mobile handsets

LAS VEGAS—Nokia Corp. and Sony Corp. announced they are developing an open and common middleware platform with the intent of achieving interoperability between mobile handsets and consumer devices, and between …

TORONTO-As the handset manufacturing business gets tougher because of declining demand, more phone makers are looking at joint ventures as their economic salvation and perhaps their best strategy to catch …

Carriers choose low-key number portability promotions MELBOURNE, Australia-With the advent of mobile number portability (MNP) in Australia, the forecasted marketing blitz has largely failed to materialize, despite some initial predictions …

TOKYO—Toshiba and KDDI will jointly launch a field test for communications between digital consumer electronics and mobile handsets next March. About 500 households in Tokyo and Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, …

RALEIGH, N.C.—High Speed Net Solutions Inc. (d/b/a Summus) announced its BlueFuel Image media module for Qualcomm’s BREW platform is now available. According to Summus, BlueFuel is a SuperFast-SuperThin media module …

TOKYO—KDDI Corp. and five other firms will jointly perform Japan’s largest field test for mobile commerce in November. Unlike other conventional mobile commerce services, their system will provide settlement services …

MOSCOW—The Russian Security Council allowed the rebel Republic of Chechnya to restore wireless communications to a limited extent. The military fears that remaining armed Chechen separatists may use mobile communications …

While Nokia Corp. is the hands-down leader for mobile handsets shipped in the United States, the handset giant only holds a 7-percent market share for CDMA phones sold in the …

TOKYO-Sony Corp. said the impact from recalling a total of 1.1 million defective mobile handsets would reach $95.2 million. For the past couple of months, Sony has been forced to …

Cellemetry L.L.C. Numerex Corp. announced that its subsidiary, Cellemetry L.L.C., will incorporate Ida Corp.’s Global Trakit Data Center in its Cellemetry network, enabling automatic vehicle location and remote asset management. …

BUCHAREST, Romania-Streaming video is a technology that is often mentioned in conjunction with third-generation (3G) networks, but users may see its possibilities sooner than 3G network rollouts. Streaming media is …

PDA technology Blue Impact Blue Impact, a partner of CellPoint, introduced a combined GSM/global positioning system (GPS) module for the Handspring Visor called Tellmen. The Tellmen module is compatible with …

TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo has been gearing up its global strategy, concluding one investment agreement after another. Since December 1999, it has invested in carriers in Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Britain. …

Motorola Inc. entered the wireless game sector this week in a major way, teaming up with UIEvolution to develop multi-player games for next-generation mobile handsets based on Sun Microsystems’ Java …

WASHINGTON-As the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau prepared to celebrate its one-year anniversary, the agency fined Qualcomm Inc. $25,000 for not complying with the 911 strongest-signal rules. The fine, which was agreed …

HONG KONG-The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is generally regarded with something between scorn and indifference in Hong Kong among industry sources, and mobile operators will not even reveal subscriber numbers …

IRVING, Texas-Nokia Corp. and Midwest Wireless are collaborating with Minnesota State University, Mankato, to create a model wireless campus. MSU will act as a wireless learning environment and a research …

INDIANAPOLIS-Brightpoint Inc. announced one of its North American subsidiaries entered an agreement with Nextel Communications Inc. under which Brightpoint will sell Nextel’s mobile handsets and accessories and manage the return …

SINGAPORE-Governments in Asia will issue licenses of third-generation (3G) cellular networks to around 40 operators in 11 countries within the next year, representatives from several equipment vendors said at the …

Mexico Mexican wireless carrier Grupo Iusacell S.A. de C.V. said it does not have any current intentions of filing for an equity offering in Mexico. The company has long been …

As last week’s Love Bug virus painfully illustrated, more computer viruses are being spread via e-mail, and they are growing increasingly destructive. But despite the growing popularity of wireless e-mail …

British Telecom plc unveiled its mobile Internet strategy last week, setting up a new unit to offer global mobile Internet services by extending its existing Genie Internet services to Wireless …

Two-way operators hope new technology aids capacity constraints. Traditional small two-way radio operators are hoping new technology can ease their capacity problems and offer more integrated services to their customers. …

During the first half of 1999, Latin America handset sales exceeded 9.8 million, according to Dataquest, a U.S.-based market research firm. Handset sales were forecasted to reach 24.5 million units …

NEW YORK-Sweden’s L.M. Ericsson has majored on the infrastructure side of provisioning to wireless carriers within the United States while playing a comparatively minor role as a wireline network supplier. …