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#TBT: Day passes for wireless web; AT&T’s Whitacre retires; unlimited SMS catches on … this week in 2007

Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories! Alltel offers up...

Bits & Bytes: 208 Operators are now investing in LTE; Napster launches new service; and more

The GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) has published an update to its Evolution to LTE report which confirms 208 operators are now investing in LTE, which is 98 operators more than in June 2010. The number of countries and territories where LTE systems are...

Macworld: iPhoners can download tunes over 3G connections: Apple introduces tiered pricing strategy for iTunes

Apple Inc. used its final Macworld Expo appearance to tout new iTunes features including long-awaited support for 3G over-the-air song downloads to the company's iPhone device.Phil Schiller, Apple's SVP of marketing, wrapped up his keynote in San Francisco with several iTunes-related announcements, including a...

Best Buy to sell applications through Handango partnership

Handango Inc. announced an expansion of its distribution deal with Best Buy Co. Inc. that will see the big-box retailer selling smartphone applications through its in-store Mobile Genie system.Best Buy Mobile customers will be offered a catalog of business and enterprise applications for BlackBerry,...

Napster pick-up could signal more coupling of hardware, content

Best Buy is surely hoping to give its digital-music business a boost with last week's acquisition of Napster Inc. But what it might mean for mobile music is far from clear.The big-box retailer agreed to pay $121 million for the once-iconic song distributor and...

Napster to go to Best Buy for $121M

Best Buy Co. Inc. moved more aggressively into the content-distribution arena, agreeing to pay $121 million to pick up the subscription-based online and mobile music company Napster.The big-box retailer said it will pay $2.65 per share in cash for Napster and its 700,000 subscribers....

O2 tunes in to Napster Mobile

Napster bagged yet another carrier customer for its mobile offering, inking a deal to bring its catalog to the U.K. carrier O2.The deal gives O2 subscribers access to more than five million full tracks through a dual-download service for $2 each or four songs...

Sony Ericsson adds 5M tracks to PlayNow: Company has deals with 10 labels for mobile music offering

Sony Ericsson said it has secured deals with 10 music labels, adding 5 million new tracks to its mobile music service.The company, a joint venture between Sony Corp. and L.M. Ericsson, announced agreements with Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI, The Orchard and six...

AT&T offers Napster Mobile via Samsung’s SLM

Dropping vowels from the name of a wireless handset, apparently, may never die. Same with dropping names. AT&T Mobility said that the SLM (hmm . as in "Slim"?) would be on shelves Nov. 23-the day after Thanksgiving, historically the biggest single shopping day of...

Innovation may get pushed onto industry

For a show that bills itself as a bleeding-edge event with a multiple personality disorder (One Show. Two Personalities.) last week's CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment conference in San Francisco was exceedingly tame.A disappointingly placid Steve Ballmer of Microsoft took center stage for the...

Carriers continue struggles with music models

Apple Inc.'s iTunes dominates the digital music dance floor. But following Apple's lead may not be a wise move for mobile music services.An astounding 89% of teens go to iTunes for their legal music downloads, according to a recent report from investment bank Piper...

AT&T Mobility broadens mobile music service

AT&T Mobility bolstered its mobile music offering with plans to offer over-the-air access to Napster's 5-million-plus music tracks beginning next month. The deal builds on the carrier's current side-loading deal with the music giant as well as its over-the-air downloading agreement with eMusic.The service,...

AT&T goes over the air with Napster song downloads

AT&T Inc. has partnered with digital music provider Napster to offer AT&T customers over-the-air access to more than 5 million full-track songs. The carrier said that, starting in mid-November, Napster Mobile will allow customers to download five tracks a month for $7.50, with five...

Dobson teams with Ericsson for ringbacks, content downloads

Cellular One customers will now be able to entertain callers with more exciting sounds than the traditional ring.The No. 11 carrier, Dobson Communications Corp., which is behind the Cellular One brand, signed a pair of deals with L.M. Ericsson for AnswerTunes, a ringback tones...

Margin Check: Vodafone music, Skype worms, Comcast hogs and more

Editor's Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News' new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the wireless industry.--Vodafone announced...

REVIEW: MyxerTones cuts down barriers between cellphones and content

Editor's Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News' new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we'll review a new wireless application or service from the user's point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works...

Ericsson eyes billing with $417M LHS acquisition

Infrastructure giant L.M. Ericsson announced it will pay around $417 million for German billing company LHS AG, a move that could pit Ericsson directly against telecom billing heavyweights like Amdocs Ltd. and Convergys Corp."Operators are quickly moving towards convergent charging and billing solutions to...

Industry continues struggle with full-track music : OTA or side-loading, results remain mixed

Whether it's through a transistor radio, a Walkman or an iPod, on-the-go music has an impressive track record as a business model. But when it comes to revenues from full-track downloads, their may be little room on the dance floor for carriers. Mobile music...

Verizon Wireless launches song ID service

Verizon Wireless is hoping to spur its full-track mobile music sales with a new music-identification application.The carrier launched Vcast Song ID, allowing users to play a tune into their phone to discover the name of the song as well as the musician. The free...

Moto, Napster make music

Napster announced a deal to bring on-demand subscription music services to Motorola Inc.'s entire line of cellphones.The digital music company said it will work with Motorola to promote the mobile music offerings in North America, the United Kingdom and Germany. The companies will offer...

Targeting the consumer: Moto CMO offers glimpse into firm’s marketing plans: Keller to keep ‘Hello Moto’ tagline

Motorola Inc. is shifting its marketing strategy away from its mobile devices such as the Razr or Pebl to one more squarely focused on the consumer.Casey Keller, in one of his first interviews since being named chief marketing officer last October, said Motorola believes...

Napster launching OTA music downloads in Japan

Napster L.L.C. said it will team with Tower Records Japan on its first over-the-air, full-track mobile music service.NTT DoCoMo Inc. will be the first operator to market the mobile service, which will expand the Napster To Go offering beyond sideloading into on-the-go downloads. The...

Confusion reigns over future of online, mobile video

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.-Online video is here in a big way. If it wasn't validated by Google Inc.'s $1.6 billion purchase of YouTube last October, it sure was last week when media conglomerate Viacom Inc. sued Google and YouTube for $1 billion, claiming rampant, unauthorized use...

Mobile video banking on potential

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...