2008 Study on Handset

Stories

11 Stories

May 2008
- Cell Phone Market Nears Saturation
  
  USA Today | May 30, 08 8:46 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The number of Americans signing up for cell phone service is slowing down after more than a decade of explosive growth, reports USA Today . Within a couple of years, experts say, just about everybody who wants a cell phone will have one, meaning good news for consumers as companies focus on luring each other's customers away instead of signing up new ones. More »
- Yes On Phones, No On Talking: Poll
  
  PC World | May 23, 08 4:30 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Americans want wireless service on airplanes, but not voice calls, PC World reports. A survey finds 60% would use silent features like texting and email, but 74% think that no matter what, conversations shouldn’t be allowed. Americans "don't want to be forced to listen to the conversation of the passenger sitting next to them," a pollster says. More »
- BlackBerry Holds Its Own Against iPhone
  
  Forbes | May 14, 08 1:21 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The release of the new 3G BlackBerry Bold Monday sent Research in Motion’s shares up 6.93%, to $141.97. The reason, according to Forbes , is the BlackBerry’s business focus, which lets it maintain its edge over the popular but business-weak iPhone. The Bold apes the iPhone in design, but integrates smoothly with business email and other systems, unlike its smartphone rival. More »
- Online Apple Stores Sold Out of iPhones
  
  Bloomberg | May 12, 08 8:11 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Apple’s online stores in the US and UK are sold out of iPhones, Bloomberg reports. The shortage is stoking analysts' predictions that a new handset will be released a month earlier than expected, after Apple's developer conference in June. The new phones are said to boast faster download speeds, thanks to access to 3G data networks. More »
April 2008
- ATT to Offer Half-Priced iPhone
  
  Fortune Magazine | Apr 30, 08 11:43 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The new iPhone will have not only a GPS chip and a slimmer silhouette, but a much lower price tag than its predecessor, Fortune reports. AT&T will subsidize as much as half the cost of each phone bought along with a 2-year contract, a source tells Fortune , bringing the price to an industry-competitive $199. The new phones would be locked to prevent customers from using them with rival carriers. More »
- Slumping Razr Sales Slash Moto Earnings
  
  Bloomberg | Apr 24, 08 7:59 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Apple and Nokia chewed away at Motorola’s cellphone market share, pushing the troubled handset maker to a larger first-quarter loss than expected, Bloomberg reports. Moto lost $194 million, or 9 cents a share, and revenues fell 21% to $7.45 billion. The company also issued a bleak forecast for Q2 as handset shipments plunged 40%. Moto plans to spin off its handset unit this year. More »
February 2008
- Motorola Left Holding Troubled Handset Unit
  
  BusinessWeek | Feb 25, 08 12:07 PM CST
  
  (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, spin it off as a more valuable asset, or even retain the unit. More »
- India Rolls Out $20 Cell Phone
  
  Times (UK) | Feb 14, 08 1:27 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - On the heels of India’s $2,400 car comes its $20 mobile handset, the “people’s phone,” the Times of London reports. It has no smart features—not even a screen. “It is just a phone,” says the chairman of Spice Mobile, the phone’s developer, but the company thinks it can sell 10 million over the next year. More »
- Google Phone Rumors Swirl
  
  Reuters | Feb 8, 08 10:34 AM CST
  
  (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 Android are due on the market in the second half of 2008. More »
December 2007
- Nokia Divides Itself to Focus on Mobile Net
  
  Fortune Magazine | Dec 28, 07 4:23 PM CST
  
  (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 the firm’s intentions to remain a major player as mapping, music and games change the cell phone market. More »
- Will Japan Flip for the iPhone?
  
  BusinessWeek | Dec 21, 07 11:36 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Japan’s tech-savvy market may be a tough sell for Apple’s iPhone, which will face more competition from handset makers there than it has anywhere else in the world, reports BusinessWeek . The market already has phones that send e-mail, browse the Internet, and, more important, are compatible with newer third-generation wireless networks that Apple hasn’t hooked into yet. More »