Carriers & Vendors
Apple Unveils Music Streaming Service
June 11, 2013 10:32 am | by Barbara Ortutay, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsApple unveiled an Internet radio service called iTunes Radio on Monday and said the service will personalize listeners' music based on what they've listened to and what they've purchased on iTunes. Apple said iTunes Radio will be available this fall in the U.S...
SF, NY Officials Wait to Judge Apple 'Kill Switch'
June 11, 2013 10:10 am | by Terry Collins, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe top prosecutors in San Francisco and New York, seeking ways to curb thefts of mobile devices, said Monday they will reserve judgment of Apple's new security feature designed to make it harder to reactivate a stolen iPhone. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon...
SoftBank Ups Sprint Bid, Sprint Puts Dish in the Corner
June 11, 2013 10:03 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSoftBank late Monday raised its bid to acquire Sprint to $21.6 billion from $20.1 billion, or $7.65 per share. Under the new agreement, SoftBank would take a 78 percent stake in Sprint, up from the 70 percent promised in the previous offer.
Apple Unveils iOS 7, OS X Mavericks and More at WWDC
June 10, 2013 3:31 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAfter months of grinding away in the rumor mill, Apple CEO Tim Cook took a little more time building up to the iOS 7 unveil. He was pleased to announce 600 million iOS devices sold. “But it’s not what drives us,” Cook said, putting the focus on mobile web share and time spent with devices, both categories lead by Apple.
AT&T Rolling Out Wi-Fi-Enabled Push-to-Talk Feature for iPhone
June 10, 2013 10:50 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAT&T today announced a new iOS app for its business customers that will enable push-to-talk (PTT) features on the iPhone 4S and 5. The service will run over AT&T’s network but will also operate via Wi-Fi, which should provide improved in-building coverage for the service.
Report: Google Offers $1.1 Billion to Acquire Mapping Service Waze
June 10, 2013 10:18 am | News | CommentsGoogle is offering $1.1 billion to acquire the crowd-sourced maps company Waze, according to a Bloomberg report. The news comes after earlier reports that Apple had been interested in Waze. Waze's mobile app for iOS and Android gathers map information from its 40 million users...
AT&T Bumps Upgrade Wait From 20 Months to Two Years
June 10, 2013 10:00 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAT&T has extended the waiting period for upgrades on phones from 20 months to two years. In a blog post Sunday, the company said the new upgrade policy will apply to new contracts and any existing contracts ending March 2014 and later.
Music Service, Mobile Software Expected from Apple
June 10, 2013 9:34 am | by Anick Jesdanun, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsApple is expected to reveal a digital radio service and changes to the software behind iPhones and iPads on Monday as the company opens its annual conference for software developers. Apple hasn't said what it will unveil at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco...
Report: SoftBank Could Buy Deutsche Telekom’s Stake in T-Mobile
June 7, 2013 4:33 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSoftBank might be interested in buying Deutsche Telekom’s (DT) 74-percent stake in T-Mobile USA, if the Japanese carrier’s $20.1 billion bid for Sprint falls through. Reuters is citing three sources familiar with the situation saying that the talks—a continuation of preliminary negotiations between SoftBank and DT that began last year—have recently ramped up in light of Dish’s competing bid of $25.5 billion for Sprint.
First News Briefs for June 7, 2013
June 7, 2013 10:37 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsAT&T and IBM today announced a business agreement to deliver a new eCommerce solution that can help retailers provide a consistent shopping experience for customers whether they are shopping online, via a mobile app or in-store.
Report: NSA Collects Data From AT&T, Sprint, Google, Apple and More
June 7, 2013 10:01 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAfter yesterday’s public reveal of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) demands for Verizon customers’ data, more information is coming out suggesting the NSA’s casting a much bigger net. The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the NSA’s operations, reports that the same initiative targeting Verizon data is also collecting similar information from AT&T and Sprint.
