WASHINGTON-The mobile-phone industry may ask the Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court ruling that breathed new life into five class-action lawsuits alleging cellular firms could have better protected consumers from mobile-phone radiation harm by supplying them with headsets. Last Wednesday, the 4th...
DALLAS-Quick, a daily news and entertainment tabloid produced by The Dallas Morning News, partnered with Chevrolet on a short message service contest aimed at reaching younger adults.The contest, which ran from Feb. 16 through March 2, garnered 5,541 entries to win a 2005 Chevy...
NEW ORLEANS-A handful of new wireless recycling initiatives were announced at last week's CTIA Wireless 2005 show. A new phone recycling program by GRC Wireless Recycling pays companies for their unwanted inventory of retired cellular phones.The company's Wireless Industry Recycling program pays companies at...
Several handset makers and carriers have taken advantage of the spotlight of the CTIA show in New Orleans to release handset-related news this week.Cingular Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America announced the availability of the Samsung p777, the first phone in Samsung's new line of...
ATLANTA-Regional wireless provider SouthernLinc Wireless said it has been selected as an official communications supplier by the state of Georgia, solidifying a contract-based relationship initiated in 1998. The Georgia Technology Authority said it selected SouthernLinc based on its network capabilities as well as the...
LUXEMBOURG-Device manufacturer i-mate will produce handsets preloaded with Skype software, enabling users to make VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) calls out-of-the-box, the companies announced Thursday.The first dual-mode wireless phones to come with the Skype offering, the i-mate PDA2 and PDA2K handsets will make their...
NORCROSS, Ga.-Nextel Communications Inc. said it has signed a contract with the State of Georgia enabling government agencies, political subdivisions, municipalities and all other authorized users to procure Nextel wireless phones and service as needs arise.Terms of the contract were not released.
Voice over Internet Protocol phone carrier Vonage announced several new devices to support its service, including a portable Wi-Fi phone from wireless handset and infrastructure provider UTStarcom Inc.Vonage sells software that allows computer users to place telephone calls over the Internet. The company said...
They've been called the last untapped demographic for mobile phones, but some seniors say the industry itself may be to blame for the lack of elderly mobile users. Wireless devices are ubiquitous among nearly every age group in the nation except the elderly. According...
FORT WORTH, Texas-RadioShack Corp. reported a deal with online wireless distributor and activation provider InPhonic Inc. that will enable RadioShack to begin offering wireless phones and service plans through its Web site.The deal calls for InPhonic, which said it distributes phones and services plans...
ALLENTOWN, Pa.-Agere Systems Inc. said it has introduced a technology framework that will allow mobile handset vendors to rapidly develop wireless phones for multimedia applications such as audio and video streaming and playback, video recording, digital photo imaging and downloadable ringtones.The company said it...
WASHINGTON-Cellular companies and a leading technical organization have created a working group to develop design and performance standards for mobile-phone batteries, a move that comes amid reports of injuries caused by exploding phones."As the number of wireless phones sold in the United States continues...
Cellboost, a disposable wireless battery charger for mobile phones, is making waves in the wireless industry with carriers eager to offer it and wireless consumers hankering to use it. Why? "It's a no-hassle, no-maintenance, no-cords, Johnny-on-the-spot solution," touted Todd Ruhalter, president of Compact Power...
Sprint PCS reported that 97 percent of its wireless network in portions of the Southeast impacted by Hurricane Ivan are operational, but it cautioned that local power issues and connectivity to the local telephone company is still impacting the ability to place and receive...
AUSTIN, Texas-Freescale Semiconductor Inc. said it has signed deals to supply chips to Siemens AG and Ningbo Bird Co Ltd., showing it can fend for itself after cutting the cord from parent Motorola Inc.The company also announced its i.250 GSM/GPRS platform has been adopted...
A recent study by FusionOne showed that 43 percent of mobile users surveyed have lost, damaged or had their phones stolen at one time or another, and 21 percent of respondents said the worst part of losing or damaging a phone is having to...
WASHINGTON-A group of nine wireline companies, two with wireless affiliates, are proposing to radically change the way carriers compensate each other to carry traffic on each other's networks, and most of the wireless industry is none too happy about it. "It is an awful...
Nearly half of U.S. teens who own mobile phones are on family plans, and a growing number of them are using prepaid services, according to two recent studies.A poll by research and analyst firm The Yankee Group indicates 45 percent of phone-owning teens are...
Integrated telecommunications provider Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc. launched a new calling plan that will allow customers to purchase unlimited calling between their wireless phones and their home telephone numbers as an add-on to current consumer wireless service plans. The service is available only...
Distributor Brightstar Corp. is planning an initial public offering of up to $115 million, according to a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.The company plans to use any proceeds from the offering for potential acquisitions of and investments in other businesses,...
SUNNYVALE, Calif.-FutureDial Inc. has announced SnapMedia Software, a PC-based program that lets camera-phone users download pictures from phones to PCs for archiving and sharing. The company said the program frees memory on the phone, like a digital still camera, letting users take more pictures...
Distributor Brightstar Corp. is planning an initial public offering of up to $115 million, according to a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.The company plans to use any proceeds from the offering for potential acquisitions of and investments in other businesses,...
According to a survey sponsored by Levi and conducted by Insight Express, 42 percent of kids ages 13 to 17 said choosing the right outfit for the first day of school is more stressful than homework, being called on in class or participating in...
SAN DIEGO-FreeHeadset.org has developed a program to provide wireless users with free cell-phone headsets.The program was prompted by legislation in several states requiring drivers to use headsets while talking on their wireless phones and driving. The only charge for the program is $3.94 for...
