News
Ahead of the Bell: Zynga
June 4, 2013 9:52 am | by Associated Press | CommentsZynga's rough path shows how difficult it is to consistently turn profits in the mobile gaming sector and while industry analysts say steep job cuts will buy more time, only landing the smash hits that, of late, have eluded the San Francisco company will turn its fortunes around...
HTC Loses Another Exec but May Sales Pick Up
June 4, 2013 9:38 am | by Ben Munson | CommentsThe high-level exodus continues for the flailing HTC as COO Matthew Costello has stepped down. Bloomberg reports that Fred Liu, president of engineering and operations, will have his duties expanded to cover the responsibilities of the departing Costello. This makes four senior executives who have left the company in the past two years.
Report: Apple Readies Mobile Ad Business for New Music Service
June 4, 2013 9:34 am | by Andrew Berg | CommentsApple is gearing up for the unveiling of a new streaming music service next week by shifting some of its iAd personnel over to the new service. The move is part of an effort to change the way Apple sells mobile advertising to cater to customers that might be looking to engage an listening audience, according to a report...
U.S. Blames Apple for 2010 e-Book Price Hike
June 4, 2013 9:08 am | by Larry Neumeister, Associated Press | CommentsA U.S. government lawyer opened a civil trial by portraying Apple Inc. as a corporate bully that swaggered into the market for electronic books in 2010, forcing an end to price competition and costing consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. The Justice Department attorney, Lawrence Buterman...
Foxconn Confirms Mozilla Partnership
June 3, 2013 3:09 pm | by Andrew Berg | CommentsThe Foxconn Technology Group today confirmed earlier reports of a partnership with Mozilla to produce devics based on that company's Firefox OS. In a press release, Foxconn called the partnership "wide-ranging." This is departure for Foxconn, which in the past has mainly contracted with companies like Apple to manufacture...
First News Briefs for June 3, 2013
June 3, 2013 10:33 am | by Wireless Week Staff | CommentsClearlake Capital Group, L.P. today announced definitive agreements to acquire the Retail Solutions Group of Agilysys, Inc., through a newly-formed affiliate, Kyrus Solutions, Inc. RSG, which will be renamed Kyrus Solutions upon the close of the transaction, is a managed services solution provider offering retail point-of-sale, self-service and wireless mobility solutions.
Sprint: Dish’s Clearwire Bid “Not Actionable,” Violates Law
June 3, 2013 10:30 am | by Ben Munson | CommentsSprint is firing back at Dish’s offer to buy the remainder of Clearwire, calling the bid “not actionable” and saying it violates Delaware law and the existing Clearwire Equityholders’ Agreement (EHA). In a letter sent Wednesday to Clearwire’s board, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse made it clear that his company “will not vote in favor of [Dish’s] proposal, tender its shares in the offer or waive any of its rights as a stockholder or under the EHA.”
Verizon Smartphone Sales Grow on Windows Popularity
June 3, 2013 10:23 am | by Andrew Berg | CommentsVerizon took the lion's share of smarpthone sales in the United States, due in part to the growth of Windows Phone, according to new numbers from Kantar Worldpanel Comtech. Of the carriers, Verizon grabbed 36.3 percent of smartphones sold, an annual increase of 1.8 percent. Sprint Nextel accounted for 13.1 percent of smartphones sold...
Mobile Broadband Subscriptions Hit 1.7 in 1Q
June 3, 2013 10:08 am | by Andrew Berg | CommentsGlobal mobile broadband subscriptions grew 45 percent in the first quarter of 2013 to 1.7 billion, according to Ericsson's latest mobility report. Including non-broadband mobile subscriptions, global mobile subscribers hit 6.4 billion in the most recent quarter, with Ericsson projecting...
Apple Antitrust Suit over e-Books Set for NY Trial
June 3, 2013 9:14 am | by Larry Neumeister, Associated Press | CommentsIn a civil case where the words of Steve Jobs play prominently, the government and Apple Inc. are set to square off over allegations that Apple Inc. conspired with the country's largest book publishers to make consumers pay more for electronic books. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote is scheduled to begin hearing the price-fixing case...
Ahead of the Bell: Adviser Supports Sprint Deal
June 3, 2013 9:12 am | by Associated Press | CommentsA shareholder advisory firm is backing Softbank in its attempted acquisition of a huge chunk of Sprint Nextel. The $20.1 billion bid from Japan's second-biggest mobile company would ease Sprint's debt burden and provide ample cash to improve its network and become a serious competitor, according to Institutional Shareholder Services...
Report: HTC Scraps Plans for Full-Sized Windows RT Tablet
May 31, 2013 10:46 am | by Ben Munson | CommentsHTC is tossing out its plans for a full-sized Windows RT tablet, citing weak demand for devices running the RT operating system and the overall cost of producing a large tablet. Bloomberg cited people familiar with the matter who indicated that HTC still plans to release a 7-inch Windows 8 tablet optimized for ARM chipsets later this year.
Verizon's Shammo Says T-Mobile, Sprint Not Threats
May 31, 2013 10:15 am | by Andrew Berg | CommentsFran Shammo, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Verizon, says the strengthening positions of Sprint and T-Mobile will be mitigated by continued growth in connected devices. Speaking yesterday at the Nomura Global Media & Telecom conference...
First News Briefs for May 31, 2013
May 31, 2013 10:13 am | by Wireless Week Staff | CommentsWhitePages, a provider of contact information for people and businesses in the U.S., today announced the acquisition of Mr. Number, a call blocking and spam identification Android app, further expanding WhitePages’ mobile offerings and providing users with caller ID features.
Clearwire Postpones Sprint Vote, Could Force SoftBank’s Hand
May 31, 2013 9:36 am | by Ben Munson | CommentsIn light of Dish’s offer yesterday financially trumping Sprint’s existing bid for Clearwire, the wireless broadband carrier has rescheduled a shareholder vote on Sprint’s bid to buyout Clearwire. Clearwire’s shareholders were scheduled to vote on the Sprint transaction May 31. Sprint last week raised its offer to $3.40 per share (up from $2.97), but Dish swooped in with a $4.40 per share tender offer at the last minute.
