Early this morning, we reported that SBC agreed to purchase AT&T for $16 billion, and in the report we briefly mentioned AT&T's plans to use its AT&T Wireless brand name under a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). It appears that...
Jan 31 2005 - 01:20 PM ET | MVNO
Boost Mobile has expanded its push-to-talk service to support carriers in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Peru. The Canadian service is through TELUS while the South American service is through NII holdings. bq. An international surcharge of $.20 a minute...
Hong Kong will beat Cingular to the BlackBerry 7100g. The phone is very similar to the BlackBerry 7100t (T-Mobile) and 7100v (Vodafone). It's Research In Motion's first attempt at a candy bar style phone. Features include: * Innovative 20-character keyboard...
Jan 31 2005 - 12:58 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia today launched Series 60 support for Python, a popular open source programming language. The software is available for free. bq. Python for Series 60 is based on Python 2.2.2; However, in addition to supporting many of the Python Standard...
Jan 31 2005 - 03:37 AM ET | Vodafone
Vodafone K.K. announced that it plans to launch two new sophisticated 2G mobile phones in the middle of February. The Toshiba V603SH is Japan's first "motion sensitive" handset: bq. The one-chip sensor allows customers to perform menu operations by moving...
Jan 31 2005 - 03:16 AM ET | Cingular
SBC Communications, 60% owner of Cingular Wireless, has agreed (WSJ Online subscription req.) to purchase AT&T for roughly $16 billion. SBC is no stranger to large mergers, it approved the $41 billion buyout of AT&T Wireless last year. AT&T had...
According to a PowerPoint document on Motorola's website [link; 4.2MB] a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) ready version of the Motorola V551 is slated for launch next quarter. The Motorola V551p supports the following PoC features: * Dedicated PTT button (Left...
Jan 31 2005 - 02:44 AM ET | Nokia
The Nokia 2115i has been approved by the FCC, according to documents posted on the agency's website (FCC ID QMNRH-66). While not much info on the Nokia 2115i was posted (a request for confidentiality was made by Nokia), an interesting...
The FCC today posted approval documents for the Sanyo SCP-5600 (FCC ID AEZSCP-56H). Sanyo requested short-term confidentiality because, "This design is a basis from which future technological products will evolve." Here's what's known about the Sanyo 5600: * CDMA *...
Jan 28 2005 - 01:28 PM ET | SMS
Yahoo! Local recently added a feature to its results page that allows computer users to send the search results to a mobile phone via SMS. No fee is imposed by Yahoo!, but standard text messaging fees will apply from mobile...
Jan 28 2005 - 01:18 PM ET | In The News
Research firm IDC reported yesterday that fourth quarter mobile phone sales were up 24% over the same quarter last year. A total of 194.3 million units were sold in the quarter and 664.5 million were sold in all of 2004....
Verizon Wireless today announced its fourth-quarter 2004 earnings. The company did a good job keeping pace with Cingular Wireless, equaling the number of new customers. Highlights of the earnings statement include: * Net gain of 1.7 million subscribers,up 13.5% *...
Jan 27 2005 - 08:42 PM ET | In The News
FCC Auction 58 saw furious rounds of bidding today by wireless companies seeking new spectrum. Over $1.3 billion was promised for the 242 wireless spectrum licenses. Big spenders include (in order): Metro PCS, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless....
Jan 27 2005 - 08:33 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia today released its fourth-quarter 2004 earnings statement. Highlights include: * Net sales increased 3% to EUR 9 063 million * Operating profit decreased 19% to EUR 1 357 million * Nokia mobile device volumes reached a record 66.1 million...
Jan 27 2005 - 12:10 PM ET | Motorola
Motorola CEO Ed Zande today showed off a new black RAZR V3 phone that will be given away in the Oscar goodie bags. MobileTracker noted earlier this month that Motorola was expected to add new colors and shapes to the...
Buy this phone from Wirefly for free after rebate. Cingular today added the LG F9100 to the lineup. The LG F9100 has a unique slide out QWERTY keyboard that makes it somewhat of a competitor to the Motorola A630. While...
Jan 27 2005 - 02:30 AM ET | T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA today announced its Q4 2004 earnings. Highlights include: * 1,019,000 net new subscribers in Q4 * Nearly 4.2 million net new subscribers in 2004, compared to 3.2 million in 2003 * 17.3 million total customers (pre-pay included) After...
