Mobile and Wireless Industry Reports

BEIJING-One of China’s largest companies, Haier Group, is stepping up its efforts to build a global brand on the scale of Samsung or Sony by appointing an ex-Motorola Inc. marketer, Larry Rinaldi, to a new position, global chief brand officer. …

The third quarter saw consumer handset sales in the United States valued at $3.2 billion, a 47% jump over the year-ago quarter, according to new data from NPD Group. Those numbers are based on 38 million units sold to consumers.Smartphones …

Whether an element of schadenfreude-pleasure at another’s misfortune-has played a role in Qualcomm Inc.’s depressed stock value, no one can say. But two analysts this week took a careful look at Qualcomm’s future and upgraded their rating of its stock, …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the …

The following list details this week’s infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available.Cellular–Finland: Elisa has chosen Nokia Siemens …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we’ll review a new wireless application or service from the user’s point of view, with the goal …

This week marks the beginning of the holiday season, of course, when most of us focus less on business and more on the reasons we work so hard. So in the spirit of the upcoming long weekend-and thanks to a …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Reality Check, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile content industry to give their insights into the marketplace. …

EarthLink Inc. late Friday announced it is considering “strategic alternatives” for its municipal Wi-Fi operations, language typically used to signify that a business is up for sale. Indeed, the company even offered what appears to be a price tag, explaining …

T-Mobile USA Inc. suspended sales of its Sidekick Slide on Friday after manufacturer Motorola Inc. informed the carrier that some of the devices power off when the sliding door on the device is opened or closed. The device went on …

AT&T Inc. said that it agreed to acquire Ingenio, an advertising technology firm whose pay-per-call technology will be integrated into the company’s directory services and local search advertising portfolio.Ingenio’s product is an advertising platform AT&T described as “[allowing] businesses to …

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. announced a new reading gadget-dubbed Kindle-that will allow users to download books, magazines and other publications via Sprint Nextel Corp.’s network. The innovative offering requires no monthly service fees; instead, the cost of wireless access is …

Dropping vowels from the name of a wireless handset, apparently, may never die. Same with dropping names. AT&T Mobility said that the SLM (hmm . as in “Slim”?) would be on shelves Nov. 23-the day after Thanksgiving, historically the biggest …

Most people would assume cellphones get in the way of learning. David Droga is betting they can help. The creative big and founder of the start-up Droga5, who previously launched the highly successful Tap Project for UNICEF, is working with …

LOS ANGELES-The mobile phone ain’t what it used to be, even a few short months ago. With hopes of a big boom dashed and a lot of the euphoria evaporated, marketers and media companies talked about rethinking mobile advertising at …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Analyst Angle. We’ve collected a group of the industry’s leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Current Analysis’ …

Investors sent Virgin Mobile USA Inc.’s stock plunging this morning despite decent quarterly numbers, based on worries about the impact of an increasing competitive prepaid landscape as well as economic impacts on the company’s customer base. Virgin Mobile USA’s stock …

The Federal Communications Commission approved AT&T’s Mobility’s $2.8 billion purchase of Dobson Communications Corp., embracing less stringent divestiture requirements than those imposed by Justice Department and the same universal service wireless-cap condition federal regulators worked into the $27.5 billion acquisition …

Buongiorno S.p.A. forecasts it will bring in revenues of $462 million to $476.5 million for the year, as well as also predicting continued growth in 2008, forecasting $484 million to $513 million in revenues.By the close of next year, the …

The Federal Communications Commission relaxed the small-business bidding rule for the national commercial/public-safety license up for grabs in the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction. The ruling is major victory for startup Frontline Wireless L.L.C., which has expressed strong interest in …

The United States teamed with neighboring countries to get the 700 MHz band identified for wireless broadband services in the Americas and major markets in Asia at the close of the World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva, effectively setting the foundation …

Motorola Inc. said its venture capital arm, Motorola Ventures, would invest in Tilefile Ltd., which has developed a social-media platform. Terms were not disclosed. Leading handset companies such as Motorola clearly are moving beyond the hardware and software of handsets …

Shares of Garmin Ltd. surged after the manufacturer of personal navigation devices withdrew its $3.3 billion takeover bid for digital mapping company Tele Atlas NV.The move paves the way for TomTom, a Garmin rival that last week offered $4.25 billion …

Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News runs through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what to look for in the coming weeks, months and years. Check …

Bango unveiled a link that allows users to send online content to their mobile phones.The Bango Button was created for blogs and social networking sites as a way to bridge the gap between computers and mobile phones. A user can …