October 2004 articles

NEC e232 preview

Oct 29 2004 - 04:59 PM ET | Cingular, Rumor
Om Malik provides a preview of the upcoming NEC e232. It's an attempt by NEC to tap into the US consumer level mobile phone market. Features of the NEC e232 include: * Fitness applications(BMI index, calorie counting, max heart rate...

Verizon Wireless completes spectrum buy in NY

Oct 29 2004 - 02:51 PM ET | Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless today completed its purchase of 10 MHz in the 1.9 GHz PCS frequency range over New York City. According to the company, the license will be used to expand Verizon Wireless' network capacity to meet customers' growing demand...

McDonalds and JAMDAT team up

Oct 29 2004 - 02:44 PM ET | In The News
McDonalds has teamed up with JAMDAT Mobile to provide free mobile phone games as prizes in the latest McDonalds instant win game. Three titles for mobiles are being given away: # Bowling # SPORTS Golf 2004 # Solitaire The availability...

Motorola intros 4 Bluetooth products

Oct 29 2004 - 02:32 PM ET | Accessories, Bluetooth, Motorola
Motorola yesterday announced four new Bluetooth accessories, including three hands free headsets. *Motorola Wireless Headset HS850 with Bluetooth* - Upgraded from the award winning HS810 headset. The HS850 features improved battery life, improved loudness and audio quality, and comes equipped...

T-Mobile Germany goes PoC

Oct 29 2004 - 02:25 PM ET | Nokia, Push-to-talk, T-Mobile
T-Mobile Germany has annnounced plans to launch push-to-talk over cellular or PoC, a Nokia standard for PTT. The new feature will start in the fourth quarter and will be be Europe's first commercial PoC service. It is expected to make...

Verizon Wireless earnings up big

Oct 29 2004 - 02:21 PM ET | Verizon Wireless
Verizon Communications yesterday reported its third quarter earnings and wireless revenues were up 23%. Here are some of the highlights: * 1.7 million net customer additions (42.1 million total customers) * $7.3 billion in revenue * Average monthly service revenue...

Kyocera recalls 1M batteries

Oct 28 2004 - 02:04 PM ET | Kyocera
Kyocera Wireless today announced a recall of over 1 million mobile phone batteries, citing a possible burn danger. The problem stems from counterfeit batteries somehow making it into production phones shipping to consumers. The affected models are Kyocera Slider, K400,...

BenQ P30 finally launched

Oct 28 2004 - 01:43 PM ET | Smartphone
BenQ has launched its high-end P30 smartphone. The BenQ P30 runs Symbian's UIQ OS that is also used on the Sony Ericsson P900. Features of the P30 include: * Only 17 mm thick * 2.66 inch 208x320 pixel 262k color...

Caller ID spoofing

Oct 28 2004 - 01:28 PM ET | In The News
SecurityFocus notes that a company called Camophone has launched a service open to the public that allows caller ID to be spoofed. It costs 5¢ a minute and is available to anyone with a PayPal account. There are obvious privacy...

Sony Ericsson S710a on Cingular in December

Oct 28 2004 - 12:49 AM ET | Cingular
Cingular will launch the Sony Ericsson S710a in December, for $399. The S710a is the EDGE enabled US version of the S700 and will be a Cingular exclusive. Yesterday we linked to a review of the S700. Features of the...

Sprint backs off on Bluetooth crippling

Oct 27 2004 - 01:34 PM ET | Bluetooth, Sprint Nextel
Thanks to a lot of complaints, Sprint has clarified its position on Bluetooth tethering. It came out this week that users would not be able to tether with the new Treo 650. Tethering allows users to glean internet access on...

Cingular / AT&T consumer FAQ

Oct 27 2004 - 01:13 PM ET | AT&T Wireless, Cingular
We've heard from lots of AT&T Wireless customers that want to know what will happen to their phone/plan/service in the coming weeks. In case you missed it, Cingular's buyout of AT&T Wireless got approval from the FCC yesterday and the...

palmOne, Audi team up for Treo pairing

Oct 26 2004 - 08:34 PM ET | Bluetooth, Palm, Rumor
MobileTracker can exclusively reveal that PDA giant palmOne has inked a deal with luxury car maker Audi to enable automatic Bluetooth pairing between the Treo 650 and Audi cars. The car will automatically become your handsfree device. Details of the...

