Hedge*hog*ing v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube.--All the talk about Alltel being acquired is not settling well with some of the RCR Wireless News staff. The thought that anything might interfere with the...
Sprint Nextel Corp. this past week made increased efforts to work its online retail handset angle. The carrier added at least four new handsets in the entry- and low-tiers, cut prices on smartphones and toyed with pricing on its iDEN handsets.Between Feb. 12 and...
CommProve announced it appointed a new CEO, David Wilkinson, who previously served as the head of network management company Actix."The demand for CommProve's solutions from global operators highlights the significant benefits that an OSS for radio quality can deliver to GSM, GPRS and UMTS...
Palm Inc. has released a software update that addresses the extension of daylight-saving time that begins this year.Users can download the Palm software update to their PC or Mac from Palm's Web site and sync it to their Palm device, said Palm. Alternatively, users...
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it put Alltel Corp.'s credit rating on CreditWatch with "negative implications." The move follows comments from Alltel executives about the company considering various "strategic alternatives," financial language that usually means the company is actively seeking buyers."Given that Alltel...
It's still all about the flip when it comes to mobile phones.A new report from research firm NPD Group concluded that while many factors are at play in a buyer's decision on a new cellphone, what remains most important is having a flip-phone form...
Mosaid Technologies Inc. announced it will pay around $70 million to chipmaker Agere Systems for patents covering Wi-Fi and WiMAX technology."Agere invited more than 70 companies to bid on this portfolio of intellectual property assets, which includes several inventions patented by engineers working for...
Adult mobile content provider Brickhouse Mobile inked a deal to deliver exclusive content from AVN Media Network, an adult industry trade publication.Brickhouse said it will offer breaking news, porn star interviews, industry event video and other content from AVN's online and print businesses. The...
MonsterMob Group plc booted its three top executives after Spanish content aggregator LaNetro Zed took a 52-percent stake in the ringtone provider.Zed, an 11-year-old Spanish firm, will spend $66.8 million for the majority stake in MonsterMob, which operates ringtone businesses around the world. Chinese...
One down, at least four to go.Broadcom Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. agreed to drop lawsuits and counter-suits involving two patents apiece relating to Bluetooth technology. One dispute had been set for a March 5 trial. The settlements avoid two jury trials. But four more...
Online wireless retailer InPhonic Inc. said its fourth-quarter loss narrowed on increased revenues.The company reported revenue of $120.3 million for the quarter, up from $85.2 million for the same period in 2005. Revenues were in-line with average analyst estimates of $120.7 million. For the...
Tower company SBA Communications Corp. reported improvements in both revenues and net loss for the fourth quarter.The company reported total revenues for the quarter of $96.8 million, up 33.6 percent from $72.4 million during the same period last year. Analysts had predicted revenues of...
The following list details this week's infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available. Wi-Fi United States: The city of Napa, Calif., has...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier Robert W. Baird raised its price target and estimates on Alltel Corp. after the carrier reported strong fourth-quarter results. The new price target is...
Mobile content aggregator Buongiorno SpA said it will spend $5.6 million to acquire HotSMS BV, an Amsterdam-based mobile advertising firm.HotSMS works with traditional advertising agencies and claims to have deployed more than 1,000 mobile campaigns for clients including Coca-Cola, Heineken, McDonald's and Universal Music....
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations, blasted the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for surrendering control of a $1 billion first-responder wireless grant program to an another agency that recently told Congress the Sept. 30 deadline...
Madrid, Spain-based "social router" company Fon is hoping to drum up some interest in its unique Wi-Fi business by going head-to-head with Starbucks and thousands of other coffee shops that sell wireless Internet access within their stores. Fon is offering free La Fonera Wi-Fi...
Wireless technology company Mobixell announced it will acquire the assets of rival Adamind. Terms of the deal were not disclosed."The synergy between both companies; their strategy of developing products according to a best-of-breed approach, and building on the leading capabilities of each of the...
Napa, Calif., has announced an agreement with AT&T Inc. for a 12-square-mile public Wi-Fi network. The network will offer wireless broadband access for residents, visitors and businesses "from virtually all developed areas within the city," according to AT&T. Additionally, the city will use a...
Nuance Communications Inc. said it will spend $140 million to acquire BeVocal, a fellow developer of speech-recognition software.Nuance announced plans to issue roughly 8.3 million common shares and spend $15 million for BeVocal, which offers speech-based customer care solutions to wireless companies. The Burlington,...
A new handset potentially destined for mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. has popped up on the Federal Communications Commission's Web site. The PN-810 from Pantech Corp. is a two-way slider with stacked sections: a middle section slides out to reveal the typical phone...
The next few quarters will be "rocky," Motorola Inc.'s chief financial officer told investors and analysts at Bank of America's 2007 Technology Conference-a term the executive used three times until an analyst asked him to clarify it. Did "rocky" mean no margins or negative...
Both Apple Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. will use the "iPhone" name worldwide, Cisco's lawsuit against Apple has been called off and the two companies will "explore opportunities for interoperability" between their products, according to a joint statement issued by the two companies.An extended...
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 RCR Wireless News to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the...
