Recent Cellular News

Apple's Jobs says iPad idea came before iPhone

June 2, 2010

Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs shared a secret with his audience at a technology conference outside Los Angeles Tuesday: The idea for the iPad came before the iPhone.

The idea to ditch the keyboard for what Jobs calls a multi-touch display came about in the early 2000s, although the company was working on a telephone at the time, he said. That's when a prototype was brought to him that used the device's now-famous scrolling mechanism.

"I thought, 'My God we can build a phone out of this,'" Jobs said at The Wall Street Journal's "D: All Things Digital" conference in Rancho Palos Verdes.

But the tablet product was put on the shelf, the iPhone went into development for several years before making its debut in 2007 and Apple only started selling the iPad tablet computer in April.

Both products have taken on more of the personal computing tasks once handled by computers running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system and other programs

That's helped Apple surpass Microsoft, its longtime nemesis, as the largest technology company in the world by market capitalization - a milestone achieved last week.

"It's surreal," Jobs said Tuesday.

Jobs was asked why the once close relationship between Google Inc. and Apple has lately turned tense. Google has developed a Web browser and a computer operating system and began selling its own cell phone in January a bid to upstage the iPhone.

"They decided to compete with us, and so they are," Jobs said.

Although he acknowledged the popularity of the iPhone has caused network troubles at carrier AT&T, Jobs said the problems would have happened to any wireless phone company with that many iPhone and iPad users.

He said many places in the U.S. will have much better reception by the end of the summer. He did not rule out having the iPhone operate on other carriers in the future.

Ahead of a major software developers conference scheduled to begin June 7 in San Francisco, Jobs was characteristically tightlipped about what, if any, new features would be on new iPhone models.

As for the iPad's stunning popularity, Jobs said the device was beginning to erode the usefulness of the personal computer.

"We like to talk about the post PC era," he said. "I think we're embarked on that. Is it the iPad? Who knows? Will it happen next year or five years from now or seven years? Who knows?"

Source: (www.washingtonpost.com)

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June 2, 2010

Hoping to understand what a new generation of mobile malware could resemble, security researchers will demonstrate a malicious "rootkit" program they've written for Google's Android phone next month at the Defcon hacking conference in Las Vegas.

Once it's installed on the Android phone, the rootkit can be activated via a phone call or SMS (short message service) message, giving attackers a stealthy and hard-to-detect tool for siphoning data from the phone or misdirecting the user. "You call the phone, the phone doesn't ring, and when the phone realizes that it's being called by an attacker's phone number, it sends him back a shell [program]," said Christian Papathanasiou, a security consultant with Chicago's Trustwave, the company that did the research.

Rootkits are stealthy programs designed to cover up their tracks on the operating system in order to evade detection. They have been around on Windows and Unix for years, but lately security researchers have been experimenting with them on mobile platforms.

The hard part of writing an Android rootkit is figuring out how to take advantage of new mobile features while making sure the software runs smoothly on the new platform, Papathanasiou said.

Because the rootkit runs as a module in Android's Linux kernel, it has the highest level of access to the Android phone and can be a very powerful tool for attackers. For example, it could be used to reroute a victim's 911 calls to a bogus number. The rootkit could also track a victim's location or even reroute his browser to a malicious Web site. "Because we interface with the kernel, the opportunities to abuse this are limitless," Papathanasiou said.

On its own, Trustwave's rootkit isn't much of a threat to Android users. That's because a criminal would first need to figure out how to install the software on a victim's phone. This could be done by building the rootkit into a rogue application sold via the Android Market, or by exploiting a new, unpatched bug in Android's Linux kernel that could allow the program to be installed.

Those are pretty big barriers, however.

Google, like other mobile operating system makers, has spent a lot of effort making it hard to get root-level access to the kernel in the first place. "Once someone gets root, the game is essentially up," said Rich Cannings, Android's security leader. "So what we do is prevent people from getting full control of the kernel."

