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Deadlock: AT&T Mobility, union battle over contract terms

The Communications Workers of America and AT&T Mobility remain deadlocked over a new contract covering more than 20,000 workers employed by the No. 2 wireless provider. The labor-management faceoff is playing out as the Democratic-led Congress prepares to revisit highly combustible legislation to make...

Intel remains bullish on WiMAX: Chip giant cites stimulus benefits for Clearwire

With WiMAX being deployed all around the world, Intel Corp. officials are satisfied with the progress the technology has made in the United States and are hopeful federal stimulus funds can help accelerate the technology's deployment. Sean Maloney, Intel EVP, said this week that...

Motorola promises next-gen smartphones by fourth quarter

Handset manufacturer Motorola Inc. is likely to pin its future on smartphones based on Google Inc.'s Android operating system, while ceding its low-end, high-volume business to others.Amid a fourth-quarter where Motorola Inc. posted a $3.6 billion loss, handset chief Sanjay Jha said its next-generation...

UPDATED: Wireless ecosystem to benefit from economic stimulus package: Backhaul, towers included in broadband effort

The $789 billion economic stimulus bill set to shortly become law designates $7.2 billion for broadband grants, but the measure lacks tax credits for wireless carriers and other service providers."Despite the fact that broadband tax cuts is a well-known concept on Capitol Hill, the...

Android platform developers can start charging for their work

Developers of applications for Google Inc.'s Android platform will finally be able to start charging for their offerings.The Internet giant said programmers can now submit paid applications to Android Market in the United States and United Kingdom. U.S. users will be able to buy...

Mobile software company Esmertec to acquire Purple Labs

European mobile software company Esmertec AG announced plans to acquire rival Purple Labs SA. The deal will create a new business under the name of Myriad Group AG that will include a client list supporting most major phone manufacturers and 30 mobile network operators....

Stimulus bill includes $7.2B for broadband grants, but drops tax credits for service providers

The $789 billion economic stimulus bill nearing final congressional passage designates $7.2 billion for broadband grants, but the measure lacks tax credits for wireless carriers and other service providers.Crafting rules for broadband grants could become highly controversial, since guidelines governing eligibility, data speeds, nondiscrimination...

Samsung innovations: Cellphones with embedded projectors, solar-powered batteries: No word on price for mobile devices

Ahead of next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced two new innovations the company hopes will set it apart from the inevitable trade-show noise. Specifically, the company unveiled its "Blue Earth" touchscreen phone, which features a rechargeable solar...

It’s a prepaid future

The one-time rock of the wireless industry appears set to crumble. And I think that crumbling can't come soon enough. That rock is postpaid, contract-encumbered rate plans. These were necessary evils when the industry was rife with hundreds of wireless operators, each trying to...

Glitch in Nokia’s cloud-based Ovi service destroys 3 weeks of users’ updates: Mobile device maker ‘incredibly sorry,’ incident highlights potential dangers of cloud computing

Nokia Corp. begged for forgiveness from consumers after its new cloud-based service broke down.The Finnish manufacturer - which is striving to evolve into a mobile Internet services company - said its Contacts for Ovi offering shut down after a cooler failed, causing a server...

Boost revitalizes iDEN network: New offerings show benefit of network, increase value

Boost Mobile's decision to refocus its efforts on parent company Sprint Nextel Corp.'s iDEN network may be just what the doctor ordered - or a way to make the iDEN network a more attractive acquisition target.After launching a trial of an unlimited offering on...

Nokia to unveil app store, E75 next week -sources

The world's top cellphone maker Nokia will unveil its new application store next week, hoping to follow the runaway success of Apple's App Store, two industry sources told Reuters on Friday.

Microsoft to open own retail stores

Microsoft Corp. on Thursday announced plans to open its own stores despite the economic downturn that has left many retailers struggling.

VH1 offers show clips via iPhone app

VH1 is the latest cable programmer to launch an iPhone application, with the news today that it's rolling out celebrity photos and show clips this month to the popular cellphone.VH1's effort follows iPhone app introductions earlier this week by cable networks TNT, Sci Fi...

Venture capital financing wrap-up: Pontis, SonicMule, Teliris and more

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.--Pontis: Norwest Venture Partners led a $19.65 million round of financing into software developer Pontis Ltd. Current backers Sequoia...

FTC revises online behavioral advertising guidelines, targets mobile and emerging platforms: Critics say new rules do not go far enough

The Federal Trade Commission today issued revised guidelines for how wireless and other communications companies should police themselves to protect consumers' privacy in behavioral advertising. But a top watchdog group said the report reflects the hands-off regulatory philosophy of the past administration and criticized...

Worst of the Week: What I want to see at Mobile World Congress

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 RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....

Verizon Wireless adopts Alltel’s MyCircle offering, albeit at higher prices: No. 1 wireless provider to allow unlimited calls to five or 10 numbers

Alltel Communications L.L.C customers can relax; Verizon Wireless announced it will offer its own version of Alltel's long-standing MyCircle calling plan, just with a different name. Ever since Verizon Wireless announced it would acquire Alltel, customers and industry watchers began to wonder if the...

Facebook, Nokia discuss alliance

Facebook Inc. is stepping up its efforts to integrate its social network into an array of mobile phones, including those made by Nokia Corp., the world's largest handset maker.

Aruba gets a leg up in patent infringement battle with Motorola

Aruba Networks Inc. said it won round one in a patent infringement case filed against the company by Motorola Inc. and two of its subsidiaries regarding technology used for the wireless local area network market.The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office issued a preliminary decision...

A new platform for wireless: Sun releases mobile version of JavaFX: Wireless application developers have another option

Sun Microsystems Inc. is hoping to bridge the gap between smartphones and feature phones with a new platform targeting mid- and lower-end devices.The Santa Clara, Calif.-based developer unveiled the mobile version of JavaFX, an offering designed to run atop Java ME (Mobile Edition) as...

Presence struggles to find itself in the enterprise: Movius to unveil ‘Automated Presence’ apps at MWC

When it comes to mobile in the enterprise, presence is the buzzword. Just like it was three years ago.Presence - a vaguely defined term referring to the ability to determine the availability and whereabouts of others - was a key feature in the early...

IPhone developer says price point not sustainable

A couple of weeks ago, iPhone developer App Cubby decided to try a little experiment. It would lower the price of its three apps--Trip Cubby, Gas Cubby, and Health Cubby--(which previously sold for a few dollars each) to 99 cents for a limited time...

New Windows 7 build appears on torrent sites

A new build version of the Windows 7 beta has been available on several torrent sites as Microsoft ended the distribution of an earlier version, according to a report.