In the hard light of early January, the shape of the year unfolding ahead remains somewhat amorphous. What to watch for in the handset space, the wireless industry's most tangible interface with consumers? An informal survey of leading analysts, not surprisingly, takes a multifaceted...
Changes in online handset prices keep raising questions for observers: Is the post-holiday retail model one of continued discounting to milk any lingering consumer desires to shop and spend money? Or, does the arrival of a new year offer a chance to regroup and,...
Editor's Note: Following are the most-read stories from RCRNews.com this year. They have been edited to fit in paper format.1. Vodafone records $41B loss, reworks strategic plansMay 30Vodafone Group plc posted a massive $41.1 billion loss for 2005, mainly from impairment charges over assets...
As 2006 draws to a close and we take stock of all the changes that have happened in the wireless industry, we can't help but wonder how things will look a year from now. So here are some predictions for the coming year. We...
Editor's Note: Following are the most-read stories from RCRNews.com this year. They have been edited to fit in paper format.1. Vodafone records $41B loss, reworks strategic plansMay 30Vodafone Group plc posted a massive $41.1 billion loss for 2005, mainly from impairment charges over assets...
Hello!And welcome to a special edition of our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. As 2006 draws to a close and we take stock of all the changes that have happened in the wireless industry, we can't help but wonder how things will look...
A slow start for Motorola Inc.'s new product line and generally weak demand in the North American handset market this holiday season may impact Motorola's fourth-quarter results, according to Cowen analyst Matthew Hoffman. The financial analyst said channel checks show that Motorola's market in...
OK, so online shoppers safely ensconced in their comfy chairs at home don't actually drop to the ground so much as they maybe nod off after another frenzied session of online purchasing. But wireless carriers continued to tinker with handset prices as the typically...
I continue to be amazed by consumer infatuation with razor-thin cell phones. Motorola has sold what, 50 gazillion Razrs, and Samsung seems to be rolling out a new "thinnest" model every other week. As they say, "Thin is in."Industry research firm Current Analysis noted...
The oft-repeated statement-"thin is in"-like many obvious axioms, tends to mask nuance. What exactly is this quality that appears to rule the current landscape for fashion phones? Ask a variety of industry sources for perspective on "thin"-a somewhat elusive, qualitative attribute-and, not surprisingly, the...
WASHINGTON-While lawmakers and civil libertarians aggressively scrutinize privacy implications of the Bush administration's domestic surveillance initiative and other anti-terrorist programs in the post-9/11 world, the FBI is using wiretap law to eavesdrop on conversations by remotely firing up microphones on idle cell phones of...
Like a runway model sporting the latest fashions, mobile handsets have gone thin with a vengeance. That's hardly earth-shaking news, but new data reflects the industry's headlong embrace of thin. And practical constraints pose some limits to this squeeze play.Those limits-seemingly acknowledged by some...
It's an increasingly awkward dance between U.S. wireless carriers and handset manufacturers as phone makers begin to assert their independence from operators.
Handsets don't work without the network and networks are useless without handsets. Neither can go solo.
Or can they?
It's no secret that in Europe,...
Sanyo Corp. has put its best foot forward at Sprint Nextel Corp. with a top-of-its-line multimedia phone, the M1, at a crucial time for Sanyo and amid a strong, overall portfolio expansion at Sprint Nextel. The M1 launch comes freighted with context-Sanyo's global handset...
SEATTLE-In October, new phone buyers most often selected the LG VX8300-a straightforward silver clamshell handset at Verizon Wireless for $50 with Vcast music-download abilities, picture messaging and Bluetooth connectivity-over Motorola Razr models at Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless L.L.C., according to data from M:Metrics.This...
STEVENS POINT, Wis.-The Noel Group is taking its personal services offerings to wireless users. The 21-year-old firm launched MobileCierge, a $6-a-month, off-deck application that allows users to make restaurant reservations, book flights, make car rentals and access medical and emergency services from a mobile...
A lot of ink is expended on the competitive machinations of the top five global handset vendors-for good reason. This year, together, they will account for perhaps 80 percent of the nearly 1 billion handset shipments around the world. Big research-and-development budgets that support...
Big-box retailer Best Buy has branched out with a greater emphasis on wireless, opening new stores in the New York metro area that focus exclusively on offering a wide selection of handsets from various carriers. Five of the new stores are stand-alone, and the...
The holiday season is upon us, and I for one am thrilled. The holidays are usually a time of family, joy, thanksgiving and good will toward all (except Dan Meyer)-and, of course, the holidays are also a time of cheap phones. Hurray for the...
NEW YORK-Big box retailer Best Buy has branched out with a new emphasis on wireless, opening new stores in the New York metro area that focus exclusively on offering a wide selection of handsets from various carriers. Five of the new stores are stand-alone...
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands-Nokia Corp. slightly lowered its financial expectations for the coming years, news that caused investors to pause, but the company also unveiled four new slim, mid- and low-tier devices Nokia hopes will boost its worldwide market share. "To enjoy the full benefits...
BASKING RIDGE, N.J.-As chocolate-lovers know, their favored confection appears in many colors. And Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. appear to be banking on the near-universal appeal of the sweet and holiday color schemes to sell their new Chocolate handsets, appearing Friday at...
hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cubeAs you know from your own jobs, there is always something going on in the wireless industry that is worthy of a few comments. Some of it...
ATLANTA—A new Motorola Inc. Razr V3 "R" phone shipping to Cingular Wireless L.L.C. stores is equipped with MP3 capabilities, but not Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes platform, a Cingular spokesperson said. "This would be in line with our strategy of providing consumers with many different...
