Virgin Mobile USA's purchase of fellow MVNO Helio L.L.C. allows Virgin to evolve beyond its low-ARPU customers to higher-paying subscribers, as well as gain a sophisticated handset portfolio, improve its debt levels and cut a better deal with network operator Sprint Nextel Inc.Virgin Mobile...
Wireless Oakland, a municipal wireless network covering Oakland County, MIch., is offline due to lack of funds, Deputy Oakland County Executive and CIO Phil Bertolini said today.The project's private-sector partners have been unable to secure the necessary funding to continue to implement the...
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.--BridgeWave: Intel Capital and Core Capital led a $10 million round of funding into BridgeWave, which supplies gigabit wireless...
While cellphone sales may be on the decline in the United States, retailers may be able to bridge the gap with accessory sales, according to a new report from consumer market research firm NPD Group.The firm said mobile handset purchases declined 20% year-over-year in...
Last year, of course, the iPhone launch drove hand-wringing over the need to revamp user interfaces, accompanied by a move to large-display touchscreens.A wave of devices sporting large-display touchscreens followed, with varying results on the user interface. That influence continues to play out with...
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 RCRWirelessNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
Microsoft Corp. said it will acquire the Portuguese mobile software developer MobiComp for an undisclosed sum.MobiComp specializes in data protection and management technologies that allow the backup and restoration of data for mobile phones. The 8-year-old company boasts roughly a dozen carrier partners in...
Suddenly, it's all about consolidating handset platforms. Today, LiPS said it would jump on the LiMo. Earlier this week, Nokia Corp. said it would buy out its partners in Symbian Ltd. in order to drive innovation and consolidation of that handset platform. The drivers...
Regional wireless carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. announced a new promotion, MetroFlash, that will allow shoppers with a compatible CDMA handset to connect to the MetroPCS network; users will be able to sign up for MetroPCS service without having to buy a new phone. The...
PlayPhone Inc. is targeting Hispanic mobile users with a Spanish-language version of its online storefront.The San Jose, Calif.-based company said the site offers Latino-targeted content as well as wares from existing partners including the Cartoon Network, ABC Television, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Wal-Mart. Hispanic...
Research In Motion Ltd. doubled its fiscal first quarter revenue and net income over the year-ago quarter, sold 5.4 million devices and added 2.3 million new subscribers. RIM's fiscal first quarter ended May 31.Not good enough for Wall Street, however. RIM's stock dipped nearly...
Wait. Scroll. Scroll. Tap-tap. Wait. Wait. For many years, that was the typical experience of someone surfing the Web using a mobile phone or PDA, at least in the U.S. Although some content providers offered stripped-down versions of their sites specially designed for mobile...
"Is this interesting to Google?" That's what Andy Rubin was asking Larry Page. It was a spring day in 2005, and the two were in a conference room just off the main lobby at Google's headquarters. A simple yes and Rubin would have walked...
Electromagnetic glitches occurred in almost 30 percent of the tests when microchip devices similar to those in many types of wireless medical equipment were placed within about one foot of the lifesaving machines.
The large Surface tabletop computer in the office Gates soon will relinquish to Ballmer offers one clue about where he thinks computing is going: The interactive, 30-inch touch-responsive tables can be used to order meals or display maps.
Brightpoint Inc. said today it would distribute handsets for Verizon Wireless' indirect channel of authorized agents and national retailers. Bob Laikin, chairman and CEO of Brightpoint, declined to discuss the value of the deal, citing a confidentiality agreement with Verizon. But he said that...
Loopt scored another carrier win, notching a deal to place its friend-finding service on Verizon Wireless's deck.The Silicon Valley-based startup offers a GPS-based service that allows users to locate friends and share information such as geo-tagged photos and comments from their phones. The service...
Based on preliminary analysis of the 3G iPhone, Apple's new handset may be its most profitable product, garnering better than 50% margins, according to analysts.Though the grand shift from hardware profits to service-and-application profits has yet to materialize for the mobile industry's biggest players...
Looking to cut into its rivals' wireless-wireline bundles, T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it will expand its wireline calling plan nationwide. The carrier's @Home offering allows T-Mobile USA customers to place unlimited nationwide and long-distance calls over an Internet connection for an extra $10 per...
Speech-recognition startup vlingo Corp. launched a free downloadable application that allows BlackBerry users to navigate their phones using voice. Vlingo for BlackBerry users can speak commands into their handsets to initiate phone calls, send a text or e-mail message, find contacts or search the...
