Attention to the "user experience" has become a fervid mantra since the iPhone reached market last year and in one recent case, a specialty firm has been involved in assisting a large client to bridge a gap for an even larger firm. Translated, that...
The handset market has been unseasonably chilly this fall.Where the third quarter typically reflects a ramp-up for the holiday spending orgy, it appeared from the metrics that the togas may remain in the closet this quarter. Media coverage that typically revels in the ups...
Everyone loves a good horse race. But with macro-economic conditions reverberating throughout the wireless industry - handset vendors' aggregate volume growth in the third quarter appeared to be stagnating - the situation calls into question the health of the horses.No major competitors are likely...
Nokia Corp. gave somewhat vague mid-quarter guidance last Friday that sent its stock tumbling more than 9% to a new 52-week low. The Finnish giant, with about 40% global market share, said it sees "weaker consumer confidence in multiple markets," a cryptic remark it...
T-Mobile USA Inc. launched its first HSDPA-enabled phone, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communication's TM506. The carrier said the new handset will support its 3G network, which is currently alive and kicking in select markets including New York; Las Vegas; San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Houston,...
The carrier deck is still the most valuable real estate in mobile content, but the future of downloadable wireless goodies may just lie in third-party storefronts. And for now, at least, developers are the key to success.Apple Inc. stole headlines two months ago with...
The pressures of the mobile chip business, plus a fit in products and customers, has driven Ericsson Mobile Platforms and ST Microelectronics-NXP Wireless to join forces, the two companies said today.The joint venture, subject to regulatory approvals, combines ST-NXP's 2G/EDGE and 3G offerings with...
Now more than ever, policymakers and the wireless providers they regulate are finding it easier - indeed, politically and socially fashionable - to make peace with the latest iteration of the green revolution. Green has become sexy in corporate America. Executives unabashedly embrace green...
The ecological impact of the most ubiquitous consumer-electronics device in history - yes, mobile handsets - may be likened to a coin. On the coin's face is the easily recognized topic of recycling, as familiar to most Americans as a likeness of George Washington...
Motorola Inc. managed to both pleasantly surprise the market today and disappoint industry observers who are looking further down the road.The company posted a meager profit, beat expectations on handset volumes and forecast it would end the year in the black.Motorola also said its...
Neonode Inc. needs patience from investors, the company's interim CEO wrote yesterday in an open letter.The fledgling, Swedish public company, known to many for its small, touchscreen N2 device - which debuted long before Apple Inc.'s iPhone - will miss its guidance from the...
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.Patrick Maurer is no techie. "I can barely work my toaster," says the lanky 29-year-old sales rep...
Nokia Corp. hit the second-quarter finish line (pun intended) with strong year-over-year growth in handset shipment volumes, a key metric for Wall Street and those given to horse-race analogies.The company's performance established that, despite global macro-economic woes, growth in shipments remains possible. Indeed, Nokia...
As analysts and pundits scoured the tea leaves in the wake of Apple Inc.'s 3G iPhone launch, a few issues emerged.Who, besides Apple, will get a boost from iPhone mania? Who gets hurt? Will a rising iPhone-tide lift all boats in the second half...
Nokia Corp. set the bar for its competitors yesterday - growth is possible under current market conditions. But Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications could not perform a chin-up. The Japanese-Swedish joint venture reported today that key metrics were down across the board and its...
Consumers are shelling out big money for high-end phones with hi-resolution screens and eye-popping features. But mobile gaming is still all about casual.More than 7 million smartphones were sold in North America in the first quarter of 2008, according to Gartner, doubling the number...
Handango Inc. announced a deal to deliver content directly to consumers through Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications' convergence phones.The Texas-based retailer of smartphone applications said the worldwide pact will see its InHand client embedded on handsets, allowing users to shop for business offerings, games and...
Handset vendors' second-quarter earnings are expected to be ho-hum, based on a global lull in new product launches during the quarter. As usual, however, analysts will carefully parse the language used by leading vendors - most prominently, Nokia Corp. - to describe their outlook...
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....
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., the Chinese vendor of entry-tier phones, is seeking a capital infusion for its handset division to fuel international expansion of that business, particularly in the United States. Such a move would provide a brand-building opportunity and also free up resources...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its outlook on Rogers Communications to positive from stable and affirmed its BBB- corporate credit rating on the company...
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."How can I help you, and where would you like to go?"In this simple greeting, there's a...
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications warned today that it would only break even in the current quarter and that handset shipments will be nearly flat over the first quarter, reflecting "moderating demand" for its mid- and high-tier phones. The joint venture also acknowledged that new...
Last year, of course, the iPhone launch drove hand-wringing over the need to revamp user interfaces, accompanied by a move to large-display touchscreens.A wave of devices sporting large-display touchscreens followed, with varying results on the user interface. That influence continues to play out with...
