Jun 30 2004 - 08:23 PM ET | Motorola
You can buy the Motorola A630 with T-Mobile service for just $99.99 through WireFly. Motorola today introduced the Motorola A630 at an exclusive party in New York City on the rooftop of Hotel Gansevoort (pictures from the party). It's a...
Verizon Wireless teamed up with Autodesk Location Service to provide free SMS based traffic alerts for several days around the 4th of July. Through VText.com, customers are able to set up a driving route and choose times for alerts to...
Jun 30 2004 - 12:23 PM ET | Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile U.K. has announced plans for a $2 billion (exchange rate adjusted) initial public offering (IPO). The company has 4.1 million customers, and added nearly a quarter million in the latest quarter. The shares should go up by the...
Jun 30 2004 - 12:15 PM ET | Sharp, Vodafone
Vodafone K.K. announced that the Sharp V602SH will begin shipping on July 2nd. We first mentioned this phone in May, along with four other phones in Vodafone K.K.'s summer lineup. The Sharp V602SH is the first mobile phone with a...
Not that it was a secret, but Motorola has finally posted some information on the Motorola MPx220. It's the successor to the MPx200, and has been rumored for well over 6 months. A rough draft press release was leaked a...
Jun 29 2004 - 12:09 PM ET | Nokia, Review
Matt Slagle, an AP technology writer, has written a review of the Nokia N-Gage QD. The original N-Gage was met with poor reviews thanks to a awkward design. Having a $299 pricetag didn't help. This time around some things have...
Jun 28 2004 - 08:46 PM ET | Smartphone
Macromedia has announced a new version of Flash Lite, its Flash Player software for mobile phones. NTT DoCoMo was the only carrier that shipped phones using Flash Lite 1.0 (in its 505i series). Version 1.1 adds SVG Tiny (SVG-T) support,...
Jun 28 2004 - 11:31 AM ET | In The News
Hungarian scientists are saying that mobile phones may damage men's sperm. Fertility experts don't buy into the research which says that carrying a mobile in hip pockets or a holster on the waist could cut sperm count by nearly 30...
The Sony Ericsson Z1010, a UTMS (3G) handset, is now shipping from Vodafone. We heard back in November 2003 that it was "close to launch". It is the first 3G phone from Sony Ericsson. Here are the core features: *...
T-Mobile quietly released information about the upcoming MDA III on its website. It's an upgrade to the MDA II, and adds features like WiFi and a slide down thumb board. Here are some of the other features: * Bluetooth *...
Jun 23 2004 - 01:08 PM ET | MVNO, Rumor
A rumor is making its way around that cable giant Time Warner Cable wants into the cellular market. It would enter as an MVNO, and piggy back on an established carrier's network. Offering wireless service would enable Time Warner to...
Jun 22 2004 - 03:44 PM ET | Cingular
Cingular has decided to speed up its 3G rollout. The last information we had pegged 2006 as the likely time period for Cingular to turn on 3G, but the company said today that the rollout will begin in 2005. Also...
Jun 22 2004 - 03:32 PM ET | Danger
The FCC has posted pictures and manuals for a new version of Danger's HipTop (marketed as the T-Mobile Sidekick in the US). The final version shipping from T-Mobile will be called the Sidekick II. A file listing of available attachments...
As expected, Sprint PCS today announced plans for an EV-DO high-speed wireless data network. EV-DO has speeds of 300-500 kilobits per second and peak rates of up to 2.4 Megabits per second for downloads. Verizon Wireless is the other US...
McDonalds has partnered with AT&T Wireless to power a new Olympics based "on-package" game. The only way to play the trivia game is through text messages. It's not clear if only AT&T Wireless customers can play, but that is most...
Jun 21 2004 - 04:23 PM ET | Smartphone
The Register is reporting that the long awaited Sendo X Series 60 smartphone is now shipping. We first mentioned this phone back in October 2003 and noted that it should be out by the end of the year (then 2003)....
Jun 21 2004 - 03:58 PM ET | DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo has today introduced another FOMA 900i series mobile phone. The D900i is loaded with the standard 900i series goodies (Flash browser, video phone, HTML email and more), but also adds a few more features: * 1.92 mega-pixel digital...
Jun 21 2004 - 03:51 PM ET | Nextel
Nextel today launched NextMail, a voice email service that uses the Direct Connect system. Every Direct Connect user can now transmit voice messages (streaming MP3s) to email accounts. bq. NextMail can facilitate group e-mails - up to 50 addresses at...
Jun 18 2004 - 05:58 PM ET | Siemens
The Siemens CFX65 is a camera phone aimed at the young and hip--integrated flash, clamshell form factor, and a modern design. It sports two screens: a 65K color 160 x 128 pixel display on the inside and a black and...
