Recent Cellular News

Sprint to Launch First 4G Phone in Summer
March 2, 2010
Sprint said it will sell a smartphone that runs on its super-fast fourth-generation network as soon as this summer, as part of a plan to win back customers by separating itself from rival carriers.

The Overland Park, Kan.-based company said the new phone will be able to send data up to 10 times faster than current networks by using 4G technology known as WiMax. It already sells WiMax products such as a portable hotspot router that creates a mobile Wi-Fi cloud and high-speed USB modems.

Coverage is still spotty in urban areas where 4G is available, so the new handset will be compatible with both WiMax and cellular technology.

Clearwire, in which Sprint owns majority interest, has slowly rolled out the network in a few dozen cities -- such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle. It said it plans to expand service to more locations -- including Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. -- later this year.

Paget Alves, Sprint's head of business markets, said he sees WiMax as a multi-billion dollar opportunity. Several companies and government agencies are using it to deliver wireless service for their products -- to track gadgets, transmit medical images and even download ebooks.

Sprint is betting that the new smartphones will give it a head start over rival Verizon, which just started testing its own 4G network using a competing standard called Long-Term Evolution. AT&T and T-Mobile are still planning their LTE networks.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)
Palm Blames Verizon for Poor Sales, Plans for AT&T
March 2, 2010
Palm warned its Pre and Pixi smartphones weren't selling as well as hoped, partly placing the blame on Verizon, after the company bet its survival on the devices a year ago.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company took a beating as its stock price plummeted 34.5 percent after it projected a third-quarter revenue of $300 million to $320 million, "well below" the $420 million estimate analysts had expected.

Sales of Palm's Pre and Pixi smartphones, which hit store shelves two years after the launch of the iPhone, stalled amid strong competition from Apple, Research in Motion and newcomer Google.

In addition, an exclusive deal with Sprint -- a smaller U.S. carrier that was dealing with high subscriber defections -- had limited the company's sales reach.

By the time the struggling handset maker began selling the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus with Verizon, competition within the smartphone sector had intensified.

In an email to employees last week, Palm's chief executive Jon Rubinstein implied that some of the blame lay with Verizon, but that the carrier planned to add more advertisements and nearly 200 staffers to train Verizon sales representatives.

"Verizon acknowledged that their execution of our launch was below expectations and recommitted to working with us to improve sales," said Rubinstein.

Still, Palm is making contingency plans, people familiar case say, by prepping the Pre and Pixi for an AT&T launch in the next few months.

However, some analysts now see the company -- with its large portfolio of patents -- as a potential takeover target.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)
Apple Sues Google-Phone Maker HTC for Stealing iPhone Technology
March 2, 2010
Apple today filed a lawsuit against mobile devices maker HTC. The suit claims infringement of 20 patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture, and hardware.

In the release, Steve Jobs says, "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it...We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."

Taiwan-based HTC was the first company to manufacture a cell phone based on Google's Android operating system, which has emerged as a significant competitor to the iPhone, AP reports. It's also making the Nexus One phone that Google is selling directly to consumers.

It looks like the Nexus One, and other HTC phones, may have hit too close to home for Steve Jobs.

Earlier, we supposed that Apple's multi-touch user interface could be the basis for the lawsuit. But after examining the complaint, it appears that Apple is NOT suing over multitouch, but rather a bunch of other software. (When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, he touted its multitouch screen, then said, "And boy, have we patented it.")

Meanwhile, Apple is already tied up in a patent lawsuit with Nokia, claiming Nokia is stealing Apple technology. Nokia says Apple is stealing its technology. Kodak is also suing Apple claiming technology theft.

Basically, Apple's patent lawyers are going to be busy for the next year or so.

Source: (www.finance.yahoo.com)
Verizon slapped with lawsuit over $1.99 data charges
March 2, 2010
It was bound to happen some time with plenty of customers boiling over due to data charges on their monthly bills, but Verizon Wireless is being hit with a class-action lawsuit over its $1.99 data fees. Some feature phone customers allege that they've been improperly charged and have taken the matter to a higher authority – it comes three months after the FCC asked Big Red to respond to accusations surrounding the $1.99 charges that customers saw as they inadvertently accessed mobile web services on their non-smartphone device. The lawsuit was filed by Goldman Scarlato & Karon P.C. in a New Jersey federal court and aims to reimburse people and businesses for the erroneous $1.99 charges. Back in November, there was a New York Times articles that pointed out how Verizon's handsets were designed to purposely get customers to accidentally access the web on their mobile phones. Verizon fired back by stating the the home Web key on its handsets is prominently placed because it seems like it is a frequently used item among its subscribers. There are always two sides to every story – we'll see how it all ends up in the judicial system.

