Mobile and Wireless Industry News
Current business and technology news about the mobile and wireless industries.
Constantly updated from news sources around the world. For consumer news
about cell phones, see Mobilook's Cell Phone Consumer
News.
Ultra Mobile PC Buyer's Guide - 14 hours ago
We look at a range of versatile UMPCs and mobile Internet devices (MIDs) from ASUS, Gigabyte, and Samsung, Amtek, OQO, Roan Digital, Vye, and WiBrain.
New Laws Drive Wireless Headset Sales - 1 day ago
In a move that could give a welcome, if short-lived, boost to consumer electronics makers and retailers, consumers up and down the West Coast are snapping up headsets that let them talk on cell phones while driving -- and stay in compliance with a law that took effect in California and Washington state on July 1. Demand for hands-free headsets has been so robust that the Verizon Wireless store in San Mateo, Calif., added a whole new section for the devices, says store manager Aari Jethmal. "The shelves have been cleared and restocked and cleared and restocked." Verizon Wireless, owned by Verizon Communications and Vodafone, is the second-largest U.S. mobile-phone provider, after AT&T. Sales Boost Expected The law, which stipulates penalties for driving while talking on a handheld cell phone, is a boon for Plantronics and other makers of headsets that use so-called Bluetooth wireless connectivity. "Historically Bluetooth headsets have been a low-margin product, so they would need to drive significant product to move the bottom-line needle," says Avondale Partners analyst John Bright, who has an "outperform" rating on Plantronics shares. "Luckily California is the largest state and a heavy cell-phone usage state, so it certainly bodes well for heavy volume." On June 26, Bright raised his estimate for Plantronics' June quarter earnings by a penny, to 35 percent a share, in anticipation of the law taking effect. That's a cent higher than the average of Wall Street estimates. The shares have gotten little apparent lift since the law kicked in, slipping to 21.05 on July 2, from 22.32 on June 30. Plantronics expects a sales boost in California for the second and third quarters, says spokesman Dan Race, though he didn't provide specifics. "We're seeing good interest in our premium products," Race says. Other Bluetooth manufacturers poised to benefit include Motorola; GN Netcom, maker of...
Asustek to Offer Eee PC With Built-in 3G Wireless
(PC World)
- 2 days ago
PC World - Asustek will offer an Eee PC later this year with built-in 3G connectivity.
Mobile Music A $7.3 Billion Industry By 2011 - 2 days ago
Research firm eMarketer predicts that music sales as a whole will continue to decline, but online and mobile markets will grow rapidly.
Suit Seeks Information on U.S. Cell-Phone Tracking
(NewsFactor)
- 2 days ago
NewsFactor - The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are suing the Department of Justice to obtain official records concerning the U.S. government's possible use of cell-phone-tracking technology to spy on individuals without first obtaining a court order based on probable cause.
Openmoko's Neo FreeRunner Smartphone Really Is Open
(NewsFactor)
- 2 days ago
NewsFactor - Openmoko has taken the wraps off its Neo FreeRunner, a Linux-based smartphone based on the company's open mobile-computing platform. Before you yawn about reading yet another product-introduction story -- especially about a handset that lacks 3G capability -- what sets the Neo FreeRunner apart is that it really is open, literally and figuratively.
RIM Gets A Delay In Visto Patent Trial - 2 days ago
In a case that could shut down RIM's network, the judge has granted a stay until the disputed patents are fully reviewed.
Google Talk Revamped For Apple's iPhone - 2 days ago
In order to accommodate the restrictions that Apple placed on iPhone apps to conserve system resources, this version of Google Talk shuts down if you launch another application.
Nokia 6220 Smartphone Released
(TechWeb)
- 2 days ago
TechWeb - InformationWeek - The Nokia 6220 classic design includes 3G connectivity, compatibility with Microsoft Office applications, Bluetooth capabilities, and a 5-megapixel camera.
Nokia 6220 Smartphone Released - 2 days ago
The Nokia 6220 classic design includes 3G connectivity, compatibility with Microsoft Office applications, Bluetooth capabilities, and a 5-megapixel camera.
Suit Seeks Information on U.S. Cell-Phone Tracking - 2 days ago
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are suing the Department of Justice to obtain official records concerning the U.S. government's possible use of cell-phone-tracking technology to spy on individuals without first obtaining a court order based on probable cause. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the civil-liberties groups said the DOJ failed to provide an adequate and timely response to a records request filed last year under the Freedom of Information Act. "This is a critical opportunity to shed much-needed light on possibly unconstitutional government surveillance techniques," said Catherine Crump, the ACLU lead attorney. "Signing up for cell-phone services should not be synonymous with signing up to be spied on and tracked by the government." Complying With Current Law At least some U.S. attorneys may have violated a DOJ "internal recommendation" that "federal prosecutors seek warrants based on probable cause to obtain precise location data in private areas," according to a Washington Post article published last November. Moreover, the ACLU said other media reports have raised the possibility that law-enforcement officers may have obtained tracking data directly from the nation's mobile carriers without any court involvement. Due to the limited amount of information currently available about the government's tracking practices, the ACLU said it believes the lack of information on the issue raises serious questions about whether the government is complying with current law and the U.S. Constitution. "The government's policies and practices for monitoring the locations of mobile phones are unclear," the ACLU noted in its original records request. "It is not even apparent whether the government routinely obtains mobile-phone location information without any court supervision whatsoever." Information pertaining to the DOJ's procedures for obtaining real-time tracking information is vital to the public's understanding of the privacy risks of carrying a mobile...