Jun 18 2004 - 05:48 PM ET | Siemens
Siemens yesterday announced the Siemens SL65, a slider that replaces the Siemens SL55 and is pretty well stocked. Here's a quick look at the features: * 10MB internal memory * VGA camera with 5x digital zoom and optional flash *...
Jun 18 2004 - 05:36 PM ET | Data
The Mozilla Foundation has gotten a cash infusion from Nokia to make a Mozilla based browser for mobile phones--Minimo. The challenge is to shrink the size of Mozilla, a popular open source web browser, into somthing that your phone can...
Jun 18 2004 - 05:00 PM ET | Nokia
The Nokia 7700 is DOA--killed before it even shipped widely. The phone was announced back in October 2003, and was the first device announced to be Series 90. The Series 90 line will continue to develop, but with the Nokia...
Jun 17 2004 - 05:59 PM ET | Bargain
Here are a few deals that readers have sent in. If you're looking for a new phone, consider these options. * Nokia 6600 - $49.99 - T-Mobile - Huge rebates from Amazon, the phone lists for $399. For more info...
Jun 17 2004 - 03:47 PM ET | In The News
The New York Times is running [free registration req.] a piece today about 3D gaming on mobile phones. Included in the article are two screenshots of the upcoming Spider Man game for N-Gage. We reported on this title back in...
Jun 17 2004 - 01:06 PM ET | Bluetooth, Palm
The folks at TreoCentral.com are tired of not having Bluetooth on their Treo 600's, so they have decided to chalk up cash to someone who can write a driver. It started as $100 from a forum poster, TreoCentral added $500...
At the CommiunicAsia conference, Panasonic announced its Symbian powered phone ever: the Panasonic X700. The company is calling it the "flagship" phone for 2004: * MiniSD * VGA Camera with video recording * Edit native Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint...
Jun 17 2004 - 12:41 PM ET | Panasonic
During a fleet of announcements at CommunicAsia 2004 in Singapore, Panasonic announced the X500. It's the first Panasonic phone to feature a sliding cover mechanism. Here are some of the features: * Built-in antenna with an overall thin design *...
Jun 17 2004 - 12:37 PM ET | Panasonic
Panasonic, at the CommunicAsia 2004 conference, released the Panasonic X400. It's quite thin (17.5mm) but still packs in a 65,000 color screen and a VGA camera. It's a clamshell phone, but has a neat feature that pops it open with...
Jun 17 2004 - 12:33 PM ET | DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo announced the release of three quite advanced FOMA 900i series mobile phones. F900iT * Bluetooth (and included headset) * Touch-screen * MiniSD N900iS * On-screen dictionaries (Japanese, English-Japanese and Japanese-English) * Pre-recorded voice that can read e-mail aloud...
LG yesterday announced two new flip style mobile phones for use on the Cingular Wireless network. The L1200 and C1300 are available now. The L1200 sports a VGA camera with digital zoom while the C1300 is lean and mean....
Jun 15 2004 - 04:25 PM ET | In The News
Reuters is running a story about Mini HDD, a technology that could bring large amounts of storage to mobile phones. Miniature hard disk drives could power phones with gigabytes of storage--enough space to store 1,000 songs. It's the same tech...
Jun 15 2004 - 01:14 PM ET | Review, Samsung
Om Malik posted a quick review of the Samsung SGH-D415 (or simply the D415)--a large screened slider that should make it to T-Mobile USA next month. Here's a look at the features: * GSM 900 / GSM 1900 (Samsung D410...
Philips Semiconductor today announced, "Separate, integrated single-package WiFi and Bluetooth chips for smart phones and portable devices." The hope is that phone makers will be able to add in both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth much more cheaply. Volume pricing for the...
Verizon Wireless has made its SMS network go global, with service in countries such as Mexico, the UK and Japan. However, only certain carriers are supported for each country, you need to check the list before sending. For messages sent...
Symantec warns of a worm for Series 60 mobile phones that transmits itself through Bluetooth. It's just a proof-of-concept (doesn't do any damage), but it's a scary concept: bq. The worm spreads as a .SIS file, which is automatically installed...
Jun 14 2004 - 02:26 AM ET | Nokia
As expected, Nokia finished off a day of announcements with two entry level phones. Both the 2650 and 2600 have color displays, but not much else (compared to most of the phones covered on MobileTracker). They should be here by...
Jun 14 2004 - 02:23 AM ET | Nokia
After already announcing one other clamshell phone today, Nokia has announced the 6170. It's a regular clamshell, not a "twister" like the 6260. The tri-band Nokia 6170 will be available in two versions: a GSM 900/1800/1900 primarily for the European...