AT&T Projects 500K Postpaid Wireless Adds in 2Q
June 7, 2013 9:58 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAT&T released numbers Thursday showing improved customer additions in the second quarter. In a release, the company specifically pointed to stronger U-verse broadband and TV subscriber growth versus the year-earlier quarter, and said it expects postpaid wireless net adds of approximately 500,000....
Motorola Mobility Says It Has Settled with TiVo
June 7, 2013 9:37 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsMotorola Mobility said Thursday that it has reached a settlement with digital video recording pioneer TiVo Inc. ahead of a patent trial that was to start in a Texas court next week. "We're pleased that all parties involved have reached an agreement to resolve pending litigation...
What to Expect: iOS 7 and WWDC
June 6, 2013 1:25 pm | by Ben Munson | Articles | CommentsLots of rumors abound Apple’s upcoming WWDC June 10 but Cupertino’s only really confirmed new iterations of iOS and OSX for the developer conference. Amidst all the wish-listing of features that would be great (keyboard fixes) and that will never happen (hiding Apple-branded apps), plenty of hints about what will actually grace the stage Monday have trickled out as well.
AT&T Sells $564 Million in Shares of America Movil
June 6, 2013 10:59 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAT&T has sold $564 million of its shares in America Movil (AMX), a Mexico City-based telecom owned by billionaire Carlos Slim. Bloomberg reports that AT&T lowered its stake in AMX by about 7.5 percent, taking it to 9 percent ownership, still the second-largest for the company behind the Slim family.
Casinos Ban Gamblers from Using Google Glass
June 6, 2013 10:26 am | by Wayne Parry, Associated Press | News | CommentsATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Casinos in several states are forbidding gamblers from wearing Google Glass, the tiny eyeglasses-mounted device capable of shooting photos, filming video and surfing the Internet. Regulators say the gadgets could be used to cheat at card games.
Report: Verizon Handing Over All U.S. Call Records to NSA
June 6, 2013 10:19 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsThe Guardian has received and published the order which outlines that Verizon is to deliver to the NSA the numbers of both parties, location data, identifiers like IMSI and IMEI numbers, and time and duration of calls. The order has been in place since April and has demanded Verizon give over the requisite information for both international calls originating in the U.S. and calls made within the U.S.
ITC Rules for Samsung, Bans iPhone 4 Imports
June 5, 2013 9:25 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsA U.S. trade agency on Tuesday issued a ban on imports of Apple's iPhone 4 and a variant of the iPad 2 after finding the devices violate a patent held by South Korean rival Samsung Electronics. Because the devices are assembled in China...
FreedomPop to Sell Phones, Offer Free Data, Voice and Messaging
June 5, 2013 8:45 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsFreedomPop is a data-only MVNO that, up to this point, has pushed its freemium service model on hotspots, routers, dongles and connected cases. But that changes soon as the company is getting ready to offer an IP-based voice and messaging service along with data on actual Android phones...
Verizon, NFL Expand and Extend Mobile Agreement
June 4, 2013 11:14 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThe National Football League (NFL) and Verizon have announced a renewed and expanded contract to eventually bring all NFL games to Verizon Wireless customers' mobile devices. Until now, a limited nummber of games were available through the Verizon Wireless' package...
IBM Buying Cloud Computing Company SoftLayer
June 4, 2013 10:54 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsARMONK, N.Y. (AP) — IBM is buying cloud computing company SoftLayer Technologies Inc. to expand its online software business. Financial terms were not disclosed Tuesday. SoftLayer is a privately held company based in Dallas with 13 data centers in the U.S., Asia and Europe.
HTC Loses Another Exec but May Sales Pick Up
June 4, 2013 9:38 am | by Ben Munson | News | 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 | News | 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 | News | 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...
Sprint: Dish’s Clearwire Bid “Not Actionable,” Violates Law
June 3, 2013 10:30 am | by Ben Munson | News | 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.”
