BROWSING: Devices

Why does my phone battery die so fast?

It's a question that everyone asks. Your phone battery seems like it needs to be charged every day or even more frequently as it gets older. But why does this happen? It appears as if researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy have finally found an...

As cellphone unlocking bill heads to Obama's desk, activists eye copyright law

With rare bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow consumers to unlock their cellphones, making it easier to switch carriers and keep their device. President Obama is expected to sign the "Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act” soon....

EMEA: Innovation, Africa-style

As an industry we seem to focus on higher bandwidth enabling us to go fast to consume more. More bandwidth, more content, more data ... more, more, more. But, what about areas that have less and need to do less. Africa is a place...

Apple's potential wallet, Visa's new offers complicate m-payment field

Some big changes could be in the cards for the mobile payment market. First, the historically NFC-reticent Apple is rumored to be in talks with credit card companies about creating its own mobile wallet. And some say the wallet feature may come loaded on the next...

iPhone helps Apple ring in $7.7 billion profit

International demand for the iPhone led to another strong quarter for Apple. The company posted $37.4 billion in revenue and a net profit of $7.7 billion for its third quarter ending on June 28. The results both were increases from the same quarter last...

Hacker finds suspicious programs in Apple's iOS

The hacker nicknamed “NerveGas,” also known as the forensic scientist Jonathan Zdziarski, claims to have identified back doors, attack points and surveillance mechanisms running on all Apple iOS devices. Zdziarski, who was a development team member on many of the early iOS jailbreaks, recently detailed...

Sapphire crystal could present tough challenge for Gorilla Glass

While Corning's Gorilla Glass is used for the screens of more than 1.5 billion devices worldwide, a new challenger is coming into view: a synthetic sapphire crystal screen. Apple is reportedly making a synthetic sapphire display for its new iPhone 6 expected to be released this...

Microsoft to slash 18,000 jobs, two-thirds from Nokia handset division

Microsoft’s latest attempt to turn around its flailing mobile operations is set to cost 18,000 employees their jobs, with most of those cuts coming from its recently acquired Nokia handset division. The computer software giant announced today that its “restructuring plan” was designed to “simplify...

Airbiquity on Google, Apple and connected car trends

Connected Car Trends Google recently announced its entry into the connected car market with Android Auto, a new competitor to Apple's CarPlay solution. Many auto makers have already committed to one or both of the companies for head unit systems – but will auto makers have...

#TBT: Motorola basks in Razr glory; rural carriers look at 3G … 8 years ago this week

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 and enjoy the memories! Razr team takes bow, hints at secret sauce Score...

#TBT: Industry braces for iPhone 3G launch; OSHA tackles tower climber safety … 6 years ago this week

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 and enjoy the memories! Activation may prove challenge to 3G iPhone launch:...

T-Mobile US adds iPhone to prepaid, expands distribution

With Apple expected to announce new iPhone models in the coming weeks, wireless carriers and retailers have begun to cut pricing and expand the reach on current models in a move to trim inventory. T-Mobile US announced that it would be expanding its iPhone models...

Telecom cloud drives connected cars

As we watch the story unfold related to connected cars and consider how operators will play in this scenario, it’s also interesting to watch the telecom equipment vendor movements in this space. This week I met with Ericsson to better understand their strategy in...

How to make telematics sexy? Change the name to connected cars

It seems the telecom industry does this on a regular basis. We come up with an idea, and we talk about if for years and it still seems to be some unreachable goal in the future. Then we change the name to a more...

LTEWS Vibe: Selling Mobility Without the Car?

It seems as though this is something you would never hear from a car maker, especially a luxury brand like BMW, but this is exactly what they said at the keynote of Connected Cars 2014. Seeing a car maker embrace the customer experience beyond the...

Time Trippin’: iPhone 4 sails; Kin, Sidekick fail … 4 years ago this week

Editor’s Note: The RCR Wireless News Time Machine is a way to take advantage of our extensive history in covering the wireless space to fire up the DeLorean and take a trip back in time to re-visit some of the more interesting headlines from...

From spark to Fire: Analyst predictions for the Fire Phone

Analysts from IHS Technologies, Argus Insights and IBB Consulting joined RCR to discuss the outlook for the Amazon Fire Phone. Mobile operators have longed for a third device ecosystem that can challenge the Apple/Samsung smartphone duopoly, and some analysts suggest that Amazon may be poised...

Ice Mobility looks to ride challenges, opportunities of distributor market

Softbank’s recent acquisition of a controlling stake in distributor Brightstar caused some upheaval across the space and put a financial perpective on the importance of distributors to the mobile industry. The Brightstar deal, which involved Softbank purchasing a 57% stake in the distributor for $1.26...

T-Mobile iPhone offer will rely on fast returns

June 23 will be the first day that consumers can sign up for a free iPhone 5S loaner phone from T-Mobile US. The "un-carrier" will deliver Apple's latest to anyone willing to put down a $700 credit card deposit. Seven days later it will...

Amazon Fire aims to disrupt smartphone market

Amazon has finally taken the wraps off its new Fire Phone. The 4.7-inch LTE Android phone will be an AT&T exclusive, available July 25 on contract at $199 for the 32GB version and $299 for the 64GB version. Like another phone that started off with...

AT&T warns of potential account hack tied to device unlocking request

AT&T recently sent a letter to some of its customers warning that their account security may have been breached by one of the carrier’s vendors, exposing social security numbers and birth dates. The hack, as reported by The Washington Post, was tied to consumers...

Chip news from Nvidia, Marvell, and Gemalto

Tegra K1 debuts in tablets The Tegra K1 made headlines with its 192 cores when Nvidia launched the chip, and now the processor is showing up in real products. China's Xioami was the first to launch at Tegra K1 powered tablet, and now U.S. consumers...

Time Trippin’: New iPhone no-show at WWDC; Ericsson buys Telcordia … 3 years ago this week

Editor’s Note: The RCR Wireless News Time Machine is a way to take advantage of our extensive history in covering the wireless space to fire up the DeLorean and take a trip back in time to re-visit some of the more interesting headlines from...

Chip news: What Broadcom loses by selling baseband business

Broadcom's decision to exit the cellular baseband business means the company is giving up on the opportunity to ingegrate cellular modems with its highty successful connectivity chipsets for mobile devices. Broadcom (BRCM) is giving up on its cellular baseband business. Baseband chips have helped catapult...