2008

The world’s first advertising-funded mobile telecoms operator, Blyk, will enter the German, Spanish and Belgian markets next year, the company said.

“Is this interesting to Google?” That’s what Andy Rubin was asking Larry Page. It was a spring day in 2005, and the two were in a conference room just off the main lobby at Google’s headquarters. A simple yes and …

Wait. Scroll. Scroll. Tap-tap. Wait. Wait. For many years, that was the typical experience of someone surfing the Web using a mobile phone or PDA, at least in the U.S. Although some content providers offered stripped-down versions of their sites …

Back in 2002, there was suddenly a lot of buzz about how MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) were going to be the next big thing.

Brightpoint Inc. said today it would distribute handsets for Verizon Wireless’ indirect channel of authorized agents and national retailers. Bob Laikin, chairman and CEO of Brightpoint, declined to discuss the value of the deal, citing a confidentiality agreement with Verizon. …

Loopt scored another carrier win, notching a deal to place its friend-finding service on Verizon Wireless’s deck.The Silicon Valley-based startup offers a GPS-based service that allows users to locate friends and share information such as geo-tagged photos and comments from …

Based on preliminary analysis of the 3G iPhone, Apple’s new handset may be its most profitable product, garnering better than 50% margins, according to analysts.Though the grand shift from hardware profits to service-and-application profits has yet to materialize for the …

Looking to cut into its rivals’ wireless-wireline bundles, T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it will expand its wireline calling plan nationwide. The carrier’s @Home offering allows T-Mobile USA customers to place unlimited nationwide and long-distance calls over an Internet connection for …

Speech-recognition startup vlingo Corp. launched a free downloadable application that allows BlackBerry users to navigate their phones using voice. Vlingo for BlackBerry users can speak commands into their handsets to initiate phone calls, send a text or e-mail message, find …

Commerce over mobile devices such as cell phones is accelerating in the U.S., according to data released earlier this month by Nielsen Mobile.

Interactive media’s share of worldwide advertising expenditures is expected to hit 15 percent in 2009, almost double from four years ago, and will remain the main source of growth as ad spending in traditional media continues to decline, finds a …

We know that the iPhone 3G will have “assisted GPS.” But what does that mean? Unfortunately, there is no clear definition of this term, and of course it's beneath Apple to provide meaningful details .

Apple Inc. is distributing to its retail and sales personnel an internal iPhone 3G Frequently Asked Questions document which implies that first-day sales and activation procedures are still being ironed out. It does, however, provide some information on bulk iPhone …

HELSINKI (Reuters) – The world’s first advertising-funded mobile telecoms operator, Blyk, will enter the highly competitive German, Spanish and Belgian markets next year, the firm said on Wednesday.

SEOUL (Reuters) – Virgin Mobile USA (VM.N: Quote , Profile , Research , Stock Buzz ) is set to acquire a US mobile arm of South Korea’s SK Telecom Co (017670.

A network management system that lets users get to the video, music and other files on a home or small-business LAN will soon offer that remote access from mobile phones.

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.CarrierStandard & Poor’s Ratings Services revised its outlook on U.K.-based mobile satellite services provider Inmarsat Ventures Ltd. to positive from stable. …

WASHINGTON – Federal regulators agree that distracted drivers are dangerous. But the government won’t require phones built into cars and trucks to shut down automatically when the vehicles are moving. Longtime safety advocate Clarence Ditlow proposed such a rule last …

If desperation is the mother of innovation, Yahoo may just be the future of mobile.A pioneer in the Internet’s youngest days, Yahoo may now be seriously wounded. Shares of the venerable company are sliding toward the $20 threshold – losing …

Sprint Nextel Corp. announced its small- and medium-sized CDMA business customers now have access to its Business Premier loyalty program.Since its merger with Nextel Communications Inc., the carrier has been working to merge all users onto one network and one …

Nokia Corp. will acquire total ownership of Symbian Ltd., buying out current partners in a deal valued at about $411 million, the company said today.Nokia said it would combine its own S60 platform with the Symbian platform and provide the …

Mobile virtual network operator Virgin Mobile USA Inc. unveiled its new “Totally Unlimited” calling plan, which stands as a shot against the company’s larger rivals by undercutting their prices by $20.Virgin’s new plan, available July 1, will provide customers with …

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 …

AT&T has created a new business unit that has already begun offering commercial streaming video, webcasting, e-learning and virtual trade show applications. These offerings will be supplemented with products from three software companies with which it has signed strategic agreements.

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. In the coming weeks look for columns from Tom Huseby of SeaPoint …