2008

May 24, 2008 12:01 AM (From the May 26, 2008 issue)

May 24, 2008 12:01 AM (From the May 26, 2008 issue)

Tracking FidoZoombak L.L.C. announced its GPS location application for dogs is now available at PetSmart stores nationwide. The Zoombak Advanced GPS Dog Locator uses cellular networks and GPS satellites to help owners find their dogs in real-time from their computer …

It seems there’s more than one way to spread the love. Earlier this year on American Idol, host Ryan Seacrest devoted way too much TV time promoting (what else?) Apple’s iPhone. (Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It’s all the rage …

Federal regulators – in Congress and at the Federal Communications Commission – increasingly seem fed up with wireless service providers. Ironically, it is the very success of the largest wireless carriers that seems to be getting under government’s collective skin. …

A handful of mobile players are trying to cram the silver screen onto the third screen. But whether there’s a business case to be made for mobile movies is far from clear. The first wireless films came online for U.S. …

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin scheduled a vote on rules for another major spectrum auction, one that would encompass 25 megahertz in the 2155-2180 MHz advanced wireless services band and require the winning bidder to offer free broadband service …

While a tiny handful of entrenched mobile game makers cement their place at the top of the industry, a small army of startups are throwing all sorts of ideas against the wall to see what sticks. And community may be …

As Motorola Inc.’s growth sharply contracted between 2006 and 2007, four Chinese handset vendors were among the fastest growing in the business, although at markedly lower volumes.The finding is one of many disparate conclusions drawn in a new study from …

Remember private land mobile radio services regulated by Part 90 rules of the Federal Communications Commission? I’ve probably lost most of you already, seeing that the only telecom world recognized by most is the one of broadband connectivity. However, there …

In the huge universe of wireless communications comes a world of confusion. It’s common knowledge that customers have issues with their phones, service, new programs and devices, you name it. However, the bleak quality of customer service also irritates wireless …

You can add one more geotagging method to our How to Geotag Your Photos post last week. Soon the iPhone will do it for you.

Mobile Web surfers in the US spend more time on classified-ad site Craigslist than on any other Web site, and they spent nearly twice as much time browsing as their British counterparts in March.

There is no cellphone more anticipated this year than the next generation of the Apple iPhone. But for some high rollers, the ultimate iPhone is a diamond-encrusted version from London jeweler Amosu. At 20,000 pounds ($39,600), the creation ranks among …

Mobile operator 3 UK is giving the term mobile wallet a whole new meaning. The company has agreed to pre-install a link to Probability’s Ladyluck’s mobile gambling service on two million new handsets by the end of 2008.

We like to complain about cell phone complexity, but secretly we want more features, not fewer. MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte recently railed against complexity in cell phones, saying that “simplicity is the biggest challenge that handset makers face.”

The following list includes venture capital and other investments into wireless companies announced during the past week. The value of the investment is included when available. —Moblyng: MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures and Deep Fork Capital invested $5.7 million into mobile social …

Nokia Corp. took another baby step to pry open the U.S. market with an announcement that its 5310 XpressMusic phone would sell at T-Mobile USA Inc. beginning on May 28. The multi-format music phone will sell for $50 with a …

Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to begin selling its touchscreen Instinct phone through its retail outlets on June 20, a date that may put the device on store shelves at almost the exact same time as Apple Inc.’s second-generation iPhone.Speculation is …

Wireless Maingate, a machine-to-machine company in Europe, has chosen Blueslice Networks to provide its ngHLR 3000T to help Maingate with roaming and other applications.Blueslice said the ngHLR 3000T has a suite of applications specifically designed for M2M, including the company’s …

The market for cellular machine-to-machine communications modules is expected to grow to nearly 80 million shipments in 2013, according to a new study from ABI Research.The firm predicts four applications will provide the strongest drivers for growth in the M2M …

An initial effort spearheaded by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin and Verizon Wireless to secure support from leading consumer groups to give subscribers relief on early termination fees – in exchange for ridding top wireless carriers of potentially costly …

Despite being less of a target in recent years, the cellphone industry remains entangled in health-related litigation that could turn on how the District of Columbia Court of Appeals rules on a challenge to a lower court’s dismissal of six …

Qualcomm Inc. is backing an industry association that aims to create a “mobile giving channel” for nonprofits looking to raise money via text messaging.The chipmaker invested an undisclosed amount in the Mobile Giving Foundation, a Seattle-area outfit that serves as …

Verizon Wireless continues to please its business customers, both big and small. According to the J. D Power and Associates 2008 Business Wireless Satisfaction Study, released today, the carrier ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction for wireless data service, effectively …