2008

Amid the macro-economic slowdown that threatens typically brisk sales in the crucial fourth quarter, there’s at least one silver lining. Smartphone sales are up (you knew that) and that has increased consumers’ satisfaction with their wireless experience. And that satisfaction …

The new BlackBerry Storm from Research In Motion Ltd. will be available Nov. 21 at Verizon Wireless for $200, with two-year contract and $50 mail-in rebate. The Storm’s subsidized price comes in at the same price point as Apple Inc.’s …

The package of online services including Hotmail and Messenger will integrate with sites such as Flickr, Twitter and Facebook.

AT&T Mobility will begin selling Nokia Corp.’s 6650 smartphone on Friday for $70, with two-year contract and a $50 mail-in rebate, a Nokia Corp. executive said. The 3G flip-style phone runs the Symbian platform and offers “industry-leading talk time,” an …

Two companies with lengthy wireless histories have merged into one entity that is geared to tackle the machine-to-machine market.Velocita Wireless L.L.C. and SkyTel are launching their new business plan this week. Velocita was formerly owned by Sprint Nextel Corp. and …

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The electronics retailer Best Buy said Wednesday that it was sharply cutting its 2009 earnings outlook below analyst estimates amid what the company called the toughest retail environment it has ever seen.

The mobile-phone industry has dropped a legal challenge to the open-access condition imposed on a third of the 700 MHz spectrum auctioned by the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year. Wireless industry trade association CTIA appealed the agency’s C-Block open-access …

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications announced its high-end, touchscreen smartphone, the Xperia X1, will be available to U.S. shoppers in time for the holiday season – but the device will carry the staggering price tag of $800. The announcement appears to …

Qualcomm Inc. has seen the future: there’s gold in delivering cellular broadband connectivity to emerging markets thirsting for access to the Web.The San Diego-based chip company today announced “Kayak,” a reference design for device makers who decide to tackle broadband …

President-elect Barack Obama intends to move quickly to put his own staff on the Federal Communications Commission, the head of his transition team said today. John Podesta told reporters that the arrival of the switch to digital-only broadcasting on Feb. …

History-making is not apt to stop with the election of an African American to the highest office in the land. President-elect Barack Obama and his incoming administration also could break with tradition insofar as the balance of power between telecom …

(Reuters) – Microsoft Corp is moving closer to an agreement with Verizon Wireless to become the default search provider on the wireless carrier’s cellphones, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the discussions.

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier–Credit Suisse First Boston lowered its price target on Leap Wireless to $55 from $70 despite solid third-quarter results and positive …

Shipments of ultra-mobile devices, which encompass ultra-mobile PCs, netbooks and Mobile Internet Devices, are expected to exceed 200 million units in 2013, according to a recent study from ABI Research.Netbooks account for about 90% of the UMD market today, but …

Mobile gambling could grow to $27.5 million in wagers by 2013, driven by on-portal betting, according to a Juniper Research forecast.Several trends are encouraging the market, including changing operator attitudes toward mobile gambling services, improved handset user interfaces and introduction …

The ever-evolving nature of the wireless market has its eyes set on so-called 4G technologies. These are expected to be higher-capacity networks based on Internet Protocol standards that will support wireless broadband speeds of up to 100 megabits per second. …

This year may well mark “a turning point in the mobile gaming industry,” as Gameloft insisted last week. But for most wireless-game makers, there will be plenty more storm before the calm.The Paris-based publisher made the claim last week as …

Former Vice President and Noble Peace Prize Winner Al Gore will be the Day 3 keynote speaker at the International CTIA Wireless 2009 event, set to take place April 1-3 in Las Vegas.Former VP Gore “has a long history of …

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is hinting he might stay on at the FCC when the new Obama administration takes over, at least through the Feb. 17 digital TV transition. Martin, a Republican, likely would lose his chairmanship position …

Opera Software ASA rolled out the latest version of its popular Mini Web browser offering and said 20 million consumers are using the offering every month. The Norwegian developer unveiled a beta version of Opera Mini 4.2, an upgraded browser …

Dexterra Inc. today unveiled two new editions to its mobile development platform and new field service solutions geared to help businesses operate more efficiently and reduce costs.For its Dexterra Concert platform, the company is offering editions for the enterprise and …

Facebook is stepping up its mobile game.The wildly popular social networking site has seen the number of wireless users triple this year, exploding from 5 million to 15 million active mobile Facebookers, according to a Facebook engineer’s post on the …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Yay or Nay. Every week we’ll review a new wireless application or service from the user’s point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works and what doesn’t. If you wish to …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace. Sixteen months ago, George Washington University convened Web strategists from leading Presidential …

There continues to be a fair amount of optimism among mobile game makers. Whether the rose-colored lenses are warranted, though, is more uncertain than ever.Gameloft last week offered a surprisingly upbeat outlook for wireless gaming as it posted $34.1 million …