CDMA phone launches are a rare event for Nokia and due to the breakup of a partnership with Sanyo will most likely become even more rare. Verizon Wireless is in the process of launching the Nokia 2366i, currently the device...
Sprint Nextel's wholly owned MVNO subsidiary Boost Mobile has launched the Motorola i835. Boost is one of the fastest growing mobile virtual network operators and is the biggest growth space inside Sprint. The i835 has been reintroduced with two new...
Verizon was able to launch the Motorola KRZR K1m first (Alltel followed quickly, Sprint is still waiting) but has already modified the color scheme. The KRZR K1m photos in Verizon Wireless' online store now reflect a phone that is gray...
Virgin Mobile has announced the Kyocera Cyclops, a stylish white clamshell handset. Like the LG Chocolate in White that Verizon Wireless just started shipping, the Cyclops sports a pearl white finish. Technology wise the Cyclops is fairly high-end for Virgin...
As expected, Verizon Wireless has added a white version of the LG Chocolate to its lineup. The LG Chocolate VX8500 in White features the same specs as its black predecessor, including: EV-DO highspeed data (V Cast) QVGA display Bluetooth 1.3...
Oct 30 2006 - 04:59 PM ET | T-Mobile
T-Mobile has launched the Motorola RAZR V3t. Despite a new model number, the V3t is simply a V3i branded for T-Mobile. Cingular launched the V3i to little fanfare last month. Features of the Motorola RAZR V3t include: Quadband GSM...
Oct 28 2006 - 05:17 PM ET | In The News
The Federal Communications Commission is still burning the midnight oil to try and close the proposed merger of AT&T and BellSouth. The merger has direct implications on the wireless industry because the two companies happen to be the two joint...
Briefly-- Research In Motion has announced that the SEC made an informal inquiry into RIM's stock-option grants and practices. Several high-profile tech companies have recently been subject to increased scrutiny over option practices. The list includes Silicon Valley juggernaut Apple....
Oct 28 2006 - 04:45 PM ET | Motorola
Motorola has announced the SLVR L7e, a tweak to the popular but aging SLVR L7. Size wise the handset stays about the same, but it sports a redesigned keypad and new color. Most specs have been upped when compared to...
Oct 28 2006 - 04:19 PM ET | Samsung, Unique
Bang & Olufsen has finally announced a ship date for its Samsung-built fashion phone dubbed Serene. Photos of the device were released over a year ago. The original target ship date was Q4 2005, but Bang & Olufsen has now...
Briefly--Motorola may be interested in acquiring French mobile phone maker Sagem. Ron Garriques, President of Motorola's mobile devices division, went on record stating that Sagem was "an option". Sagem is currently losing money for its parent Safran....
T-Mobile has started selling the Dash, a slim Windows Mobile smartphone that was announced earlier this month. The Dash is slightly thinner than the Motorola Q which qualifies it as the thinnest Windows Mobile handset in the world. Like many...
Motorola has been sued for allegedly knowing its Bluetooth headsets could cause significant hearing loss and not warnings its customers of the potential damage. The lawsuit was filed in Chicago and seeks class action status. Motorola had “actual and constructive...
Verizon Wireless has launched the UTStarcom G'zOne Type-V. The UTStarcom brand doesn't appear anywhere on the handset, but it's the very same phone we first spotted in March with a Casio branding. Casio's idea was to bring the design of...
HP has announced that the iPAQ hw6920 and iPAQ hw6925 are both headed to Cingular and are slated to launch on Tuesday. The hw6920 series is chocked full of features, but took so long to come out that the specs...
As expected, Sprint has launched the Motorola RAZR V3m. Sprint is the last major US carrier to carry Motorola's premiere phone and has taken a beating from investors on the issue. Sprint will also launch the KRZR and SLVR models...
Verizon Wireless has continued its adoption of Adobe Flash Lite by launching several new Flash powered Get It Now applications. The new software includes an offering by the Weather Channel and a game from NBC based on The Office. Four...
