ATLANTA—PC maker Lenovo announced it is now selling a laptop computer that has built-in support for Cingular Wireless L.L.C.’s EDGE- and UMTS/HSDPA-based networks. The laptop is selling online for around $1,900. "ThinkPad users can now enjoy wireless broadband Internet access via the Cingular BroadbandConnect...
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.—Motient Corp. increased its ownership of TerreStar Networks Inc. from 54.3 percent to 55.1 percent, according to an 8-K filing the company made. The transaction involved Motient Ventures Holding Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Motient Corp., purchasing more than 700,000 shares of...
SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Mobile technology startup SiBEAM said it snared $21 million in Series B venture funding. Foundation Capital led the round, which included follow-on investments from New Enterprise Associates and U.S. Venture Partners. SiBEAM, which designs chips for gigabit-speed wireless equipment, said it will use...
RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. ousted its chief operating officer, Len Lauer. The company released a statement saying it is making changes in the management of its core operations and that Lauer was leaving the company immediately. Gary Forsee, president and chief executive officer, is...
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.—Wherify Wireless Inc. will retail its Wherifone GPS Locator phones through Toys ‘R’ Us outlets nationwide starting Oct. 1, after a long delay during which the firm twice re-engineered the product. Wherify will sell the phone under a mobile virtual network operator...
WASHINGTON—Bidding remained active on the ninth day of the Federal Communication Commission’s advanced wireless services spectrum auction, as bidders continued to focus their attention on smaller licenses now that bidding on big regional licenses appears to have ended. Click here for the latest headlines...
OYSTER BAY, N.Y.—While the industry looks ahead to W-CDMA and HSDPA technologies, EDGE handsets will quietly deliver "near-acceptable" mobile broadband experiences across a wide geographic area, according to ABI Research. The firm projects that vendors will ship as many as 148 million EDGE handsets...
By Jeremy Mullman and T.L. Stanley CHICAGO—Cue the clydesdales: Anheuser-Busch is getting into the content business.The country's largest brewer is launching its own in-house film and TV production company that will make humorous shorts and sitcom-type programs to be broadcast over the Internet and...
WASHINGTON—Alltel Corp. agreed to "voluntarily contribute" $100,000 to the U.S. Treasury, but did not admit to violating a Federal Communications Commission rule requiring certification that it is protecting its customers’ call records. The FCC proposed fining Alltel in January after the carrier did not...
SAN FRANCISCO—Customers who use their mobile phone primarily for business calls rather than personal calls generate higher average monthly bills, according to a new study from market research firm Telephia. Business users logged average monthly phones bills of about $80, which is 23-percent higher...
DEDHAM, Mass.—Wireless technology may soon permeate the manufacturing sector, with the potential to grow to a more than $1 billion industry by 2010, according to a new study from ARC Advisory Group. The company predicts a compound annual growth rate for the sector of...
On page 14 of the Aug. 14 issue of RCR Wireless News, the LG Electronics Co. Ltd. CU500 handset was incorrectly labeled as being compatible with Verizon Wireless' Vcast Music service.
"It’s on like Donkey Kong"—Steve Stiffler, American WeddingQuoting from the foul-mouthed poet Steve Stiffler might seem inappropriate in a wireless magazine, but that was what came to my mind early last week watching the flurry of bids rain down from the advanced wireless services...
Resellers of inexpensive cellular phones risk being targeted as terrorists these days, since local and federal law enforcement officials are on the look-out for purchases of large numbers of prepaid cellular phones. Five men of Middle Eastern descent were recently arrested in Michigan and...
FORT WORTH, Texas-Teletouch Communications Inc. said it has acquired Progressive Concepts Inc., a Cingular Wireless L.L.C. master distributor, reseller and mobile virtual network operator in Texas and Arkansas. PCI primarily operates under the Hawk Electronics brand name.All of PCI's outstanding securities were contributed to...
The days of charging consumers $3 for a 30-second ringtone may be coming to an end. But for carriers, record labels, artists and software developers, there is still plenty of money to be made in mobile music "personalization." Analysts long have predicted the demise...
The buzz surrounding mobile TV and full-track downloads grows increasingly deafening as the industry heads into next month's CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment show in Los Angeles. But for now, at least, the most lucrative application in wireless may be in simple, community-based applications....
The advent of contactless payment technology in mobile handsets ushers in big possibilities for credit-card companies, network operators, and handset and chip vendors-if all parties can agree on an equitable business model. For consumers, new technologies such as near field communication, or NFC, offer...
DUBLIN, Ireland- The company behind the .mobi movement plans to auction off thousands of domain names for Web sites dedicated for wireless use. Top Level Domain Ltd. (also known as mTLD and DotMobi) released a 149-page document of "premium" names.The premium names cover everything...
DALLAS-Moving advanced functionality from smart phones down to feature-rich phones is a goal on many minds, fueled by cost reductions in chipsets, among other things. Texas Instruments Inc. and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. took a step in that direction when the two companies announced...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-Google Inc. quietly snapped up mobile photo-recognition software developer Neven Vision for an undisclosed sum. Neven Vision's technology automatically extracts information from photos, allowing users to categorize images or search for specific types of pictures. Google plans to use the company's software...
IRVINE, Calif.-Search company go2 plans to deliver sponsored listings from Yahoo Inc. through its mobile service. Go2 Directory Systems, which is offered on the decks of Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless, will deliver relevant links from Yahoo advertisers in addition...
Sprint Nextel Corp. CDMA affiliate iPCS Inc. has claimed victory in a lawsuit that could force Sprint Nextel to divest its iDEN operations in the affiliate's territory. Sprint Corp. took control of the iDEN network when it acquired Nextel Communications Inc. last year. iPCS...
Sprint Nextel Corp. had a rocky second quarter, with plummeting retail postpaid net customer additions and negative net additions through its wholesalers. Carrier executives acknowledge the problem and blamed it on a tightening of the company's credit requirements for customers, as well as the...
