FirstNews
Report: Sprint Pushes Dish for More Details on Merger Bid
May 8, 2013 11:02 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint is holding back on granting financial information to Dish Network as it pushed the company to elaborate on how its $25.5 billion merger offer will be funded and how it will create cost savings. Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter, said Sprint’s board has raised its eyebrows at Dish’s ability to round up the $9.3 billion in financing it needs for the deal.
Device Innovation Is Passé: Why UE Is King in 2013
May 8, 2013 10:48 am | by Jeff Glueck, CEO of Skyfire | Articles | CommentsIt’s getting increasingly difficult for smartphone and tablet makers to “shock and awe” the media and the buying public with groundbreaking, “never before seen” hardware. While each high-profile device launch brings hardware advancements over previous models...
New Boingo iOS App Leverages iTunes Account for Payment
May 8, 2013 9:50 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsWi-Fi provider Boingo Wireless has announced that iOS users can now use their iTunes account to purchase a Boingo subscription. According to a press release, the latest version of Boingo’s iOS app links directly to a customer’s iTunes account, streamlining subscription sign-up and monthly billing...
Q&A: Lurie Welcomes Customers to AT&T's Digital Life
May 7, 2013 1:57 pm | by Wireless Week Staff | Articles | CommentsAT&T has officially launched its IP-based Digital Life home automation service in 15 markets, with plans to introduce the service in up to 50 markets by the end of 2013. The new service, which was announced last spring and has been trialing in Dallas and Atlanta...
First News Briefs for May 7, 2013
May 7, 2013 10:54 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsRuckus Wireless, Inc. today announced that it is teaming with Sprint's Custom Network Solutions (CNS) group to deliver enterprise, public sector and federal customers nationwide its Smart Wi-Fi products and services as part of Sprint CNS's in-building wireless data solutions portfolio.
Samsung, Apple Share 100 percent of Global Smartphone Profits
May 7, 2013 10:48 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsGlobal smartphone profits in the first quarter took a shine to Apple and Samsung and literally left nothing for anyone else. As the Wall Street Journal’s All Things D points out, new research from Canaccord Genuity suggests that Apple captured 57 percent of worldwide smartphone industry profits while Samsung scooped up the remaining 43 percent.
Aruba Networks Plunges on Revised Outlook
May 7, 2013 10:15 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsShares of Aruba Networks fell sharply before the opening bell Tuesday after the company nearly halved its third-quarter adjusted profit expectations and cut its outlook for revenue as well, just a week before it reports earnings. Shares of the wireless communications company...
SoftBank CEO: Our Sprint Deal is Better Because of TD-LTE
May 7, 2013 10:09 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSpeaking at a press conference, Son touted his company’s success in deploying TD-LTE over 2.5 GHz spectrum in Japan. He added SoftBank is better equipped to help Sprint deploy the same kind of service on the large swaths of 2.5 GHz Sprint stands to inherit should its $2.2 billion bid to buyout WiMax wholesaler Clearwire go through.
Nokia Remains Focused on Windows Phone
May 7, 2013 9:59 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsNokia will continue to focus on Windows Phone, according to a report from Reuters today, which cited comments from Nokia CEO Stephen Elop prior to the company's annual general meeting. Elop said that while the company continues to make adjustments as it goes...
Microsoft Touching Up Windows 8 to Address Gripes
May 7, 2013 8:42 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsMicrosoft is retooling the latest version of its Windows operating system to address complaints and confusion that have been blamed for deepening a slump in personal computer sales. The tune up announced Tuesday won't be released to consumers...
Nintendo to Offer Mobile Apps on Wii U
May 6, 2013 11:18 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAfter reporting in March slower-than-expected sales of its Wii U console, Nintendo has announced it will push mobile apps to the box. The Japan Times reports that Nintendo will begin offering conversion software to application developers in hopes that they will begin to produce smartphone games that can also be played on the Wii U, the follow-up to the company’s ultra-popular Wii motion-sensing console.
First News Briefs for May 6, 2013
May 6, 2013 10:47 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsSprint and Time Inc. today announced a mobile content, advertising and retail alliance. As part of the arrangement, Time Inc. will deliver its branded content within a customizable section of the SprintZone application on select Sprint devices. Customers can expect the latest entertainment, lifestyle, sports and business news.
