plan. The service is just the latest location-based
application offered by Sprint. Read
more
(June 7, 2007)
The Coca-Cola Company Is Creating A Mobile Community
The Coca-Cola Company is creating a virtual teenager hangout similar to MySpace and Facebook on cell phones, to lure more youngsters to its fizzy drinks.
The Coca-Cola's "Sprite Yard" is a real-time digital "on-the-go" community that will provide social connections and downloadable content via their mobile phone anytime, anywhere. This mobile marketing launched in China on June 1, and will go live in the US later this month. Read more.
(June 6, 2007)
Apple Patents Software To Reduce Dropped Calls
According to Dow Jones report, Apple has won a patent for a cell phone "accessory detector" that helps battle dropped calls. The accessory detector has two functions. It supposedly ensures that the various different radios on cell phones don't interfere with each other.
In addition, it also supposedly ensures that devices attached to phones also don't cause any interference or dropped calls.
(June 6, 2007)
Amp'd Mobile Files Chapter 11
AP reports that start-up wireless carrier Amp'd Mobile Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after it ran out of cash and failed to raise additional funding in time to meet debt payments.
Amp'd Mobile, which counts MTV Networks and Universal Music Group among its investors, has marketed its phone and mobile-entertainment services to young, hip consumers by sponsoring motocross, surfing and other action-sports competitions. Amp’d Mobile Inc. blamed its rapid growth, back-office systems and collection problems as the reasons for its need to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and said that nearly half of its youthful customer base were not paying their bills by early 2007, according to the company’s bankruptcy filings.
(June 6, 2007)
HTC Launches Microsoft-based iPhone Rival
Taiwanese handset maker HTC today announced the HTC Touch, a new GSM Windows Mobile smart phone that--like Apple's soon-to-be-released iPhone--depends heavily on the fingertip as an input device. But U.S. shoppers will have to wait to buy the HTC Touch: In announcing the handset's United Kingdom availability today, company officials said it would be available later this month in Asia and the rest of Europe, but won't appear in the U.S. until "later this year".
(June 5, 2007)
Apple to Launch IPhone on June 29
According to Reuters report, Apple Inc.'s highly anticipated iPhone will be avialable on June 29. Apple announced the date on Sunday, with three television commercials showing off the phone's large touchscreen and ability to watch video, play music and display photos. The ads can also be seen on the company's Web site.
The iPhone will cost $500 or $600, depending on the amount of memory included. AT&T has exclusive iPhone rights for two years. Read more.
(June 4, 2007)
The Verizon Wireless launched G'zOne Type-S Rugged Phone. The second phone from Verizon Wireless that is built to provide reliable performance for customers with outdoor lifestyles, the G'zOne Type-S is exclusively available through Verizon Wireless. Like the original rugged clamshell, the Type-S meets the 810F military spec for humidity, shock, dust and water resistance.
The Verizon Wireless G'zOne Type-S will be available June 1, and should retail for $150 with a two-year service contract, which happens to be $50 more than the G'zOne Type-V.
(June 2, 2007)
Prince Single Free to Cell Phone Listeners
Verizon Wireless is giving away digital copies of Prince's latest single. The carrier announced that it would be exclusively offering Prince's new single "Guitar" through its VCast service. And subscribers will be able to download the song, which will appear on Prince's upcoming album Planet Earth, for free.
(June 1, 2007)
FCC to Force Cell Phone Technology Improvements
Reuters reports that the Federal Communications Commission voted to move toward toughening wireless standards to help police and firefighters more accurately locate cellular telephone callers in an emergency.
People who call 911 from a wired telephone can be traced to a specific address. That's not the case with cell phones. Locating callers can become a matter of life or death if the caller doesn't know his or her location, or is unable to speak for some reason. Read more.
(June 1, 2007)
Nokia Launches Luxury Luna Cell Phone
Nokia unveiled the Nokia 8600 Luna, a slider luxury phone with a shell made of smoked glass. The Luna has been crafted to offer uniqueness and prestige to users by the use of chrome, stainless steel, titanium along with glass. A gentle keypad illumination pulsates from beneath the glass case while the phone awaits a call. When a call does beckon, the signature slide movement is carefully balanced to smoothly raise the ergonomic keypad from within its glass cocoon. Read more.
(May 31, 2007)
Cell Phone Market To Grow 16 % in 2007
According to Reuters, continuing strong demand for new cell phones in Asia and Africa is set to lift 2007 global handset sales to 1.15 billion phones, a 16 percent rise from last year, researchers at Gartner said .