Android has a variety of ways of doing this. It uses application "sandboxing" to prevent one compromised program from gaining access to other parts of the system. It uses other tricks to prevent any undiscovered bugs in the way Android manages its memory from giving hackers a foothold in the system. If the rootkit spreads via the Android Market, Google can get in touch with victims and help them fix the problem.

Security geeks will want to know how the Trustwave team managed to get its rootkit running on Android, but the software won't have much effect on mobile users -- at least for several years -- said Robert Graham, CEO of Errata Security, in Atlanta. Today's mobile phones usually don't ship with good malware detection tools, so developing a rootkit program would be excessive for a typical cybercriminal, he said. One of the main features of a rootkit is that it's very hard to detect, but if the phone isn't looking for malware anyhow, "why not just have your normal malware run on Android?" Graham said.

Malicious software does pop up on mobile devices every now and then, but the vast majority is written for the Windows desktop operating system.

Still, Google's Cannings was careful not to disparage the Trustwave talk. "It's interesting from a theoretical sense that they ported a Linux rootkit to Android," he said. "I think that it helps show that these mobile operating systems are extremely powerful. They're just as powerful as your desktop computer."

Source: (www.computerworld.com)

New AT&T smartphone users won't get one-price Net

June 2, 2010

AT&T, wireless provider for Apple's iPhone, on Monday will become the first major mobile phone company to stop offering new smartphone customers a single monthly price for unlimited Internet access — likely presaging an industry shift to charges based on how much people use their phones to access videos, music and data. AT&T expects the new pricing to boost sales. "Some customers, up until now, have been hesitant to sign up for a $30 monthly data plan" for unlimited access, says Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. Existing customers can switch to the new pricing or keep their current all-you-can-eat service.

Newcomers will have two options: Under the DataPlus plan, subscribers can pay $15 a month for 200 megabytes of data; that would handle about 400 photos or 100 minutes of streaming video. The DataPro plan offers 10 times that capacity, 2 gigabytes, for $25.

AT&T will send text alerts to customers near their limits. DataPlus customers who go over will be charged $15 for an additional 200 MB. DataPro users will pay $10 for an extra 1 GB.

AT&T says 65% of its smartphone customers use less than 200 MB a month, and 98% use less than 2 GB.

But, largely due to the success of the iPhone, AT&T "has the most loaded and most used data network in the U.S.," says Roger Entner, head of telecom research at Nielsen.

And just 3% of AT&T's smartphone customers account for as much as 40% of its data traffic, contributing to slow transmissions and dropped calls. AT&T must control heavy users, or at least get them to pay more, Entner says.

With the limited airwave spectrum available for wireless broadband, he adds, it's just a matter of time before other providers — including Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile— switch to usage-based pricing.

Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam said last week that it would "make sense" to have such pricing later this year when his company introduces a speedy 4G service.

Apple's new iPad tablet also uses AT&T's wireless service. The new pricing will offer those customers 2 GB for $25 a month; current customers can keep their unlimited service offer for $29.99 a month.

IPhone customers who pay an extra $20 a month soon will be able to use the phones to provide Internet connections for laptops or other devices. That process, called tethering, will be available on 3G iPhones this summer when Apple releases a new operating system, AT&T says.

Source: (www.usatoday.com)

US lawmakers target pre-paid cellphone anonymity

May 27, 2010

US lawmakers unveiled a bill Wednesday to enable law enforcement to identify users of pre-paid cell phones, charging that anonymity makes the devices attractive to terrorists, drug kingpins and gangs.

The legislation would require buyers of pre-paid cell phones to show identification when they purchase them and mandate that telephone companies keep the information on file as they do with subscription cell phones.

"This proposal is overdue because for years terrorists, drug kingpins and gang members have stayed one step ahead of the law by using prepaid phones that are hard to trace," said Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer.

