Two sources that track American consumers' online research into handsets paint a dual portrait of yearning and practicality this holiday season.While the data differs between the two sources in some respects, common themes arise. There's good news generally for AT&T Mobility and Apple Inc.,...
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 RCRWirelessNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. We...
J.D. Power announced Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications' handsets scored highest in overall customer satisfaction among U.S. and Canadian consumers in the consumer research firm's latest survey.SEMC ranked highest in features, battery life, physical design, operation and durability among U.S. consumers. Najmi Jarwala, president of...
The wireless industry usually teems with laugh-inducing sniping and enjoyable acrimony. But last week, it was all about the love.The mobile space in the past couple of years has become an "us vs. them" showdown as entrenched carriers struggle with the rise of...
It appears Nokia Corp. has learned a few lessons from its doomed Club Nokia mobile content business. But that doesn't mean the direct-to-consumer waters are getting any easier to navigate.The world's No. 1 handset manufacturer last week scored a huge win, inking a deal...
Like rival Nokia Corp., Sony Ericsson is stepping up its direct-to-consumer content business.The London-based handset manufacturer said it will expand its PlayNow business, adding a song-identification application and "millions of music tracks and thousands of mastertones from both major and independent labels." Sony Ericsson...
Differentiation, finally!Google's announcement that its mobile play will consist of an open-source software platform highlights the division in industry between featuring content on the carrier's deck and the benefits and risks of taking it off-deck. The editorial staff at RCR Wireless News was just...
Despite 11th hour attempts to prevent a work stoppage, Hollywood writers went on strike today.Renewed talks between the Writers Guild of America and networks and studios failed to halt the guild's planned strike, despite the pressure of a federal mediator and a flurry of...
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.-The music industry is redefining itself amid significant changes, particularly with regards to the record labels' role in a world where recording artists are able to connect with fans with little technological or marketing know-how."The labels are clearly at an inflection point," John...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our Monday feature, Analyst Angle. We've collected a group of the industry's leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Jupiter Research's Julie Ask, iGR's Iain...
With ringtone revenues in decline and full-track downloads struggling to find an audience, carriers and third-party vendors are working furiously to breathe life into a withering mobile music industry.Ringtones for years have been the most popular type of content on (or off) carrier decks,...
If you've ever tossed a strand of spaghetti against a refrigerator to see if it sticks-and, therefore, is fully cooked-then you have a sense of what handset vendors and carriers go through each fall. The analogy is inexact because the issue isn't whether that...
Editor's Note: Welcome to a special CTIA I.T. Show Daily edition of our weekly online feature, Analyst Angle. Every Monday at www.RCRNews.com you can find columns from the industry's leading analysts, including iGR's Iain Gillott, JupiterResearch's Julie Ask and more. Visit www.RCRNews.com/analyst for more...
Editor's Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News' new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the wireless industry. --Peer-to-peer...
If you own the platform, you control the message.That's not some esoteric, technological mumbo-jumbo-though you'll hear plenty of that this week-but one take on Symbian Ltd.'s position as sponsor of the Smartphone Summit, which allows the company to spin the data on its fortunes.While...
AT&T Mobility bolstered its mobile music offering with plans to offer over-the-air access to Napster's 5-million-plus music tracks beginning next month. The deal builds on the carrier's current side-loading deal with the music giant as well as its over-the-air downloading agreement with eMusic.The service,...
Motorola Inc. apparently kickstarted its ongoing efforts to broaden its smartphone offerings and bring Internet-based services to them by buying 50% of UIQ Technology last week from rival Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.The rivals actually will each own...
L.M. Ericsson warned yesterday that third-quarter sales would total about $6.8 billion, with operating profit of $875 million, sending its shares down almost one-third. CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg said the company had "underestimated" the "market dynamics," which included fewer network upgrades and expansions by its...
Nokia Corp. will answer the iPhone's splashy user interface with advancements in its own Series 60 UI that runs its smartphone offerings, the Finnish giant said at the Symbian Smartphone Show in London.Nokia will offer the upgraded UI to rivals on a licensing basis,...
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications earned $380 million in its most-recent quarter, reflecting the first results of its recent push on low and mid-tier priced devices. The handset manufacturer shipped 25.9 million devices, up 1 million from the previous quarter and an increase of more...
Editor's Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News' new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we'll review a new wireless application or service from the user's point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works...
The field of mobile marketing startups continued to winnow as Atlanta's Air2Web and Germany's MindMatics agreed to merge.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Air2Web launched years ago as a wireless messaging and technology firm, but has morphed into a firm that executes mobile marketing...
Verizon Wireless is covering its bases. The nation's second-largest carrier unveiled four new phones today, including a touchscreen-with-QWERTY keypad model from LG Electronics Co. Ltd., without mentioning prices. You'll have to wait for prices until the phones launch sometime before Thanksgiving. The LG touchscreen...
TODAY BEGINS THE FOURTH QUARTER-the crazy, blow-out-the-pipes holiday season for most retailers, including those in the wireless industry. Financial numbers for the past three months are due soon.The numbers, of course, may answer some questions about how well companies delivered the goods in the...
