ringtones

You can call it off-deck, off-portal or off-network, but the stampede of companies looking to sell content directly to consumers is unquestionably on. Off-deck activity has long dominated the wireless …

LOS ANGELES-Paramount Pictures is using mobile phones to try to lure subscribers to its new film “Nacho Libre.” The studio is teaming with digital marketing company Cellfish Media L.L.C. to …

NEW YORK-The Recording Industry Association of America formally launched a Master Ringtone Sales Award, updating its 47-year-old Gold and Platinum program to recognize the growing popularity of ringtones on cellular …

BELLEVUE, Wash.—The Bluetooth Special Interest Group launched what it’s calling the “Bluetooth Experience Icon Program,” which the group said will help inform consumers about various Bluetooth technologies. The Bluetooth SIG …

Alltel Corp. selected Oz Communications Inc.’s mobile instant messaging solution to power its new Axcess Instant Messaging service. The BREW-based solution gives Alltel customers access to AOL’s instant messaging service …

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Sprint Nextel Corp. planned to deliver a live country music concert last night with video and audio available to customers on their cell phones. Artists including Josh Turner, Billy …

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 …

DETROIT—Rapper Eminem settled a lawsuit with a Colorado-based content provider accused of illegally selling ringtones of the hip-hop star’s tunes. Michigan-based Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated said they struck …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. will offer the Pantech Group’s “Slim Series” of phones, beginning with the tiny C300 for its prepaid GoPhone customers, giving the South Korean handset maker another prominent …

SAN DIEGO-It’s all about the money. And why not? That’s a healthy reason for hundreds of people to fly into San Diego and cloister themselves inside a luxury hotel, as …

Amp’d Mobile Inc. has rounded out its service offering with a prepaid play that began selling last week, touting its new pay-as-you-go service as “the first and only pay-as-you-go 3G …

WASHINGTON—Wireless industry trade association CTIA is hoping to spur direct-to-consumer revenues by expanding the industry’s short code program. The industry group, along with short-code administrator NeuStar Inc., announced open registration …

   ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. will offer the Pantech Group’s “Slim Series” of phones, beginning with the tiny C300 for its prepaid GoPhone customers, giving the South Korean handset maker another …

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Amp’d Mobile Inc. has begun offering a prepaid service that charges 10 cents per minute for voice calling, $1 per day for unlimited push-to-talk service, plus access to …

“News of my death has been greatly exaggerated,” Mark Twain is said to have written in 1897, when he remained hale and hearty. Qualcomm Inc. has taken a page from …

All eyes will be on Germany next week as teams from 32 nations open play in the FIFA World Cup, a four-week, 64-game tournament to determine the planet’s best soccer …

WASHINGTON-Universal Studios is the latest mainstream media giant to go wireless in a big way, establishing a division dedicated to mobile content. Universal, which already has more than 60 licensing …

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.—Universal Studios is the latest mainstream media giant to go wireless in a big way, establishing a division dedicated to mobile content. Universal, which already has more than …

PLEASANTON, Calif.—Wireless entertainment company FunMail Inc. announced the acquisition of Zapptrio Inc., a developer of location-based applications for mobile phones. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Zapptrio, which had …

It’s safe to say U.S. wireless subscribers have caught up with much of the rest of the world in terms of data consumption. But it appears American carriers still have …

Google Inc. was finally awarded a patent for speech-recognition technology that allows users to search the Internet by uttering a few words. But whether that’s good news or bad news …

PLEASANTON, Calif.—FunMail Inc. is teaming with Major League Baseball Advanced Media to deliver images, voice tones and other content from all 30 of its teams. Images are available through Verizon …

NEW YORK—Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. and Virgin Records are teaming with EMI to offer four exclusive ringtones from hip-hop star Big Boi. The clips are based on four tracks from …

LAS VEGAS-Mforma Group Inc. is the latest mobile-game publisher to get a makeover, dropping its name in an effort to become more consumer-friendly. The San Francisco-based developer is rebranding as …

LAS VEGAS-When it comes to mobile, at least, Chuck D believes the hype. The driving force behind the iconic hip-hop group Public Enemy is going wireless as a mobile music …