Source: (www.phonearena.com)
Cricket Launches Joint Venture with Pocket Communications for South Texas Network Expansion
February 24, 2010
Leap Wireless has announced that it has formed a joint venture with Texas-based Pocket Communications in order to expand coverage in southern Texas. Currently, both companies provide pre-paid wireless services in the area.

The yet unnamed venture will take control of both Leap’s and Pocket’s assets and operations in South Texas region from San Antonio to Laredo and in the Rio Grande Valley. The venture will cover more than 4.4 million points of presence and Leap will control 76% of the joint venture with Pocket Communications controlling 24%. Both operators believe the joint venture will lead to operational cost savings 12 months after the joint venture launches.

Source: (www.phonenews.com)
Sprint commits to a greener future in the wireless industry
February 23, 2010
As technology continues to advance, there is one wireless provider that makes it their priority in becoming more green friendly. With that in mind, Sprint's CEO Dan Hesse testified to members of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet about some of their commitments surrounding sustainability initiatives they plan on taking up – with the obvious focus on the wireless technology industry benefiting the environment. There are many key initiatives that they are aggressively being developing right now for their sustainability goals.

First and foremost, Sprint is setting a green product guideline for all of its manufacturing partners which is basically a list of green design criteria that manufacturers must meet or exceed. Dan Hesse said, "We are in the midst of a new 'green' era. U.S. consumers and the members of this legislative body are sending a 'call to action' to corporations to act in the best interests of our people and our planet. Sprint is proud to embrace this opportunity as we make environmental responsibility a cornerstone of our company.” The wireless provider definitely has shown in the past how they are actively doing what they can to be more green friendly – for example, their corporate headquarters gets 80 percent of their power from Kansas wind farms. We've already begun to see handsets that are built with the planet in mind – such as the Samsung Reclaim.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)
AT&T to Launch LG Arena, Mobile TV Phone for $200
February 23, 2010
AT&T will sell the LG Arena, a touch screen handset that streams full-length television shows and movies, starting this Friday for $200 with a two-year contract.

The Atlanta, Ga.-based carrier said the Arena can show real-time television programs from popular networks -- including Comedy Central, ESPN, MTV and NBC News -- beginning at $10 a month for 14 channels.

Launched in Europe last year, the North American version of the handset is watered-down, but still retains a 3.0-inch touch screen, 5.0-megapixel camera, music player with Dolby Mobile technology and access to Facebook and Twitter.

The broadcast -- called AT&T Mobile TV -- was introduced in 2008 to compete with rival Verizon's VCAST Mobile TV service, both of which are operated by Qualcomm.

The company also has another mobile video service -- called CV -- but unlike Mobile TV, subscribers can only watch short clips on demand rather than live programming.

AT&T said it will begin selling the Arena for $200 with a two-year service contract on February 26.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)
Sprint to Launch First 4G Phone in Summer
February 23, 2010
Sprint said it will sell a smartphone that runs on its super-fast fourth-generation network as soon as this summer, as part of a plan to win back customers by separating itself from rival carriers.

The Overland Park, Kan.-based company said the new phone will be able to send data up to 10 times faster than current networks by using 4G technology known as WiMax. It already sells WiMax products such as a portable hotspot router that creates a mobile Wi-Fi cloud and high-speed USB modems.

Coverage is still spotty in urban areas where 4G is available, so the new handset will be compatible with both WiMax and cellular technology.

Clearwire, in which Sprint owns majority interest, has slowly rolled out the network in a few dozen cities -- such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle. It said it plans to expand service to more locations -- including Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. -- later this year.

Paget Alves, Sprint's head of business markets, said he sees WiMax as a multi-billion dollar opportunity. Several companies and government agencies are using it to deliver wireless service for their products -- to track gadgets, transmit medical images and even download ebooks.

Sprint is betting that the new smartphones will give it a head start over rival Verizon, which just started testing its own 4G network using a competing standard called Long-Term Evolution. AT&T and T-Mobile are still planning their LTE networks.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)
Feds allow prison phone jamming test
February 17, 2010
Equipment that jams cell phones will get its first federally sanctioned test inside a prison in Maryland this week, as state officials try to show Congress how the technology can prevent inmates from using the contraband devices to commit crimes, a governor's spokesman said Tuesday.