That compares with an average market growth forecast of below 10 percent in a Reuters poll of analysts late last month after major handset makers reported January-March earnings.
(May 31, 2007)
J.D. Power Reports: Wireless Customers are Keeping Their Mobile Phones Longer
According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation Study(SM), the average reported length of time a customer owns their cell phone has increased by 5 percent since fall 2006,
The study finds that customers are keeping their mobile handsets for an average of 17.5 months -- an increase from 16.6 months since the last reporting period (November 2006). This marks the first increase in the reported ownership cycle since 2002, when the average was 18.4 months. The increase in ownership tenure is roughly equal across major handset brands.
(May 30, 2007)
Shoot & Share: The Power of Camera Phones
Due to their convenience and instant display, camera phones have had a massive impact in our culture. The sounds of gunfire on the Virginia Tech campus; the taunts from Saddam Hussein's execution; and the racist tirade of comedian Michael Richards are just a few recent examples of powerful videos shot with cell phone cameras and seen by millions.
According to AP report, currently, 41 percent of American households own a camera phone and you can hardly find a phone without a camera anymore. Read more
(May 28, 2007)
AT&T Wireless Stores to Serve as Cell Phone Recycling Drop-Off Locations
AT&T Inc. announced today that all AT&T owned wireless store locations nationwide will become wireless phone recycling drop-off sites for a charitable program that benefits U.S. military families. The new recycling program, which was started by two teenagers, was announced just days before Memorial Day and will be available in all company owned stores across the U.S. by Independence Day.
Cell Phones for Soldiers (http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/) was established by two Norwell, Mass., teenagers to help buy prepaid phone cards for U.S. military members who
are serving overseas. The teens, Brittany Bergquist, 16, and Robbie Bergquist, 15, created a nonprofit organization that collects and recycles used wireless phones. With proceeds from the recycling, the organization then purchases prepaid phone cards for military families.
(May 24, 2007)
Briton Makes Phone Call from Summit of Mt. Everest
According to an AFP report, a British man has set a world record by making the first mobile telephone call from the summit of Mount Everest. Using a Motorola MOTO Z8 phone from 29,035 feet, he first called a special voice-mail account and then made a second call to his wife and family, a spokeswoman for Motorola Inc. said. He also sent a text message to a Motorola employee.
His achievement was made possible by China Telecom, which has set up a mobile phone tower at base camp on the north side of the mountain. Read more.
(May 23, 2007)
New Cell Phone Widget Finds Cheapest Gas Station
A free service unveiled by start-up Mobio Networks allows users of some 50 supported cell phone models to use mobile Web services to locate the lowest local gasoline prices.
The company said the Cheap Gas widget, or mini-application, is now included in its free GetMobio downloadable suite of 50 applications and widgets, bringing a wide range of services to cell phone mobile Web users. Read more.
(May 22, 2007)
Text Messaging Racks Up A Huge Phone Bill
Text messaging is regarded as one of the current teen generation's inexplicable behaviors. Teenagers are texting furiously for years.Texting is unique because it is a quick and easy form of communication. Billions of text messages are sent every day.
According to a Washington Post report, teenagers' incessant text-messaging habits are blowing their budget with a huge phone bill on the family's wireless plan. Read more.
(May 21, 2007)
Motorola launches MOTO Z8 Multimedia Phone
Motorola announced the debut of the MOTO Z8, featuring crystal clear video capture and playback at 30 frames per second and up to 32GB of expandable memory. The unique ergonomic slider design glides open and kicks out for a perfect fit-to-face curved profile.
The MOTO Z8 is expected to hit shelves in Europe and Asia in June. It will enable entertainment fans to get mobile TV, video and music all on one device. As an added bonus, a 512MB memory card will be included in-box pre-loaded with a full-length feature film ?“The Bourne Identity??from Universal Pictures
(May 18, 2007)
FCC Approved the iPhone for Sale in US.
According to the Reuters report, FCC approved Apple Inc.'s iPhone for sale in the United States on Thursday paving the way for the much anticipated device to be sold by the wireless unit of AT&T in late June.
The FCC documents confirm that the phone is a dual-band GSM phone, with support for 850 MHz and 1900 MHz. It also has Bluetooth and 802.11g Wi-Fi. They also show that the phone's compliance label will be laser etched on the phone's aluminum backing.