Openmoko's Neo FreeRunner Smartphone Really Is Open - 2 days ago
Openmoko has taken the wraps off its Neo FreeRunner, a Linux-based smartphone based on the company's open mobile-computing platform. Before you yawn about reading yet another product-introduction story -- especially about a handset that lacks 3G capability -- what sets the Neo FreeRunner apart is that it really is open, literally and figuratively. The company's black, oval-shaped smartphones are built for users to actually open. For example, buyers will be able to take the unit's casing apart to get at the electronic circuitry. Openmoko says it will even supply the tools to make opening the device a snap. And the handset's flexible development platform will allow designers to create Linux-based mobile applications for specialized markets, Taiwan-based Openmoko said. The goal is to empower developers and consumers alike to personalize their devices, much like a PC. Under the Hood Measuring 4.75 x 2.44 x 0.73 inches and tipping the scales at 6.5 oz, the Neo Freerunner sports a 2.8-inch touchscreen with a display resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. Underneath the hood, the handset integrates chips for connecting tirelessly with functions and services compatible with the Bluetooth 2.0, GPS and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) standards. The handset uses a 400-MHz ARM9 processor, 128MB of WSDRAM and 256MB of NAND Flash memory. Though there is no camera, the smartphone has two three-axis motion sensors and a microSD expansion-card slot. The Neo FreeRunner is a tri-band GSM device that comes in 850/1800/1900-MHz and 900/1800/1900-MHz forms. To find out which Neo to buy, Openmoko suggests that prospective buyers first determine the GSM bands supported in their home markets. Customization Options On the software side, the new handset can dial numbers, send and receive SMS text, and record personalized contact information. Openmoko expects to supplement these with downloads, beginning with the release next month of a software suite that will include...
Hands-Free Driving Likely To Spur More Voice Recognition - 2 days ago
New rules in California and Washington make the market ripe for improved speech-enabled cell phone applications, a Nuance study suggests.
Hands-Free Driving Likely To Spur More Voice Recognition
(TechWeb)
- 2 days ago
TechWeb - InformationWeek - New rules in California and Washington make the market ripe for improved speech-enabled cell phone applications, a Nuance study suggests.
Spain says mobile operators colluded on price
(Reuters)
- 2 days ago
Reuters - Three mobile phone operators in Spain fixed tariffs in March 2007 to compensate for a new law banning rounding up call periods, Spain's Competition Commission said on Thursday, citing initial findings of an investigation.
Firefox Browser Share Tops 19 Percent as Record Set - 2 days ago
The Mozilla Foundation has set a world record and achieved new heights in its battle for browser market share. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Mozilla's Firefox 3.0 Web browser set a record for the most downloads in a day. It was the first time a browser-maker attempted to set a record. Mozilla set the record with 8,002,530 downloads in June. The Mozilla Foundation will receive the official certificate in London next week. "Setting a world record really doesn't matter. It's a marketing stunt," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch. "At the end of the day you still have to look at who has the overwhelming browser market share. It still belongs to Microsoft." Breaking Down Browser Shares Indeed, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is still the dominant browser. But Firefox is gaining ground, according to a new report from Net Applications. The release of Firefox 3.0 on June 17 spurred rapid usage gains, topping four percent worldwide. In the first hour after the product was released, Firefox 3.0 gained one percent of worldwide market share. Firefox 3 gains came mostly from users upgrading from Firefox 2, while its overall usage share grew about .4 percent, primarily at the expense of Internet Explorer, according to Net Applications. IE's market share dipped from 73.75 percent in May to 73.01 percent at the end of June, Net Applications' latest data shows. Firefox increased its overall share during the same period from 18.41 percent to 19.03 percent. Is Firefox Really the Safest Browser? In a flurry of good news reports for Firefox, Mozilla users are most likely to be using the latest versions of their browsers, with 83 percent of Firefox users patched, according to joint research from Google, IBM and Communications Systems Group in Switzerland. By contrast, only 63.3 percent of Safari users and 56.1 percent of Opera...
Vodafone says to buy majority share in Ghana Telecom
(AFP)
- 2 days ago
AFP - British mobile phone giant Vodafone said on Thursday it had agreed to buy a 70-percent stake in Ghana Telecommunications for 452 million pounds (566 million euros, 900 million dollars).
