FirstNews
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...
Major Dell Shareholder Favors Recent Buyout Offers
April 10, 2013 9:17 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsDell's largest independent shareholder is leaning toward supporting one of the two bidders trying to scuttle the slumping personal computer maker's proposed $24.4 billion sale to a group including CEO Michael Dell. Southeastern Asset Management...
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.
App-Enabled Accessories Abound at the Apple Store
April 9, 2013 9:37 am | by Andrew Berg | Articles | CommentsThere's a special section over at Apple's online store devoted entirely to “app-enabled accessories.” These items include extravagances like a Wi-Fi enabled scale that shoots its data straight to the iPhone, or a flying drone that can be controlled right from your very own iOS device...
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.
Broadcasters Worry About 'Zero TV' homes
April 8, 2013 9:13 am | by Ryan Nakashima, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSome people have had it with TV. They've had enough of the 100-plus channel universe. They don't like timing their lives around network show schedules. They're tired of $100-plus monthly bills. A growing number of them have stopped paying for cable and...
Friday Flick: Facebook Home
April 5, 2013 10:29 am | by Wireless Week Staff | Videos | CommentsFacebook on Thursday unveiled an app that promises deep integration with Android. The new app acts as a messaging hub and allows users to enable their Facebook news feed as their homescreen. Check out a previews of the new suite of apps in the video below...
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.
Comscore: Apple Growing U.S. Market Share, Google Shrinking
April 5, 2013 9:53 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsComscore’s latest three-month study of U.S. smartphone market shows Apple’s iPhone and iOS platform both growing their shares. From the end of November through the end of February, Apple upped its share among OEMs to 38.9 percent from 35 and iOS boosted its share among smartphone operating systems to 38.9 percent from 35.
HP's Chairman Steps Down, 2 Directors to Depart
April 5, 2013 9:14 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsHewlett-Packard Co. Chairman Ray Lane is stepping down and two other board members are leaving in a shake-up spurred by disgruntled stockholders stung by the personal computer maker's downfall. The housecleaning announced Thursday comes just two weeks after...
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...
Facebook Finds Middle Ground with New Home App
April 4, 2013 2:06 pm | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsRumors of a Facebook phone were brought to a head with today's much-hyped announcement from the social network. The results fall somewhere between a piece of hardware for Facebook to call its own and an actual operating system. Facebook today unveiled a new...
Report: Android Market Gains Tied to Sprint's Samsung Sales
April 4, 2013 11:13 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAndroid continues grabbing more market share, snagging 51.2 percent of smartphone sales in the United States during the three-month period that ended in February, according to a report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Apple's iOS took second place...
First News Briefs for April 4, 2013
April 4, 2013 10:49 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsQualcomm Technologies, Inc. and MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, today announced a multi-year engineering and technology agreement, establishing a collaborative effort to survey, plan and optimize mobile network connectivity for fans at supported MLB ballparks.
CTIA Stresses More Spectrum as FCC Changes Leadership
April 4, 2013 10:42 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsCTIA President and CEO Steve Largent says he doesn't care who succeeds FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski so long as the next appointee continues to push for more spectrum. "Our goals and objectives for this year haven't changed that much...
Investor Offers Clearwire $240M Alternative to Sprint’s Money
April 4, 2013 10:41 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsCrest Financial Limited has offered Clearwire $240 million in financing as an alternative to the $80 million per month funding draw Sprint has been giving to the WiMax wholesaler. The offer is meant to provide Clearwire with more time to consider alternatives to Sprint’s offer of $2.97 per share to buy the roughly 50 percent of Clearwire it doesn’t already own.
