ATLANTA-PC maker Lenovo is selling a laptop computer that has built-in support for Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s EDGE- and UMTS/HSDPA-based networks. The laptop is selling online for around $1,900. "ThinkPad users can now enjoy wireless broadband Internet access via the Cingular BroadbandConnect service without needing...
Sprint Nextel Corp. last week launched a new program for enterprise customers, hoping to be a "one-stop shop" for a range of needs from fleet dispatch management to mobile device management, with additional aspects to be added to the program later this year. Although...
In other Wi-Fi news, AeroScout Inc. announced the launch of its enhanced Wi-Fi-based active RFID chip, the T2 Tag, which is used primarily for asset-tracking in the healthcare and manufacturing industries. The company’s latest enhancements to the T2 include a built-in temperature monitor and...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. launched a handset equipped with Unlicensed Mobile Access technology in Italy. Samsung's SGH-P200 phone runs on the Nexperia chip from Royal Philips' Philips Semiconductor division. Philips' Nexperia offering uses the company's low-power wireless local area network system-in-package that integrates...
It may seem like you've been hearing about the concept of a "wireless wallet" for decades, but in North America, at least, m-commerce is very much in its infancy. Mobile money seems to be getting legs in Japan, where credit-card companies have teamed with...
Wherify Wireless Inc. will retail its Wherifone GPS Locator phones through Toys `R' Us outlets nationwide starting Oct. 1, after a long delay during which the firm twice re-engineered the product. Wherify plans to sell the phone under a mobile virtual network operator business...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands—Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. launched a handset equipped with Unlicensed Mobile Access technology in Italy. Samsung’s SGH-P200 phone runs on the Nexperia chip from Royal Philips’ Philips Semiconductor division. Philips’ Nexperia offering uses the company’s low-power wireless local area network system-in-package that integrates...
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.—Wherify Wireless Inc. will retail its Wherifone GPS Locator phones through Toys ‘R’ Us outlets nationwide starting Oct. 1, after a long delay during which the firm twice re-engineered the product. Wherify will sell the phone under a mobile virtual network operator...
The advent of contactless payment technology in mobile handsets ushers in big possibilities for credit-card companies, network operators, and handset and chip vendors-if all parties can agree on an equitable business model. For consumers, new technologies such as near field communication, or NFC, offer...
Amid intensified airport security, U.S. passports outfitted with RFID technology rolled off the government's presses as the U.S. State Department began issuing electronic passports to the public. The State Department said e-passports are being produced at its Colorado Passport Agency in Denver and will...
SAN JOSE, Calif.—Infineon Technologies AG secured a multimillion-dollar order to supply the U.S. government with its RFID chips for electronic passports. The company touts its RFID chips as being designed to "facilitate international travel by allowing automatic identity verification, faster immigration inspections and greater...
Look out, Texas Instruments Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG. Your closest competitor in EDGE baseband chips and W-CDMA RF transceivers, respectively-Philips Semiconductor-has a new, ambitious owner anxious to position its acquisition to eat your lunch. Or at least grow Philips Semiconductor by feeding on...
The Symbian operating system, championed by Nokia Corp. in its smart phones, currently has a majority of OS market share, a state of affairs likely to continue for the foreseeable future, according to projections from market research firm IDC. This is likely despite the...
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Forget the car charger. Sprint Nextel Corp. is the first to market with a portable charger from Energizer, the Energi To Go, which can charge a cell phone using AA batteries. RCR Wireless News first reported on the recharging device in June,...
WASHINGTON-Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), co-chairman of the Congressional Wireless Caucus, led a group of lawmakers last week in writing a letter urging the Federal Communications Commission to declare that states have no jurisdiction over early-termination fees. "In our view, there is no question that...
WASHINGTON—Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), co-chairman of the Congressional Wireless Caucus, is asking lawmakers to join him in writing a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the FCC to declare that states have no jurisdiction over early-termination fees. "In our view, there is no...
Qualcomm Inc. is faring well based on fiscal third-quarter results, albeit with a cautious outlook for its fiscal fourth quarter, reflecting the wireless industry's robustness. In contrast, Intel Corp.—the world's largest chip maker, based on its position in the personal computer market—posted disappointing results,...
While the world watches Intel Corp. try to position itself at the top of the WiMAX market for laptop chips, French chipmaker Sequans Communications quietly announced that its low-power-consuming WiMAX chip for handsets and WiMAX infrastructure products is being sampled by top manufacturers. During...
SAN DIEGO—Qualcomm Inc. reported third-quarter results of $1.95 billion in revenue and $643 million in net income, increases of 44 percent and 15 percent, respectively, from the year-ago quarter. The chip vendor attributed earnings to sales of its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO and W-CDMA chipsets....
SARASOTA, Fla.—Mobile Voice over Internet Protocol developer xG Technology L.L.C. said it is launching a nationwide deployment program of xMax, the company’s new mobile VoIP service. The company said it’s accepting applications from dealers and will award exclusive territories to regional carriers for rollouts...
Given all the recent WiMAX announcements, it seems that the communications infrastructure community has convinced the rest of the world to invest in WiMAX technology, whether for fixed or mobile networks. In Seoul, South Korea's top two carriers, SK Telecom Co. Ltd. and KT...
SEOUL, South Korea—Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the world’s third-largest mobile handset vendor, said revenue from mobile-phone sales fell 4.5 percent to $4.2 billion from the year-ago quarter on shipments of 26.3 million units, missing analysts’ reduced expectations for the company. The company blamed erosion...
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 RCR to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
While the standards-setting process for WiMAX technology seems to move forward at a snail's pace, the business machinations around mobile WiMAX are developing faster than a speeding bullet, so to speak.Indeed, Intel Corp.'s recent moves to exit the wireless handset chip business and immediately...