Schumer noted that the alleged Times Square bomb plotter, Faisal Shahzad, had used a pre-paid cell phone that can often be "a dead end for law enforcement."

"While most Americans use pre-paid mobile devices lawfully, the anonymous nature of these devices gives too much cover to individuals looking to use them for deviant, dangerous means," said Republican Senator John Cornyn.

Pre-paid cell phones can typically be bought with cash and activated without signing a contract or facing a credit check.

The senators said Shahzad used a pre-paid cell phone to arrange the purchase of the vehicle he allegedly hoped to use as a car bomb, and that US authorities tracked him down only because a number listed in the phone's call log matched one Shahzad provided to authorities upon entering the United States months earlier.

"But for that stroke of luck, authorities might never have been able to match the phone number provided by the seller of the Pathfinder to Shahzad," they said in a joint statement.

Countries including Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and Thailand already require registration of pre-paid cell phone users, the senators said.

And at least six US states have been mulling similar rules, they said.

Source: (www.news.yahoo.com)

AT&T Steps Up Network Upgrade

May 21, 2010

AT&T is stepping up plans to double the speed of its wireless network by the end of this year, anticipating the launch of next-generation high-speed devices like smartphones, tablets and other mobile gadgets.

The Atlanta, Ga.-based carrier said it will boost download speeds dramatically -- using technology known as HSPA-plus -- to deliver data-rich services like streaming video to smartphones in markets covering more than 250 million people.

"We still have a tremendous amount of opportunity in wireless," said John Stankey, AT&T's operations chief. "We're at the front of that 10-year cycle in the mobile space today."

Stankey said markets where network strain was heaviest, like New York and San Francisco, would be improve on first, with noticeably faster speeds by the end of summer.

AT&T is stepping up its network upgrade before it releases Apple's next-generation iPhone, dubbed the HD, in June or July.

Front-runner Sprint said it will start selling the HTC Evo, the first fourth-generation, or 4G, smartphone in the U.S. Meanwhile, Verizon, which said it would deploy its new service by the end of this year, is working with Google to develop an iPad-rival. T-Mobile is currently rolling out an HSPA-plus upgrade of its own while exploring options for a 4G partnership with Harbinger Capital, a hedge fund that owns radio spectrum.

As more and more people own phones, carriers have looked to data services for growth, leasing out their networks to other companies that offer wireless gadgets such as tablets, netbooks and even dog collars.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)

No Brain Cancer Link to Cell Phone Use, Study Says

May 21, 2010

The largest study to date on the hazards of cell phones has found no clear link to brain cancer, but scientists noted that more research was needed due to the increasing use of mobile devices within the last decade.

The report, which included almost 13,000 handset users in 13 countries over a 10-year period, found no increased risk of glioma or meningioma tumors from using a cell phone, but said that people who had never used a handset had a lower risk of brain cancer than those that did.

"The results really don't allow us to conclude that there is any risk associated with mobile phone use, but it is also premature to say that there is no risk associated with it," said Christopher Wild, the director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a unit of the World Health Organization.

Experts also said that the heaviest of users -- people who averaged half an hour a day over the span of 10 years -- had "suggestions of higher risk." Those who used their phones on the same side of their heads also saw a 40 percent higher risk for gliomas and 15 percent for meningiomas.

But researchers again said "biases and errors" prevented them from making any definitive link, calling the findings unreliable.

"We can't just conclude that there is no effect. There are indications of a possible increase," said Elisabeth Cardis, the lead researcher of the study and a scientist at the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, Spain. "We're not sure that it is correct. It could be due to bias, but the indications are sufficiently strong to be concerned."

Part of the issue with the study, Wild said, is that the amount of time people spend on their cell phone is significantly higher today than it was 10 years ago. When the study began in 2000, participants said they made calls an average of 2 to 2.5 hours a month.

"Today, mobile phone use has become much more prevalent and it is not unusual for young people to use mobile phones for an hour or more a day," the researchers said.

