Separate mobile Linux efforts have been cited by competitors as likely to lead to fragmentation.That's an ongoing debate, to be sure. But one Linux camp and an analyst said last week that "fragmentation" definitely means fragmenting the pool of application developers available to any...
The debate whether to unleash a potentially huge amount of vacant broadcast spectrum-called white spaces-for Wi-Fi and other low-power wireless applications has reached a critical juncture, with federal regulators set to conduct another round of testing on a new group of devices to see...
Zumobi launched a beta version of its widget-based Web-browsing application.The offering, which can be downloaded free here, uses a matrix of up to 36 tiles to give users one-touch access to content from partners including Amazon.com, MTV Networks, The Associated Press and Traffic.com. Zumobi,...
Microsoft Corp. has jumped into the mobile advertising fray. MSN Mobile customers in the United States will begin seeing banner and text advertisements as soon as today.Microsoft said the ads will all conform to the Mobile Marketing Association's mobile advertising guidelines. Paramount Pictures and...
It was no coincidence that Verizon Wireless chose to make two major announcements last week-each one laid out a separate step toward a 4G future driven by connectivity for consumer-electronics devices.Dick Lynch, Verizon Wireless' CTO, said that the two announcements are "inextricably tied ....
Verizon Wireless introduced a new business-oriented device to its lineup-the XV6800.The device, which is available online and in stores beginning Dec. 5, runs the Windows Mobile 6 operating system, and includes support for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents as well as PDF files.The...
Verizon Wireless' declaration this morning that "any application, any device" will run on its network next year is clearly an overstatement-Verizon's CDMA network allows only CDMA-based devices, in use by 60% of subscribers in the United States market, but only 20% of the global...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our Monday 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 Jupiter Research's Julie Ask, iGR's Iain...
In this era of genius hackers and malware that can bring an entire corporation to its knees, the scariest threat to mobile security is. the users themselves.Software developers generally have done a good job keeping evil-doers at bay, according to a study of 789...
The holiday season can be stressful enough. But combine it with fears of high-tech/telecom domination by Microsoft Corp. or Google Inc. or Apple Inc. or the parent companies of the No. 1 and No. 2 mobile phone carriers-AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc.-and it...
Some of the world's biggest companies-Google, Apple, Microsoft-increasingly are becoming more aggressive in the wireless space. And why shouldn't they? CTIA counts 250 million cellphone subscribers in the United States-a penetration rate of more than 83%.It's great to have new entrants in the market,...
Openwave Systems Inc. finally found a buyer for Musiwave, selling the mobile music business to Microsoft Corp. Microsoft will spend $46 million in cash for Musiwave and assume roughly $4 million of the Paris-based business's net debt. The software giant earlier this week acquired...
ZenZui is rebranding as it prepares to release an open-access beta version of its widget-based application.The Microsoft Corp. spinoff changed its name to Zumobi to underscore the "zooming" user interface of its flagship offering, which uses a matrix of up to 36 tiles. The...
Microsoft Inc. announced it has acquired the right to buy Musiwave SA from Openwave Systems Inc., which has struggled with management changes in light of stock-option backdating woes and proxy battles with shareholders. No terms of the proposed deal were disclosed.The acquisition of Musiwave...
Google Inc. drew considerable media attention last week with an idea and 33 influential friends.Missing was its long-rumored gPhone, whose actual fate remains a closely guarded secret. Instead, Google announced a consortium of 34 companies-the Open Handset Alliance (OHA)-and a common goal of producing...
It appears Nokia Corp. has learned a few lessons from its doomed Club Nokia mobile content business. But that doesn't mean the direct-to-consumer waters are getting any easier to navigate.The world's No. 1 handset manufacturer last week scored a huge win, inking a deal...
Like rival Nokia Corp., Sony Ericsson is stepping up its direct-to-consumer content business.The London-based handset manufacturer said it will expand its PlayNow business, adding a song-identification application and "millions of music tracks and thousands of mastertones from both major and independent labels." Sony Ericsson...
Research In Motion Ltd. is targeting small and medium-sized businesses with a new BlackBerry software offering for up to 30 users.The Waterloo, Ontario-based developer released BlackBerry Professional Software, a "streamlined" offering that allows users to access e-mail, Internet and intranet applications on the go....
Differentiation, finally!Google's announcement that its mobile play will consist of an open-source software platform highlights the division in industry between featuring content on the carrier's deck and the benefits and risks of taking it off-deck. The editorial staff at RCR Wireless News was just...
Google Inc. is the new E.F. Hutton-when the Internet search giant talks, everybody listens. Many observers today expected to hear about a long-rumored Google phone-it didn't happen. Nor were any specific handset models announced. But listeners probably included likely competitors to the new Open...
A group of industry heavyweights-headed by Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC Corp., Qualcomm Inc., and Motorola Inc.-announced a new software platform for cellphones that includes an operating system, middleware, user interface and applications. The alliance said the first phones based on the "Android" platform will...
A new survey finds that U.S.-based users of Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices are the most satisfied with their handsets among smartphone users. That may not sound like a surprise to anyone who knows that RIM is by far the largest market share...
When Microsoft Corp.'s CEO Steve Ballmer publicly mentions someone's name as a respected veteran who will run a new company in partnership with his juggernaut, people listen. At CTIA I.T. & Entertainment 2007 in late October, Ballmer told a standing-room-only crowd that Mort Rosenthal...
Like former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, Tele Atlas N.V. plans to cash in on the free-agent market.The Netherlands-based digital mapping company in July accepted a bid of $2.8 billion from TomTom NV, agreeing to recommend the offer to shareholders. But Tele Atlas last week pounced...
