cell phone industry

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In the Works: Wireless Bill of Rights

States fight feds over who will regulate

(Newser) - Wireless carriers seem to have angered a few too many consumers with hidden fees and surprise charges. Politicians in 22 states are considering various versions of a wireless consumers’ bill of rights, reports BusinessWeek. But the wireless industry, daunted at facing different regulations in every state, is throwing its weight...

AT&T, Verizon Will Dominate New Airwaves

Wireless spectrum auction saw no major first-time entrant

(Newser) - AT&T and Verizon were the two top bidders in the airwaves auction that ended this week, representing 80% of the FCC’s record $19.6 billion haul and positioning themselves to offer advanced wireless Internet services, reports the Wall Street Journal. Google, sans licenses, was another winner, gaining open...

Verizon Opens Its Network to Outside Phones

Provider answers calls for more open industry

(Newser) - Verizon will open its cell-phone service to any phone builder willing to meet its technical specs, the Wall Street Journal reports. The provider has so far restricted access to its own retailer, but hopes to stave off pressure from regulators, consumers, and tech companies pushing for a more universal industry.

The Next Big Thing: Live TV on Your Phone

Free new Spanish system could replace download services

(Newser) - A new way to watch TV on your phone is in the works in Spain, the Wall Street Journal reports. DVB-H technology, from a small company called Abertis Telecom, will let users tune into live broadcasts rather than pre-recorded shows. What some are calling the next big thing in cell...

Phone Makers Chase Fickle Customers
Phone Makers Chase Fickle Customers
Feb 29, 2008 11:15 AM CST

Phone Makers Chase Fickle Customers

Execs obsess over consumer wants, 'subliminal' needs

(Newser) - With the cellphone industry increasingly hit-driven, phone designers are plumbing the consumer psyche through cultural experts and focus groups, reports the New York Times. "Our job is to be behaviorists and psychologists," says an exec. Competition has heated up as consumers buy—and discard—phones at an ever-faster...

Sprint Nextel Takes $29B Loss as Customers Walk

Loss includes huge one-time writedown; company announces cover-everything plan

(Newser) - Sprint Nextel posted a net fourth-quarter loss of $29.45 billion and doesn’t expect a quick recovery, the Wall Street Journal reports. The No. 3 US wireless company will hold off dividend payments and draw down credit lines for protection as more customers leave the service. It has also...

Motorola Left Holding Troubled Handset Unit

With no buyer in sight for wireless equipment division, company may look to self-reform

(Newser) - It’s looking increasingly important for Motorola to shore up its troubled handset unit itself, as no buyers have materialized in the near-month since the company said it was exploring options for the business, reports BusinessWeek. Fixing the problematic division would make it easier to attract a higher sale price,...

Cell Carriers Roll Out Unlimited Calls for $100/Month

Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile get with the program

(Newser) - Cell phone users tired of rationing their minutes have a new alternative—unlimited calling plans for $99.99 a month. Verizon Wireless yesterday introduced a nationwide plan with no domestic roaming or long-distance fees, AP reports. AT&T quickly announced a matching plan, and T-Mobile execs say they’ll unveil...

Reorganization Shakes Microsoft Management

Cellphone, online services VPs out

(Newser) - Under pressure from strong competition, especially in the cellphone business, Microsoft revealed a major executive shakeup yesterday, reports the New York Times. Mobile communications operations senior VP Pieter Knook is heading off to help Vodafone get into mobile Internet services, according to the Wall Street Journal. Another big departure is...

At Cell Phone Trade Show, Eyes on Google

But company keeps low profile as it pushes phone software

(Newser) - At this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Google kept to the shadows, holding meetings away from the crowds as it pursued its telecom future. But its presence was everywhere as companies discussed Android, Google’s new phone platform, the New York Times reports. Android faces resistance from phone...

25% of iPhones Get Unlocked
25% of iPhones Get Unlocked
Feb 13, 2008 9:38 AM CST

25% of iPhones Get Unlocked

Gray market Apple handsets getting reconfigured globally

(Newser) - The worldwide demand for the iPhone is creating a growing gray market where the phones are bought and sold outside of Apple’s restrictions, BusinessWeek reports. The devices are supposed to operate only through cell phone carriers who have contracts with Apple. But as many as 1 million iPhones, or...