Jun 14 2004 - 02:07 AM ET | Nokia
In an attempt to win back business users, Nokia today announced the Nokia 6260. It offers a folding design, which is rare for Nokia, and business features like push-to-talk. Here's a quick run-down: * Folding "twist" design * Bluetooth, compatible...
Nokia has announced a Bluetooth powered mobile keyboard, making it the easiest way to get a QWERTY on some Nokia phones. The new accessory is compatible with Series 60 phones, such as the Nokia 7610. bq. The Nokia Wireless Keyboard...
Jun 14 2004 - 01:57 AM ET | Nokia
Nokia today announced the Nokia 6630, a GSM / 3G handset. The 6630 is the first 3G handset from Nokia, the largest maker of cell phones world wide. Here are a few more details: * 1.23 megapixel camera (6x digital...
Jun 11 2004 - 04:26 PM ET | In The News
The FCC has approved a plan to reconfigure wireless spectrum for wireless-mobile broadband. It rejected a plan to allow the sale of educational spectrum space to commercial interests. Under the new plan education organizations are allowed to lease spectrum to...
Jun 11 2004 - 01:19 PM ET | Kyocera
Kyocera released a new version of its popular Slider handset that includes push-to-talk. The SE44 PTT is only available from Alltel and will cost you as little as $79.99. You can purchase it starting today....
Jun 10 2004 - 03:59 PM ET | 3G, Data
Gigaom notes that Novatel got FCC approval on their new 3G Wireless PC Card. The Merlin U520 Wireless PC Card Modem was developed jointly with Lucent and should enable download speeds of up to 384 kbps. This card will be...
Jun 10 2004 - 02:36 PM ET | Cingular
Thanks to customer outcry, Cingular Wireless has ended a program [subscription] where customers could access their information more easily. Between June 8th and 10th, you could access any Cingular customer's account info by providing just their phone number and zip...
Verizon Wireless today introduced a pay as you go service that offers flat-rate pricing without the need of a contract. Several other carriers, including AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile USA, offer similar services. The Kyocera KX414 is the first phone to...
Jun 10 2004 - 02:11 PM ET | Nokia
Reuters reports that Nokia is poised to launch up to five new handsets, including two flip-phones (a big deal for typical candy-bar design centered Nokia). The new hardware should be announced next week--at that time MobileTracker will have full coverage....
The Wall Street Journal today reports [subscription] that the relationship between Vodafone and Verizon Wireless is now being tested. Vodafone owns a huge chunk of Verizon Wireless (44.4%), and now the option of forcing Verizon Wireless to pay $10 billion...
Jun 10 2004 - 11:59 AM ET | Motorola
The Motorola MPx220, a phone that everyone knows is coming, but no one wants to announce, looks to be here any day. A website is claiming to have the full-text press release, which usually means it's very close to launch....
Jun 09 2004 - 01:26 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia's purchase of Psion's 31% stake in smartphone OS maker Symbian has been approved by German competition authorities. The move has also been approved by Psion's shareholders and the other compteition authorities that have jurisdiction. According to the AFP, there...
Jun 09 2004 - 01:22 PM ET | Bluetooth
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced a new spec dubbed Enhanced Data Rate that promises to speed up Bluetooth's data transfer up to 3x. Moreover, less power is used which should lead to longer battery life. If everything goes as...
LG inked a deal with Qualcomm that secures a plan to launch EV-DV by 2006. Qualcomm will provide LG with CDMA2000 1xEV-DV chipsets by the end of this year. LG Telecom will launch EV-DV trials as soon as early 2005...
Jun 09 2004 - 01:11 PM ET | AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless expanded its mMode data service to include Spanish language content. ¡Todo Latino! is now available to all mMode subscribers, and is targeted towards Spanish speakers in America. Here's some of the included content: * Terra Deportes - Gives...
Jun 08 2004 - 02:36 PM ET | Motorola
Motorola announced two new handsets: the Motorola V265 and the Motorola V260. Both are BREW enabled CDMA phones. Here are some specifics for each model: Motorola V265 * Integrated VGA camera with digital zoom and self portrait functionality * speakerphone...
Jun 08 2004 - 12:12 PM ET | Sprint Nextel
As expected, Sprint PCS has started to ship a Treo 600 that does not have a camera. Some businesses saw the camera as a security breach. The Treo 600 without a camera is now available for $599.99 through Sprint business...