The state wants to show the equipment can be used without interfering with emergency response and legitimate signals outside the prison perimeter, said Shaun Adamec, Gov. Martin O'Malley's spokesman.

The Federal Communication Commission can only allow federal agencies — not state or local authorities — permission to jam cell phone signals. But a bill that passed the Senate and awaits action by the House would allow states to petition the FCC to block the use of cell phones from prisons.

Testing is set to begin Wednesday at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Adamec said. The governor has strongly backed allowing states to use the jamming technology to battle the growing problem of cell phone use in prisons.

A bipartisan measure sponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., was approved by the Senate in September. A companion bill is in the House.

"I think all of this can help Senator Mikulski in her efforts to pass a bill, and hopefully if the FCC sees it coming they might just do it by regulation," O'Malley said.

The tests are being conducted to provide more information about the technology as the legislation is being considered.

Prisons around the nation have been trying to stem rising problems from prison inmates using cell phones to coordinate criminal activity from behind bars. Officials in New Jersey even intercepted a conference call among gang members from different prisons who were plotting retaliation against another gang member.

In Maryland, a Baltimore drug dealer used a cell phone from the city jail to plan the killing of a witness in 2007. In Texas, a state senator's life was threatened by a death row inmate who had a cell phone.

O'Malley and Mikulski asked the federal government last year to allow the testing to better inform Congress about the technology. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration agreed to hold the test this week. NTIA shares responsibility for managing the nation's communications network with the Federal Communications Commission, which has denied previous requests from states to test the technology.

In July, corrections directors in 26 states signed a petition to the FCC asking federal regulators' permission to jam cell phone signals inside state penitentiaries.

The FCC has authority over non-governmental radio communications, while the NTIA has authority over federal uses of the radio spectrum.

States have resorted to other ways of tracking illegal cell phones in prison, including the use of specially trained dogs to sniff out phones.

O'Malley expressed frustration that it has taken so long to get permission from the NTIA to conducted the test.

"We didn't need to get their permission to train all the dogs that we trained to sniff out cell phones, but they make us jump through a lot of hoops — no canine pun intended," O'Malley said.

Critics of cell phone jamming have expressed concerns that the technology could interfere with emergency response and legitimate cell phone use near prisons.

Source: (www.news.yahoo.com)
Microsoft Officially Shows Off Windows Phone 7 Series
February 15, 2010
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series, the company's newest mobile operating system, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new Windows Phone 7 Series is a complete departure from the original operating system, a paradigm that had gone mostly unchanged for years. The user interface gets a complete overhaul, now relying on actively updating "live tiles" and "hubs" that gather features and content into onscreen panels, instead of the usual icon-based grid of applications. The new experience is reminiscent of the interface on Microsoft's Zune HD media player, and in fact Windows Phone 7 Series users will also get access to their Zune music and multimedia selections on their phone. In addition to Zune support, new Windows Phone 7 Series devices will also play games from Microsoft's Xbox Live service, and popular Xbox Live features like player avatars and achievement points will also be part of the Windows Phone 7 experience. For business users, Windows Phone 7 Series devices will come with Microsoft's Office Mobile suite of applicatons, as well as OneNote and Sharepoint for business collaboration. Microsoft will also be including social networking integration on the new phones, so contact information, photos and events from your social networks, in addition to status updates, will be integrated with the contacts interface. Microsoft will offer a dedicated Marketplace onboard to download new third-party software. Microsoft is working on new devices with a wide range of partner companies, including HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Dell, HP, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile USA. The first Windows Phone 7 Series devices will hit the market in the holiday season of 2010. Additional details about the platform will be shared at the company's Mix event next month.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)
Motorola Revises Droid Update Timeline
February 12, 2010
Earlier this week, Motorola's official Facebook page posted information on a planned update for the Droid. That posting indicated that the Droid woud be updated over the air with Android version 2.1 "this week." Motorola has now stepped back from that statement, indicating that it was premature. Motorola said to PhoneScoop in an email, "The Droid over-the-air software upgrade is expected to rollout soon. It will automatically be pushed to phones when ready and Verizon Wireless customers will only have to accept the free download for continued use and enjoyment of this feature packed device."