Jan 26 2005 - 02:54 PM ET | MVNO
SK Telecom and Earthlink today announced plans to form a new US based mobile virtual network operator, MVNO, for high-end mobile phones: bq. In South Korea, kids on the street are using their mobile phones to listen to music, watch...
As expected, Verizon Wireless has announced that it is now shipping the UTStarcom 8940 (formally Audiovox 8940). The 8940 is an EV-DO ready handset that will work on the upcoming VCAST service. Verizon VCAST goes live on February 1st 2005....
Jan 26 2005 - 10:56 AM ET | Palm
Despite all signs pointing to the Treo 650 launching on Cingular Wireless today, it now appears that the launch has been delayed a week. Treo Central says, "The new launch date is rumored to be Wednesday February 2nd." The GSM...
The Canadian government has stepped up to bat for Research In Motion concerning the patent lawsuit it faces with NTP: bq. Canada claims a recent U.S. federal court ruling against Research In Motion Ltd., the Ontario-based makers of the BlackBerry,...
Jan 25 2005 - 01:59 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia today launched a 3D version of the verable Snakes for the N-Gage. This is not the average N-Gage title--it's free (a registration is required). N-Gage owners can download the game from snakesoutbreak.com starting today. A review of the title...
Jan 25 2005 - 01:32 PM ET | Siemens
German newspaper Handelsblatt reported today that Siemens' mobile unit will post a large Q4 2004 loss. Though not a surprise (rumors have been going around a sale of the unit because its cash problems), this is the first time we've...
Jan 25 2005 - 01:12 PM ET | Cingular
MobiTV today announced that its live streaming TV service has been launched for Cingular users. It launched the service for AT&T Wireless users back in October of last year. The big news of this release is that MobiTV is supported...
Jan 24 2005 - 09:17 PM ET | Palm
PalmOne CEO Todd Bradle announced he would be leaving at the end of the quarter, February 25th 2005. Bradle has been on the job since October 2003. Investors did not take the news kindly: shares of the company ( traded...
Jan 24 2005 - 03:59 PM ET | In The News
In what may be a sign of times to come, Twentieth Century Fox has signed a deal with Sorrent to make mobile phone games to hype movie launches. Sorrent will be the exclusive publisher of mobile games and content for...
Jan 24 2005 - 03:41 PM ET | Motorola
Boost Mobile will begin to sell a new limited edition version of the popular Motorola i860. The i860 is the first iDEN phone with a camera and it also features 2 color displays. The new limited edition i860 Woody Box,...
Jan 24 2005 - 03:35 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia and Texas Instruments today announced a single chip that enables most GSM phone functions. Having a single chip handle the work makes for longer battery life and smaller cheaper phones. Nokia plans to use the new chip in entry-level...
Jan 24 2005 - 03:06 PM ET | Cingular
Cingular Wireless ended 2004 with a bang--the fourth quarter saw 1.8 million net customer additions. Some notable points of today's Q4 2004 release: * More than 49.1 million subscribers (Cingular remains the largest wireless carrier in the US) * Q4...
Jan 24 2005 - 02:58 PM ET | Security
Symbian security firm SimWorks has sounded the warning for a new mobile phone virus, Gavno.a. Gavno.a is the first mobile virus to cause serious damage--Gavno leaves Symbian 7 handsets unable to make calls. bq. The threat, Gavno.a is spread via...
Jan 20 2005 - 10:01 PM ET | Motorola
BusinessWeek dropped a bombshell: Motorola plans to extend the RAZR V3 mobile phone into a line of high-end devices. Besides other colors, there will be a candy bar form factor of the RAZR called the Sliver. Comparisons to the Apple...
A report came out yesterday citing anonymous sources that LG was talking with Siemens about buying Siemens' mobile phone division. Today, LG is denying any such talks with Siemens: bq. "We have never been in such talks with Siemens," a...
Jan 20 2005 - 11:25 AM ET | Samsung
Verizon Wireless will begin shipping the Samsung SCH-a890 on February 1st as part of the VCAST launch. MobileTracker reported that Verizon Wireless was receiving shipments of the a890 back in late December. Features of the Samsung a890 include: * EV-DO...
Jan 19 2005 - 05:22 PM ET | Sprint Nextel
ABC News teamed up with Sprint to get first person coverage of tomorrow's Inaugural Parade. Nearly two dozen parade participants will be equipped with Sprint PCS video phones and will file from aboard parade floats, in marching units and along...
