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Retail strategy at heart of Sprint Nextel-Clearwire tension

The cumbaya relationship between Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) and Clearwire Corp. (CLWR) may be only skin deep as the two operators seem to have different views on how much emphasis Clearwire has on expanding its WiMAX network.During a session yesterday at the Bank of...

Nokia to reboot U.S. efforts … again

Nokia Corp. (NOK) said this week that it wants to improve its business in the United States with plans to work more closely with operators and provide devices that meet the unique characteristics of the market. This quest has been a near annual proclamation...

Verizon Wireless adds data packs to prepaid plans

Verizon Wireless (VZ) unveiled the availability of data packages for prepaid customers that in turn will now allow those looking to eschew a contract a broader selection of devices.The carrier said prepaid customers can now add an unlimited data package to its “3G Smartphones”...

Reality Check: Android Nation?

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. Greetings from Kansas City, where playoff hopes are alive – for our professional soccer team. August...

Clearwire launches Rover prepaid offering

UPDATED: Clearwire Corp. broadened its marketing reach today with the launch of its prepaid Rover offering that the WiMAX network operator said was targeting the 18 to 24 year old segment, also known as Generation Y.The service provides for daily, weekly or monthly, unlimited...

Consumers Union calls for more mobile payments protections

While technology and its stakeholders are often blamed for holding back on the roll out of new major platforms like mobile payments, unmitigated problems around security can and should cause equal pause, according to Consumers Union.In a call to action of sorts, the nonprofit...

VZW retailer to hire hundreds as part of $6M expansion

Cellular Sales, an authorized Verizon Wireless retailer, said it is expanding into Florida and Tennessee over the next four months, including opening a call center that plans to staff at least 350 employees, as part of a $6 million expansion effort.Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless...

Torch sales modest, but expected

Though only available for a few days, rumblings have already begun that Research In Motion Ltd.'s (RIMM) Torch device has met with only modest sales success. Financial analysts have pegged sales of the smart phone, which launched exclusively in the United States at AT&T...

Sprint Nextel to offer Epic 4G on Aug. 31

What’s a keyboard worth? Well, according to Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), about $50.The nation’s No. 3 operator released launch details for its version of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Galaxy S smart phone, dubbed the Epic 4G, saying customers could pre-order the device on Aug....

Reality Check: Where have all the pre-paid subscribers gone? (and other earnings insights)

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.Greetings from Kansas City, where the weather and political climate are both scorching hot. We had an...

FCC tightens rules on hearing-aid compatibility, addresses microwave backhaul

The Federal Communications Commission tightened rules for handset makers so that more manufacturers will have to offer at least one device that works for people who use hearing aids or cochlear implants. The agency also expanded rules so to include phones sold in all...

Best Buy readies branded mobile broadband services from Clearwire

Best Buy Co. Inc. (BBY) hasn't been shy about its grandiose plans for mobile. The company has gone after the app space, devices and music, just to name a few.Today the big-box retailer announced a new wholesale arrangement with Clearwire Corp. (CLWR) to sell...

T-Mobile gets top nod in customer service survey

Any carrier can claim network superiority and best-in-class customer service, but independent surveys from the likes of J.D. Power and Associates take on an different air of authenticity. In fact, they mostly clear the air and reduce the noise.Today, the company released its eighth...

Wal-Mart to add AT&T network to prepaid offerings

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) will soon add AT&T Mobility (T) as a network option for its Straight Talk prepaid wireless service, giving the nation's largest retailer a GSM option alongside its Verizon Wireless (VZ) CDMA network plan. The move is notable in...

CTIA sues San Fran over SAR rates ordinance

CTIA is suing the City of San Francisco, saying an ordinance that requires retailers to post Specific Absorption Rates in a large font misleads consumers into thinking some SAR levels are unsafe. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court Northern District of California San...

Sprint Nextel slices prepaid segment even thinner

Sprint Nextel Corp. managed to find another prepaid niche it had not already covered with the launch this morning of its PayLo offering through its Virgin Mobile subsidiary. The service brings a voice-focused component to what has been a data-centric menu from Virgin Mobile.The...

Smartphones change the way we shop

. Smartphones aren’t just changing the way we live, they’re changing the way we shop too. New data from Forrester says almost a third of consumers are using their phones to locate nearby shops, find specific products, product information and compare prices. “Smartphones have changed consumer'...

Reality Check (Special Edition): The Kin kill

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.Most of my blogs are chock full of numbers, trends, analyses. I like it that way. However,...

Apple sells a lot of iPhone 4s, AT&T Mobility braces for impact

Driven by an insatiable consumer demand for anything “i” related, and apparently overlooking some slight design flaws, Apple Inc. (AAPL) said it managed to sell more than 1.7 million iPhone 4 devices through its first three days of availability, becoming the “most successful product...

Looking back on a 10-hour wait for the new iPhone

CERRITOS, CALIF. — The faithful began lining up earlier this week, according to some overheard chatter, but whether you arrived 24 hours before or right when the doors opened today, you still walked out of Apple Inc.'s newest store with an iPhone 4.The overall...

Don't line up at AT&T stores for an iPhone 4 this Thursday: Wal-Mart, RadioShack and Apple confirm availability, AT&T looks to June 29

If you were planning on posting up outside one of AT&T Mobility's stores before the sun rises Thursday morning to pick up the new iPhone 4 from Apple Inc. on launch day, you should start making other plans.Unlike every previous iPhone launch, AT&T won't...

San Fran SAR ordinance carries fines up to $500, excludes online retailers

The city of San Francisco is going to require cellphone retailers to post Specific Absorption Rates on the phones they sell in stores – a move that trade association CTIA said will mislead customers about the safety of RF emissions.The San Francisco Board...

History repeating: AT&T, Apple pre-orders face delays : Updated: AT&T comments on suspended pre-orders

Pre-orders for Apple Inc.'s iPhone 4 have been temporarily suspended, according to AT&T Mobility's website. It appears that demand for the device once again is outpacing supply. Glitches also happened when the device was first introduced in 2007 and servers couldn't handle the volume...

T-Mobile aims for contracts with one-day 'free phones' promotion

T-Mobile USA Inc. is hoping to cash in on Fathers’ Day gift-buying by offering any of its 30 handsets free to customers who sign up for a family plan. The promotion, only offered on Saturday, comes days before Apple iPhone 4 officially comes to...