BROWSING: Google
Analyst Angle: Buying into the ‘real’ mobile Internet
jscarbo -
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Analyst Angle. We've collected a group of the industry's leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Current Analysis' Avi Greengart, Jupiter Research's...
Potential bidders await details of 700 MHz auction
jscarbo -
Google Inc. Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt left the door open to bidding on wireless licenses when the 700 MHz auction begins in mid-January, but the Web search-engine giant and others are not apt to make final plans until after the Federal Communications Commission...
Wireless pinstripes
jscarbo -
Are cellphone carriers becoming the New York Yankees of then wireless world? Or is it worse?● A federal judge last week said it was ridiculous that AT&T Mobility (then Cingular) had a clause in its customer contracts that said customers cannot sue the carrier...
Sprint Nextel pushes WiMAX into the Xohm
jscarbo -
VIENNA, Va.-Barry West believes so strongly in it that he's got it as the personalized license plate on his sports car: Xohm. It's the commercial brand for Sprint Nextel Corp.'s WiMAX effort and, as West explains, "Xohm is about a new business model."Adds West:...
iPhone ecosystem challenges developers
jscarbo -
THE IPHONE HAS given birth to the iEcosystem. Whether that's a good thing, though, is debatable.Apple Inc.'s decision to bar third-party developers from building applications for its high-profile device has drawn scorn in the software world. But there is no shortage of Internet-based applications...
M2Z seeks legal action against FCC
jscarbo -
M2Z Networks Inc. said it will take the Federal Communications Commission to court to force the agency to consider its request for 25 megahertz of vacant spectrum.The Silicon Valley-based outfit applied for the spectrum more than a year ago, vowing to deliver free broadband...
Helio expands portfolio with new Samsung handset
jscarbo -
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. continued to expand its handset portfolio with the "Fin" from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a thin clamshell priced at $175, based on a current discount. According to Helio, the Fin is the thinnest folding phone in the United...
TravellingWave shows off speech-to-text service
jscarbo -
The speech-to-text playground just got a little more crowded.TravellingWave, a Seattle-based startup, came out of stealth mode touting "breakthrough technology" that transcribes voice into text on mobile devices. The company said it raised an undisclosed amount in a Series A financing round from several...
Retail Snapshot: Helio customers keen on unlimited plans, Google Maps and mobile MySpace
jscarbo -
Editor's Note: In this monthly feature, RCR Wireless News talks to retail managers across the country to get a first-hand view of what's hot in wireless.Despite the travails of Amp'd Mobile Inc., not all news is dour in the mobile virtual network operator space....
Google, others suffer setback as FCC nixes ‘white space’ devices
jscarbo -
High-tech giants seeking a new avenue for wireless Internet access suffered at least a temporary setback as a result of government tests that found prototype, Wi-Fi-like devices had trouble detecting TV signals and caused interference to broadcasters and wireless microphones. The tests studied operations...
Google’s widening wireless world
jscarbo -
In case you hadn't heard, Google is going mobile. The Wall Street Journal last week trumpeted the Internet giant's efforts to build handsets in a page-one story that quickly echoed throughout the blogosphere and the trade press. London's Telegraph stoked the rumor mill a...
Analyst Angle: Open Access Does Not Mean Open Season for Device Vendors
jscarbo -
Editor's Note: Welcome to our Monday feature, Analyst Angle. We've collected a group of the industry's leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Jupiter Research's Julie Ask, iGR's Iain...
Short-form may be long-tail for mobile video
jscarbo -
It appears the case has been made for mobile TV. The big question now is, what do on-the-go users want to watch? Once a questionable proposition even for early adopters, wireless video is quickly moving into the mainstream. Dedicated mobile broadcast networks and 3G...
700 MHz auction rules set Open access in, wholesale option out
jscarbo -
THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION LAST WEEK approved 700 MHz rules to foster the creation of a nationwide public-safety/commercial broadband network and introduce new devices and applications in a wireless space tightly controlled by four national operators.The FCC designated for auction a nationwide 10-megahertz spectrum...
Industry, analysts critique auction details: Rules unlikely to lure new players, but existing carriers will gobble up spectrum
jscarbo -
WHILE THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION AND OTHERS CELEBRATED anticipated public-safety and wireless benefits of last week's 700 MHz auction rules decision, skeptics question whether the action will indeed produce a competitor to the Bell telephone-cable TV broadband duopoly and a strong commercial entity willing...
Developers tepid on open-access realities
jscarbo -
THE FCC'S RULES FOR NEXT YEAR'S auction of 700 MHz spectrum could change the game substantially for wireless content owners and application developers. Then again, maybe not.Chairman Kevin Martin last week seemed to avoid drawing the ire of any of the major players-or would-be...
Google, others suffer setback as FCC nixes ‘white space’ devices
jscarbo -
High-tech giants seeking a new avenue for wireless Internet access suffered at least a temporary setback as a result of government tests that found prototype, Wi-Fi-like devices had trouble detecting TV signals and caused interference to broadcasters and wireless microphones. The tests studied operations...
Views mixed on FCC’s 700 MHz rules
jscarbo -
While the Federal Communications Commission touts anticipated public-safety and wireless benefits of its 700 MHz rulemaking decision, others are skeptical about whether the ruling will indeed produce a competitor to the Bell telephone-cable TV broadband duopoly or a strong commercial entity willing to partner...
FCC lays out 700 MHz rules: limited open access, public-safety sharing get OK: Auction to include blind bidding
jscarbo -
The Federal Communications Commission approved 700 MHz auctions rules to foster the creation of a nationwide public safety-commercial broadband network and the introduction of new devices and applications in the wireless space.The agency voted to designate for auction a nationwide 10-megahertz spectrum block adjacent...
AOL dives deeper into crowded mobile ad pool: Latest deal for Tacoda adds to Internet company’s portfolio
jscarbo -
Investors and analysts punished AOL L.L.C. for being late to the party when it scrapped its subscription model last year in favor of online advertising. When it comes to mobile, though, the Time Warner subsidiary may arrive in the nick of time.The Dulles, Va.-based...
Verizon Wireless hedges bets on open-access plans
jscarbo -
As momentum grows behind Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin's proposed open-access plan for the 700 MHz spectrum auction, Verizon Wireless reiterated its opposition to open access while at the same time working to influence the details of a potential ruling.Stipulations wanted According to...
The Week in Review
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Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News will run through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what to look for in the coming weeks. Check below for news about carriers, handset...
Verizon Wireless warms to Martin’s open-access plans
jscarbo -
Verizon Wireless eased its stance on FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's proposed rules for the 700 MHz spectrum auction, agreeing to stipulations that would require spectrum winners to allow any device onto their networks. According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam...
Sprint Nextel Googles WiMAX partnership
jscarbo -
Sprint Nextel Corp. unveiled a new WiMAX partnership this morning, announcing it is working with Internet giant Google Inc. on a new mobile portal for WiMAX mobile Internet customers. This is the carrier's second major WiMAX collaboration announcement in two weeks. Sprint Nextel said...