Jun 08 2004 - 11:28 AM ET | Smartphone
Orange announced its latest smartphone, the Orange SPV C500. It is said to be the smallest smartphone in the world. Here's a look at the features: * Weight of 100 grams * Size of 108mm x 46mm x 16mm *...
Jun 08 2004 - 11:21 AM ET | Nokia
Nokia saw its market share take a dip to 28.9% from 34.6% last year. Gartner analyst Ben Wood stated, "Nokia has two fundamental problems. One is its relationship with operators to provide them with personalized phones, and the other is...
Jun 08 2004 - 11:14 AM ET | Motorola, Nextel
Purchase this phone from Wirefly and get back $50 (that's right, after rebate you make money!). Click here for the Silver version. Nextel today announced the smallest DirectConnect handset in the US--the Motorola i830. Here's a quick look at some...
Jun 08 2004 - 01:10 AM ET | In The News
A lawsuit for handset locking was filed against three major US wireless carriers. AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile USA and Cingular Wireless are being sued by The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. The full complaint can be read here [PDF]. Here...
Jun 08 2004 - 12:56 AM ET | Nextel
In an attempt to smooth over relations, Nextel has announced a new plan for a spectrum switch. The switch is an attempt to solve an interferance problem between Nextel's network and emergency radio communications. bq. The latest plan withdraws an...
At Walter Mossberg's conference D: All Things Digital, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg took a question from an attendee concerning when Verizon Wireless would launch a Bluetooth equipped phone. The answer left no more questions: "You better switch [to another carrier...
Jun 07 2004 - 11:31 AM ET | Motorola
Rumors are still flying over the Motorola MPx220, the successor to the hit MPx200. While it is not officially announced, at least one site has detailed specs and photos. * Megapixel camera with flash * MiniSD card slot * Internal...
Verizon Wireless today announced that the company now has over 40 million customers. The last numbers we posted were 39 million. As of now, if Cingular takes all of AT&T Wireless' customers, Cingular will still be larger than Verizon....
According to a new study released by Strategic Analytics, American consumers would rather have wireless headsets (which are usually powered by Bluetooth) than mobile video or music. Another commonly requested feature is push-to-talk. bq. According to a survey of 1000...
Jun 04 2004 - 11:27 AM ET | In The News
North Korea has started recalling cellphones from citizens in an attempt to curb "foreign culture". Mobile phones were introduced in the country about a year and a half ago. There is not much more known on the story....
Verizon Wireless announced yesterday that its subscribers can now receive news updates directly from CNN. CNN Mondey is also providing alerts for financial related news. Here is the exact breakdown: * Breaking News * Priority Alerts (The highest level of...
Jun 03 2004 - 07:38 PM ET | SMS
A young man in New Zealand decided to protest his mobile phone carrier's decision to end an unlimited SMS plan by sending over 80,000 text messages from his phone. Sending the messages (all by hand) took 16-hours a day and...
Jun 03 2004 - 07:27 PM ET | AT&T Wireless
Reuters is reporting that AT&T Wireless is planning on launching high-speed data services this Summer. AT&T Wireless is in an agreement with NTT DoCoMo that forces the company to launch 3G services in at least four US markets. bq. AT&T...
Jun 01 2004 - 02:50 AM ET | DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo announced results from a recent test of 4G. It looks even better than first thought (promised to be links of up to 100 megabits per second): bq. The company said that the test achieved a maximum downstream data...
Jun 01 2004 - 02:38 AM ET | Ringtones
In Britain, cellphone ringtones outsell music singles. Singles have had charts for a long time, so it was only natural that ringtones would have them soon. bq. This week the world's first official top 20 chart for ringtones appears in...
Jun 01 2004 - 02:33 AM ET | Motorola
Motorola has the #1 marketshare spot in China according to the Wall Street Journal [subscription] (it's likely that the official announcement from Motorola will come out later today). The company expects to stay number one throughout the year. Motorola's Chinese...
Jun 01 2004 - 02:24 AM ET | DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo has announced three new FOMA 900i series mobile phones. The company also noted that it has surpassed 4 million FOMA subscribers. The new phones are: F900iT The F900iT comes with a wireless Bluetooth headset for hands-free conversations. When...
Jun 01 2004 - 02:14 AM ET | Nokia
Nokia has announced an innovative new handset dubbed the Nokia 3220. The most obvious feature of the new phone is transparent Nokia Xpress-On grips, which pulsate with light effects to indicate calls, messages, and in sync with the beat of...
Jun 01 2004 - 02:09 AM ET | Nokia
According to a release by Nokia, the Nokia 7610 is now shipping in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific. The phone is the first to ship with the Lifeblog application. Here are some of the other features: * Bluetooth * Megapixel camera...