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)
Motorola Confirms Plans To Break In Two
February 12, 2010
Today Motorola officially said that it plans to split the organization into two separate businesses by the end of the first quarter of 2011. One business will include Motorola’s mobile devices and home (cable boxes) businesses, and the other will include its enterprise mobility solutions and networks businesses. In a prepared statement, Motorola explained, "Motorola intends to effect the separation through a tax-free stock dividend of shares in the new company to Motorola shareholders. Following the separation both businesses will be well capitalized so the companies can execute their respective business plans and be able to address future opportunities. The proposed tax-free spin-off is expected to be accomplished through a pro rata distribution to Motorola shareholders." Both companies will retain the Motorola brand. The separation will be subject to regulatory terms and conditions.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)
Microsoft to Announce Windows Mobile 7 On Feb. 15
February 12, 2010
According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft will announce the next version of its Windows Phone platform at Mobile World Congress next week in Barcelona. The Journal's sources say, "The operating system sports a revamped user interface that resembles the look of Microsoft's Zune HD music player and is designed for devices with touch-sensing screens." No more details about the OS were shared. Microsoft only recently admitted to the existence of WinMo 6.5.3, a stop-gap between WinMo 7 and WinMo 6.5, which was introduced in October 2009. WinMo 6.5.3 hasn't officially reached the market yet.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)
Opera to Preview Opera Mini Browser for iPhone
February 10, 2010
Today Opera Software announced that it will be offering a preview of its Opera Mini browser on the iPhone. The iPhone version of Opera Mini will include some of the browser's well-known features, such as tabbed browsing, Speed Dial, and the password manager. Opera said that the software is not available to the public, and can't say if or when it will ever be released. Opera will need Apple's approval before the application can be distributed via the iPhone Apps Store. To-date, Apple has forbid applications that duplicate functions of Apple's own pre-loaded iPhone software from the Apps Store. Opera Mini would duplicate the functionality of the iPhone's Safari browser. Opera also said that it will debut a beta versions of Opera Mobile 10 on the Android platform, S60, and Windows Mobile.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)
BlackBerry has spyware risk too, researcher says
February 9, 2010
We've heard a lot about security issues with the iPhone, but the BlackBerry isn't immune to threats from malicious apps.

Tyler Shields, a senior researcher at the Veracode Research Lab, has written a piece of spyware that allowed me to shoot an SMS command to his phone and have his contact list forwarded to my e-mail address in a demonstration. With another short text command, I was able to get his BlackBerry to e-mail me any SMS messages he sends.

And if I had wanted--and he had allowed me--I could have seen a log of all his calls, monitored his inbound text messages, tracked his location in real-time based on the GPS (Global Positioning System) in his device and turned his microphone on to listen to conversations in the room and record them.

"It's trivial to write this type of code using the mobile provider's own API [application programming interface] they provide to any developer," Shields said in an interview in advance of his talk on the spyware scheduled for the ShmooCon security show on Sunday.

He calls his program "TXSBBSpy" and is releasing the source code but not an executable version of it. "My goal is to show how easy it is to create mobile spyware," he said.

TXSBBSpy "can take data from the phone, both in real-time and in snapshots, and send it off via SMS or e-mail to any Web server or TCP [Transmission Control Protocol] or UDP [User Diagram Protocol] network connections," Shields said.

While I was able to control the spyware using text messages sent from my mobile phone, the spyware had to be first installed on his BlackBerry for the snooping to work. This can be done by sending the target victim an e-mail or text with a link to a Web page where the spyware is surreptitiously installed. Or it can be hidden inside a legitimate-looking app downloaded from the App Store.

The risks are similar to those posed by Swiss researcher Nicolas Seriot in his iPhone spyware demo at the Black Hat DC security conference on Wednesday.

"These types of behaviors we're demonstrating will be universal across all mobile platforms," Shields said.

The BlackBerry platform has a "significant number" of security mechanisms in place that could be used to mitigate against these types of attacks, he said. For instance, the user can set the options to limit what access to specific types of data a particular app can have, he said.

However, many smartphone users either don't know about the security risks, don't think the risks are serious or don't know how to be more secure with their devices. A Trend Micro survey from last August found that only 23 percent of smartphone owners use the security software already installed on their device.

App stores also need to do more to vet the apps, Shields said--the same message Seriot had for Apple.

In the meantime BlackBerry users should be more cautious about what apps they download and what rights they give them. "Users should not hit the 'I trust this app' button," Shields said. "That will give it access to all your personal information."

Users should go into the app security configuration within the BlackBerry option screen and tell it specifically what information the app can access or set it to prompt if the app tries to access certain data, he said.

"The security models are inadequate because they trust by default," he added. "Sandboxing [techniques] only protect one app from another app; not from accessing user data. App stores give users a false sense of security."

Shields said he has contacted Research in Motion about the issues and the company's official comment was: "We won't make any comment on how the security of the App Center operates."