But the increasing use of handsets is tempered by generally lower emissions from the latest phones and the increased popularity of hands-free devices and texting that reduces exposure to the head, they said.

Thus far, several research studies have failed to establish any clear connection between handset usage and several kinds of cancers. Last year, Scandinavian scientists reported that cell phones were unlikely causes for brain tumors. Danish researchers concluded similar results four years ago.

But a few U.S. and British experts have suggested that several past studies, funded by handset makers, had a "systemic-skew" that greatly underestimated the likelihood of developing tumors.

This study, conducted by 21 scientists in the Interphone International Study Group, received $24.4 million in funding, over a quarter of which was from companies within the mobile phone industry.

In response, the U.S. Senate Health Committee spearheaded an investigation last year, fearing that the handset maker-sponsored studies may be similar to the cigarette-lung cancer link of the 1970s, where tobacco companies funded cases to deny the cause for decades.

Last month, European researchers launched an even larger study into the effects of phone use on long-term health, aiming to follow more than a quarter of a million of people for up to 30 years.

To find out how much radiation popular cell phones emit, including the safest and most dangerous models, visit our Cell Phone Radiation Guide.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)

T-Mobile to Offer New Prepaid Plans

May 21, 2010

T-Mobile said it will start offering two unlimited prepaid plans on Wednesday, as the struggling carrier targets the fast-growing segment of cost-conscious consumers that don't want to sign long-term contracts.

The Bellevue, Wash.-based company said one plan, for a mere $15 a month, comes with unlimited text, picture and video messaging with nationwide calls for 10 cents a minute. Another option, for $50 a month, removes the per-minute fees for unlimited calling.

Prepaid service, once a niche segment, targeted customers who didn't have enough credit to qualify for contracts. But with the recession hurting consumers' pocketbooks, the draw of cheaper payments, no contracts and no termination fees has gained a wider appeal.

Wireless operators took notice and cut prices, as Sprint ignited the battle last year by offering a prepaid plan with unlimited minutes for $50 a month under its Boost Mobile brand.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile, the fourth-largest U.S. carrier, has struggled to keep pace with rivals AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.

After reporting declining sales and a mass exodus of subscribers, the beleaguered company is looking for new ways to boost revenue, including a network upgrade and a potential deal to roll out fourth-generation, or 4G, service.

Sprint revamped its Virgin Mobile brand last week, dropping prices on prepaid service, and introducing a new service, dubbed Common Cents Mobile, with discount retailer Wal-Mart.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)

AT&T May Allow iPhone to be Used as Modem

May 21, 2010

AT&T said it may soon offer "tethering" for the iPhone, which would allow the smartphone to be used as a modem for a laptop, after the company made improvements to its network.

"It's taking longer than we'd like," said John Stankey, chief executive of AT&T Operations, adding that the company wouldn't offer tethering until it had a "high comfort level with the network," some time within the year.

The Dallas, Texas-based company had disabled tethering on the iPhone due to the unusually high strain those users were putting on its network. Meanwhile, it has been racing to upgrade its network as rivals beef up their data services to cater to data-hungry smartphone users.

AT&T tackled its two largest problem areas, New York and San Francisco, first, and is expected to wrap up upgrades by the end of the year.

Analysts widely expect the company to release the Apple's next-generation iPhone HD in June.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)

Scientists Explain Why Cell Phone Calls are Annoying

May 21, 2010

Scientists say they may have found why overhearing cell phone calls can be so annoying -- because only half of the conversation is heard, which draws more concentration than listening to two-way dialogue.

"People are often more irritated by nearby cell phone conversations rather than conversations between two people who are physically present," said Lauren Emberson, a co-author of the study. "We have less control to move away our attention from half a conversation than when listening to a dialogue."

Researchers at Cornell University conducted a series of tests to gauge people's reactions when exposed to silence, a monologue, a two-way conversation or half of a conversation, also called a "halfalogue." Participants were then asked to perform various cognitive tests while exposed to the three background noises or silence.