Sony Ericsson S700 review

Oct 26 2004 - 08:25 PM ET | Sony Ericsson
Matt Maier, a guest columnist at GigaOm, penned a quick review of the Sony Ericsson S700. According to Matt, the S700 is popular with Sony Ericsson representatives, which should speak for itself. Overall he liked the device. According to various...

Sony Ericsson Z500A Cingular launch soon

Oct 26 2004 - 07:50 PM ET | Cingular, Rumor, Sony Ericsson
Update 12/10/04 The Sony Ericcson Z500a has been launched. Cingular's launch of the Sony Ericsson Z500A appears to be in the very near future. Besides being a prize in Cingular's $25,000 IM sweepstakes, the phone appears in a two-page spread...

Billboard ringtone charts [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 26 2004 - 04:26 PM ET | Ringtones
CTIA announced today that is sponsoring ringtone sales charts from Billboard, the top music trade publication. The ringtone chart will debut November 6th in Billboard, using data from Consect. bq. Beginning next week, Billboard will publish the Top 20 ringtone...

Logitech announces handsfree line [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 26 2004 - 04:22 PM ET | Accessories
Logitech today announced a new line of mobile phone headsets at the CTIA IT expo. Logitech EasyFit Mobile headsets consist of nine separate phone connectors and five different earpieces. The nine separate mobile phone connectors available for the Logitech EasyFit...

RAZR V3 to ship in US soon

Oct 26 2004 - 02:05 PM ET | Motorola, Rumor
The Motorola RAZR V3 will begin to ship in the US soon according to a email sent out to potential customers by Motorola. The email was sent to people who previously requested to be updated on the RAZR's release schedule....

FCC approves Cingular / AT&T Wireless approved

Oct 26 2004 - 01:57 PM ET | AT&T Wireless, Cingular
As expected, the FCC today announced conditional approval of Cingular's $41 billion buyout of AT&T Wireless. Yesterday the Department Of Justice approved the deal, making the FCC the final hurdle. As of this morning the merger is complete, with Cingular...

Sony Ericsson GC89 EDGE card [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 26 2004 - 01:19 AM ET | Data, Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson yesterday announced a new EDGE data card for laptop computers. The Sony Ericsson GC89 is a quad-band EDGE card with support for EDGE class 10 (up to 247 kbps). Besides EDGE, the GC89 also supports WiFi (802.11b and...

Verizon Wireless intros new PIM features [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 26 2004 - 12:57 AM ET | Data, Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless yesterday announced new Enhanced Personal Information Management (ePIM) features, for Pocket Outlook on Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003. The new features are available on both Microsoft QuickStart and SmartStart programs for Exchange Server 2003 Mobile Messaging. They are: *...

Sprint courts businesses

Oct 26 2004 - 12:50 AM ET | Sprint Nextel
Sprint PCS yesterday announced a new inititive to increase sales to business customers. According to the company, Sprint will be the first major telecommunications provider to offer complete, end-to-end management of wireless devices and services for business customers. bq. Until...

Sharp introduces 2.2-inch QCIF+ LCD display

Oct 26 2004 - 12:43 AM ET | Sharp
Sharp introduced a new 2.2-inch QCIF+ LCD display for mobile phones and PDAs that is specialized at showing text, still photos and video. According to Sharp, the 176x220 pixel display is thin, rugged, lightweight, features low power consumption, fast response...

Phone night vision filter causing problems

Oct 26 2004 - 12:38 AM ET | Camera
A filter for the V602 SH camera phone from Vodafone K.K. that allows users to take pictures in the dark is catching negative press for the lesser known feature that lets it see through certain clothing. This is a similar...