(May 17, 2007)
Motorola Unveils Razr 2
Motorola unveiled the Razr 2 was as the centrepiece to a new phone lineup. The Razr 2 is a follow-up to the original Razr, introduced in 2004. Motorola said it would sell its 100 millionth Razr phone in a few weeks.
The new version is thinner than the original, has a second screen on the outside, and has more memory and an improved user interface. It is also made of sturdy stainless steel and chemically hardened glass. Read more.
(May 16, 2007)
Sprint Nextel To Offer ABC, Disney Shows On Mobile
Sprint Nextel Corp. and Disney-ABC Television Group have formed a partnership to offer ABC and Disney television programs on Sprint's mobile phones.
Sprint Nextel will offer programs from ABC Entertainment, ABC News and the Disney Channel. The content is available in two forms: on demand and via three "linear" mobile channels, which stream continuous scheduled programming throughout the day. Read more.
(May 15, 2007)
Households Increasingly Have Only Wireless Phones
The number of adults who use a cell phone instead of a landline telephone at home has more than tripled in the last four years, CDD's survey showed.
During the last 6 months of 2006, more than 3 out of every 20 American homes (15.8%) did not have a landline telephone. Of those homes without a landline telephone, most had at least one working wireless telephone. Preliminary results from NHIS suggest that more than one out of every eight American homes (at least 12.8%) had only wireless telephones during the second half of 2006. Read more.
(May 14, 2007)
Helio Launches Dual Slide Phone
Los Angeles-based mobile service provider Helio announced the long-anticipated availability of its Ocean phone. The Ocean is a dual-slider 3G phone combining a traditional numeric keypad and a separate full QWERTY keyboard in a single device. Read more.
The company also announced that Helio memberships are now available with unlimited voice minutes. Called the “All-In?membership, the plan offers unlimited voice minutes at $145 per month and includes unlimited text messages, picture messages, 3G network access and Helio services.
(May 12, 2007)
Blackberry Users Can Use Skype
RIMM has beat them to the punch allowing its users to virtually eliminate their cell phone bills. Blackberry smart phones will be able to utilize the Skype service for a $30 annual fee. Users will receive unlimited calling to computers using Skype or any landline or mobile phone. This means that Blackberry users will save hundreds, maybe over a thousand dollars a year on wireless service.
IM+ from Shape Services is the first Skype client for the BlackBerry. On the PC, Skype users can make voice calls to each other for free over the Internet, or call regular cell phones and landlines for as little as two cents per minute.
Skype has previously been available on certain Wi-Fi-enabled phones, which required Wi-Fi Internet access to function. IM+ uses Wi-Fi or your provider's 3G, GSM or CDMA data network to make calls over the Internet. This means you could cancel your voice plan and use only your data plan for Internet, e-mail and calls.
(May 11, 2007)
J.D. Power Study: Wireless Call Quality Problems Continue
to Decline
According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Wireless Call Quality
Performance Study released on March 15, 2007, the overall rate of
customers experiencing a wireless call quality problem has declined
for a third consecutive reporting wave as the number of reported
wireless problems reaches historically low levels.
The study finds that the percentage of wireless calls with at least
one problem has declined by 14 percent since the last two reporting
periods (March-April and June-July 2006). Considerable improvements
have been made with regard to interference/static, voice distortion
and echoes. The number of calls with interference/static and voice
distortion has decreased by 33 percent compared with the last reporting
period in 2006, while the number of calls experiencing echoes, which
occur when voice patterns become inconsistent due to digital frequency
issues, has decreased by 20 percent over the same time period.
Verizon Wireless performs particularly well in the study, ranking
highest in four of the six U.S. regions examined, while tying with
Qwest to rank highest in a fifth region. U.S. Cellular also ranks
highest in one region.
(March 16, 2007)
The Samsung BlackJack is a compact 3G PDA phone exclusively for Cingular. This smart phone is both a PDA and phone giving you the ability to stay connected by checking email, sending or receiving text messages, IM or multimedia messages, explore the Internet, watch streaming video or listen to satellite radio or download your own tunes – all with the advantages of simultaneous voice and data. Read more.
September 1, 2010
Sony Ericsson has unveiled 5 megapixel camera phone: Cyber-shot K850. The new GSM handset includes a 5 megapixel sensor and a lens with auto focus and an accompanying Xenon flash. The new handset also includes quad-band GSM and a tri-band HSDPA radio and will be available in the US in the fall.
Nokia is launching its much-awaited N77 multimedia computer phone that lets the user watch live TV on phone starting in Finland.