BROWSING: Mobile and Wireless Industry Reports

In a online presentation this morning, Microsoft Corp. introduced its "Unified Communications" software offering that the company said would tie together all current means of business communication based on the concepts of "identity" and "presence"-a promise that has echoed for at least a decade...

Microsoft Corp. officially joined the voice-operated search field, unveiling a free directory-assistance service for mobile and fixed-line users.The software giant launched Live Search 411, an offering that delivers local listings as well as weather updates, movie show times and airline information. Users with Internet-enabled...

Mobile banking providers ClairMail Inc. and mFoundry announced a new partnership and their first joint customer: BB&T Corp., which operates financial centers in 11 states.The two mobile banking companies are joining forces to offer a "triple-play" of mobile banking options: messaging, mobile Web and...

Helio L.L.C., which has made a point of maintaining its handset pricing, is offering a limited-time, online-only promotion with at least $50 off each of the three currently available handsets. The discounts include $50 off the dual-slider Pantech Corp. Ocean handset, reducing its price...

L.M. Ericsson warned yesterday that third-quarter sales would total about $6.8 billion, with operating profit of $875 million, sending its shares down almost one-third. CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg said the company had "underestimated" the "market dynamics," which included fewer network upgrades and expansions by its...

Nokia Corp. will answer the iPhone's splashy user interface with advancements in its own Series 60 UI that runs its smartphone offerings, the Finnish giant said at the Symbian Smartphone Show in London.Nokia will offer the upgraded UI to rivals on a licensing basis,...

AT&T Mobility has stepped up its customer-friendly policies, following changes by Verizon Wireless and just ahead of a federal hearing on wireless consumer protection. The nation's largest carrier introduced two new policies: Starting in November, customers can make changes to their calling plans over...

Editor's Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News' new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we'll review a new wireless application or service from the user's point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works...

Text-to-vote campaigns are changing TV viewing habits dramatically, and TV programming is pushing the popularity of text campaigns.And so it was that I watched "Dancing with the Stars" last Tuesday. For the uninitiated, Wayne Newton got kicked off the contest. America voted correctly. If...

Editor's Note: Welcome to Reality Check, a feature for RCR Wireless News' new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. We've gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile content industry to give their insights into the marketplace. In the coming weeks...

The following list details this week's infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available.WiMAX--Argentina: Alvarion Ltd. said it won a contract with Ertach...

Editor's Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News' new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the wireless industry.--Gaming giant...

Nokia Corp. will offer a new CDMA handset in North America this fall, though details about possible carrier deals and pricing were not given. Such a phone, however, could run on Verizon Wireless' and Sprint Nextel Corp.'s CDMA networks and enables Nokia to address...

PHOENIX-With rival Nokia Corp. moving aggressively to build its worldwide lead through marketing, and the iPhone rattling the handset marketplace, struggling Motorola Inc. has begun to restructure its marketing, from its agency alignment to its internal organization.Marketing chief Casey Keller, in an interview with...

Shares of InfoSpace Inc. shot skyward after the company said it will sell its mobile services division to Motricity for $135 million in cash.Motricity will acquire InfoSpace's managed services infrastructure for mobile carriers, including technology and services such as mobile search, storefronts, portals and...

Verizon Wireless is betting on Firethorn Holdings L.L.C. for its mobile banking service, and the two companies said they will work with financial institutions to educate consumers about using their phones for financial transactions. Verizon Wireless said it plans to pre-load Firethorn's mobile banking...

Sprint Nextel Corp. is producing its own made-for-mobile video content.The carrier launched the Sprint Exclusive Entertainment (SEE) network, an in-house effort set to deliver more than 150 on-demand programs each week. The two-minute video clips will focus on sports, music and entertainment news and...

Verizon Wireless landed the exclusive rights to distribute Led Zeppelin's songs over-the-air, with ringtones, ringback tones, alert tones and wallpapers available immediately and full-song downloads available starting Nov. 13. Users with Vcast Music-enabled phones can text ZEP to 8901 for information on how to...

Want one of those ".mobi" suffixes for your wireless Web site? Get out your checkbook.The company behind the mobile-only top-level domain closed its first online auction earlier this month, raking in more than $850,000 as it hawked 100 mobile Web addresses to the highest...

After a one-year hiatus when the show visited Los Angeles, the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment event is back in the city by the Bay for 2007. The move is minor considering the wireless trade association's larger spring show has been bouncing between the...

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...

Online wireless retailer InPhonic Inc. said that its third-quarter results will fall significantly below previous guidance, an announcement that coincides with the company's plans to consider business options including a possible sale.The company said it chose Lazard Middle Market to help it conduct a...

Verizon Wireless is requiring customers to opt out of allowing the carrier to share their customer proprietary network information (CPNI), a new policy that could spark protest from the carrier's customers.CPNI comprises users' calling records and includes the numbers of incoming and outgoing calls...

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. reported $2.39 billion in earnings for the third quarter, an increase of 1% from the same period last year, due largely to growth in its cellphone and chip-making businesses.The world's No. 2 handset manufacturer brought in $5.2 billion in sales...