Carriers & Vendors
Verizon to Extend Phone-Upgrade Waiting Period
April 15, 2013 9:03 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsVerizon Wireless, the country's largest cellphone carrier, on Friday said that it is extending the time it takes to earn a subsidized phone upgrade from 20 months on contract to 24 months. The move will save Verizon money, since it subsidizes each new smartphone...
Review: Home Shields You from Non-Facebook Tasks
April 12, 2013 10:06 am | by Anick Jesdanun, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsWhen I got my first smartphone in 2010, I checked Facebook obsessively. But over time, the novelty wore off and opening Facebook's app to check photos, links and posts from friends turned into a chore. In a sense, I'm the ideal target for Facebook's new Home app...
BlackBerry Seeks SEC Review of “False” Return Rate Claims
April 12, 2013 10:05 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsBlackBerry is requesting a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and an Ontario Securities Commission review of what it calls “false and misleading” reports about the return rate of BlackBerry’s new Z10 smartphone.
MetroPCS’s Biggest Investor Now Backs T-Mobile Merger
April 12, 2013 9:59 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAfter Deutsche Telekom (DT), the parent company of T-Mobile USA, announced yesterday it was sweetening its offer to acquire MetroPCS, Paulson & Co., a hedge fund holding approximately a 9.9 percent share of MetroPCS, has now decided to vote in favor of the merger.
Samsung Uncorks a Pair of Mega Galaxy Phones
April 11, 2013 10:50 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSamsung has officially announced the rumored Galaxy Mega smartphone, which will come with either a 5.8- or 6.3-inch displays. The oversized phones, which dwarf the company’s Note 2 with its 5.5-inch screen, will see availability in Europe and Russia beginning in May.
MetroPCS Vote Delayed for Consideration of Deutsche Telekom’s Revised Offer
April 11, 2013 10:42 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAn upcoming special meeting of MetroPCS shareholders has been rescheduled for April 24 in order to give voters a chance to mull over Deutsche Telekom’s (DT) improved terms of the proposed merger of MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA. In a press release, MetroPCS said the decision to postpone the meeting was made mutually between it and DT.
PC Shipments Drop 14 Percent Annually as Consumers Prefer Tablets, Smartphones
April 11, 2013 9:23 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsConsumer preference for tablets and smartphones sent first quarter global PC shipments down 14 percent to 76.3 million units, according to new numbers from IDC. IDC said the extent of the annual contraction marked the worst quarter since IDC began tracking the PC market quarterly in 1994...
Hedge Fund Offers Clearwire Additional $80M in Financing
April 10, 2013 10:50 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAurelius Capital Management has offered Clearwire $80 million in funding to further entice the WiMax wholesaler away from Sprint’s funding offer. In a letter to Clearwire’s board, Aurelius explains that its financing offer would be on similar terms to that of Sprint’s...
AppGratis Irks Apple, Gets Yanked from App Store
April 10, 2013 10:43 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsApple has pulled the popular app recommendation service AppGratis from the Apple App Store. AppGratis is essentially a Groupon for apps. The company partners with app developers to highlight and review apps and deals through its iOS app...
T-Mo Offers iPhone Trade-In Program
April 10, 2013 10:07 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsT-Mobile has added yet another incentive for prospective customers mulling a switch to the uncarrier. The company will offer an iPhone trade-in program as part of its sale of the iPhone 5. The trade-in offer, which begins April 12...
Deutsche Telekom Could Delay Final Tally in T-Mobile, Metro Vote
April 10, 2013 9:51 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsDeutsche Telekom (DT) could potentially halt the final tally of the shareholder vote to approve the T-Mobile-MetroPCS merger if things don’t appear to be swinging in its favor. A Bloomberg report is citing people familiar with the matter as saying the delay could provide DT a chance to sweeten its bid.
Orders of Keyboard BlackBerry Start in Canada
April 10, 2013 9:21 am | by Rob Gillies, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe maker of the BlackBerry phone said Tuesday that a modern smartphone with a physical keyboard will be available in Canada in the coming weeks as major wireless companies started taking advance orders. Details on when the BlackBerry Q10 will go on sale...
