BROWSING: smartphones

Google launched its Project Fi MVNO service, tapping Sprint, T-Mobile US and Wi-Fi Following recent rumors, Google today unveiled the commercial launch of its Project Fi service, which taps cellular operators, Wi-Fi and the Motorola Nexus 6 device to offer mobile communication services. The move...

Tablets up, smartphones and prepaid down for Verizon Wireless Competition, smartphone saturation and consumer infatuation with tablet devices continues to alter Verizon Wireless' quarterly results, which showed financial strain tied to slowing smartphone connections and increased tablet adoption. The carrier said it had 377,000 direct net...

An accident may have led to a discovery that could change the way we use our smartphones. Researchers at Stanford University said they inadvertently discovered that graphite can be used with aluminum to create a new battery that will charge fully in as little...

Pew: Domestic smartphone penetration hits 64% WASHINGTON – According to a Pew Research Poll, smartphone ownership in the United States has reached 64%, with roughly half of people surveyed responding that their smartphone is something they “couldn’t live without.” The report finds that smartphone ownership is...

Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories! Disney Mobile offers...

New offer has Sprint reimbursing all costs related to switching Sprint is expanding the scale and targeting of its rivals’ customer bases with a new promotion that will reimburse all customer costs related to switching to the operator. The offer, which launched today, will pay the...

Sensors are vital to smartphones today We use the sensors embedded in our smartphones every day, often without even realizing it. The screen flips as you hold your phone in a landscape position because an accelerometer has detected the change. When there’s an arrow pointing...

Next week is the GSMA's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain, the mobile Internet and cellular telephone industry's largest global conference. The MWC 2015 show is expected to feature conference sessions, keynote speeches, over 1,900 exhibits, co-events, side events, evening parties and much more....

Regional wireless operator U.S. Cellular continued to show improved operational performance, posting a second consecutive quarter of improved customer growth even though its bottom line took a hit. The Chicago-based operator said it added 96,000 net connections during the fourth quarter of 2014, a marked turnaround...

Most smartphones these days come standard with some kind of off-the-shelf fitness application. My iPhone, for instance, tracks my steps and tells me how far I walk each day. If you combine that data with more accurate and updated information from a Fit Bit...

AT&T Mobility customers looking to take a trip back in time will have a new option later this week as the wireless carrier is set to begin offering BlackBerry’s Classic device. The Classic is an update of BlackBerry’s Bold 9900 series device, including BlackBerry’s full...

  Alibaba pumps $590M into Chinese smartphone-maker Alibaba has announced plans to invest $590 million in Meizu, a fast-growing Chinese smartphone-maker, in exchange for an undisclosed minority stake in the company. Alibaba reportedly plans to integrate its mobile operating system and e-commerce technology into Meizu’s phones, as...

Mobile phones have come a long way since first hitting the market three decades ago. No longer just a commodity for the well-to-do, today’s cellular technology is just a part of the ever-expanding smartphone – used by consumers of all socioeconomic levels as devices...

Competitive pressures impact revenue, churn The domestic market’s dynamic nature was apparent in the latest quarterly results from AT&T, which showed its wireless business attracting more connections despite increased churn. AT&T Mobility reported a more than doubling of net connections added during the fourth quarter, surging from...

Qualcomm chipsets remained the industry leader in cellular and smartphone apps processors in 2014, according to a new report from research firm Strategy Analytics. Although Qualcomm continues to dominate the LTE baseband processor space holding a unit share of about 80% in the third quarter of 2014,...

According to the GSMA, more than 65% of the global population will adopt smartphones by 2020, with emerging markets forecasted to lead this growth. In its 2015 forecast, global research firm Gfk states that seven of the 10 leading smartphone markets are emerging nations....

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column where C-level executives and advisory firms from across the mobile industry share unique insights and experiences. You have probably been hearing quite a bit in recent months about the “Internet of Things” coalescing into a major...

Editor’s Note: Looking to bring a younger perspective to the mobile space, RCR Wireless News has tapped Jeff Hawn to provide insight into what’s on the minds of the tech-savvy youth of today. George Orwell’s classic dystopia novel “1984” popularized the phrase “Big Brother is...

Editor’s Note: Looking to bring a younger perspective to the mobile space, RCR Wireless News has tapped Jeff Hawn to provide insight into what’s on the minds of the tech-savvy youth of today. Originally, I had intended an analysis of the evolution of cellular devices...

Sprint continues to press the pricing issue with the rollout of a new promotion that trims access charges to a pair of its shared data plans. The new offering allows customers to add lines of smartphones accessing either its 12 gigabyte or 16 GB data...

The mobile phone became a sign of protest this week as tens of thousands of Hungarians raised their lit-up smartphones in the air as they marched against the world's first Internet tax. The Hungarian government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban planned to implement a 150...

As is becoming common from domestic mobile operators, AT&T posted quarterly wireless results showing robust customer growth at the expense of its bottom line. The carrier said it added 2 million net connections during the third quarter, more than doubling its Q3 2013 results thanks to...

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column where C-level executives and advisory firms from across the mobile industry share unique insights and experiences. The Nexus 6: the best kept secret (not again!) Given the collaboration that came through their acquisition, it’s no surprise that...

AT&T Mobility over the weekend turned up the competitive pressure for data-hungry customers, announcing a limited-time offer to double the amount of data in its Mobile Share Value plans of 15 gigabytes and higher. The promotion, which runs through the end of October, calls for...