Oct 24 2006 - 01:25 PM ET | T-Mobile, Unique
T-Mobile USA has opened up testing of its HotSpot @Home UMA service for customers in Seattle (see our previous coverage). Unlicensed Mobile Access, or UMA, utilizes WiFi and Voice Over IP (VoIP) to provide cheaper calls when in the area...
Sprint Nextel has launched its EV-DO Rev A network in San Diego, becoming the first US carrier to launch the technology anywhere. The upgrade has gone significantly faster than first thought, it originally wasn't supposed to launch until next year....
Oct 23 2006 - 03:58 PM ET | Nokia, T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA today announced immediate availability of the Nokia 6133. The 6133 is based on the 6131, a handset we first spotted back at 3GSM in February. Feature wise it stands up pretty nicely for the mid-tier segment, especially for...
Virgin Mobile USA has started a soft launch for the UTStarcom Slice. The Slice moniker is Virgin Mobile's work, UTStarcom called the handset "PCS-1400". Like most handsets on Virgin Mobile, the Slice focuses on being affordable. But the slim handset...
LG has introduced the Shine, its second launch of the Black Label series of iconic handset platforms. The LG Shine is meant to succeed the popular Chocolate line of handsets. Like the Chocolate, Shine should be available in multiple configurations...
T-Mobile just launched two special edition Sidekicks, but is not done launching customized versions of its existing lineup. Starting on October 30th, T-Mobile will begin to sell Miami Ink design etched Motorola RAZR V3's. Pricing was not announced, but we...
Sprint has decided on Qualcomm's QChat solution to power the company's next generation push-to-talk service. After the merger with Nextel, push-to-talk migration became a very important topic for Sprint. Since PTT is a major part of Nextel's service and Sprint...
Oct 17 2006 - 05:01 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia is taking a page out of Microsoft's playbook by offering a S60 "Service Pack" for the latest edition of its S60 smartphone platform. S60 3rd Edition Service Pack 1, as it goes by, adds several new features including an...
Oct 17 2006 - 04:52 PM ET | Backpage, Nokia
Nokia has released a WYSIWYG theme creator for S60 phones called Carbide.ui Theme Edition. The updated product aims to greatly simplify the theme creation process and open it up to more creative professionals. Carbide.ui Theme Edition supports drag-and-drop functionality and...
Oct 17 2006 - 04:42 PM ET | In The News
Google is currently testing out text ads for its mobile search service. Yahoo announced a similar program earlier this month. Google hasn't made an announcement, but some users have reported seeing the ads and screen captures have been posted online....
A promotional image of a Verizon Wireless branded Motorola RAZR MAXX has leaked, leading to speculation that a CDMA version of the handset is in the pipeline. The MAXX was announced back in June along with the KRZR and RIZR...
Oct 16 2006 - 02:23 PM ET | Backpage
Qualcomm has secured approval for its MediaFLO mobile TV standard which is a major milestone to getting the tech to market. Most importantly was a decision about compatibility with the digital TV transition. The ruling was in Qualcomm's favor which...
Sprint became the first national US carrier to launch the Motorola RED RAZR V3m, a special edition of the iconic RAZR that is a part of the (PRODUCT) RED initiative. The group is headlined by U2 frontman Bono and raises...
Oct 16 2006 - 12:35 AM ET | MVNO
Several high-profile mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) have launched over the past year, including now-defunct Mobile ESPN. While investors came up with lofty subscriber figures, the operators are discovering that it's much harder than first thought to attract a large...
Oct 13 2006 - 12:01 AM ET | Danger, T-Mobile
The Sidekick 3 was officially announced about 4 months ago, but T-Mobile has refreshed the popular device by bringing out two special editions. Features remain the same as the original Sidekick 3. There is one model designed by both Lifted...
Oct 12 2006 - 05:01 PM ET | Palm
As expected, Palm has introduced the Treo 680. The 680 targets lower end customers than Palm's other Treo models, but still keeps the classic design that has changed little since the introduction of the original Handspring models (with the...
