BROWSING: Art

Hedgehogging

Hedge*hog*ing v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube.In the "I'd change the channel, but the remote control is too far away" department, always-thinking Sony Ericsson unveiled a trio of Bluetooth-enabled wristwatches that the company...

Telus, BCE considering merger: Deal would whittle nationwide Canadian carriers to a pair

The two largest telecom carriers in Canada are in discussions over a possible tie-up, although no official deal has been announced. Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. said they are pursuing "non-exclusive discussions" about a possible "business combination" that Telus' chief executive said would create...

Canadian telecom carriers consider merger

The two largest telecom carriers in Canada are in discussions over a possible tie-up, although no official deal has been announced. Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. said they are pursuing "non-exclusive discussions" about a possible "business combination" that Telus' chief executive said would create...

The i’s have it

Perhaps we should all just go back into hibernation for a few weeks until some of this iFrenzy subsides.On the other hand, given that iHysteria will only gather greater force in the weeks ahead from its virtual-life-source-namesake-master-the Internet-we might as well sit back and...

Exhibit features cameraphone photos

"Alleyways are good except you run into homeless people, and people think you're crazy because you're walking around with a phone," photographer Patrice Elmi said recently at an art gallery showcasing her work. So goes the photographer's newly inspired art form, which she calls...

Finnish city matches wireless with practical apps for business, gov’t

OULU, Finland-This small city in the cold north, with its combination of cobblestone streets and sleek technology buildings, is integrating wireless service into everyday life as it seeks to compete globally in attracting and supporting high-tech companies. Oulu, home to a Nokia Corp....

Monday madness at Motorola: Shareholders vote on Zander vs. Icahn

You've undoubtedly followed with interest-if not a bit of morbid curiosity-the fortunes of Motorola Inc., which has slipped in less than a year from chest-thumping world-beater to chastened challenger. Add a whiff of danger: Carl Icahn, dissident, billionaire investor, has pursued a seat on...

Etc.

Helping the homelessVirgin Mobile USA said three recording artists have joined it's The RE*Generation initiative that focuses on issues surrounding at-risk youth and homeless teens. Deftones, Lil'Boosie and Zero 7 all have signed on to the effort. Existing artists include Gnarls Barkley, James Blunt,...

LG to host national text-off contest

LG Electronics Co. Ltd. announced it will hold a "National Texting Championship" competition in order to promote its enV and V cellphones, which are selling through Verizon Wireless. The phones feature a flip-open screen and a tiny, QWERTY keyboard."LG created the LG National Texting...

Idle screens could spell active profits : Operators balance custom, personal content vs. feeling of intrusion

Idle hands may be the devil's domain, but carriers and mobile marketing companies are laying claim to the idle screen.The wireless industry is hoping to use the idle screen-the display of a phone while it isn't in use-as kind of a red carpet to...

Motorola expands relations with Texas Instruments

The art of the "announcement" appears to couple specific news with vague hints at future products. Announcements can reassure investors and analysts and seek to intimidate competitors while keeping one's own product plans under wraps.Thus Motorola Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc. said they would...

Device pricing akin to buying airline tickets: Strategy nearly impossible for

It's easy to see the carriers' logic in dropping the online price of handsets in the holiday season: fire sales attract consumers in droves. Mentioning "free" to an American consumer is like waving a red cape at a snorting bull. At other...

Worst of the Week: Metallica, zombies and, of course, the iPhone

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 Wireless News to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong...

MTV, Amp’d partner on comedy series

MTV Networks is partnering with Amp'd Mobile Inc. to produce a made-for-mobile comedy series.The yet-to-be-named program, which is slated to come to market later this year, will be co-produced by Amp'd, MTV franchise Comedy Central and comedy writer and producer Donick Cary. The offering...

Hedgehogging

Are Helio execs good at playing "Follow the Leader." During a keynote at the CTIA Wireless I.T. Show, Helio CEO Sky Dayton made a couple of pointed jabs at his fellow panelists representing fellow MVNO Virgin Mobile (old-man socks were mentioned, for example.) At...

Helio opens retail ’boutique’

LOS ANGELES-Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. opened its first branded retail store in Santa Monica, Calif., touting the new location in the Third Street Promenade as a unique wireless shopping experience. "Helio stores are designed to be unlike anything else in the wireless...

Forecast for Q4 season: warm but cooling: Attention to music could spur sales

The fourth quarter-a seasonally hot quarter for handset sales-is well underway. Time for the crystal ball and a word from a couple of gazers. The outlook remains positive for fourth-quarter shipment volumes, based largely on historical trends and the remarkable volumes of handsets shipped...

Nortel scares up 3 Wi-Fi contracts, targeting mid-sized America

Ever wondered whether Wi-Fi technology works in haunted houses? Nortel Networks Ltd. is about to find out, as the Canadian vendor announced Wi-Fi deployment-contracts with three mid-sized cities, including Occoquan, Va., known as one of America's most haunted towns. Situated 20 miles south of...

Consolidation continues with Nokia-Siemens JV

FRANKFURT, Germany—Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG struck a deal to combine Nokia’s Networks Business Group with Siemens’ fixed and mobile networks operations, creating a 50-50 joint venture to be called Nokia Siemens Networks. The companies noted that their infrastructure businesses currently generate a combined...

Motorola, Nokia race to open retail store along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile

By Julie Johnsson and Sandra JonesCHICAGO—Motorola Inc. is racing to open a store on North Michigan Avenue—its first retail outlet—on June 5, before archrival Nokia Corp. can open its own store just a block away.Motorola, the world's second-largest maker of cell phones, behind Nokia,...

Loss of Cingular brand could cost AT&T

By Alice Z. Cuneo SAN FRANCISCO—It cost $4 billion to turn it into one of the best known names in the country, a future-forward, dynamic brand with a strong connection to young consumers and a share lead in the wireless marketplace. Yet, in 2007,...

Visto trumps Seven in courtroom, turns focus to RIM

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.—Fresh from a courtroom victory against Seven Networks, Visto Corp. is setting its sights on a much bigger competitor—Research In Motion Ltd. A jury in the federal court for the Eastern District of Texas Friday awarded Visto a $3.6 million judgment, finding...

Wireless: Tomorrow’s emergency-alert system

The global war on terrorism and natural disasters here and abroad are forcing policymakers to rethink-and redesign-public warning systems that take advantage of wireless and other technologies used by billions of people around the world today. The undertaking involves a mix of technological, legal...

Sprint Nextel taps Fandango to sell movie tickets and content

LOS ANGELES—Movie ticketing service Fandango said it plans to team with Sprint Nextel Corp. to allow the carrier’s subscribers to browse showtimes, receive alerts and buy tickets over the phone. The service, which Fandango developed with Crisp Wireless, provides updated, localized movie information to...