Jan 19 2005 - 03:04 PM ET | Motorola
Despite a solid Q4 2004 earnings announcement yesterday, shares of Motorola [MOT] fell over 7% in trading Wednesday. Even though Motorola was the second largest cell phone manufacturer last quarter (beating out Samsung for the title), the company warned investors...
The hot rumor is that LG is in talks with Siemens over purchasing Siemens' money losing mobile unit. MobileTracker reported earlier this week that Siemens was looking to either sell or kill its handset division. If LG purchased Siemens mobile,...
Jan 19 2005 - 01:41 PM ET | Motorola
Motorola today announced another GSM push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) handset, the C381p. The Motorola C381p is an entry level handset: * 128 x 128 pixel 65K color CSTN display * Dual band GSM * Weight under 80g * Dedicated PTT...
Motorola today announced the C698p, a candy bar style push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) capable handset. Features of the Motorola C698p include: * VGA camera * Dedicated push-to-talk (PTT) button * High-end speakers for better speakerphone (PoC) * 176 x 220...
Jan 18 2005 - 06:59 PM ET | Unique
Toshiba today announced software called Ubiquitous Viewer that will allow users to connect to Windows based computers through mobile phones. bq. The software, called Ubiquitous Viewer, is installed on the mobile phone and on a client computer running Windows and...
Jan 18 2005 - 06:03 PM ET | Virgin Mobile
We've been floating the Virgin Mobile USA IPO rumor for a while [1, 2], but there's news today that the company is looking to go public this summer. bq. Virgin Mobile USA is hoping to make its market debut around...
Jan 18 2005 - 05:52 PM ET | Motorola
Motorola had a record fourth quarter in 2004. The company earned $687 million in Q4, a 56% increase from the same quarter last year. Wireless handset shipments of 31.8 million, up 42% versus Q4 2003 shipments, representing an estimated market...
Jan 18 2005 - 11:49 AM ET | In The News
Industry research group Deloitte & Touche is predicting the global number of mobile phone users will top 2 billion in 2005. It's currently above 1.5 billion. Most of the new subscribers will come out of developing markets in Asia and...
Jan 18 2005 - 11:32 AM ET | Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericcson reported its Q4 2004 earings today: * $71.8 million in Q4 profit (28% increase over same quarter last year) * Revenue up 40% in the fourth quarter to $2.63 billion * 12.6 million handsets sold, up 58% 2005...
Jan 17 2005 - 02:41 PM ET | Nokia
Workers at Nokia's Finnish plant staged a walkout in protest of the previously announced layoffs. bq. Estimates of how many staff members took part in the action, which started at 1200 GMT, were not immediately available. Workers will go back...
Jan 17 2005 - 01:16 PM ET | Siemens
The Register is reporting that Siemens will either sell or close its mobile phone unit. Back in December, we mentioned that Siemens was tossing around the idea of selling its mobile unit to a Chinese firm, but it was not...
Jan 14 2005 - 03:34 PM ET | Motorola
The FCC has approved Motorola's first EV-DO compatible handset (FCC ID: IHDT56EL1), the Motorola E815. The E815 was announced at CES last week and boasts a nice list of features: * Video-on-demand (Ed. note: we believe this is through Verizon...
Update: The product is called RAZRWire and it should be launched sometime in the second half of 2005. Motorola has announced a partnership with Oakley to create Bluetooth headset eyewear. Currently Oakley is selling a line of sun glasses with...
Jan 13 2005 - 09:17 PM ET | Samsung
Samsung today reported lower than expected quarter four financials. Overall there was a 42 percent decrease in operating profits. Samsung attributes the lower profits in the handset division to dropping prices brought on by compitition. Samsung also announced that the...
Jan 13 2005 - 02:20 AM ET | Sprint Nextel
Sprint has decided not to proceed with plans to create an opt-in mobile phone number directory this year. This was due to the high cost of running the service: bq. Several U.S. mobile providers, including Sprint, have worked together since...
T-Mobile USA found itself a victim of data theft--serious data theft. Among the data taken from T-Mobile's servers: * US Secret Service e-mail * Customers' passwords and Social Security numbers * Photos taken by Sidekick users, including photos from many...
Jan 12 2005 - 12:32 PM ET | Samsung
The Samsung SCH-S310 is a new mobile phone that has the ability to carry out commands based on its position: bq. Samsung Electronics unveiled the world's first "3D movement recognition" mobile phone. 'Accelerometer' is built in to accurately calculate and...
