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I-play goes all in on mobile video

I-play will continue to move beyond mobile gaming this week with a series of more than 100 video shorts for poker players.The U.K.-based publisher plans to launch Win at Texas Hold 'Em, a series of two- to three-minute clips from professional card player Daniel...

July infrastructure awards

The following contracts were announced in July:

WiMAX: Pushing construction boundaries

The nation's first, and so far only, carrier to announce plans for a nationwide mobile WiMAX network now faces the successful completion of tens of thousands of construction projects before it reaches reality.Just a few weeks after announcing plans to collaborate on the development...

Acuity aims to connect big brands with loyal customer base via mobile

It's hard to find a mobile executive these days who doesn't speak affectionately about mobile advertising and the new gateways it could open, but where the sweet spot lies-specifically what format or level of personalization would receive the greatest response from the end user-is...

Qualcomm: Nokia agreement awaits litigation outcomes: Chip vendor looks to courts, regulators for guidance on cross-licensing path

It's been all quiet on the Nokia Corp.- Qualcomm Inc. front for months-only the two parties really know whether minions in suits and toting bulging briefcases are actually meeting on a cross-licensing agreement and whether either's lawyers ever actually shout in frustration.Shouting would be...

Qualcomm: Legal claims against Nokia may bring an eventual deal

In a July earnings call, Qualcomm President Steve Altman cited a handful of cases initiated by Qualcomm against rival Nokia Corp. and said that the outcomes would guide the chip vendor's negotiations in a cross-licensing deal with the handset vendor. Those cases are summarized...

Hedgehogging

hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. Verizon Wireless, which recently announced plans to acquire Rural Cellular, said it had acquired the assets of Ramcell in Kentucky and Oregon. The deal included Ramcell's...

Device management services primed for growth: Market drivers: handset software complexity, new network services

The inexorable pressure to launch a handset-as scheduled-for maximum impact-has created a growing market for mobile device management (MDM) products, including firmware over the air, or FOTA.As network operators increasingly rush to introduce new revenue-generating services and applications, market growth from a modest field...

VZW acquires Ramcell

Verizon Wireless purchased the operating assets of Ramcell in Kentucky and Oregon for an undisclosed sum.The nation's No. 2 carrier picked up Ramcell's 51 cell sites as well as spectrum licenses that cover nearly 600,000 potential customers in the Kentucky markets of Clay and...

Regional carriers post solid results

Though diminishing in count, regional wireless operators continued to report firm financial results highlighting continued opportunities outside the urban corridors.U.S. CellularU.S. Cellular Corp. reported $971.6 million in total revenues for the second quarter, a nearly 15% increase compared with the $846.1 million the carrier...

DRM jumble makes move toward clarity: Nokia takes step with Microsoft deal

The nightmarish world of mobile digital rights management may have taken a small step toward sanity.Microsoft Corp. scored a big win last week, agreeing to license its PlayReady anti-software piracy to Nokia Corp. The world's largest handset manufacturer plans to embed the technology on...

Laying odds

I know most of us have had almost enough of the 700 MHz auction, what with the lobbying and saber rattling of those interested in the spectrum and the ultimate rule making handed down by the FCC last month.But, beyond the sexy names of...

Playing in the land of giants

The Federal Communications Commission scored one for the little guys last week, essentially saying that nationwide operators have to strike roaming agreements with smaller carriers. The commission did not dictate prices for roaming service, but noted that reasonable deals must be made and carriers...

More choices mean more fragmentation in hot OS market

Motorola Inc. last week upped its bet on Linux, christening a new version of its Java/Linux platform and claiming that the open-source operating system will be used on as much as 60% of its phones "in the next few years."The manufacturer initially announced plans...

Google, others suffer setback as FCC nixes ‘white space’ devices

High-tech giants seeking a new avenue for wireless Internet access suffered at least a temporary setback as a result of government tests that found prototype, Wi-Fi-like devices had trouble detecting TV signals and caused interference to broadcasters and wireless microphones. The tests studied operations...

Etc.

On a motorcycle trip far, far awayActors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman recently drove the "Long Way Down" from Scotland to the southern tip of Africa on motorcycle with navigation help from the Nokia 6110 Navigator. The device was released last week in South...

Retail Snapshot: Helio customers keen on unlimited plans, Google Maps and mobile MySpace

Editor's Note: In this monthly feature, RCR Wireless News talks to retail managers across the country to get a first-hand view of what's hot in wireless.Despite the travails of Amp'd Mobile Inc., not all news is dour in the mobile virtual network operator space....

Operating in a shadow: Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA find varied success against big 2

Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. have had very divergent luck recently in trying to operate in the shadow of their two larger rivals, AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless.Sprint Nextel, which in customer numbers is a strong No. 3 behind the big two,...

Qualcomm pledges chip workaround: President passes on veto, ITC chip ban goes into effect

The president last week declined to veto his trade office's ban on new 3G handsets containing a patent-infringing Qualcomm Inc. chip, sending the vendor back to court to pursue new means to end the ban.Qualcomm filed a request on Aug. 8 in the Court...

The MMS disconnect

TIER-ONE CARRIERS IN THE FALL OF 2004 committed that they would be fully MMS-interoperable, enabling U.S. consumers to send photos, video clips and other goodies to users on any other nationwide network.We're still waiting.U.S. network operators generally claim to be fully interoperable with their...

Nokia’s new chip strategy realigns space: STMicroelectronics gets 3G win, EDGE gives Broadcom boost

WHEN A BEHEMOTH SHAKES ITS TAIL, some rise, some fall. The behemoth benefits.That appears to be the upshot of Nokia Corp.'s announcement last week that it had selected four main chipset suppliers for future business. The move boosted some fortunes and cast off others,...

Clearwire to pick up ex Amp’d Mobile band

CLEARWIRE CORP. IS GEARING UP to put pen to paper on a deal that will bring Amp'd Mobile Inc's. 50-plus member content team on board to lead a new content offering under the Clearwire brand.The move likely would give Clearwire a major boost in...

RAZR’S EDGE : Moto’s Razr2 gets triple U.S. launch

Three of the nation's four top-tier carriers announced Friday that they would launch Motorola Inc.'s new Razr2 handset in the coming weeks, apparently piling on in a "me-too" frenzy.The triple launch, at least initially, appeared to be good news for beleaguered Motorola, which needs...

First Data, mFoundry to collect on mobile banking

E-commerce giant First Data is teaming with mobile application developer mFoundry to offer mobile banking and payment services to wireless users.The effort will couple mFoundry's technology with First Data's network of more than 5,000 financial institutions to allow subscribers to manage their accounts and...