Hello! And welcome to our Friday 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 RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We've gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.Wireless service providers and their manufacturing partners are feeling the heat to deliver a wide range of...
Like cartoon coyotes that draw themselves to full height before an exaggerated pounce on prey, handset vendors have offered little this year - but portended much - before an expected lunge at the market.Major vendors, particularly smartphone purveyors, have largely passed up the first...
Sprint Nextel Corp. is looking for a hero and it may well find one that fits in the palm of your hand - pun intended. In this case, Sprint Nextel is banking on the exclusive, hero handset from Palm Inc. dubbed the Pre. And...
Although Sprint Nextel Corp.'s fourth-quarter earnings came with significant bad news, two analysts think better times are ahead for the nation's No. 3 wireless provider. Sprint Nextel churned more than 1 million customers during the quarter - 1.1 million postpaid users and 314,000 prepaid...
After years of treading water and failing to live up to outlandish hype, mobile games finally may be starting to make progress. And it's the Apple's iPhone - and, to a lesser extent, other multimedia-friendly smartphones - that's moving the needle. Which is why...
MySpace said it is overhauling its mobile site in an effort to grow its base of 20 million wireless users.The popular social networking destination will launch an updated version of its wireless site later this week, adding new user interface elements for multimedia-friendly devices...
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 to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong...
Just one week after reassuring investors, customers and fans that he is fundamentally healthy but undergoing treatment for a hormone imbalance, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs announced this afternoon that he would take a medical leave of absence until June. Jobs cited the "distraction"...
Palm Inc. pulled off a high-wire act this afternoon, publicly resurrecting the company's fortunes in front of a live audience at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Proof?
A packed ballroom at the Venetian Las Vegas Hotel ooh'd and aah'd at a flawless...
Elevation Partners, the VC firm that invested $325 million last year to revive Palm, left $100 million under the tree for the handset pioneer.But that tree is bedecked with candycanes in the shape of question marks. The cash infusion announced Monday comes just two...
Palm Inc. said yesterday that it is operating in an "extremely tough climate" with "continued challenges in coming months" as it prepares to launch a next-generation platform dubbed Nova along with new handsets.Palm is widely expected to present its new OS and, possibly, devices...
Palm is suddenly making some impressive moves. Unfortunately for the handset maker's shareholders, it's making them about a year too late.The Silicon Valley-based manufacturer this week took the wraps off a striking new application storefront that already boasts 5,000 offerings - 10 times the...
Palm Inc. joined the application-store bandwagon, launching a downloadable storefront with 5,000-plus offerings for more than two dozen Palm devices.The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based outfit opened the Software Store (available at http://software.palm.com/appstore), showcasing high-profile applications (Facebook, Pac-Man, Tetris) as well as lesser-known products. The store is...
Palm Inc. said yesterday that its revenue for its fiscal second quarter would reach the range of $190 million to $195 million, far below Thomson-Reuters estimates of $331 million. The company's stock plunged more than 12% to a new low this morning before stabilizing...
Palm Inc. saw its stock drop this morning - and then rebound - after downgrades by Morgan Keegan and Avian Securities L.L.C.The downgrade by Morgan Keegan appeared significant because analyst Tavis McCourt has been consistently positive on Palm's prospects for a turnaround in its...
The second half of 2008 already ranks highly for offering the most advanced handsets and most reasonable prices in the history of wireless. And myriad device launches are yet to come in October and November.In a word, the season is about getting smart, as...
Divergent strategies for handset vendors are reflected in two launches announced today. Palm Inc. will sell its Treo Pro device unlocked and unsubsidized through its online stores and resellers in the United States for $550, while launching it in Europe with Vodafone and O2,...
Who says wireless shows are boring?Playboy Entertainment Group Inc. kicked off a new mobile initiative at the CTIA Wireless 2008 event in Las Vegas last week complete with the crowning of its first Miss Playboy Mobile during an after-hours event at the Palms Casino...
Tween mobile virtual network operator kajeet announced a deal with kid TV channel Nickelodeon, whereby kajeet will offer content from Nickelodeon on its phones and will advertise its services through Nickelodeon programs."More than one in four U.S. tweens own a cell phone, and that...
As New Year beginnings go, this one has an especially odd, mixed feel.President Ford's funeral-beginning stately in the District of Columbia and ending solemnly in Grand Rapids, Mich., was sad and touching. The gathering of Republicans and Democrats to honor Ford is probably as...
The Palms Hotel and Casino is now accepting live wagers on mobile betting devices, according to Progressive Gaming International Corp., which developed the system. The Rapid Bet Live Wireless technology was tested during last week's Monday Night Football game between the New England Patriots...
SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Internet-based digital radio network Mercora said it is bringing its user-contributed streaming audio service to Windows Mobile-based handhelds. The company launched IM Radio Mobile v1.0, featuring more than 20,000 commercial-free radio channels, near-CD quality sound and instant messaging and chat capabilities. The...
LONDON-U.K. wireless subscribers with camera phones can submit a picture of their hands for a palm reading, a British psychic television channel said Thursday. Your Destiny TV is behind the service, which reads photos of users' palms and delivers text messages with the reading....