Verizon Wireless today announced the introduction of Novatel Wireless' V620 EV-DO high-speed data card. The V620 uses dual band EV-DO and 1xRTT technologies (1xRTT is used when no EV-DO signal can be found). Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service is $79.99 per...
Jan 12 2005 - 01:01 AM ET | Motorola
Steve Jobs lightly touched on the Apple / Motorola partnership (to bring a mobile version of iTunes to Motorola phones) during his keynote speech at MacWorld San Francisco 2005 on Tuesday. The same slide that a Motorola executive showed off...
Jan 12 2005 - 12:44 AM ET | In The News
The FCC has announced that 35 bidders have qualified to participate in a January 26th auction of wireless spectrum. While the action starts on the 26th, it may take a bit of time before the dust settles--bidding will end once...
Jan 12 2005 - 12:39 AM ET | Nokia
Nokia yesterday announced layoffs from its research and development division. Jobs will be lost all over the world but Germany and Finland will see the bulk of nearly 500 layoffs. Nokia plans to bring R&D expenditure down to 9%-10% of...
United Airlines, T-Mobile USA and Research in Motion teamed up for a unique promotion: buy a ticket on united for $250 or more and get a free BlackBerry. Depending on the plan you choose with T-Mobile the device will be...
Jan 10 2005 - 01:26 AM ET | In The News
The Wall Street Journal is reporting [paid subscription req.] that Alltel has agreed to purchase Western Wireless for $4 billion. Information about this deal was first leaked last week. bq. Alltel Corp., the country's sixth-biggest cellular service operator, is expected...
Verizon Wireless today announced VCAST, the nation's first 3G multimedia service for consumers. Starting February 1st, VCAST will use EV-DO to deliver high-resolution video, 3D games and music right to mobile phones. bq. For $15.00 monthly access in addition to...
Jan 07 2005 - 12:41 PM ET | Motorola
Motorola executive Ron Garriques showed off an un-named Motorola phone with iTunes on board. Ron was giving a speech at CES and was vague on details, but here's what we do know: * Uses the interface of the recent iPod...
Jan 07 2005 - 01:33 AM ET | DoCoMo
NTT DoComo today announced the world's first mobile phone with a flat panel speaker. The LCD display on DoCoMo's mova N506iS also serves as a speaker: bq. The flat panel speaker emits sound by sending vibrations throughout the entire display...
Jan 07 2005 - 12:26 AM ET | Virgin Mobile
The Wall Street Journal is reporting [paid subscription req.] on page A1 today that an IPO is in the works at Virgin Mobile USA. The company is a joint venture (50/50) between Sprint and Virgin Group. Details are scarce: bq....
The Associated Press is reporting that Verizon Wireless will tomorrow make an announcement concerning mobile audio and video: bq. With the mammoth International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as a backdrop, Verizon Wireless planned Friday to detail a robust...
Jan 06 2005 - 04:44 PM ET | CES
Hop-On today announced a slim-line mobile phone dubbed "The Blade." It looks like Hop-On is trying to ride the coat tails of Motorola's RAZR V3: bq. The Blade was designed to combine the latest in cell phone fashion and advanced...
Buy this phone from Wirefly for free after rebate. The LG F9100 is now more than a FCC approval hearsay--LG officially announced the F9100 today at CES. The phone sports a unique design: a full QWERTY keyboard beneath its sliding...
Jan 06 2005 - 02:18 PM ET | CES
The BenQ P50 was announced today at CES. It's a PDA phone running Windows Mobile 2003 SE. Features of the BenQ P50 include: * Megapixel camera * QVGA touch sensitive screen * Bluetooth * Quad-band GSM The P50 should ship...
Jan 06 2005 - 04:50 AM ET | CES, Motorola
Motorola unveiled the V186 today at CES, an EDGE enabled V180. Besides EDGE, features of the Motorola V186 include: * 128×128 pixel 65K color CSTN main display, 96 x 32 pixel monochrome LCD * Speakerphone * AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)...
Jan 06 2005 - 04:37 AM ET | CES, Motorola
Motorola's first EV-DO handset, the E815, was announced today at CES. The Motorola E815 joins several other recently announced phones that include EV-DO [1, 2]. Expected to ship in the first quarter of 2005, the Motorola E815 packs the following...