Nokia, Sony Ericsson join SD Association [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 25 2004 - 08:17 PM ET | Nokia, Sony Ericsson
Nokia and Sony Ericsson have become members of the SD Association, a group promoting the use of the SD memory format. MobileTracker noted back in September that Nokia had filed for admission. Nokia joined the SDA as a member of...

Wireless subscribers up 14.5% [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 25 2004 - 03:31 PM ET | In The News
CTIA, the Wireless Association, today announced at its IT conference that the number of wireless subscribers in the US increased 14.5% during twelve-month period ending June 2004. Total subscribership is now estimated to be more than 170 million. Networks are...

DOJ approves Cingular / AT&T Wireless deal

Oct 25 2004 - 03:16 PM ET | AT&T Wireless, Cingular
The US Department of Justice has just approved Cingular's $41 billion buyout of rival carrier AT&T Wireless. The FCC is expected to announce its approval of the deal later today or possibly tomorrow. The DOJ approval is hinged on Cingular...

Sprint announces Treo 650 availability

Oct 25 2004 - 12:37 PM ET | Palm, Smartphone, Sprint Nextel
Sprint PCS became the first carrier to officially announce that it will carry the new Treo 650. It will launch next month with a retail price of $599.99. Sprint business customers will also have the option to purchase a non-camera...

Sony Ericsson T290 announced

Oct 25 2004 - 11:42 AM ET | Sony Ericsson
The Sony Ericsson T290 was announced today, it joins the Sony Ericsson J200 as a new entry level phone from the company. Features of the T290 include: * 101 x 80 pixel 4K color screen * 32 chord polyphonic ringtones...

Sony Ericsson J200 announced

Oct 25 2004 - 11:38 AM ET | Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson today announced the J200, a entry level mobile phone. Features of the Sony Ericsson J200 include: * 128 x 128 pixel 4K color screen * 40 chord polyphonic ringtones * Stereo FM Radio * Infared The J200, is...

Audiovox 8940 announced [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 25 2004 - 11:31 AM ET | 3G, UTStarcom (Audiovox), Verizon Wireless
Audiovox today announced the CDM-8940, the first phone from the company to ship with EV-DO high-speed data. Features of the 8940 include: * Two 260K color TFT displays (internal/external) * MiniSD memory card slot * 1.3 megapixel camera with video...

Treo 650 officially announced

Oct 25 2004 - 12:19 AM ET | Palm, Sony Ericsson
As expected, palmOne has officially announced the Treo 650 smartphone. It's the replacement to the smash hit Treo 600, and adds quite a bit: * Improved 320 x 320 display (Vs. 160 x 160) * 312MHz Intel processor (vs. 144Mhz...

PPC-6601 launches on Sprint PCS [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 25 2004 - 12:14 AM ET | Smartphone, Sprint Nextel, UTStarcom (Audiovox)
Sprint PCS today launched the Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device Audiovox PPC-6601 at the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment 2004 trade show in San Francisco. The new device will be available next month through Sprint business channels. The Audiovox PPC-6601...

Cartoon Network, Adult Swim come to Sprint PCS

Oct 25 2004 - 12:07 AM ET | Data, Sprint Nextel
Sprint PCS inked a deal with Turner Broadcasting System's Cartoon Network to bring mobile content from Adult Swim and the Cartoon Network to Sprint PCS handsets. Adult Swim is what Cartoon Network changes to during the late night / early...

Cingular / AT&T Wireless merger approval on Monday

Oct 24 2004 - 08:35 PM ET | AT&T Wireless, Cingular, In The News
Sources close to the situation believe the FCC will announce approval for Cingular's $41 billion takeover of AT&T Wireless tomorrow. The vote has already taken place and the deal was approved with the expected concessions: bq. To satisfy the antitrust...

Nokia entering games, media market [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 24 2004 - 08:27 PM ET | Nokia
The Wall Street Journal is reporting [Subscription req.] in tomorrow's issue that cell phone giat Nokia will begin to offer carriers a list of Nokia approved games, ringtones, screensavers, images and videos. In exchange, Nokia will get a commission on...