The findings showed that people only made mistakes when listening to halfalogues.

"These results suggest that a driver's attention can be impaired by a passenger's cell phone conversation," Emberson said. "We believe this finding helps reveal how we understand language in conversation."

The study, to be published in Psychological Science, a monthly scientific journal, concluded that people who hear snippets of conversation will attempt to predict what is going to be said next.

"When you hear half of a conversation, you get less information and you can't predict as well," Emberson said. "It requires more attention."

An estimated 4.6 billion people use mobile phones, or about two-thirds of the world's population.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)

AT&T increasing early termination fee to $325

May 21, 2010

Considering a new smartphone contract and new phone with AT&T? Well, don’t even think about trying to end your contract early as the Early Termination Fee (ETF) is about to sky rocket.

Currently AT&T charge $175 for ETF, but from June 1 it is being increased to $325 for smartphones regardless of whether you are a new subscriber or renewing your contract.

The Wall Street Journal first broke news of the change, but dallasnews.com managed to talk with AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel who explained the decision:

The idea is, that if you spend less on a device, your early termination fee should be less. If you spend more, your early termination fee should be more. This move is unrelated to any device announcement or future plans.

Although AT&T remains $25 cheaper than Verizon’s ETF price, both companies may face questions from the FCC who has noted the fees are both “substantial” and increasing.

Source: (www.geek.com)

T-Mobile Shuts Down Internal Developer Program

May 21, 2010

In a letter sent today to program participants, T-Mobile informed developers that it will no longer be taking submissions for its Partner Network. The original idea of this program was to spur development of applications and services for feature phones and other non-smartphone devices. T-Mobile explains, "With the mobile space being an ever changing, dynamic industry our decision to close this program was not taken lightly, but we feel reflects our commitment to support the growing ecosystem of partner storefronts and non-traditional paths to market." T-Mobile is suggesting that developers target Google’s Android Market, BlackBerry’s App World and Windows Phone Marketplace for Mobile instead.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)

FCC Calls Out for "Bill Shock" Complaints

May 21, 2010

On its official Twitter feed, the Federal Communications Commission asked users to submit complaints about unusually high and unexpected cell phone bills. The Commission specifically cited Verizon Wireless' recent forgiveness of a Boston-area man's $18,000 cell phone bill as an example. Wireless customers can submit complaints to the FCC's Consumer Affairs Bureau Web site. Recent reports suggest the FCC is mulling a "Bill Shock" warning system that would notify customers when a monthly bill runs unusually high.

Visit - http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm for more information or to file a complaint.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)

FCC Not Convinced U.S. Market is Competitive Enough

May 21, 2010

The Federal Communications Commission has changed it stance on the competitive nature of the U.S. wireless market. Previously, the FCC labeled the market "effectively competitive." Due to a lot of consolidation in the market over the past 18 months, the FCC now says, "some things are not right." The FCC believes that competition has "dramatically eroded and is seriously endangered by continuing consolidation and concentration in our wireless markets." The FCC's report on competition notes that the market has consolidated by one-third since 2003, meaning consumers have fewer overall choices when it comes to wireless network operators and services. The FCC points out that the nation's two largest network operators -- AT&T and Verizon Wireless -- hold 60% of the entire market in terms of subscribers and revenue. The FCC stopped short of saying that it plans to introduce new regulations, but this new report and its findings lay the groundwork for change. The industry disagrees with the report. Verizon Wireless issued a statement, saying, "The U.S. has the most intensely competitive wireless market on the planet, and it's becoming more competitive by the day."

