Devices

HELSINKI, Finland—Nokia Corp. introduced a new short-range radio technology called Wibree that the company said transfers data at speeds of 10 megabits per second and uses only a fraction of …

NEW YORK-A new mobile virtual network operator targeting Chinese-Americans officially launched, offering cheap international calls to Asia and a Razr phone with menus in Chinese. Red Pocket Mobile soft-launched about …

LONDON-Best Buy International will team with U.K. wireless retail giant Carphone Warehouse Group to open stand-alone cell phone stores in the United States. In a prepared statement, the firms said …

“We all want to change the world,” to quote John Lennon. Perhaps the biggest change taking place in society today is the growing popularity of social sites like MySpace.com and …

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.-Chocolate phone users are able to get a software upgrade that will add speakerphone capabilities to their handsets. Users will be able to visit Verizon Wireless retail outlets …

Alltel Corp. went guerilla with its new advertising campaign promoting its My Circle calling plans. The company released a press release last week saying several of its new My Circle …

WASHINGTON—A long-stalled bill to make the sale of telephone records illegal could come up for a vote today in the House as lawmakers race to get out of town for …

WASHINGTON—The House suspended an in-building wireless license worth $1.5 million to $2 million to MobileAccess Networks. The move comes two weeks after Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) admitted in a plea …

RICHARDSON, Texas—Watch-maker Fossil Inc. and phone-maker Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. announced a teaming to produce wristwatches that can connect to cell phones. Users will be able to mate their …

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.—Starting next week, Chocolate phone users will be able to get a software upgrade that will add speakerphone capabilities to their handset. Users will be able to visit …

NEW YORK—A new mobile virtual network operator targeting Chinese-Americans officially launched today, offering cheap international calls to Asia and a Razr phone with menus in Chinese. Red Pocket Mobile soft-launched …

LONDON—Best Buy International will team with U.K. wireless retail giant Carphone Warehouse Group to open stand-alone cell phone stores in the United States. In a prepared statement, the firms said …

SAN DIEGO—Qualcomm Inc. handed Indian device-maker Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd. a royalty-bearing license agreement to make and sell CDMA2000 handsets and modem cards. Qualcomm says HFCL is its first patent …

By Julie Johnsson CHICAGO—Moments after tennis superstar Maria Sharapova won her first U.S. Open title this month, Motorola Inc. scored a major victory of its own. With primetime TV cameras …

Ice, Ice Baby can finally get its due as a classic, at least in ringtone form. Acclaimed jazz composer David Baker said he wants members of his orchestra and the …

Say what you want about the relative impacts of gorgeous weather, sloppy food, unruly children or even demanding conversations on drivers’ attention and, therefore, everyone’s safety. But in California-the nation’s …

The Governator signed into law a ban on cell phones and driving in California, just days after showing up at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment keynote in Los Angeles. …

NASHVILLE, Tenn.-For Mike Fitch, well into his second year as head of a trade group for which reinvention has become a survival mechanism, the planets appear to be lining up …

WASHINGTON-Two proponents of cell-broadcast technology said a Senate-passed bill to update the nation’s emergency alert system could further delay widespread deployment of wireless warnings to the nation’s 219 million cell-phone …

AUSTIN, Texas-Chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor Inc. said it signed a definitive merger agreement to be bought by a private-equity consortium led by The Blackstone Group. The transaction is valued at $17.6 …

The health-care industry increasingly is looking to wireless technologies to save money, reduce inefficiencies and cut down on human errors. And the wireless industry is scrambling to oblige. Modern health-care …

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 …

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 …

WASHINGTON—Two proponents of cell broadcast technology said a Senate-passed bill to modernize the nation’s emergency alert system could further delay widespread deployment of wireless warnings to the nation’s 219 million …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—PeerMe Inc., a wireless Voice over Internet Protocol company, said it launched a free service for Sprint Nextel Corp. CDMA2000 1x EV-DO phone users that allows them to …