This week in mobile news [10/23/04]

Oct 23 2004 - 12:54 PM ET | In The News
Due to popular demand, we're going to start highlighting the biggeset stories of the week on Saturday's. If you've missed something, here's your chance to catch up. Posted in chronological order (oldest posts first). * Motorola MPx 220 went on...

Treo 650 announcement on Monday [CTIA IT 04]

Oct 22 2004 - 04:16 PM ET | Palm
palmOne is set to announce the widely rumored Treo 650 smartphone on Monday at the CTIA conference in San Francisco. The device is certainly no secret, rumors of it have spread for over 8 months. Several photo sets have even...

LexisNexis improves BlackBerry support for lawyers

Oct 22 2004 - 12:23 PM ET | Data, Research In Motion
LexisNexis announced that it has improved its support for access by BlackBerry mobile devices. The update was aimed at legal professionals who need on the go access to court cases. LexisNexis notes that this can help out lawyers in many...

Ringback service finally launches

Oct 22 2004 - 12:16 PM ET | Ringtones
While not a national release, a US carrier was launched a ringback service (just about 11 months after it was supposed to come to the US). Preferred Voice is powering a solution for regional carrier First Cellular of Southern Illinois....

Java bug could lead to hacked phones

Oct 22 2004 - 11:56 AM ET | In The News
The Register is reporting on a security flaw in mobile Java that could allow hackers to gain control of users' mobile phones. This is one of the first major security problems for a large number of mobile phones. bq. Exploits...

Cell phone market growth slowing?

Oct 22 2004 - 11:51 AM ET | In The News
Ericsson said in its quarterly financial statement that it sees the growth of the cell phone market slowing during 2005. The announcement sent shares of Ericsson down, despite positive earnings news. bq. Booming mobile subscriber growth, which will see a...

Nextel Q3 profits

Oct 22 2004 - 11:48 AM ET | Nextel
Nextel today announced its third quarter profits: * Net income of $588 million, up 69% * Revenue of $2.89, up 18% * 550,000 net subscriber adds, 14.5 million total * Average revenue per customer, $69, down $2 Turnover (or churn)...

Motorola V710 problems admitted

Oct 21 2004 - 01:05 AM ET | Motorola
Om Malik writes that Motorola has confirmed there are big problems with its Motorola V710 CDMA mobile phone. The information was revealed in a conference call. bq. The alignment of the camera module is off center causing a recall and...

Samsung intros mobile VGA TFT-LCD driver IC

Oct 21 2004 - 01:00 AM ET | Samsung
Samsung today announced that it has developed the world's first, "VGA-class TFT-LCD driver IC for mobile phones." The new technology is able to display VGA (480x640) resolution on a half-VGA (240x640) sized screen. Accordingn to Samsung this works by: bq....

Sprint testing fixed wireless solution

Oct 20 2004 - 04:18 PM ET | Sprint Nextel
Sprint is now testing a device that allows customers who want to have the ease of being all wireless but do not want to use their cell phone when at home. The Phonecell SX5T fixed wireless terminal hooks into Sprint's...

Cingular Q3 2004 earnings

Oct 20 2004 - 01:57 PM ET | Cingular
Cingular's third quarter 2004 earnings were announced today: Numbers are compared to the year ago quarter. * Revenue of $4.3 billion, up rose 4.9% * Operating income of $461 million, down 5.5% * 657,000 subscriber net gain, 25.7 million total...

Cingular starts $25K IM sweepstakes

Oct 19 2004 - 11:29 PM ET | Cingular
Cingular today kicked off a new sweepstakes aimed to start more users to use instant messaging functions. To enter just text the word IM from your Cingular mobile phone to short code 2274 ("CASH"). Then, each time you send or...

Samsung SCH-250, 5 megapixel camera phone

Oct 19 2004 - 11:23 PM ET | Samsung
Samsung's new SCH-250 is a five megapixel camera phone--a world first. It should come out in South Korea next week and will cost about $800 US. Specs are still frustratingly limited, but the Samsung SCH-250 will have 90MB of RAM...