Oct 11 2006 - 11:13 AM ET | Sprint Nextel
Taking a move out of T-Mobile's playbook, Sprint Nextel has launched detailed coverage maps. Instead of just providing general maps (usually based on region or at best market), you can now input an address and see coverage in a specific...
Oct 11 2006 - 07:00 AM ET | T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA has introduced the Dash, or more specifically a branded version of the HTC Excalibur. The Windows Mobile powered device is designed to compete with the Motorola Q and is actually thinner than that iconic device. The Dash launch...
Oct 11 2006 - 06:47 AM ET | Sprint Nextel
The Wall Street Journal is running an interesting front page story today about the trouble Sprint Nextel is now facing, mostly because of the recent Nextel merger. Just yesterday former Nextel CEO and current Sprint Nextel chairman Tim Donahue announced...
Sprint has confirmed that it is testing out Qualcomm's MediaFLO mobile TV technology. Recently word leaked about Sprint Vue, which was being billed as a new mobile TV test, but there was no information available about the technology. MediaFLO is...
Sprint Nextel has raised the rate of an outgoing SMS message to 15 cents, up from the fairly industry standard 10 cents. Along with the hike for SMS, casual data usage (when there isn't a data plan) was raised a...
Oct 06 2006 - 11:43 AM ET | 3G, T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA has finally announced its 3G strategy, well after all of the company's national competitors have launched 3G service. Parent Deutsche Telekom will spend $2.7 billion to build out the network which is thought to be based on UMTS/HSDPA....
Cingular has finally launched the Sony Ericsson W810i. Better late than never, the W810i is MobileTracker's pick for the top music phone. Included in box is an adapter to connect regular 3.5mm headphones (a set is also included, but you...
Motorola is not the only company that extends the life of a handset via new colors--Samsung has updated its thin t509 handset with a new coat of paint and called the resulting phone the Samsung t509s - Plum. The "thinnest...
Oct 04 2006 - 04:10 PM ET | 3G, Data, MVNO
Fledgling mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Helio has announced a data card called the Hybrid. With the Hybrid, Helio becomes the first MVNO to offer a data card. The card itself is based off the Sierra AirCard 580. Despite the...
Oct 04 2006 - 03:44 PM ET | Backpage, Data
Yahoo has launched advertising in its mobile search site. The search engine results pages (SERPs) were previously free of sponsored results. Users can click on the ads to view more information, including the ability to call the advertiser. MobileTracker couldn't...
Oct 03 2006 - 04:42 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia Research has officially announced Wibree, a short range wireless standard that focuses on using very little power. Since Bluetooth performs this function today, Nokia has been careful to note that Wibree can compliment Bluetooth and is not meant as...
Oct 03 2006 - 01:58 PM ET | Sprint Nextel
It took a year since Motorola introduced a CDMA RAZR, but Sprint has finally gotten on board with the world's most popular mobile phone. In addition to launching the aging RAZR, Sprint will be giving the new KRZR K1m and...
Oct 02 2006 - 04:17 PM ET | Backpage, MVNO
Xero Mobile has sold itself to newly minted corporation Advanced Mobile Communications. Xero is a pre-launch mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that wants to give away mobile service in exchange for showing users advertisements. MobileTracker has covered Xero several times...
Sprint has launched the dual-mode Samsung IP-30w. The device is based off the Samsung i730 but sports a GSM radio instead of WiFi to allow for worldwide roaming. Verizon Wireless launched the handset as the Samsung i830, albeit with an...
Oct 02 2006 - 03:47 PM ET | Cingular, Nokia
As expected, Cingular has launched the Nokia E62. The E62 is Nokia's North American targeted version of the E61. It's one of only a few models that Nokia has shipped with a QWERTY keyboard. Cingular's aggressive pricing for the E62...
Oct 01 2006 - 06:17 PM ET | T-Mobile
As expected, T-Mobile has introduced myFaves, a new calling plan that borrows from Alltel's My Circle plan. With myFaves customers can pick any 5 domestic phone numbers to receive unlimited calling with. The numbers can be changed up to once...