What's Ailing Handset Maker Sony Ericsson? - 2 days ago
When handset maker Sony Ericsson signed tennis star Maria Sharapova last January as its first-ever global brand ambassador, it was hoping her cachet would boost sales of its high-end multimedia gadgets, which are facing a lot more competition these days from the likes of Nokia, Samsung, and Apple. But the glamorous Russian lost badly this year at both the French Open and Wimbledon, leaving some sportswriters to question whether Sharapova's best tennis days are behind her. That makes her a somewhat ironic choice for spokesperson, as some mobile industry analysts are starting to ask similar questions about Sony Ericsson. The Japanese-Swedish phonemaker scored big a few years back with a series of devices built around Sony's iconic Walkman marque. But analysts say the sub-brand has become a bit stale and Sony Ericsson hasn't yet been able to serve up another ace. Indeed, some are even starting to compare Sony Ericsson to Motorola, which stumbled by relying too long on its once hot-selling Razr series. All of this helps explain why the company issued a profit warning June 28. The joint venture of Sony and Ericsson said it will likely only break even in the second quarter, blaming lower market demand for mid- to high-end mobile phones and delays to new products planned for the quarter. Sales Falling Across the Industry It was Sony Ericsson's second profit warning of the year. In the first quarter, the company reported a 47 percent year-over-year decline in pretax profits, to $304 million, on sales down 8 percent, to $4.2 billion. The full set of second-quarter financial results will be announced July 18, and Sony Ericsson declined to make executives available to discuss its financials or market conditions in the interim. To some extent, Sony Ericsson's woes are shared by the industry as a whole. Mobile-phone sales fell 16 percent in...
Nokia Tries Apple's Tune with Fledgling Music Service - 2 days ago
Nokia wants some of Apple's rhythm. On July 1 the Finnish mobile-phone maker said that Warner Music Group has agreed to participate in Nokia's fledgling music service, making Warner the third of the major record labels to join in the effort. The move is one more step in Nokia's effort to compete against Apple for the people who want to carry around music libraries in their pockets. Nokia's service, which will officially launch in the second half of this year, is called Comes With Music. It will be built into certain Nokia handsets and will allow customers to download unlimited amounts of music from participating labels. The downloaded music can be kept on a PC or mobile-phone forever. In theory, a consumer could download every single song from the labels' catalogs; they'd simply need a very big hard drive on which to store the files. Nokia and its partners have not disclosed pricing for the service, but they believe it has plenty of potential. "We believe this will be a significant contributor of revenue over a long-term basis for Nokia," says Liz Schimel, global head of music for Nokia. (Almost) All Aboard The record labels seem to be buying that argument. Universal Music Group in December signed up with Nokia, and Sony BMG Music Entertainment partnered with the service in April. A spokesperson for EMI Group, the sole major label yet to join, says the company is talking with Nokia, although no deal has been reached. Nokia says it is in talks with independent labels as well. For the music industry, the Nokia venture represents a departure from the old ways of doing business. Susan Kevorkian, program director of consumer markets at research firm IDC, says there is "broader experimentation" as CD sales decline and music revenues slide overall. For record companies, it may...
Making Yourself @Home with T-Mobile's New Plan - 2 days ago
T-Mobile USA is breaking new ground. On July 2, the U.S. wireless calling division of Germany's Deutsche Telekom is introducing home-phone calling for as low as $10 a month, a fraction of the price charged by traditional phone companies including AT&T and Internet-calling providers such as Vonage. Analysts have said T-Mobile's @Home is really targeted at users of rival wireless calling services. Watch out, Verizon Wireless. I've tested @Home, and I'm impressed with the results. Akin to an Internet calling service, T-Mobile @Home routes calls via a home broadband connection. The service is available for $10 a month to T-Mobile subscribers who are already paying at least $40 a month for their wireless calls. The necessary Wi-Fi router costs $50 for customers who sign a two-year contract; otherwise it's $150. [And remember that you'll still need a high-speed Internet connection.] What You Get That monthly 10 bucks goes a long way. Besides unlimited local and long-distance calling, you also get voice mail, call forwarding, three-way conference calling, call waiting, and-:for phones with displays-:caller ID. The service also keeps a log of calls made and received on your My T-Mobile Web page, where wireless customers also can check balances and pay bills. There's other convenient overlap with T-Mobile wireless calling. The same number works for checking voice mail [123], and T-Mobile puts home and wireless calling on the same bill. [For an extra $10 a month, the service also lets you make unlimited cell-phone calls from home.] Router set-up is a snap, too. Slide a CD into your computer for step-by-step instructions on connecting the device both to your home broadband and to a landline. I was done in 10 minutes flat, a personal best. Installing Web-calling services is often nettlesome and can take hours, involving calls to customer service. Best of all, I found call quality...
  |