Motorola, Nortel Talk Joint Venture
Motorola,
Nortel Talk
Joint Venture
Feb 11, 2008 12:53 PM CST

Motorola, Nortel Talk Joint Venture

Latest deal in ailing telecom-equipment industry

(Newser) - Motorola and Nortel are in talks about a possible merger of their wireless-infrastructure units, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. In the works is a joint venture with Nortel holding a majority stake and likely revenues of around $10 billion from sales of network equipment for wireless phone carriers. The...

Windows Mobile Bandwagon Gets Bigger
Windows Mobile Bandwagon Gets Bigger
Feb 11, 2008 11:59 AM CST

Windows Mobile Bandwagon Gets Bigger

Sony Ericsson joins; only Nokia holds out

(Newser) - Sony Ericsson will join most of the world’s other top cell phone makers in offering a smartphone based on the Windows Mobile operating system, leaving only industry leader Nokia without a Windows Mobile version. The first of the company’s new phones, called the “Xperia X1,” will...

Google Phone Rumors Swirl
Google Phone Rumors Swirl
Feb 8, 2008 10:34 AM CST

Google Phone Rumors Swirl

ARM to show prototype at Mobile World Congress: source

(Newser) - The public will finally get to see Google’s Android cellphone platform in action at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week, a source told Reuters. British chip maker ARM will show the prototype, the source said, though ARM and Google declined comment. The first phones and services based on...

Apple Lets Businesses in on iPhones
Apple Lets Businesses in on iPhones
Jan 21, 2008 4:37 PM CST

Apple Lets Businesses in on iPhones

Corporate-focused data plan costs $25 extra each month

(Newser) - Get ready to send a more fashionable Out-of-Office Auto Reply. Apple and AT&T today revealed their first iPhone plans for businesses, allowing for discounted voice plans but charging a $25 monthly premium for data plans. New customers must sign up for a 2-year agreement, and existing AT&T customers...

Recyclers Turn Discarded Cellphones into 'Green Gold'

Waste from old electronics can pose a threat, or turn a profit

(Newser) - With a smelter burning at more than 2,100 degrees, Belgian recycler Umicore turns tons of e-waste - discarded cellphones, computers and televisions - into “green gold,” extracting precious metals in a process that, while not environmentaly pure is, in Greenpeace’s eyes, preferable to burying the waste...

New Year's SMS Jam Sends Bad Message

Experts worry about network overloads in future crises

(Newser) - When the ball dropped to usher in 2008 so many people texted New Year's tidings that mobile networks jammed, the AP reports. Sadly, this is nothing new: Bounced missives in the midst of disasters like 9/11, the '03 blackout, and Katrina can be life and death matters. But full backup...

Nokia Divides Itself to Focus on Mobile Net

New corporate structure emphasizes services and software

(Newser) - Furthering its plans to transform into a mobile Internet company, Nokia has announced a corporate reorganization into three divisions: devices, software and services, and markets. It’s the focus on software and services, Fortune writes, that’s exceptional for the world’s largest phone manufacturer, and signals the seriousness of...

Nokia Wins Big on Luxe Phones
Nokia Wins Big on Luxe Phones
Dec 24, 2007 4:25 PM CST

Nokia Wins Big on Luxe Phones

Decked-out cell phones seen as status symbol for mega-rich

(Newser) - Nokia is enjoying increasing success with its Vertu subsidiary, a maker of luxury cellphones, as a super expensive phone becomes a status symbol for the mega-rich. Der Spiegel reports that Vertu phones, which come diamond- or gold-encrusted, make the iPhone look absolutely pedestrian with a price range from $6,500...

Cell Bills Trump Land Line Charges for 1st Time

Americans have 250M mobiles, 170M home lines

(Newser) - US households racked up bigger cellphone than land line bills in 2007 for the first time ever, analysts say. Only 6 years ago, households spent three times more on residential phone bills than on mobiles, a disparity that shrank to an average difference of only $28 by 2006. Now, with...

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