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, Current Analysis'...
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.Search for "wireless phones" on Google, and Letstalk.com is one of the first sites that pops up. The online...
With penetration rates pushing higher, the senior population, including 76 million baby boomers, are starting to look a little sexier.There are few tailored offering for seniors from wireless operators-and according to a recent study by iGR Inc., a substantial chunk of that market is...
T-Mobile USA Inc. has introduced an entry-level BlackBerry plan for $10 per month that includes unlimited e-mail access. The limited-time offer, which requires a Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry Pearl and a T-Mobile USA voice plan, does not include texting or Web browsing, and...
An increasing number of parents around the country can sidestep the dreaded $400 cellphone bill boosted by their child's texting mania, as more wireless companies begin to offer custom controls on children's wireless usage.AT&T Mobility announced last week that it is making parental controls...
The California Assembly overwhelming voted to take all wireless devices out of the hands of drivers under the age of 18, a measure that builds on the state's existing across-the-board ban on handheld phone use while behind the wheel.The bill, which passed the State...
A new survey focused on smartphone operating systems by iGR found that more than half of all respondents use a Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry device, while the majority of the remaining respondents use a Windows Mobile device. At least 30% of those surveyed...
Sprint Nextel Corp. is upping its casual text messaging rate by five cents as of Oct. 1, from 15 cents per message to 20 cents per message. And the carrier said the change-which is permissible under its terms of service-will not allow customers to...
A small study by usability consultancy User Centric Inc. found that first-time users of the Apple Inc. iPhone took twice as long to compose text messages on the device as they did with their own phone, and that many users preferred the feel of...
hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. Verizon Wireless, which recently announced plans to acquire Rural Cellular, said it had acquired the assets of Ramcell in Kentucky and Oregon. The deal included Ramcell's...
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...
Verizon Wireless restructured its pricing plans, adding a half-dozen new "premium" plans for data-hungry consumers.The plan restructuring now provides for three levels of options for individual plans: "basic," "select" and "premium." The "basic" plans begin at $40 per month for 450 anytime calling minutes....
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, Current Analysis'...
The New Jersey legislature passed and sent to Gov. Jon Corzine (D) a bill to bolster the state's existing ban on cellphones while driving, and to also outlaw text messaging behind the wheel. "An increasing number of car accidents, especially among teen drivers, have...
The New Jersey legislature passed and sent to Gov. Jon Corzine (D) a bill to bolster the state's existing ban on cellphones while driving, and to also outlaw text messaging behind the wheel. "An increasing number of car accidents, especially among teen drivers, have...
Stalwarts in media are increasingly bullish on driving their audience's eyes and ears to just about every channel imaginable. But just as these powerhouses are finally finding their online groove, they're efforts are being re-doubled on the next frontier in media-mobile phones. Fox Interactive...
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 RCR Wireless News to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the...
Funambol plans to push ahead with its open source mobile e-mail strategy this week with an upgraded version of its white-label offering for carriers.The Redwood City, Calif.-based startup is set to unveil Funambol v6, a Java-based application that pushes e-mail to wireless devices from...
Helping the homelessVirgin Mobile USA said three recording artists have joined it's The RE*Generation initiative that focuses on issues surrounding at-risk youth and homeless teens. Deftones, Lil'Boosie and Zero 7 all have signed on to the effort. Existing artists include Gnarls Barkley, James Blunt,...
LG Electronics Co. Ltd. announced it will hold a "National Texting Championship" competition in order to promote its enV and V cellphones, which are selling through Verizon Wireless. The phones feature a flip-open screen and a tiny, QWERTY keyboard."LG created the LG National Texting...
Slim, shiny, clever devices dazzle and delight-impressions that all the major handset makers are capable of producing in a mobile phone. As carriers manage their handset portfolios, they see in those devices the means to capture the imagination of consumers and draw them into...
Conventional wisdom says, and consumers certainly seem to think, that family wireless plans offered by cellular carriers are a great deal. In exchange for tying other family members into one service plan at the standard $10 per month, consumers can cut down on their...
The four national wireless carriers might be in near lock-step when it comes to voice plans, but each take distinctly different tacks when putting together messaging strategies. However, the various flavors of messaging packages-based on in-network, type of message or number of message-may be...
WARREN, N.J.-Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. announced two new services that incorporate audio and messaging. "Txt Tones" will allow users to link musical tones to text messages instead of rings. The three- to five-second sound clips can be used as an alert that a text...
