Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

NEWS ABOUT: cell phone industry

Hello, Senators? Greedy Cell Phone Biz Needs Attention

(Newser) - It's nice to see Congress looking out for the cell phone customer with hearings on carrier exclusivity, but there's plenty of dubious practices in the business they should look into before they worry about getting us all Verizon iPhones, David Pogue writes in the New York Times. 
  • Texting fees.
... More »

Arbitration Firms Quit Consumer Debt Biz

Credit card, cell phone companies scramble to collect by themselves

(Newser) - Credit card and cell phone companies are scrambling as two major arbitration firms back out of the business of settling consumer disputes, the Wall Street Journal reports. The National Arbitration Forum—accused in a Minnesota lawsuit of misleading consumers into thinking it was impartial—will stop taking cases this week,... More »

Why Don't We Have Cool Japanese Cell Phones?

Makers stifled by hardware too advanced to leave country

(Newser) - Able to surf the internet, stand in for credit cards, and check body fat, Japan’s smartphones make ours look primitive—yet we’re sticking with what we have. That’s because Japan’s phone makers have been “a little too clever,” writes Hiroko Tabuchi in the New ... More »

iPhone Too Dainty? Rugged Competitors Can Take Beating

New offerings can be used as hammers, soaked, dropped

(Newser) - The iPhone might be pretty, but it’s probably best not to use it as a hammer. If you’re looking for a phone that can handle such treatment—and can be thrown, showered with, or plunged into beer—your best bet may be one of the rugged models from... More »

Japan's Mobile Network Buckles Under Porn Demand

(Newser) - Japan's mammoth 3G wireless network is beginning to buckle as users download world-record amounts of porn, Bloomberg reports. Mobile carriers have been forced to restrict the heaviest users of their "unlimited plans" to prevent outages. Privacy laws prevent the firms from saying what is being downloaded, but porn providers... More »

EU to Get Universal Phone Chargers by 2010

Plan expected to reduce electronic waste, make life simpler for consumers

(Newser) - Cell phone makers have agreed to introduce a one-size-fits-all charger in the European Union within the next six months, CNN reports. The deal is expected to reduce the tens of thousands of tons of chargers thrown away every year, and should hasten the introduction of a universal charger for the... More »

Free Market Rings Up 4B Cell Phones Worldwide

6 in 10 connected, thanks to private biz

(Newser) - The global explosion in cell phone use is a timely reminder of what free markets can achieve, David A. Gross writes in the Christian Science Monitor. There are now more than 4 billion mobile connections worldwide, two-thirds of them in developing countries, according to a new UN report. This leap... More »

Prepaid Cell Phones Are New Frugal Chic

Pay-as-you-go replaces contracts as consumers cut spending

(Newser) - More customers are turning to Tony Soprano-style, pay-as-you-go cell phones, and not just to avoid wiretaps. As the recession forces consumers to cut costs, all-inclusive prepaid plans are the new frugal option, reports the New York Times. "In today’s economy, it’s not cool to pay $120 a... More »

Universal Phone Charger Coming

(Newser) - This should make it easier to charge your phone: Most of the big players in the industry said today they will work toward a universal charger by 2012, Wired reports. That means a standard USB cable will do the trick, no matter the brand. However, Wired notes one notable absence... More »

Palm Pre Gets Big Thumbs Up

Demo of new smartphone has revi

(Newser) - Palm's new Pre smartphone is the hottest product at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show by a long stretch, a smitten Lance Ulanoff writes at PC Magazine. Ulanoff heard a lot about the Pre before yesterday's rollout, but was still blown away by the smartphone's impressive specs, fresh interface, and groundbreaking... More »

Palm Unveils 'Pre' Smartphone

(Newser) - Palm unveiled a new smartphone today, the Pre, which it hopes will compete with the iPhone and restore the company’s place in the market, the New York Times reports. Industry experts say it won't be easy. The Pre has a touchscreen, 8 gigs of storage, and a new operating... More »

Economy May Be Death Knell for Landlines ... Even Cable

If consumers are forced to pare down, high-speed internet connection has trump

(Newser) - An economy that’s stuck in “slow” could soon have consumers making choices about whether to keep their cable TV or Internet connections, and weighing whether they need a telephone landline, reports Advertising Age. A high-speed connection that can provide access to the Internet, phone service and even entertainment... More »

Ringback Tones a Goldmine

Sales expected to triple, to $4.7B, by 2012, new report says

(Newser) - Ringback tones—the music callers hear while waiting for the party they’re calling to answer the phone—are sounding less like Justin Timberlake and more like a cash register to wireless providers. Sales of ringback tones should triple to $4.7 billion by 2012, CNET reports. That’s almost... More »

'Wearable' Gadgets Respond to Body Movements

Japanese wireless carrier tests new technologies

(Newser) - Someday, you may be able to tap your fingers to control your DVD player or roll your eyes to pump up your music player’s volume—if technology under development by Japan's top mobile carrier comes to fruition, the AP reports. A cell phone shaped like a large ring that... More »

Nokia Moves to Counter iPhone

Focus on smartphones evident in $410M plan to swallow software maker Symbian

(Newser) - In a move aimed at bolstering its ability to compete with Apple's iPhone, Nokia is acquiring smartphone software-maker Symbian and moving toward increased cooperation with other mobile-phone industry veterans. Top handset makers and providers will participate in a nonprofit foundation to handle marketing and coordination for developers, and Symbian will... More »

Samsung's Instinct: Smart, if Not an iPhone

Sprint's touchscreen phone's no giant killer, but it's a contender

(Newser) - It isn’t an iPhone. But, says New York Times technology writer David Pogue, Samsung’s soon-to-be released touchscreen phone, called Instinct—while a little less sleek than the iconic iPhone—isn’t a bad effort. The newest iPhone wannabe debuts June 20 when Sprint Nextel rolls it out at... More »

New iPhone GPS Would Rock Nav System World

Added technology could spell doom for portable navigation devices

(Newser) - Apple is likely to announce the addition of GPS to the iPhone tomorrow—and that’s bad news for makers of portable satellite-navigation systems, Wired reports. It could also be a dangerous distraction for those on the road, as drivers increasingly turn to tiny mobile-phone screens for directions. The number... More »

iPhone May Be Too Low-Tech for Japan

Consumers love their gizmos, and Apple has relatively few

(Newser) - The new iPhone will be in Japan at the end of the year, but it may not be souped up enough for consumers there, Wired reports. Japanese phones tend to have an endless array of cool features such as live TV and Wii-style games. Even though most people hardly ever... More »

Apple Ready With June 9 iPhone Splash

Millions of 3G versions already in US, ready to be uncloaked: analysts

(Newser) - The much-anticipated next generation of iPhones, which are expected to be faster and built around a more robust communications chip, may already be positioned in major US markets, Forbes reports. Analysts believe the 3G version will debut—or, given unprecedented secrecy even for Apple, be uncloaked—at a conference next... More »

FCC to Examine Cancellation Fees for Cable, Phone, Web

Agency responding to consumer complaints

(Newser) - The FCC says next month’s hearing on cell phone cancellation fees may also include similar charges leveled by cable and Internet providers. Chairman Kevin Martin hopes the hearing will ease consumer tension over the fees, which were among cell phone users’ five most common complaints last year, the Washington ... More »

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne