Mobile Phones

Just a month or so into the job, President Bush has gone to great pains to convince us the “Digital Divide” is some cockamamie liberal concept unworthy of government support. George W. hasn’t exactly said as much, but his actions …

WASHINGTON-Despite concerns that mounting losses at Voice-Stream Wireless Corp. and Deutsche Telekom AG could threaten a transatlantic merger whose value has plummeted since its announcement last July, signs still point to completion of the deal early this spring. Indeed, there …

BOTHELL, Wash.-Infowave Software Inc., which provides software that connects enterprise applications to wireless devices, announced Lotus Notes and Domino support for its Wireless Business Engine. The Domino Connector will allow mobile workers to access corporate Domino-based e-mail, calendars, to do …

DALLAS-Beatnik Inc., which provides audio solutions and content for digital devices, games and the Web, has announced agreements with Texas Instruments and ARM, which provides 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions. According to the agreements, Beatnik will optimize its Beatnik Audio …

SEOUL, South Korea-As South Korea postponed plans to select a third and final third-generation (3G) mobile service operator, the government’s enthusiasm for a viable bidder is greater than ever. But potential bidders seem unimpressed, putting the 3G license itself into …

BUCHAREST, Romania-Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are a new and hopeful concept in the European communications market. The region’s mobile market is growing, with strong potential for new operators. The largest problem faced by European operators hoping to break into …

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina-A year after the launch of mobile Internet services in South America, almost all the cellular telephony operators are offering Internet services, although exclusively in the major cities of the region and without generating profits. Entel PCS of …

The fact that the telecom sector, including the mobile industry, is shivering in the cold right now after months of basking in the sun of favor from the financial community is certainly not breaking news. It seems no category-broadband wireless, …

TOKYO-Mobile Internet shopping is no longer a futuristic idea, but a daily practice, at least for early adopters in the browser phone-advanced nation of Japan. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications estimates the Japanese mobile-commerce market will expand from 4.2 …

Handsets Sendo European mobile phone manufacturer, Sendo, launched its second product platform, the S200 dual-band GSM mobile phone. Aimed at the young-at-heart prepaid market, features of the small and light phone include a variety of colors, short message service (SMS) …

HONG KONG-Nokia has signed a contract with CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP Power) to supply an 800 MHz TETRA system which includes digital exchanges, base stations, dispatcher equipment, a network management system and terminals. TETRA networks will strengthen CLP …

Microsoft Corp. threw its rather large hat in the wireless arena at last week’s 3GSM World Congress, announcing plans to launch software aimed at multimedia-enabled phones that leverage its Windows-based software. Microsoft said the smart phone platform, code named “Stinger,” …

VANCOUVER, British Columbia-NetNation Communications Inc. was selected to provide dedicated hosting and back-end support for wireless game producer Kalador Entertainment Inc.’s mobile phone services. “This agreement enables Kalador to concentrate on delivering quality, innovative and interesting games and entertainment solutions …

While the wireless community continues to search for the killer application that will make wireless Internet access mandatory, the mysterious application may be as simple as following the model set out by the wired Internet. Eric Harber, vice president of …

WASHINGTON-A new anti-crime bill would streamline law enforcement’s ability to clone numeric pagers and raise the legal standard for location-based mobile phone wiretaps, changes designed to fight drug trafficking and other illegal activities that have proven controversial for industry, Congress …

Although U.S. trade negotiator Richard Fisher called the mobile Internet arm candy, the delicacy may have to improve into an eye candy for Americans to call it sweet. But, so far, it is not tasty enough because it is not …

Deutsche Telekom AG’s $35 billion proposal to buy U.S. GSM operators VoiceStream Wireless Corp. and Powertel Inc. has been delayed as DT and VoiceStream are said to be re-negotiating the acquisition price due to DT’s stock slump, according to The …

WASHINGTON-The mobile-phone industry, buoyed last week by the third study in two months that failed to link mobile phones to brain cancer and other diseases, still remains mired in mushrooming litigation. Motorola Inc., the nation’s top mobile-phone manufacturer and a …

Boulder, Colo.-based Cellport Systems is taking its universal hands-free system and joining an equally universal movement to get mobile phone users to keep both hands on the wheel when driving and talking. Cellport recently announced the general availability of its …

WASHINGTON-A Georgia man last week filed lawsuit against mobile-phone giant Nokia Corp. and others, claiming cell phone use caused his brain cancer. The mobile-phone-cancer lawsuit is the latest in a mushrooming field of litigation that is beginning to hang over …

In a move to transform itself into the chief platform enabler among software developers and carriers, Qualcomm Inc. has developed an open, CDMA-based technology that will allow third-party users to write applications for mobile phones from a variety of vendors. …

WASHINGTON-Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) this week plans to re-introduce legislation that sets mobile-phone service standards and directs the Federal Communications Commission to monitor complaints of dropped calls, busy signals, dead spots, improper billing and other wireless consumer problems. Also early …

President Bush’s compassionate conservatism-a GOP version of centrist Democratic Third Way politics that former President Clinton practiced for eight years-has given the new Oval Office occupant a political framework to reach across the aisle in promoting his agenda. Indeed, the …

WASHINGTON-Norman Mineta, confirmed last week by the Senate to head the Department of Transportation, said driver distraction is among the highway safety issues that will take top priority in the Bush administration. “First of all, guaranteeing the safety of the …

WASHINGTON-While the mobile-phone industry insists steady progress has been made in the five years since the Federal Communications Commission was asked-but held back-from mandating hearing-aid compatibility for mobile phones, the hearing-impaired community is now unwilling to accept anything less than …