Microsoft Inc. announced it has acquired the right to buy Musiwave SA from Openwave Systems Inc., which has struggled with management changes in light of stock-option backdating woes and proxy battles with shareholders. No terms of the proposed deal were …
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Yet another set of mobile advertising guidelines will be released this week as the dotMobi Advisory Group (MAG) unveils a 44-page document for companies looking to target wireless users.The group, a nonprofit offshoot of mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd., hopes …
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Like Daryl Hannah in “Blade Runner,” Google Inc. last week showcased an attention-grabbing Android. But while the Internet giant garnered headlines and wowed fanboys with its latest move in wireless, some developers reacted with a big yawn.Google ended weeks of …
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Google Inc. drew considerable media attention last week with an idea and 33 influential friends.Missing was its long-rumored gPhone, whose actual fate remains a closely guarded secret. Instead, Google announced a consortium of 34 companies-the Open Handset Alliance (OHA)-and a …
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Hedgehogging: hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube
by jscarboby jscarboThe best part of Google’s “Android” announcement last week? Why, the name of course. How awesome is it that a giant company like Google used the term android for its wireless phone plans? Very awesome. Though some of us on …
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CinemaElectric adds ads to videos: Mobile-video firm signs deal with YouTube, Google for AdSense program
by jscarboby jscarboCinemaElectric Inc. is quickly finding its groove in the mobile video space. With more than half of its content produced in-house, the company has inked deals with 90 carriers in more than 50 countries to bring its programming to the …
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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 RCRNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs …
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Nokia, Vodafone cut content and services deal: Companies’ alliance may buffer Apple, Google advances
by jscarboby jscarboAs the pace of convergence quickens, Nokia Corp. cut a deal with wireless telecom giant Vodafone Group plc to integrate mutual service offerings designed to grab eyes, ears and wallets-as competitors from within and without the wireless industry rapidly move …
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Margins Check: Google’s TV, the advertising Super Bowl, video calling and more
by jscarboby jscarboEditor’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 …
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Google Inc. is the new E.F. Hutton-when the Internet search giant talks, everybody listens. Many observers today expected to hear about a long-rumored Google phone-it didn’t happen. Nor were any specific handset models announced. But listeners probably included likely competitors …
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Google Inc. ended weeks of speculation about its mobile plans, unveiling an alliance of industry heavyweights centered on a new, open-source software platform.The Internet behemoth joined Qualcomm Inc., Motorola Inc., HTC Corp. and T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom AG to take …
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Google heads coalition for ‘Android’ cellphone platform: VZW, Nokia, Microsoft notably absent
by jscarboby jscarboA group of industry heavyweights-headed by Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC Corp., Qualcomm Inc., and Motorola Inc.-announced a new software platform for cellphones that includes an operating system, middleware, user interface and applications. The alliance said the first phones based on …
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Shifting business models make for strange bedfellows-and nowhere is that so clear as Google’s potential linkup with Verizon Wireless, which is said to be negotiating with the search giant to carry phones equipped with Google’s mobile operating system.Consider just the …
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Like former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, Tele Atlas N.V. plans to cash in on the free-agent market.The Netherlands-based digital mapping company in July accepted a bid of $2.8 billion from TomTom NV, agreeing to recommend the offer to shareholders. But Tele …
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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 …
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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 RCRNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs …
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Google Inc. is reportedly close to entering the wireless space in a big way. Much has been speculated about the search giant’s plans for mobile, ranging from branded devices to advertising-supported minutes and open operating systems.But, Google is ready to …
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For a show that bills itself as a bleeding-edge event with a multiple personality disorder (One Show. Two Personalities.) last week’s CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment conference in San Francisco was exceedingly tame.A disappointingly placid Steve Ballmer of Microsoft took …
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CTIA takes up 700 MHz challenge: Industry association moves in after VZW withdraws appeal
by jscarboby jscarboLITIGATION SURROUNDING RULES for auction-bound 700 MHz wireless licenses took an unexpected turn last week.Verizon Wireless filed to withdraw its appeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s 700 MHz open-access rule, only to have cellphone industry trade association CTIA immediately fill …
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So this is what they mean by “One show, two personalities.” Wednesday’s keynote coupled the buttoned-down executive style of Research In Motion Ltd. with the hip, edgy verve of Facebook. Dustin Moskovitz, who co-founded the popular social networking site, unveiled …
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S.F. Wi-Fi plans lost in a fog: Muni Wi-Fi model under pressure as players re-evaluate
by jscarboby jscarboAfter more than two years, a plan to blanket San Francisco with seamless wireless Internet access at no cost to consumers is back where it started. All that stands in the wake of the failed citywide Wi-Fi effort now is …
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Mobile and music not yet in synch: Opportunity there, but players have yet to find groove
by jscarboby jscarboWith ringtone revenues in decline and full-track downloads struggling to find an audience, carriers and third-party vendors are working furiously to breathe life into a withering mobile music industry.Ringtones for years have been the most popular type of content on …
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What’s plaguing the mobile gaming market? Pretty much the same headaches that have been there for years.Mobile gaming continues to struggle to move beyond what publishers have dubbed the “golden nickel”-the 5% or so of mobile users who pay to …
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CTIA replaces VZW in challenging open access: Trade group ‘does not seek to delay’ auction
by jscarboby jscarboLitigation surrounding rules for the Jan. 24-scheduled 700 MHz auction has taken a sudden turn. Verizon Wireless filed to withdraw its appeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s 700 MHz open-access rule, only to have cellphone association CTIA immediately fill the …
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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 …