retail

What’s a keyboard worth? Well, according to Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), about $50.The nation’s No. 3 operator released launch details for its version of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Galaxy S smart phone, dubbed the Epic 4G, saying customers could pre-order …

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.Greetings from Kansas City, where the weather and political climate are both scorching …

The Federal Communications Commission tightened rules for handset makers so that more manufacturers will have to offer at least one device that works for people who use hearing aids or cochlear implants. The agency also expanded rules so to include …

Best Buy Co. Inc. (BBY) hasn’t been shy about its grandiose plans for mobile. The company has gone after the app space, devices and music, just to name a few.Today the big-box retailer announced a new wholesale arrangement with Clearwire …

Any carrier can claim network superiority and best-in-class customer service, but independent surveys from the likes of J.D. Power and Associates take on an different air of authenticity. In fact, they mostly clear the air and reduce the noise.Today, the …

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) will soon add AT&T Mobility (T) as a network option for its Straight Talk prepaid wireless service, giving the nation’s largest retailer a GSM option alongside its Verizon Wireless (VZ) CDMA network plan. The move is …

CTIA is suing the City of San Francisco, saying an ordinance that requires retailers to post Specific Absorption Rates in a large font misleads consumers into thinking some SAR levels are unsafe. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court Northern …

Sprint Nextel Corp. managed to find another prepaid niche it had not already covered with the launch this morning of its PayLo offering through its Virgin Mobile subsidiary. The service brings a voice-focused component to what has been a data-centric …

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.Most of my blogs are chock full of numbers, trends, analyses. I like …

Driven by an insatiable consumer demand for anything “i” related, and apparently overlooking some slight design flaws, Apple Inc. (AAPL) said it managed to sell more than 1.7 million iPhone 4 devices through its first three days of availability, becoming …

CERRITOS, CALIF. — The faithful began lining up earlier this week, according to some overheard chatter, but whether you arrived 24 hours before or right when the doors opened today, you still walked out of Apple Inc.’s newest store with …

If you were planning on posting up outside one of AT&T Mobility’s stores before the sun rises Thursday morning to pick up the new iPhone 4 from Apple Inc. on launch day, you should start making other plans.Unlike every previous …

The city of San Francisco is going to require cellphone retailers to post Specific Absorption Rates on the phones they sell in stores – a move that trade association CTIA said will mislead customers about the safety of RF emissions.The …

Pre-orders for Apple Inc.’s iPhone 4 have been temporarily suspended, according to AT&T Mobility’s website. It appears that demand for the device once again is outpacing supply. Glitches also happened when the device was first introduced in 2007 and servers …

T-Mobile USA Inc. is hoping to cash in on Fathers’ Day gift-buying by offering any of its 30 handsets free to customers who sign up for a family plan. The promotion, only offered on Saturday, comes days before Apple iPhone …

Lost in the shuffle of AT&T Mobility’s announcement this week that it was now limiting previous smartphone data plans to 2 gigabytes of data transmission were changes rival T-Mobile USA Inc. quietly made to its data packages last weekend. The …

The retail and restaurants category of mobile Web advertising climbed into the top 10 mobile advertising verticals ranked by ad spend in April, according to Milliennial Media’s monthly report on mobile ad trends.Overall, the U.S. mobile web grew 2% to …

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it will cut $100 off the price of Apple Inc.’s iPhone 3GS 16GB model beginning May 25. The device will now retail for $97 with a two-year contract.The price cut lends further evidence that Apple could …

Nokia Siemens Networks launched a software solution that allows mobile operators to analyze customer usage patterns and business performance of new offers. The charge@once software provides immediate feedback via a set of predefined reports and dashboards. The solution addresses revenue …

HONOLULU, Hawaii—The WiMAX Forum’s recently announced Open Retail Initiative should spur more consumer electronics companies to make products using WiMAX technology because they will be able to bring those products to more operators quickly, said Ron Resnick, president and chairman …

Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from RCR Wireless News’ March Special Edition, “The Perfect Storm – A Focus on Mobile Messaging, Marketing, Content and Apps.” The 80-page special edition is available here.While most ecosystems represent a cohesive unit, …

Qualcomm Inc., Hughes Telematics Inc. and American Medical Alert Corp. announced they have formed a joint venture aimed at delivering mobile health services through Lifecom L.L.C. The venture was formed with cash and in-kind contributions from the members and will …

If prepaid is the future, then count Sprint Nextel Corp. as going all in on the no-contract wireless front.The carrier today unveiled its latest card to play in the prepaid game with the release of its Common Cents pay-as-you-go service …

Sprint Nextel Corp. finally released launch details for its highly-anticipated HTC Corp. Evo 4G device that was unveiled at the recent CTIA event in Las Vegas. The carrier said the device will be available through all of its retail channels …