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)

FCC Opens 25MHz of Spectrum for Broadband

May 21, 2010

The Federal Communications Commission recently voted to free up 25 MHz of spectrum in the 2.3GHz (Wireless Communications Services) band and earmarked it for mobile broadband. The FCC had previously disclosed its intent to open up 500MHz of spectrum across the U.S. over the course of the next 10 years for broadband use. FCC chairman Julius Genechowski said this vote is a "strong down payment on a vital national need." The FCC didn't say how it plans to disburse the spectrum.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)

Verizon Wireless loses appeal on cellphone charges

May 21, 2010

A federal appeals court on Friday threw out a ruling requiring Verizon Wireless customers to resolve disputes over alleged fraudulent cell phone charges individually through arbitration rather than as a class.

The ruling, by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, is a defeat for the largest U.S. mobile service provider, a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Britain's Vodafone Group Plc.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs and for Verizon Wireless either had no comment or were not immediately available for comment.

Many consumer contracts require that disputes be arbitrated individually. Consumer advocates say this can unreasonably favor companies by making it prohibitively costly to arbitrate, especially small claims.

In the Verizon Wireless case, plaintiffs Keith Litman and Robert Wachtel sought to sue on behalf of a class over the imposition of administrative charges on cellphone contracts.

They said a contractual clause mandating individual arbitration of such "low value" claims was "unconscionable" under New Jersey law, and void under a 2006 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling. The Third Circuit includes that state.

U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson in Trenton rejected the claim in 2008. She said the Federal Arbitration Act preempted the 2006 ruling and "establishes a strong federal policy" favoring arbitration absent fraud or misrepresentation.

The Third Circuit, however, concluded that the New Jersey ruling did not conflict with the federal act because it reflected no "hostility" toward arbitration clauses.

Writing for the court, Judge Kent Jordan also distinguished a 2007 Third Circuit ruling on which Wolfson relied, saying its application of the federal act to Pennsylvania law "appears to be dicta," or not essential, and thus not binding.

The Third Circuit sent the Verizon Wireless case back to the district court for further proceedings.

The case is Litman et al v. Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless, U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 08-4103.

Source: (www.reuters.com)

Mobile broadband devices will top 100M this year

May 20, 2010

Wireless analysts are burning up the batteries in their calculators to come up with mobile broadband and LTE device projections. Strategy Analytics today released its new mobile broadband market outlook report and found that sales of new devices with integrated mobile broadband connectivity, along with external USB modems, will top 100 million in 2010 and grow to 200 million modem sales by 2014. Of those, the company says that 42 percent will be LTE modems.

This comes on the heels of WiseHarbor Research's report released yesterday that predicted it will be 2016, or five years after the first LTE devices (USB dongles, aircards, etc.) make their debut, before LTE accounts for more than 25 percent of mobile broadband device sales.

Susan Welsh de Grimaldo, director of mobile broadband opportunities at Strategy Analytics, said that the drivers behind the growth are the carriers' aggressive promotion of mobile broadband devices, such as embedded notebooks, netbooks, e-readers, tablets and even M2M devices such as smart meters.

Source:(www.fiercewireless.com)

Sprint RFP May Include LTE

May 20, 2010

LTE World Summit -- Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) has issued a "next generation network" request for proposal (RFP) for its mobile network in the US, and Long Term Evolution (LTE) has emerged as a potential technology choice.

"There's nothing that prevents us from... moving to LTE," said Kevin Packingham, senior VP of product and technology development at Sprint, speaking at the LTE event here. "We're doing a technology evaluation and making a decision on our core network and how we want to evolve that going forward."

By "core" network, he meant Sprint's CDMA network, which Packingham clarified with Light Reading Mobile on the sidelines of the event. The technology evaluation, which Packingham described as a "next generation network RFP," is for the CDMA networks Sprint operates in 800MHz and 1900MHz spectrum.

Packingham's comments could be the clearest signal to date from the third-largest US mobile operator that it may migrate from CDMA to LTE. Of course, no decision has been made, but Sprint is definitely open to it. (See CTIA 2010: Hesse – LTE Will Be Bigger But We Are First.)