Motorola earnings strong on phone sales

Oct 19 2004 - 05:04 PM ET | Motorola
Motorola's third quarter 2004 results are strong thanks to brisk sales of mobile phones. The company reported a net income triple the same quarter last year. Here are the numbers: * Net income of $479 million or 20 cents a...

High memory SIM cards

Oct 19 2004 - 04:53 PM ET | Staff Picks
Om Malik is excited about M-Systems, an Israeli company with a big idea for the common SIM card (the card that ships with all GSM phone, holding numbers and identifying the phone number)--put lots of memory on them! It's hard...

AT&T Wireless Q3 results

Oct 19 2004 - 04:49 PM ET | AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless reported a profit of 4¢ per share for the third quarter of 2004. That's two cents higher than last quarter, but two cents lower than the same quarter last year. Net customer additions were 170,000, or 26% higher...

Top selling mobile appications

Oct 19 2004 - 03:24 PM ET | Data
Handango has announced the top selling applications for September 2004. Also noted was the average price for mobile applications rose for the third month in a row to $17.92. These listings and statistics only include applications Handango sells. Top five...

Mobile phone throwing record

Oct 19 2004 - 03:18 PM ET | In The News
A German has set the record for throwing a mobile phone the farthest distance. We mentioned a similar competition back in July 2003, but this year's contest set a record--67.5 meters (221 feet). The previous record was 65.8 meters, set...

4 megapixel camera phone module announced

Oct 19 2004 - 03:14 PM ET | Camera
Mitsubishi today announced a breakthrough 4 megapixel camera phone module. It's a CCD type (not CMOS which results in lower quality) and can record VGA resolution video at 30 frames per second. The new modules should be shipping in volume...

Samsung C225 launched by T-Mobile

Oct 18 2004 - 03:10 PM ET | T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA today added the Samsung C225 to its phone lineup. The C225 is an update to the Samsung R225, a long shipping phone from T-Mobile. The Samsung C225 is an entry level phone: * 128x128 pixel 65,000 color screen...

BlackBerry 7270, WiFi/VoIP savvy

Oct 18 2004 - 12:16 PM ET | Research In Motion
Research In Motion is busy showing off its new BlackBerry 7270 at the Gartner ITXPO Symposium. The 7270 is the first BlackBerry with 802.11b WiFi. The 7270 can harness wireless networks to make Voice over IP phone calls. bq. The...

AT&T Wireless drops MPx200, re-ups T721

Oct 18 2004 - 12:30 AM ET | AT&T Wireless, Motorola
AT&T Wireless today adjusted its phone lineup, removing the Motorola MPx200 and adding the once dropped Motorola T721. The T721 can be purchased for $49.99 and includes basic features like a color screen and J2ME Java. Because of the age...

Churches jamming cellphones

Oct 17 2004 - 05:15 PM ET | In The News
The Associated Press has an article about churches and other generally quite places around the world installing cell phone jamming equipment to keep areas quite. Though the article didn't mention any locations in the US (where such equipment is illegal...

RIM to launch in India

Oct 17 2004 - 05:08 PM ET | Research In Motion
Om Malik notes that Research In Motion is expected to bring its BlackBerry device line to India this week via Bharti Telecom, India's largest GSM carrier. There's no official word on what devices will launch, but Om wouldn't be surprised...

Motorola MPx220 goes on sale today

Oct 17 2004 - 05:04 PM ET | Motorola
As we reported last week, today marks is the nationwide launch of the Motorola MPx220 at BestBuy stores. Currently the phone is a BestBuy exclusive, but it should find its way into Cingular retail stores before too long. The Windows...

MPx220 national starting Sunday

Oct 15 2004 - 10:06 AM ET | Motorola
The Motorola MPx220 smartphone will be available nationwide from BestBuy stores starting Sunday, October 17th. The Windows Mobile powered smartphone began selling from select BestBuy stores last week. Look for the MPx220 in Cingular retail stores later next month. Features...

