2008

Digital content wholesaler uclick bulked up its portfolio thanks to a new pact with MTV Networks Inc. The division of Andrews McMeel Universal said it received licensing rights for mobile images, short animations and videos from franchises including Comedy Central, …

Hands-On Mobile Inc. launched a new version of the hit Guitar Hero franchise.The San Francisco-based publisher unveiled Guitar Hero II: Backstage Pass, a mobile title that places gamers in the role of rock stars who must promote their band, create …

Nokia Corp. set the bar for its competitors yesterday – growth is possible under current market conditions. But Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications could not perform a chin-up. The Japanese-Swedish joint venture reported today that key metrics were down across the …

House and Senate members are nudging the Federal Communications Commission to approve by month’s end a rule to speed up local number portability processing, a move that wireless providers say is necessary because of delays encountered by landline customers who …

Consumers are shelling out big money for high-end phones with hi-resolution screens and eye-popping features. But mobile gaming is still all about casual.More than 7 million smartphones were sold in North America in the first quarter of 2008, according to …

Privacy again was all the rage last week on Capitol Hill, but this time it wasn’t about telecom companies getting legal cover so they can help the National Security Agency wiretap individuals with terrorist leanings. This time it was a …

There are countless companies trying to target consumers through their phones, but mobile advertising may be an especially good fit for athletic shoes.Pardon the pun.Nike kicked off – oops, launched – an interactive campaign in Hong Kong last month to …

Kentaro Tohyama is proud of his new iPhone. He stood overnight in line to get it when the device became available in Japan for the first time. But the 29-year-old computer engineer isn’t about to part with his made-in-Japan cell …

Countering media speculation and a sagging stock price, South Korea’s SK Telecom said it was not interested in purchasing ailing U.S. carriers Sprint Nextel Corp. anytime soon. According to media reports, the Korean telecom giant said it has no plans …

An association of rural wireless providers petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to re-impose a spectrum cap in light of the growing market presence of AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless in the mobile phone industry.“In the absence of a spectrum cap, …

Nokia Corp.’s stock shot up more than 8% today after it projected an upside to its 10% growth forecast for the handset industry this year. Nokia also claimed 40% global market share, meaning it will take the lion’s share of …

Zumobi launched a version of its free, widget-based content application for users of Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry devices and expanded its content offerings.A Microsoft Corp. spinoff, Zumobi launched last year as ZenZui and came to market in December with …

The crackdown on mobile in Europe continued this week as the European Union said it will continue to investigate hundreds of content storefronts for breaching consumer rules.The organization said an investigation into more than 500 mobile content Web sites found …

The Federal Communications Commission said it plans an Aug. 1 vote on Verizon Wireless’ proposed $2.67 billion purchase of Rural Cellular Corp., a controversial transaction that consumer advocates and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have argued should be blocked unless conditions …

Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWirelessNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs …

We’ve barely had our mitts on the iPhone 3G for a week and what’s old is new again. The bad news? Aside from the addition of blazing fast data speeds, back is the brittle screen, the tinny speaker and the …

The iPhone 3G/2.0 launch suffered many problems, from activation issues through availability to a buggy OS . And although there were few customer problems with the App Store — where users can get software to run on the iPhone and …

Airline communications provider Aircell has chosen Long Term Evolution as its standard to give passengers in-flight access to 4G wireless services.

Telecommunication analyst group Ovum predicts that the voice market will grow from 2.2 billion connections at the end of 2008 to 3.8 billion by 2017 in the Asian region, including Australia and New Zealand.

If you’re one of the 140,000 regulars who visit us every month, then you’re hopefully noticing a new look and organization to the site. If you’re a brand new visitor, then we hope to serve your information needs so that …

According to media reports, Korean telecom giant SK Telecom may again be looking at purchasing beleagured carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. According to reports, SK Telecom and Providence Equity last year offered to invest $5 billion into Sprint Nextel at $18.60 …

Apple Inc. apologized for stumbling out of the gate last week with MobileMe, an auto-synching service for iPhone and iPod touch users.MobileMe is a cloud-based app that automatically updates contacts, calendar information and other data between the mobile devices and …

Perhaps lost – but apparently not forgotten in the Federal Communications Commission’s extended consideration of the proposed merger of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Radio Holdings Inc. – are long-standing allegations of illegal operation of terrestrial repeaters by …

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is pushing its recently launched Instinct handset with a viral video campaign on Break.comThe three-episode series features behind-the-scenes tours of Major League Baseball venues in San Francisco, Boston and Chicago, including footage taken with the handset. …

Mobile media company Player X said it pocketed Spain’s Gaelco Moviles, a mobile games publisher, for an undisclosed amount of cash.The move marks the first acquisition for Player X, a London-based outfit that specializes in mobile games and video, and …