The volatility of the early user-generated mobile content market was highlighted as one player strolled onto the playground while another was carried off the field.Zannel Inc. officially launched service this week with an offering that allows users to create and share videos on wireless...
In Style is the latest U.S. print publication to go mobile, launching a downloadable application with celebrity photos, fashion trends and shopping information.The application will include community features that allow users to share comments and recommend shopping finds, as well as offer a chance...
THE MOBILE-PHONE INDUSTRY INCREASINGLY finds itself confronted with disruptive digital technologies, a phenomenon that is challenging carriers' tight control of wireless networks and forcing policy-makers to grapple with how to promote consumer choice without unduly interfering with companies' ability to manage their businesses. The...
Disruptive Voice over Internet Protocol phone company Skype asked the Federal Communications Commission to rule that consumers have the right to use Internet communications software and that they can attach whatever devices they want to mobile phone networks."As the wireless market has matured and...
The debate over net neutrality has moved full force into the wireless space.A new paper by Columbia University law professor Timothy Wu claims mobile-phone carriers' iron-clad control of networks is retarding innovation and hurting consumers. "The wireless industry, over the last decade, has succeeded...
The debate over net neutrality has moved full force into the wireless space.A new paper by Columbia University law professor Timothy Wu claims mobile-phone carriers' iron-clad control of networks is retarding innovation and hurting consumers. "The wireless industry, over the last decade, has succeeded...
A tight embrace might keep a customer from wandering elsewhere, which helps explain Sprint Nextel Corp.'s official release of two dual-mode, CDMA/iDEN phones designed to please iDEN customers who are bedeviling the beleaguered carrier by taking their business elsewhere.Branded as PowerSource phones, both are...
THE COUNTLESS PLAYERS lumbering around on the user-generated mobile video playground aren't just looking for consumers. They're also hoping to find a viable business model or two.The success of Internet sites such as YouTube, Jumpcut, Vimeo and Google Video has spawned a raft of...
Pump up the mobile motivationPeople who made a get-fit new year's resolution this year can find motivation to stick with their goals on their cellphones. PumpOne, a company that provides visual personal training programs for handheld devices like iPods, is offering a service called...
A startup focused on mobile media sharing has aborted plans to auction itself off after receiving zero bids on eBay.Mojungle.com allows users to record text messages, photos and videos with their mobile phones and post them to the company's site, a MySpace profile or...
The future of the "anywhere Internet" likely will involve a variety of networks and devices, analysts said during a teleconference last week-and if wireless operators want to get in on the innovation, they're going to have to open up the full Internet to customers...
The future of the "anywhere Internet" will likely involve a variety of networks and devices, analysts said during a teleconference this week-and if wireless operators want to get in on the innovation, they're going to have to open up the full Internet to customers...
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...
Motorola Inc. reiterated its concern over a proliferation of counterfeit accessories, particularly Bluetooth headsets, purported to be made by Motorola and reaching consumers in the United States. Motorola warned that the counterfeits are cheap fakes, won't perform as advertised and cannot be serviced by...
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Motorola Inc. has reiterated its concern over a proliferation of counterfeit accessories, particularly Bluetooth headsets, purported to be made by Motorola and reaching consumers in the United States and, likely, worldwide. Motorola warned that the counterfeits are cheap fakes and won’t perform as...
DENVER-Where should cell-phone enthusiasts go for the latest in handset technology? EBay, it appears. An eBay shopper recently purchased a dual-mode CDMA/iDEN phone from Motorola Inc. for $300. Sold by "Rager4208," the phone is dubbed the "Sprint Nextel Hybrid ic502" and offers "Walkie-Talkie, Off...
DENVER—Where should cell-phone enthusiasts go for the latest in handset technology? EBay, it appears. An eBay shopper recently purchased a dual-mode CDMA/iDEN phone from Motorola Inc. for $300. Sold by "Rager4208," the phone is dubbed the "Sprint Nextel Hybrid ic502" and offers...
MADRID, Spain—Mobile transaction provider mBlox said it is working with application service provider Dynetic to provide an SMS-based bidding service to eBay in Spain. The service uses mBlox’s SMS services to alert customers when they have been outbid on an item on eBay. Customers...
LONDON—PayPal Inc. expanded its "Text 2 Buy" program with an offering that allows users in the United Kingdom to purchase magazine subscriptions and consumer electronics over their phones. Dutch software developer Mowave Inc. is powering the service, which offers a range of goods advertised...
"It’s on like Donkey Kong"—Steve Stiffler, American WeddingQuoting from the foul-mouthed poet Steve Stiffler might seem inappropriate in a wireless magazine, but that was what came to my mind early last week watching the flurry of bids rain down from the advanced wireless services...
SAN DIEGO—Hey, it’s all about my life, not your network. That’s the disruptive thinking that Sony Electronics—not Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P., the wireless handset maker—is following in launching a Wi-Fi-only device (no monthly cellular service fees!) for Voice over IP communications, instant messaging...
Finally, EarthLink Inc. did it. Last Thursday, the company launched its first municipal Wi-Fi network in Anaheim, Calif., offering the city's 328,000 residents, as well as local businesses and visitors "affordable and portable broadband." EarthLink said access to the network costs about $22 per...
WASHINGTON-A bill outlawing deceptive tactics by data brokers to acquire and sell cell phone records may soon get a vote on the House floor, after mysteriously being pulled from a scheduled vote in early May. The possible breakthrough follows a meeting last week between...
OSLO, Norway—Opera Software ASA will provide a custom version of its Mini mobile Web browser for a new wireless version of eBay’s service in Germany. Terms of the deal, which was revealed in a financial document, were not disclosed.The online auction company, which claims...