Verizon in NextWave airwaves talks

Oct 14 2004 - 06:47 PM ET | Rumor, Verizon Wireless
According to Reuters, Verizon Wireless is in talks to purchase wireless airwaves rights from NextWave. The deal is valued at $3 billion for around 20 NextWave licenses. Details are scarce, and the story is sourced by an anonymous contact "close...

Sony Ericcson profits surge 45%

Oct 14 2004 - 01:55 PM ET | Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson's third quarter earnings are impressive: All data is relative to Q3 2003 * 10.7 million phones shipped, a 51% increase * Euro 1.68 billion in revenue, a 29% increase * Profit was Euro 90 million, a 45% increase...

Nokia earnings down 20%

Oct 14 2004 - 01:48 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia's third quarter profits are a mixture of good and bad news: Nokia beat its expectations but net profit was down 20%. With a net profit of €660 million ($813.6 million US) the Finnish mobile phone giant is still quite...

Motorola announces 6 new clamshells

Oct 14 2004 - 02:37 AM ET | Motorola
Motorola announced 6 new clamshell phones all in one swoop. Not a whole lot of information is available on each one at this time, which is why they all sound so similar... All of the new models include Bluetooth, a...

Motorola V535 announced

Oct 14 2004 - 02:29 AM ET | Motorola
The Motorola V535 is a new consumer oriented phone from Motrola. Announced today, the new handset is available in a choice of tactile black or blue. Features include: * Video playback and capture * Bluetooth * VGA camera * Picture...

Motorola V545 announced

Oct 14 2004 - 02:27 AM ET | Motorola
Motorola today announced the Motorola V545. The slender clamshell phone comes in, "soft touch black with silver" and has the following features: * Capture up to 12 seconds of video to share via MMS * VGA camera * Bluetooth The...

Motorola E550 announced

Oct 14 2004 - 02:24 AM ET | Motorola
The Motorola E550 is a black clad phone aimed at being fun. It's an update to the very popular Motorola V300. Available as a T-Mobile exclusive (Ed. Note: most likely not T-Mobile USA), the Motorola E550 sports: * Video playback...

Motorola V547 announced

Oct 14 2004 - 02:21 AM ET | Motorola
The Motorola V547 is a new phone from Motorola targeting business users. Features of the clamshell handset include: * EDGE high speed data * Bluetooth * 176 x 220 pixel 65,000 color display * Quad-band GSM * Speakerphone * Conference...

Motorola V550 announced

Oct 14 2004 - 02:17 AM ET | Motorola
The Motorola V550 is the successor to the Motorola V525 (AKA Motorola V505). Features of the small clamshell phone include: * Bluetooth * VGA camera with video recording and playback (12 seconds) Don't look for the V550 around the US...

Motorola V620 announced

Oct 14 2004 - 02:13 AM ET | Motorola
While no secret, Motorola finally took the wraps off the Motorola V620. The update to the popular V600 adds a sleek new black color, improved screen, video recording and more. Here's how the Motorola V620 stacks up: * 176 x...

FCC approves AT&T Wireless buyout, source

Oct 14 2004 - 02:03 AM ET | AT&T Wireless, Cingular
Reuters is reporting by way of an anonymous source that the FCC has approved Cingular's purchase of AT&T Wireless. Three of the five commissioners are said to have voted in favor of the deal, though with some divestitures in markets...

Mobile phones increase tumor risk, report

Oct 14 2004 - 01:58 AM ET | In The News
While the experts go back and forth on this topic, a new study out of Sweden says that extended mobile phone use increases the likelyhood of developing a certain type of tumor: bq. Ten or more years of mobile phone...

Google SMS to include driving directions?

Oct 13 2004 - 05:21 PM ET | Rumor, SMS
With last week's launch of Google SMS, the world's most popular search platform made a big entrance into the mobile space. The Google SMS service is limited to only a handful functions at this time, but MobileTracker believes the service...