Clearwire Sends Letter to Stockholders, Urging Yes Vote on Sprint Bid
May 6, 2013 10:32 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsClearwire outlined its exhaustive efforts to turn around its fortunes in the WiMax wholesale market in a letter sent Monday to stockholders. But the company continually returned to the conclusion that Sprint’s $2.97 per share offer (translating to nearly $2.2 billion for shareholders) was not only the best deal but really the only deal that would save Clearwire before its liquidity runs dry.
B&N to Offer Google Play on Nook Tablets
May 6, 2013 9:50 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAlong with lowering the price of its Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets, Barnes & Noble has announced that it will be adding Google Play access to those devices. The move will gives its users unfettered access to all of the apps and content in the Google Play store...
New Efforts to Curb Cellphone Theft
May 6, 2013 9:20 am | by Terry Collins, Associated Press | News | CommentsIn San Francisco, where half the robberies were phone-related last year, District Attorney George Gascon is calling on major companies in nearby Silicon Valley to create new technology such as a "kill switch" to permanently and quickly disable stolen smart phones, making them worthless to thieves.
App Lets Amputees Program Their Own Bionic Hands
May 6, 2013 9:18 am | by Kathy Metheson, Associated Press | News | CommentsDouble-amputee Jason Koger used to fly hundreds of miles to visit a clinician when he wanted to adjust the grips on his bionic hands. Now, he's got an app. Koger came to Philadelphia this week to demonstrate the i-limb ultra revolution, a prosthetic developed by the British firm Touch Bionics.
US Cellular Embraces iPhone After Rejecting It
May 3, 2013 3:26 pm | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsU.S. Cellular, the fifth largest cellphone company and the only major one to resist the iPhone, says it's going to start selling it this year. CEO Mary Dillon announced the reversal Friday on a call with investors and analysts. She didn't specify exactly when the company would start...
First News Briefs for May 3, 2013
May 3, 2013 10:32 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsAxiologix, Inc., an international technology and services organization focused on cloud-based products and services, today announces a joint venture company, Axiocomm LLC, in equal partnership with ePath Communications, a Florida-based company deploying municipal wireless broadband networks.
Report: McAdam Hints at Withholding Vodafone Payments
May 3, 2013 10:25 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsVerizon Wireless may be tightening the screws on Vodafone, in an effort to force the European carrier to sell off its 45 percent of the Verizon Wireless joint venture. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam hinted...
U.S. Cellular Profits Down 92 Percent, 74K Postpaid Losses
May 3, 2013 9:54 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsU.S. Cellular posted a net income of $4.9 million for its first quarter of 2013, down a considerable 97 percent from the $62.5 million it posted in the same quarter last year. Similarly, diluted EPS for the quarter sank to $0.06, down from the $0.73 EPS it posted in the first quarter of 2012.
U.S. Operators Drop $30.1B in CapEx in 2012
May 3, 2013 9:43 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAlthough the United States accounts for just 5 percent of total global wireless subscribers, American Wireless providers accounted for 25 percent of the world's total wireless capital expenditures, according to a new report from CTIA...
Pentagon Clears Use of Samsung's Devices
May 3, 2013 9:13 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsSamsung Electronics Co. says the U.S. Department of Defense has approved using Samsung smartphones for its networks. The South Korean company said Friday the Galaxy S4 smartphone has become the first Android device to meet the security requirements set out by the U.S. government...
Intel Taps COO Krzanich as Chipmaker's Next CEO
May 3, 2013 8:59 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsIntel, one of the pillars of Silicon Valley, is following its traditions and promoting an insider to the job of CEO. The world's largest chipmaker is tasking Chief Operating Officer Brian Krzanich with steering it through an industry shake-up that is seeing tablets and smartphones overshadow...
Facebook Milks Its Mobile Push in 1Q
May 2, 2013 10:22 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsIf Facebook Home, the company’s new people-first overlay for Android, further confirms Facebook’s commitment to mobile, than the company’s first quarter numbers show that commitment paying off. While Facebook’s annual EPS held steady at $0.09, the company managed to boost its revenue 38 percent over the first quarter of 2012 to $1.46 billion. Its adjusted profits saw an increase too, rising 7 percent annually to $219 million.
First News Briefs for May 2, 2013
May 2, 2013 10:19 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsGE today announced the availability of the latest firmware upgrade for its UR (Universal Relay) and URPlus platforms, designed to eliminate failover time when a network failure occurs by delivering zero latency. By introducing Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP), this firmware release allows customers to make two local area networks (LANs) active to ensure that if one fails, the other immediately takes over.