App Downloads Rise 11 Percent Quarterly, Hit $2.2B in Revenue
April 9, 2013 10:50 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsApp downloads across the four leading digital storefronts totaled more than 13.4 billion in the first quarter of 2013, marking an 11 percent increase quarterly. Without revenue sharing taken into account, that total was enough to post $2.2 billion in revenue for all stores combined.
Virgin Mobile Goes After T-Mo Subs with $100 Incentive
April 9, 2013 10:35 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsSprint Nextel's Virgin Mobile prepaid business is now offering T-Mobile users a $100 credit to switch carriers. A large banner ad on Virgin Mobile's homepage beckons, "Ditch T-Mobile and Get a $100 Credit." The move comes after T-Mobile earlier this month officially...
First News Briefs for April 9, 2013
April 9, 2013 10:12 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsMulti-Tech Systems, a machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions provider, has teamed up with Sprint to deliver a migration from iDEN to Sprint's CDMA services. Multi-Tech's MultiModem rCell Intelligent Wireless Router is pre-validated by Sprint and now available via the M2M Wireless Devices portal and PCD (Personal Communication Devices).
Boingo, AT&T Reach International Wi-Fi Roaming Agreement
April 9, 2013 9:58 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAT&T customers who pay either $60 for 300 MB or $120 for 800 MB per month for international mobile data will gain access to 1 GB on Boingo’s hotspots for no additional charge. Considering the overage charges run steep at $30 per additional 120 MB of international data, this is good news for consumers looking to keep their bills under control.
Review: HTC One Impresses but Software Disappoints
April 9, 2013 8:56 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsReady for the battle of the phones? This year's crop of high-end smartphones is starting to emerge, like bear cubs crawling out of their burrows, sniffing the spring air. First out is the HTC One, a handsome, powerful animal that should do well this year...
Google's Android Target of New Antitrust Complaint
April 9, 2013 8:52 am | by Juergen Baetz, Associated Press | News | CommentsA group of companies led by Microsoft have called on European authorities to launch an antitrust investigation into Google's dominance of mobile Internet usage on smartphones. The "FairSearch" initiative of 17 companies — which includes Microsoft, Nokia, and Oracle...
Judge Deals Blow to High-Tech Workers' Lawsuit
April 8, 2013 10:43 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsA federal judge on Friday struck down an effort to form a class action lawsuit to go after Apple, Google and five other technology companies for allegedly forming an illegal cartel to tamp down workers' wages and prevent the loss of their best engineers...
First News Briefs for April 8, 2013
April 8, 2013 10:42 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsAT&T now offers AT&T Mobile Barcode Services powered by Scanbuy to aid businesses with QR code campaigns. The service enables QR codes that can link to video, prompt a phone call or generate an email. It also provides solutions for mobile-optimized sites and analytics.
Ericsson Acquires Microsoft's Mediaroom Business
April 8, 2013 10:36 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsEricsson today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Microsoft's Mediaroom business. The business will give Ericsson a boost in providing IPTV and multi-screen solutions. Closing companies expect the deal to close during the second half of 2013...
HTC Reports Dismal 1Q Profits
April 8, 2013 9:59 am | by By Andrew Berg | News | CommentsHTC today posted preliminary financials for the first quarter of 2013 that show the effects of delays in the launch of its flagship HTC One smartphone. The company today said unaudited net profit was $2.85 million for the...
Report: Google in Talks to Acquire WhatsApp for Around $1B
April 8, 2013 9:55 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsGoogle is reportedly nearing a deal to acquire popular over-the-top messaging application WhatsApp for around $1 billion. Digital Trends is saying that the deal has been in the works for four or five weeks already and that WhatsApp is pushing to drive up the bidding price.
First News Briefs for April 5, 2013
April 5, 2013 10:22 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsQualcomm Technologies, Inc. has been working with Facebook to optimize Facebook Home and Facebook for Android across all Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. These Facebook Home optimizations are designed to enable better overall performance, lower power consumption and improved data efficiency for consumers using Facebook Home and Facebook for Android.
Samsung's Operating Profit Up 53 Percent in 1Q
April 5, 2013 9:11 am | by YoukYung Lee, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSamsung Electronics Co. said its operating profit last quarter rose 53 percent over a year earlier, outpacing expectations for what's normally a slow time for consumer electronics sales. The South Korean firm on Friday estimated its first quarter...