Jan 06 2005 - 04:22 AM ET | CES, Motorola
The Motorola V635 was officially announced today at CES. MobileTracker first reported on this handset in late December when the FCC approved the device. Features of the Motorola V635 include: * Megapixel camera with video capture * TransFlash memory slot...
Jan 06 2005 - 02:32 AM ET | In The News
With national carriers already consolidated, merger mania has moved onto regional co's--the New York Times is reporting that Alltel is planning to purchase Western Wireless for $4 billion. According to sources "Close to the talks," the deal is not yet...
Jan 06 2005 - 02:11 AM ET | 3G, Motorola
Motorola announced that it completed trials of HSDPA (the 3G technolgy currently in testing by Cingular Wireless) in Europe: bq. Speeds of 2.9Mbps have been recorded at the edge of an outdoor UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) cell using a...
Sprint today announced that it will become the first US carrier to do software upgrades of its mobile phones over its wireless network. Customers will receive a text message after a download has occurred, directing them to simply press a...
Jan 06 2005 - 12:33 AM ET | Cingular
Cingular Wireless, the largest US wireless carrier, is using text messages to collect funds for areas damaged by the recent tsunamis. SMS donations worked extremely well in Europe and Asia shortly after the disaster, but this is the first major...
Jan 06 2005 - 12:24 AM ET | Data
MapQuest announced a "Send to phone" feature for its mapping service that allows users to send full color maps to their mobile phones. bq. To use the Send to Phone feature, a MapQuest Mobile subscribers simply need to visit the...
UTStarcom Personal Communications (formerly Audiovox Communications) today announced the CDM-180, a mobile phone with landscape orientation. Features of the CDM-180 include: * Java/Brew 2.0 (depending on carrier) * Landscape oriented main screen: 262K color 1.8" TFT * Outside display: 262K...
Jan 05 2005 - 12:03 PM ET | Nokia
The Nokia 6822 was announced today and will be replacing the popular Nokia 6820. The 6822 keeps the unique flip open QWERTY keyboard found on the 6800 and 6820. Other features of the Nokia 6822 include: * VGA camera *...
Details of the LG VX8100 have leaked, even before the phone it replaces (LG VX8000) hit store shelves. The LG VX8100 was approved by the FCC in December, and as usual the FCC provided photos. Some photos show Verizon Wireless...
Jan 04 2005 - 01:07 PM ET | 3G, Cingular
Cingular has completed a test of HSDPA (what Cingular has decided on for 3G). The test was successful: bq. In recent tests the HSDPA-enhanced network delivered sustained over-the-air data rates of more than three megabits per second (Mbps), and supported...
Jan 04 2005 - 12:55 PM ET | CES, Samsung
It's going to be a busy year for Samsung--the company has released a preview of its 2005 line up, and there are lots of interesting bits. The highlights are given below, with the full text of the release following. CES...
Jan 04 2005 - 12:38 PM ET | CES, Samsung
Samsung today previewed two phones that will be shown off at Consumer Electronics Show later this week, the Samsung P207 and the Samsung a890. Both phones have text-to-speech technology built-in, a first for mobile phones according to Samsung. bq. This...
Jan 04 2005 - 12:15 AM ET | Motorola
By Jon Gales -- With MacWorld just around the corner (Steve Jobs' keynote speech is on January 11th) Mac savvy mobile phone users are hoping that Apple will show off its progress on a mobile version of iTunes. Earlier this...
UPDATE: Cingular BlackBerry 7100g now available for just $149.99! As of 02/10/05 this rumor is official. While originally planned for AT&T Wireless, it appears Cingular is set to launch Research In Motion's BlackBerry 7100g. The 7100g is very similar to...
The LG A7710 should make its official debut at CES later this week, but MobileTracker can provide a sneak preview: * Slide-style design (like the Samsung P777 we featured last week) * 65K color screen * Class 10 EDGE *...
Jan 03 2005 - 12:30 PM ET | In The News
Deutsche Telekom, parent company of T-Mobile, is reportedly in talks with Stelios Haji-Ioannou over creating a cheap mobile carrier for Germany. Stelios Haji-Ioannou is the creator of EasyJet (a no-frills airline in Europe) and other budget-priced businesses. The interesting part...
Jan 03 2005 - 12:24 PM ET | In The News
Analysts at Merrill Lynch have kept buy ratings for two US based publically traded wireless carriers: Sprint and Alltel. bq. For 2005, we are raising our estimate for US wireless industry net additions from 16 million to 17 million, for...
