Aug. 16, 2010 at 6:44 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Cell phones,
Wireless,
Work culture
From the Chicago Sun-Times
With cell-phone related crashing costing $43 billion a year and average claims costing companies an average $100,000 more corporate fleet managers are tightening policies on texting and talking on the phone while using company cars.
Now, about 63 percent of its companies have a written policy prohibiting the use of phones and other wireless communication devices while driving. Of companies that ban the practice, 32.7 percent bar any electronic device, while 67.3 percent say employees may use hands-free but not hand-held devices.
By Problem Solver
According to recent data from The Nielsen Co., 29 percent of BlackBerry users and 21 percent of Android users have contemplated switching to an iPhone. Nearly 90 percent of iPhone owners plan to purchase another iPhone for their next mobile device, while 71 percent of Android users plan to continue using their current device, and only 42 percent of BlackBerry users want another one.
By Los Angeles Times
News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch is embarking on an ambitious plan for a new national digital newspaper to be distributed exclusively as paid content for tablet computers such as Apple Inc.’s iPad and mobile phones.
The initiative, which would directly compete with the New York Times, USA Today and other national publications, is the latest attempt by a major media organization to harness sexy new devices to reach readers who increasingly consume their news on the go. The development underscores how the iPad is transforming reading habits much like the iPod changed how people listen to music.
By Reuters
The majority of Americans do not favor making affordable high-speed Internet access a government priority, according to a study released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project on Wednesday. Get the full story »
Aug. 11, 2010 at 10:31 a.m.
Filed under:
Cell phones,
Earnings,
Wireless
By Dow Jones Newswires
Verizon Communications Inc. Chief Financial Officer John Killian compared the wireless arm’s lead in profitability to Tiger Wood’s dominance on the golf course.
“We will maintain the Tiger Woods position on top of the world in terms of profitability,” Killian told analysts during an investor conference on Wednesday.
In reference to Woods’ recent struggles, Killian said that people keep wanting to chip away at the star athlete, much like critics are attempting to chip away at Verizon Wireless’s lead in profitability. Instead, the business is widening its lead, he said. Get the full story »
By Wailin Wong
Motorola unveiled Tuesday its follow-up to the Droid smartphone it released last year, introducing a new handset with a redesigned keyboard and other improvements.
The Droid 2 will be available for online pre-sales on Wednesday and in-store sales at Verizon Wireless on Thursday. It will cost $199.99 after a mail-in rebate and requires a two-year contract and a smartphone data plan.
The original Droid was released in November at Verizon Wireless to generally positive reviews, although some users had gripes with the keyboard. Motorola said the new Droid 2 has a new keyboard “with raised keys for more responsive typing,” and also features increased processing power and the ability to be a mobile hotspot for up to five WiFi-enabled devices. The hotspot feature costs an extra $20 per month. Get the full story »
Aug. 9, 2010 at 2:17 p.m.
Filed under:
Cell phones,
Entertainment,
Internet,
Video,
Wireless
From Bloomberg News | AT&T is making its U-verse television service available to users of the Apple iPhone and Reasearch in Motion BlackBerry.
Aug. 5, 2010 at 8:27 a.m.
Filed under:
Cell phones,
Earnings,
Telecommunications,
Wireless
By Dow Jones Newswires
Second-quarter earnings at Telephone & Data Systems Inc. and its U.S. Cellular Corp. business declined, while U.S. Cellular lost fewer overall subscribers than it did a year earlier.
Earnings for both companies missed analysts’ expectations, and U.S. Cellular also lowered its guidance for full-year service revenue to $3.93 billion to $4 billion from $3.98 billion to $4.08 billion. Get the full story »
Aug. 4, 2010 at 1:21 p.m.
Filed under:
Cell phones,
Consumer news,
Internet,
Wireless
By Julie Wernau
AT&T is launching a Wi-Fi “hot zone” in Chicago’s Wrigleyville as part of a pilot program that seeks to supplement the company’s beleaguered broadband network.
This will be the third Wi-Fi zone set up by the company, which is setting up the zones in area with the highest traffic and mobile data use. The first pilot was launched in New York City’s Times Square in May and was followed by a hot zone in downtown Charlotte, N.C. Get the full story »
By Reuters
Research In Motion pledged to satisfy the security needs of customers and governments, a day after the United Arab Emirates threatened to cut off some BlackBerry services because authorities could not access encrypted messaging data.
In the latest of several disputes over BlackBerry security, the UAE said over the weekend that it would suspend BlackBerry Messenger, email and Web browser services from Oct. 11 until it could access encrypted messages. Get the full story »
Aug. 2, 2010 at 1:49 p.m.
Filed under:
Cell phones,
Consumer electronics,
Wireless
By Dow Jones Newswires
Google Inc.’s Android has overtaken Apple Inc.’s iPhone in the high-profile smartphone sweepstakes, according to one market research firm.
New smartphone subscribers choosing Android handsets accounted for 27 percent of U.S. smartphone sales in the first half of the year, surpassing the 23 percent share held by Apple’s wildly popular phones, the Nielsen Company said Monday. Get the full story »
July 30, 2010 at 5:24 p.m.
Filed under:
Computers,
Technology,
Updated,
Wireless
By Dow Jones Newswires
Research in Motion Ltd. plans to introduce a tablet computer in November to compete with Apple Inc. iPad, Bloomberg News reported Friday on its website, citing two people familiar with RIM’s plans.
The computer, to be called Blackpad, will include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology, allowing users to connect to the Internet through BlackBerry smartphones. It is to be priced in line with the iPad, which starts around $499, one person said. Get the full story »
By Reuters
Two security experts said on Friday they released a tool for attacking smartphones that use Google Inc’s Android operating system to persuade manufacturers to fix a bug that lets hackers read a victim’s email and text messages.
“It wasn’t difficult to build,” said Nicholas Percoco, head of Spider Labs, who along with a colleague, released the tool at the Defcon hacker’s conference in Las Vegas on Friday.
Percoco said it took about two weeks to build the malicious software that could allow criminals to steal precious information from Android smartphones. Get the full story »
By Reuters
Amazon.com launched a cheaper, wireless-only Kindle Wednesday, betting that the $139 price will turn its latest electronic reader into a mass-appeal device as Apple Inc’s iPad gains ground.
The world’s largest online retailer and leading e-reader seller also revealed its third generation Kindle, some 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the previous version, but still priced at $189.
Amazon does not give sales figures for the Kindle, but said last week that its growth rate tripled after it cut its price on the device from $259 and said e-books were outselling hardcover books. Apple has said it sold more than 3 million iPads, starting at $499, since the product was introduced in April. Get the full story »
July 29, 2010 at 7:22 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer electronics,
Technology,
Wireless
From the New York Times
Online retail giant Amazon.com plans to introduce two new versions of the Kindle e-reader on Thursday, one for $139, the lowest price yet for the device.