Shields has also created a video demonstration of his spyware.

A Research In Motion representative provided this comment: "Applications containing spyware cannot be installed on a BlackBerry smartphone without the user's explicit consent unless of course someone else gains physical possession of the user's device along with knowledge of any enabled password...the spyware app cannot simply install itself stealthily on to a user's device. Further, a user can review and confirm the list of installed apps on their device by looking in the 'Options' area at any time."

Source: (www.cnet.com)
Apple Profits Up 50 Percent on iPhone Sales
February 9, 2010
Apple said a surge in iPhone sales worldwide resulted in record-high fourth-quarter profits, a day before the company is expected to unveil its new tablet computer. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company said it sold 8.7 million iPhones last quarter -- more than double from a year ago -- but below some analysts' expectations of 9 million shipments.

Overall, it posted a quarterly profit of $3.4 billion, up from $2.3 billion a year earlier, while revenue climbed to $15.7 billion from $11.9 billion. "We're thrilled to report our best quarter ever," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's chief financial officer.

Apple is widely expected to unveil the iPad, its new tablet computer featuring a 10- to 11-inch touch screen and a virtual keyboard, at an event tomorrow. Sources say the device will let users browse the Web, listen to music, watch movies and television shows and also read e-books and newspapers and may start selling in March for as much as $1,000.

Source: (www.mobiledia.com)
AT&T to keep iPhone through 2011?
February 6, 2010
Amid talk that AT&T is about to lose its iPhone exclusivity in the U.S., Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin writes that the carrier will be keeping its hold on Apple's touchscreen handset for the next 12 to 18 months. Chaplin says that AT&T will use the remaining time it has as the sole U.S. provider to clear up the problems with its network so that its customers will have a good iPhone experience for the last few months of exclusivity. If current AT&T iPhone customers have a great network experience, they are less likely to follow the unit to a new network like Verizon, when the handset is allowed to become a free agent in the U.S. Chaplin's report says that there is a 75% probability that the iPhone stays exclusive on AT&T through 2011. Once the exclusivity period is over, the analyst sees a CDMA version of the device becoming available for both Verizon and Sprint.

Source: (www.phonearena.com)
AT&T Pushes Family Locator Details To iPhone
February 5, 2010
Today AT&T announced an updated version of its FamilyMap iPhone application that comes with a number of new features. The biggest change is that it allows users to locate family members and see their whereabouts directly on their mobile phone. Previously this feature was limited to a computer. Users can now also customize more locations and points of interest, as well as their own devices with labels. Other new features that the application provides include the ability to check family members' schedules, set up landmarks, pan through the map to locate people, locate family members on-demand, and send messages to family members from within the FamilyMap application. The service costs $10 per month for two lines, or $15 per month for up to five lines.

Source: (www.phonescoop.com)
Apple releases iPhone/iPod touch Software Update (version 3.1.3)
February 5, 2010
Apple has released a software update for iPhone/iPod touch bringing the current version to 3.1.3. This update fixes several bugs and addresses stability, improving the accuracy of the reported battery level on the iPhone 3GS, resolving an issue where third party applications would not launch in some instances, and fixing a particular bug where some apps crash while using the Japanese Kana keyboard. Plug in to iTunes to download the update.

Source: (www.cnet.com)
Verizon to Launch Motorola Devour, Android-Based Phone
February 5, 2010
Verizon said it plans to launch the Motorola Devour, a Google smartphone that syncs contacts and emails with content from Facebook and Twitter, in March of this year.

The Schaumburg, Ill.-based company said the Devour is the first Verizon handset to include "MotoBlur" -- a feature that syncs in-phone data with posts, messages and photos from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter -- all viewable from the home screen.

Running Android, the smartphone includes Google services such as Search and Gmail, Calendar, Maps with Street View for turn-by-turn directions and Android Market to download additional apps.

It also has a large 3.1-inch capacitive touch screen with navigation pad, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and high-speed Internet and Wi-Fi.

Facing tough competition from Apple and Research in Motion in recent years, Motorola is now beginning to show some signs of life after reorganizing its handset unit -- which it intends to spin off in the future -- around Google's new Android operating system.

Motorola co-chief executive Sanjay Jha has been aggressively expanding its portfolio of smartphones, announcing efforts to release over 20 models this year, including an Android device sold directly to buyers on its Web site -- a distribution method Google said it would use for its Nexus One device.

Motorola did not announce a price but said the Devour will hit Verizon stores in March.

Souce: (www.mobiledia.com)