This new technology evaluation does not mean Sprint is ready to wave goodbye to WiMax any time soon. "We don't see WiMax and LTE as being mutually exclusive," he said.

Packingham would not reveal which vendors were invited to participate in the RFP, noting only that, "Everyone who could respond was invited."

Vendor candidates for this RFP would include Sprint's current CDMA suppliers, Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC), and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT). Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and ZTE Corp. (Shenzhen: 000063; Hong Kong: 0763) are possibilities as well.

If Sprint makes the leap to LTE, the move would follow Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS Inc. (NYSE: PCS) down a well-trod technology path from CDMA to LTE. (See MetroPCS Chooses LTE for 4G Wireless Network and Verizon Goes LTE.)

The revelation of Sprint's interest in LTE follows reports that Sprint may be considering a 3G network upgrade to EV-DO Rev. B.

Packingham would not specify a timeframe for when Sprint might make a leap to LTE. He suggested, however, that such a decision would be informed by customer reaction to the EVO 4G WiMax smartphone, which will be released on June 4, as well as an understanding of what work needs to be done at standards bodies to make a technology shift possible in its frequency bands.

Source: (www.lightreading.com)

iPhone OS 4.0 Beta 4 Includes Tethering Controls

May 20, 2010

Apple today made a fourth beta over iPhone OS 4.0 available to developers. Early reports of new features found in the latest beta of the operating system include tethering controls that would allow the iPhone to act as a modem for laptops. Apple added the feature to iPhone OS 3.0, but it has been unavailable to-date from AT&T in the U.S. The inclusion of the tethering controls in this beta OS does not mean that AT&T plans to offer tethering as a service option at any point in the future, even though the company still insists it will eventually offer it. Other features include new wallpapers, and improved call and maps performance.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)

RIM Updates Twitter for BlackBerry Beta

May 20, 2010

RIM tonight will roll out an update to its Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones app. Though not a final release version yet, the new beta will add requested features including geo-tagged tweet viewing, improved shortcuts and usability enhancements and old school, editable retweets. The updated app will also include a personal information guard that will warn users against sharing certain personal information, such as their BBM PIN and phone number. Existing users will get an update message, and new users can download the updated beta app from the BlackBerry App World.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)

Verizon launching up to five LTE phones by mid-2011

May 20, 2010

Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) may launch up to five LTE phones by next May. Speaking at the Reuters Global Technology Summit, Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam said those supplying the LTE phones may include Motorola (NASDAQ:MOT), HTC, LG and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM). "I'd say all the major manufacturers we're talking to today are making the transition to LTE," McAdam said.

Previously, Verizon had said it was planning to launch its first LTE handset by May. Verizon plans to launch 25-30 commercial LTE markets in the fourth quarter, covering 100 million POPs.

The Verizon chief also shed some more light on the the company's planned Android tablet, which was disclosed last week. He said companies in the running to provide tablets for Verizon include Motorola, LG and Samsung. "There's no reason we couldn't have an iPad," he said.

McAdam said that most of these devices will go on sale in the fourth quarter, and that the devices will initially run on Verizon's CDMA network, but will be able to be upgraded to LTE. Additionally, he said the company will demonstrate its first LTE tablets and phones at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in January.

The race to offer 4G devices is growing. Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) will launch its first 3G/4G smartphone, the HTC Evo 4G, June 4. The phone, which is capable of running on Clearwire's (NASDAQ:CLWR) mobile WiMAX network, will be the first WIMAX smartphone. Clearwire plans to launch two handsets, one from HTC and one from Samsung, by year-end.

McAdam also touched on Verizon's recent announcement that it is in talks with rural wireless carriers to license its 700 MHz LTE spectrum in an attempt to build out the network faster. He said he expects to finalize the deals within the next 30 days, and that the deals could extend coverage to between 6 million and 10 million people by the middle of 2011, depending on how quickly the carriers act.

Source: (www.fiercewireless.com)