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EarthLink looks for muni Wi-Fi exit

EarthLink Inc. late Friday announced it is considering "strategic alternatives" for its municipal Wi-Fi operations, language typically used to signify that a business is up for sale. Indeed, the company even offered what appears to be a price tag, explaining in a short press...

Motorola gets kick in the side as T-Mobile USA suspends Sidekick

T-Mobile USA Inc. suspended sales of its Sidekick Slide on Friday after manufacturer Motorola Inc. informed the carrier that some of the devices power off when the sliding door on the device is opened or closed. The device went on sale earlier this month...

AT&T expands ad portfolio with Ingenio purchase

AT&T Inc. said that it agreed to acquire Ingenio, an advertising technology firm whose pay-per-call technology will be integrated into the company's directory services and local search advertising portfolio.Ingenio's product is an advertising platform AT&T described as " businesses to mange their ad programs...

Amazon intros EV-DO book reader: Sprint Nextel to provide access to Kindle users

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. announced a new reading gadget-dubbed Kindle-that will allow users to download books, magazines and other publications via Sprint Nextel Corp.'s network. The innovative offering requires no monthly service fees; instead, the cost of wireless access is built into the price...

AT&T offers Napster Mobile via Samsung’s SLM

Dropping vowels from the name of a wireless handset, apparently, may never die. Same with dropping names. AT&T Mobility said that the SLM (hmm . as in "Slim"?) would be on shelves Nov. 23-the day after Thanksgiving, historically the biggest single shopping day of...

NYC schools to test free cellphone program for students: Ad-supported phones would offer educational apps

Most people would assume cellphones get in the way of learning. David Droga is betting they can help.The creative big and founder of the start-up Droga5, who previously launched the highly successful Tap Project for UNICEF, is working with the New York City Department...

Why mobile-marketing euphoria is a thing of the past: Mobile Marketing Association’s conference highlights medium’s struggles

LOS ANGELES-The mobile phone ain't what it used to be, even a few short months ago.With hopes of a big boom dashed and a lot of the euphoria evaporated, marketers and media companies talked about rethinking mobile advertising at the Mobile Marketing Association's annual...

Analyst Angle: A microcosm of opinion on handset design

Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Analyst Angle. We've collected a group of the industry's leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Current Analysis' Avi Greengart, Jupiter Research's...

Virgin Mobile USA stock down on economic worries

Investors sent Virgin Mobile USA Inc.'s stock plunging this morning despite decent quarterly numbers, based on worries about the impact of an increasing competitive prepaid landscape as well as economic impacts on the company's customer base. Virgin Mobile USA's stock was down more than...

FCC approves AT&T Mobility/Dobson deal

The Federal Communications Commission approved AT&T's Mobility's $2.8 billion purchase of Dobson Communications Corp., embracing less stringent divestiture requirements than those imposed by Justice Department and the same universal service wireless-cap condition federal regulators worked into the $27.5 billion acquisition of Alltel Corp. by...

Buongiorno expects growth, savings from iTouch deal

Buongiorno S.p.A. forecasts it will bring in revenues of $462 million to $476.5 million for the year, as well as also predicting continued growth in 2008, forecasting $484 million to $513 million in revenues.By the close of next year, the Italian mobile content and...

FCC to allow wholesaling of D block spectrum: Decision seen as victory for Frontline

The Federal Communications Commission relaxed the small-business bidding rule for the national commercial/public-safety license up for grabs in the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction. The ruling is major victory for startup Frontline Wireless L.L.C., which has expressed strong interest in pursuing the D block...

700 MHz band to be used for broadband worldwide

The United States teamed with neighboring countries to get the 700 MHz band identified for wireless broadband services in the Americas and major markets in Asia at the close of the World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva, effectively setting the foundation for a global...

Motorola invests in social-networking

Motorola Inc. said its venture capital arm, Motorola Ventures, would invest in Tilefile Ltd., which has developed a social-media platform. Terms were not disclosed. Leading handset companies such as Motorola clearly are moving beyond the hardware and software of handsets to become...

Garmin drops Tele Atlas bid, extends Navteq contract

Shares of Garmin Ltd. surged after the manufacturer of personal navigation devices withdrew its $3.3 billion takeover bid for digital mapping company Tele Atlas NV.The move paves the way for TomTom, a Garmin rival that last week offered $4.25 billion for Tele Atlas...

The Week in Review

Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News runs through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what to look for in the coming weeks, months and years. Check below for news about...

Bango unveils button to link computers, cellphones

Bango unveiled a link that allows users to send online content to their mobile phones.The Bango Button was created for blogs and social networking sites as a way to bridge the gap between computers and mobile phones. A user can place the icon on...

Microsoft buys Musiwave for $46M

Openwave Systems Inc. finally found a buyer for Musiwave, selling the mobile music business to Microsoft Corp. Microsoft will spend $46 million in cash for Musiwave and assume roughly $4 million of the Paris-based business's net debt. The software giant earlier this week acquired...

Pocket cuts unlimited local calling rate to $25

San Antonio-based carrier Pocket Communications introduced a pair of new rate plans, including one that starts at $25 per month, in an attempt to attract users to its flat-rate calling service. Pocket has a track record of shaking up the south Texas market with...

Worst of the Week: An m-commerce sellout

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. We...

LTE gains steam: Nokia, LG, Alcatel-Lucent tests set stage for commercial deployments

Over the past week, a wide breadth of telecom companies have completed Long Term Evolution tests.Nokia Corp. announced results last week from the first phase of a trial that the company claimed achieved 100 megabit-per-second data transfer speeds. The trial was conducted by the...

J.D. Power lauds Sony Ericsson

J.D. Power announced Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications' handsets scored highest in overall customer satisfaction among U.S. and Canadian consumers in the consumer research firm's latest survey.SEMC ranked highest in features, battery life, physical design, operation and durability among U.S. consumers. Najmi Jarwala, president of...

Investors bullish on MetroPCS’ Q3

MetroPCS Communications Inc. beat Wall Street's earnings expectations in spite of weak customer numbers, and the company's stock soared nearly 13% in early afternoon trading. MetroPCS' financial metrics were strong, with a 47% year-over-year increase in service revenue to $489 million. The company's total...

Qualcomm scoops up Firethorn for mobile banking

The mobile banking space got even hotter as Qualcomm Inc. said it will shell out $210 million in cash for Firethorn Holdings L.L.C.Firethorn's technology links financial institutions and mobile network operators, allowing users to check bank balances and transfer funds from their handsets. The...