LONDON—Shares of content aggregator MonsterMob Group plc received a much-needed boost after the company acknowledged it may be a target for acquisition. MonsterMob, which operates ringtone storefronts in the United States, Europe and Asia, said it had "received an indicative approach that may or...
BOSTON—Research In Motion Ltd. has lost traction in the mobile e-mail market this year, but will likely continue to increase subscribers, according to a report from Strategy Analytics. The survey found the BlackBerry’s market share dipped five points to 59 percent in the first...
ESPOO, Finland—Nokia Corp. is buying its way onto the mobile music playground, agreeing to acquire distributor Loudeye Corp. for about $60 million. The handset manufacturer said it will pay $4.50 per share in cash to shareholders of Loudeye, which operates 60 digital music services...
SARASOTA, Fla.—For the fifth quarter in a row, Global Signal Inc. blamed its net losses on the company’s $1.2 billion cash purchase of 6,600 Sprint Nextel Corp. towers, which the company announced in May 2005. Global Signal said its second-quarter net losses grew to...
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Alltel Corp. and Melodeo Inc. announced they are working together to offer podcasts to Alltel subscribers. The Axcess Mobilcast service is expected to allow Alltel subscribers to search and listen to thousands of podcasts on their wireless phones for $4 a month....
WATERLOO, Ontario—Analysts at UBS Equity Research speculated Research in Motion Ltd. could launch a new consumer device this fall, and is likely offering a preview of the device to carriers. In an investor note, UBS analysts said various Web sites have posted pictures of...
RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. will use WiMAX technology for its 4G network and utilize its wealth of spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band for a rollout that is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2007. The carrier announced it will work with...
SAN DIEGO—Hey, it’s all about my life, not your network. That’s the disruptive thinking that Sony Electronics—not Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P., the wireless handset maker—is following in launching a Wi-Fi-only device (no monthly cellular service fees!) for Voice over IP communications, instant messaging...
SARASOTA, Fl.—Verizon Wireless’ testing of its high-speed CDMA2000 1x EV-DO service has reportedly been draining the batteries of some customers’ phones. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that users were finding the batteries in their EV-DO handsets were being drained more quickly than normal even when...
NEW YORK—Comverse Technology Inc. said it needs more time to comply with Nasdaq listing requirements related to the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company, which has been embroiled in a stock-options investigation, said it submitted a request to the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications...
RESTON, Va.—Both Sprint Nextel Corp. and its affiliates Horizon Personal Communications Inc. and Bright Personal Communications Services L.L.C. are claiming victory in a lawsuit that pitted them against one another following Sprint Corp.’s acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. last year. Horizon and Bright are...
SAN DIEGO—Qualcomm Inc. announced a joint venture with Vietnamese handset vendor IQLinks to produce CDMA450 handsets in the Southeast Asian nation. The JV, to be known as IQLinks Joint Venture Co., will be the first CDMA450 handset maker in the country. Under terms of...
CHICAGO—U.S. Cellular Corp. turned on network coverage in underground portions of the Chicago Transit Authority’s train system, and is the only carrier to currently offer service in the 11.4-mile subway system. CTA installed infrastructure designed to improve communications among emergency service personnel, and decided...
SEATTLE—Increasing ownership of camera phones is fueling uptake of photo-messaging in the United States and Europe, according to the latest figures from M:Metrics. The survey found that photo-messaging among U.S. users has increased nearly one-third since February; the application saw increases of 20 percent...
MILAN, Italy—Two European content firms are buying their way into the U.S. market. Italy’s Dada Mobile Inc. said it will spend $7 million to acquire Upoc Networks Inc., a New York-based provider of community-based messaging services. Upoc reported a net loss of $1.9 million...
BERN, Switzerland—Swisscom Mobile subsidiary Sicap, which provides mobile applications and network products for GSM operators, said it acquired Swapcom in a deal Sicap said strengthens its position in the mobile device management, SMS/MMS Hub management and content management spaces. Swapcom, which has headquarters in...
MARLBOROUGH, Mass.—Another company joined the mobile payment playground as Cyphermint Inc. unveiled an Internet-based system for completing transactions using a cell phone. The firm launched PayCash Mobile, a cross-platform offering that allows users to manage stand-alone accounts from a mobile phone, computer or specially...
New competitors will threaten the established portable navigation device vendors, said ABI Research. The enormous market expansion and related price war in the consumer navigation market is no longer new. What has changed is that the resulting attempts at product segmentation and the additional...
Commercial telematics, in particular mobile research management, is driving location-based services today, according to ABI Research. But the next big battleground will be to add Web portals to vehicle navigation devices. Following is a roundup of trends to watch in location-based services. The technology...
HAMPSHIRE, U.K.-The mobile music market may be on the cusp of shifting away from ringtones to over-the-air full-track music services, according to research from Juniper Research. The shift is being driven by new technologies like third-generation networks and music-centered handsets, and increasing competition, said...
Operators around the world are rolling out sexy new services like mobile TV and full-track downloads in an effort to compensate for razor-thin margins for voice service and see a return on investments in 3G technology. But carriers looking to spur data revenues-which is...
The videogame industry's annual extravaganza of booth babes, deafening sound effects and eye-popping displays is lowering its profile. And mobile game makers aren't complaining. The Electronic Entertainment Expo, which has exploded into a 60,000-person tech-fest, is going to be dramatically scaled back next year....
BOSTON-MobileLime, which focuses on using mobile phones for marketing and loyalty programs, said it is working with a dozen Subway sandwich shop franchises in Buffalo, N.Y., to offer alerts and coupons t to mobile-phone users. The program is part of MobileLime's Mobile Alerts Club,...
As is often the case, confidence comes with success.Enter Cingular Wireless L.L.C.After a couple of quarters of robust customer growth befitting the nation's largest wireless operator, Cingular has decided to start charging its legacy TDMA and analog customers a $5 per month service charge...
