Editor's Note: In this monthly feature, RCR Wireless News talks to retail managers across the country to get a first-hand view of what's hot in wireless.Retail store manager Mark Jones manages an Alltel store in the carrier's hometown of Little Rock, Ark. The location...
Trip Hawkins is at it again.The CEO of Digital Chocolate is proselytizing, pushing what he calls "Mobile Games 2.0"-an effort to create next-generation titles that incorporate familiar themes like community, user-generated content and viral marketing. And in the process, he's pointing out some of...
Money was the root of all interest at the recent CTIA Wireless conference, with various announcements from companies that want to play in the mobile payments and banking space, and a great deal of buzz about the potential opportunities for banks, operators and the...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. raised prices on its two handsets-the Drift and the Heat, both from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.-to $225 (from $175) and to $150 (from $100), respectively. The price hikes coincide with the end of a month-long promotional effort Helio...
In the last days of March, which coincided with the end of the first quarter, both Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless lowered prices on two key smartphones in their respective portfolios. Is it "March Madness"-perhaps an attempt to juice subscriber numbers at the end...
ORLANDO, Fla.-The mantra of profitability remains the guiding principle at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P., even as it invests in development efforts in the United States and moves ahead in emerging markets. "Without profit, you're nothing," said Miles Flint, president of Sony Ericsson, in...
MediaFLO USA launched its broadcast mobile television service with Verizon Wireless earlier this month. Virtually everyone in the industry is wondering if the service will take off, and questions run the field as to the profitability of the service and where architects of the...
ORLANDO, Fla.-Sprint Nextel Corp. shook up its mobile music service to be more competitive, and announced an expansion of its joint venture with its cable partners.The music offering includes the new Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. SPH-m620 phone, dubbed Upstage, that offers a slim form...
Daniel Neal is CEO of kajeet Inc., a mobile virtual network operator targeting the 'tween market and aiming, as he likes to say, to "super-serve kids" with a wireless service that takes into consideration their aspirations for adult devices ("They don't want four-button kiddie...
CellStar Corp. received its shareholders' approval to complete the sale of its U.S. and Latin American businesses-the distribution of handsets and accessories-to a subsidiary of Brightpoint Inc., a deal that had been announced in December.The transaction, for about $88 million in cash, is expected...
ORLANDO, Fla.-The mantra of profitability remains the guiding principle at Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, even as it invests in development efforts in the United States and moves ahead in emerging markets."Without profit, you're nothing," said Miles Flint, president of Sony Ericsson, in a private...
With mobile markets in India and China generating growth in numbers that few can get their mind around-but offering revenue and market share that many are fighting to get their hands on-it's little wonder that the industry is looking farther afield for similar opportunities....
Able Planet Inc. said it has added its proprietary Linx Audio technology to its new Sound Clarity Headphones.The Sound Clarity Headphones are customized to accommodate personal sound preferences and hearing needs. The Linx Audio technology, which originated for hearing aids, alters the audio signal...
So you sell a jillion handsets into the next global hotspot. What's next? The true believers at the 3GSM conference last month, for instance, said that rapid penetration of under-served, emerging markets could actually spur economic development. With economic development comes rising personal incomes,...
Wilson Electronics released its Wilson Signalboost, a dual-band amplifier that works with all cellular and PCS carriers and has up to 3 watts of output power, which can increase the cellular signal from 10 to 15 times. "This new Signalboost amplifier has been carefully...
ORLANDO, Fla.-Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. will offer multimedia messaging for as low as one cent per message, following up on the success of its penny-texting bundles. Beginning April 10, customers who sign up for one of three levels of messaging packs: a $2 per...
As more consumer and business customers turn to the Internet for purchases as well as research, companies such as Synchronoss Technologies Inc. are providing telecom companies with a way to both automate customer orders and provide insight into a broad overview of e-commerce operations....
FlipswapFlipswap, an outsourced cell phone trade-in solution for retailers, said it has signed integration partnerships with retail management system providers iQmetrix, Work Wireless, TeleTracker and CellSell.Flipswap's Web-based software allows retailers to formulate a guaranteed trade-in quote for old phones. The value can then be...
DanielsDavid Parker has been promoted to managing director at Daniels & Associates. Parker is a member of the firm's Telecommunications Group and is responsible for advising communications service providers and telecom infrastructure companies on mergers & acquisitions and corporate financing. He has been with...
Amp'd Mobile, looking to ramp up subscribers and bring in revenue from advertising, has placed its $35 million advertising account into review.A company spokeswoman said the marketer's ad agency Taxi, which launched the brand, will not participate in the review. She declined further comment....
Kyocera Wireless Corp. and regional wireless operator Cellular South are set to test near field communications technology in May with consumers in Memphis and Jackson, Miss., to see if consumers take to the application and how the technology works in the real world. Participants...
T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it will begin offering its myFaves service to its Sidekick 3 users through an over-the-air software update. Once loaded, the update will allow Sidekick 3 customers to add the carrier's myFaves offering to their service plan.T-Mobile USA's myFaves service allows...
Tween-focused mobile virtual network operator kajeet Inc. has officially announced its retail launch, with its service and handsets to be available in Best Buy and Limited Too stores.Kajeet already had begun sales through its Web site, but not in retail locations. As of May...
Verizon Wireless and Cingular continued their retail battle this week with dueling promotional efforts centered on popular handsets. AT&T Inc.'s Cingular division is offering LG Electronics Co. Ltd.'s CU400, a W-CDMA phone, for free with a two-year contract, while Verizon Wireless is hoping to...
