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Microsoft has elbowed out the much larger competition to become the default search engine on Verizon Wireless handsets, ending a drawn-out battle to mine advertising revenue from what is expected to be the largest U.S. cellular subscriber base. Under the …

Only 45% of U.S. mobile consumers use their phones for anything more than making calls, according to figures released this week from NPD Group. But nearly lost in the press release is this little tidbit: Verizon Wireless’ customers are less …

Swedish smartphone user interface vendor UIQ has filed for bankruptcy, according to media reports.Indeed, the move was foreshadowed in June when UIQ announced it would layoff 200 of its 375 employees and seek new lines of business. However, it seems …

It appears there’s room for plenty of winners in the booming segment of mobile social networking sites. But it’s still unclear how lucrative the space will be.Virtual, on-the-go communities are a driving force as the wireless Web rapidly expands from …

Apple continues to draw flak for keeping a tight rein on its App Store, but T-Mobile USA is learning that Google’s free-for-all marketplace can be a dangerous place to play.The latest offering to get the boot from Apple is a …

In 2009, the wireless industry is apt to suffer many of the same consequences exacted upon others by the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression: layoffs (likely giving way to stepped-up outsourcing), reduced capital spending, lower revenues and slimmer …

Google Inc. is helping giddy kids keep on eye on Santa with its mobile mapping application.The Internet giant has integrated Google Maps for mobile with the annual Santa-tracking offering from NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), allowing users to launch …

There’s a chill in the air, the malls are packed and my daughters are taking Christmas ornaments off the tree and breaking them like there’s money inside. So in the spirit of the season – and in light of the …

Consumers continue to flock to the mobile Web, according to the latest report from Opera Software ASA, and they’re increasingly looking to connect with social-networking sites.The Norwegian developer said its Opera Mini browser delivered more than 5.7 page views last …

Palm Inc. said yesterday that it is operating in an “extremely tough climate” with “continued challenges in coming months” as it prepares to launch a next-generation platform dubbed Nova along with new handsets.Palm is widely expected to present its new …

Hello! And welcome to a special edition of our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. As 2008 draws to a close and we take stock of all the changes that have happened in the wireless industry, we can’t help but …

Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless each appear to be easing their stance on sharing subscribers’ location information with partners, efforts that put weight behind their bluster about openness.Sprint Nextel announced it will open its location platform to location aggregators …

Palm is suddenly making some impressive moves. Unfortunately for the handset maker’s shareholders, it’s making them about a year too late.The Silicon Valley-based manufacturer this week took the wraps off a striking new application storefront that already boasts 5,000 offerings …

Palm Inc. joined the application-store bandwagon, launching a downloadable storefront with 5,000-plus offerings for more than two dozen Palm devices.The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based outfit opened the Software Store (available at http://software.palm.com/appstore), showcasing high-profile applications (Facebook, Pac-Man, Tetris) as well as lesser-known …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Yay or Nay. 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 and what doesn’t. If you wish to …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.Up until very recently, proprietary handset platforms, walled gardens and expensive data tariffs …

Mobile data is exploding as consumers are flocking to cutting-edge, high-end software platforms like Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android. But Everypoint is hoping to gain traction with users – and, more importantly, developers – with a new offering for feature …

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.The migration to mobile messaging and data was the story of …

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications has joined the Open Handset Alliance in support of Google Inc.’s Android platform, the handset vendor said today.ARM, the British semiconductor designer, also announced its membership in the OHA today. Sony Ericsson will produce a handset …

Official Washington is big on labels, quick to pigeonhole this elected official or that presidential appointee based on party affiliation, past government actions and off-the-record scuttlebutt. It is a convenient baseline utilized by lobbyists, journalists, political operatives and others to …

There’s a very long list of companies with billing platforms that leave carriers out of the revenue stream. But even as operators grudgingly open up their networks, nobody seems to be making a lot of progress. Billing Revolution is the …

Goodbye Xohm, hello Sprint 4G.Just over a year after inventing a new word for its WiMAX plans, Sprint Nextel Corp. has decided on a name that is easier on the tongue, and eyes, for its next-generation network aspirations. Sprint Nextel …

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 …

Text messaging aggregators such as mBlox, OpenMarket and VeriSign Inc. have built lucrative businesses by serving as middlemen between carriers and companies (or political candidates) looking to send text messages to massive numbers of mobile users.That’s exactly what Isaias Sudit …

Despite widespread trouble on the municipal Wi-Fi front in other cities across the nation, a suburb east of Cleveland, Ohio, is giving the effort a shot.Radiant Networks and Proxim Wireless have teamed up to provide residents in Solon with free …