Motorola Inc. purchased the research-and-development operations and patent portfolio of European mobile-phone startup Sendo. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.The announcement ends weeks of speculation on the fate of Sendo, which has been nearing corporate collapse. Indeed, Sendo today essentially entered bankruptcy protection...
The Federal Communications Commission recently approved BenQ's high-end P50 smart phone for sale in the United States, an indication that the company is hoping to break into the U.S. market after its acquisition of Siemens AG's mobile phone business. Designed much like PalmOne Inc.'s...
WASHIGNTON-Members of the Congressional Rural Caucus Tuesday put a marker down in favor of universal service, urging the House Commerce Committee leadership to include reform of the subsidy program in any telecom-act rewrite. "The universal-service fund is vital. It is vital that this rewrite...
WASHINGTON-CTIA has asked the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider some of its guidelines for designating wireless carriers eligible to receive universal-service subsidies, saying they are "overly burdensome and illogical." "These requirements extend a historical bias in the FCC's universal-service rules for wireline networks in...
WASHINGTON-A newly published study says talking on a cell phone while driving is risky business because the brain simultaneously cannot give complete attention to both the visual requirements of driving and the auditory task of listening, a finding consistent with previous university and government-sponsored...
My niece was caught in a rainstorm last week while at an out-of-town cheerleading camp. The torrential rain soaked her to the skin and drowned the wireless handset in her pocket. After the rain stopped, the phone would not work. My brother loaned her...
WASHINGTON-Verizon Wireless has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for a waiver of the priority access service rule, telling regulators equipment and software used in CDMA mobile phone systems are currently not capable of delivering the emergency service with the five priorities required by the...
VODSKOV, Denmark-XMS Penvision and Blip Systems signed an agreement to work toward a digital pen-and-paper solution that would include Bluetooth access points.The solution would entail a wireless pen that transfers written data from the paper to a back-end system via Bluetooth connections. Traditionally, digital...
WASHINGTON-A newly published study says talking on a cell phone while driving is risky business because the brain cannot give complete attention simultaneously to both the visual requirements of driving and the auditory task of listening, a finding consistent with previous university and government-sponsored...
A bill passed by the Illinois legislature and headed to Gov. Rod Blagojevich would make it illegal for minors to operate handheld mobile phones while driving. Beginning next month, across-the-board driver use of handheld cell phones in Chicago will be banned. Efforts to reduce...
An alliance of wireless carriers in Asia, which first formed last year, launched services at the Com- municAsia show this week in Singapore. Bridge Mobile Alliance launched a suite of regional mobile services-roaming, prepaid, enterprise and concierge services-across eight countries and territories under the...
WASHINGTON-The lawyer for a former cell-phone programmer in California said a settlement totaling $180,000 was reached on a worker's compensation claim that alleged Sharesa Price's brain cancer was caused by her workplace. Price joined Advance Communications Systems-a small Northern California firm affiliated with U.S....
HELSINKI, Finland-Industry got a good look at the new phones on line for the end-of-the-year shopping rush, as Nokia Corp. and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. each boosted their handset portfolio with a total of 12 new phones. Nokia unveiled its handsets at its...
WASHINGTON-A bill passed by the Illinois legislature and headed to Gov. Rod Blagojevich would make it illegal for minors to operate handheld mobile phones while driving. Beginning next month, across-the-board driver use of handheld cell phones in Chicago will be banned.Efforts to reduce distractions...
SINGAPORE-An alliance of wireless carriers in Asia, which first formed last year, launched services at the CommunicAsia show this week in Singapore. Bridge Mobile Alliance launched a suite of regional mobile services-roaming, prepaid, enterprise and concierge services-across eight countries and territories under the alliance...
WASHINGTON-In separate actions Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission lowered the universal-service contribution factor to 10.2 percent and said it would begin examining the USF subsidy program, perhaps dramatically changing the way the E-rate is administered."I fully support the universal-service program and the critical function...
Boston Communications Group Inc. said it will contest a class-action suit brought by some shareholders in the wake of last month's $128 million patent-infringement verdict. The new suit seeks unspecified damages against the wireless network access management and back-end services provider, claiming among other...
The mobile-phone industry has evolved in countless ways during the past few decades. Phones today feature a dizzying array of new technologies and services, from multiple radios to integrated digital cameras to blazing fast processors. But perhaps the most notable change in the market...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission today largely upheld a 2003 decision requiring cellular carriers to make hearing aid compatible phones available to individuals with hearing loss.However, federal regulators did agree to an 11th -hour compromise between the wireless industry and hearing disability advocates that potentially...
The following wireless companies had ratings changes or information notes from financial services and investment banking firms this week.Robert W. Baird made several changes within its telecom coverage universe following the Supercomm show this week in Chicago. In general, the firm said news out...
ESPOO, Finland-Nokia Corp. released a new Bluetooth application it said would allow people to communicate and connect by essentially broadcasting information about themselves to other mobile-phone users.Nokia's new Sensor application allows Bluetooth phone users to create personal pages, complete with text and graphics. Other...
HELSINKI, Finland-A Finnish inventor filed a patent lawsuit against Nokia Corp. on the company's home turf in Helsinki, alleging Nokia's products infringe on his patented hands-free technology for mobile phones.A Nokia spokesman was not immediately available for comment.Patent dispute firm Anadeus Ltd. filed the...
DALLAS-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is using Texas Instruments' OMAP multimedia processor chip in its mobile TV phones. Samsung is currently selling phones in South Korea that work on the Digital Multimedia Broadcasting mobile TV technology. "Samsung is committed to digital innovation, including delivering mobile...
Users in the youth and young adult segment showed strong interest in using wireless entertainment and multimedia services, according to a new market research report by The Management Network Group Inc. The online study polled 1,000 people between the ages of 13 and 34...