KDDI announces music download service

Oct 13 2004 - 01:41 PM ET | Data
KDDI announced that it will launch the first music download service that actually sends songs to mobile phones. AT&T Wireless' music service only lets you preview and purchase songs--a PC does the downloading. However, KDDI's service will only start out...

Nokia's short film competition

Oct 13 2004 - 01:34 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia is asking for help in judging a short film competition for the UK. The "films" were all shot on mobile devices and don't go over 15-seconds. The winner gets a chance to work on a longer piece. Everyone who...

Motorola A668 details

Oct 12 2004 - 08:41 PM ET | Motorola
The FCC has information on the Motorola A668, a new phone from Motorola that sports finger writing recognition (FWR)... The keypad doubles as a input surface for finger writing. Features of the Motorola A668 include: * Megapixel camera with flash...

LG VX6100 launched by Verizon Wireless

Oct 12 2004 - 02:18 PM ET | LG Mobile Phone, Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless has launched the LG VX6100, the successor to LG's popular VX6000. Features of the VX6100 include: * VGA camera with flash and lens cover * cdma2000 1xRTT data * 128x160 pixel 262,000 color TFT main display * 96...

Motorola, MasterCard team for PayPass

Oct 12 2004 - 02:04 PM ET | Motorola
Motorola and MasterCard today announced a trial for PayPass, a wireless and cashless transaction system. The new "contactless" payment system works using Near Field Communications (NFC) technology. PayPass is similar to FeliCa, NTT DoCoMo's payment technology. To make a purchase,...

Audiovox 5600 launches on AT&T Wireless

Oct 12 2004 - 10:14 AM ET | AT&T Wireless, Smartphone, UTStarcom (Audiovox)
AT&T Wireless today launched the Audiovox SMT 5600, a Microsoft powered smartphone. While common with smartphones, the Audiovox SMT 5600 goes by several other names overseas: i-Mate Smartphone 3, C500, Qtek 8010, and Dopod 565. Features of the 5600 include:...

Kyocera sues Nokia for patent violations

Oct 11 2004 - 03:44 PM ET | Kyocera, Nokia
Early reports are flowing in about a lawsuit between Kyocera and Nokia. Kyocera states that Nokia is violating Kyocera's patents in 36 of its mobile phone models. It is not known what models Kyocera is claiming are violations, but the...

France OKs cell phone jamming

Oct 11 2004 - 02:25 PM ET | In The News
The AP has an article about the French goverment approving use of cell phone jamming equipment in certain locations. However, the jammers cannot block emergency calls (how this will be accomplished was not noted): bq. The government's industry minister has...

AARP lobbies against mobile phones

Oct 11 2004 - 02:44 AM ET | In The News
The New York Times has a piece today about the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) objecting to US cellular carriers' marketing towards senior citizens. The industry is looking towards people over 65 as the last untapped market. The AARP...

MPx220 for $249.99 at BestBuy

Oct 10 2004 - 10:32 PM ET | Bargain, Motorola, Smartphone
SlashPhone noticed that the BestBuy sunday-insert ad for select Sourthern California is advertising the Motorola MPx220 for just $249.99 with a 2-year Cingular contract. This deal is available in-store only. Last week MobileTracker noted select BestBuy stores were stocking the...

MobiTV for AT&T Wireless launches

Oct 10 2004 - 05:48 PM ET | AT&T Wireless, Data
MobiTV has linked up with AT&T wireless to provide its live TV streaming service to AT&T Wireless customers. Previously, MobiTV was limited to Sprint PCS customers. If you are an AT&T Wireless customer interested in the service it is only...

Kyocera K404 released by Verizon Wireless

Oct 08 2004 - 04:00 PM ET | Kyocera, Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless recently added the Kyocera K404 to its phone lineup. The entry level handset is similar to Kyocera's RAVE series, but lacks features like BREW for data access. Features of the Kyocera K404 include: * 104x90 pixel 4,096 color...

Motorola MPx220 launched by BestBuy

Oct 08 2004 - 03:48 PM ET | Motorola, Rumor, Smartphone
The highly anticipated Motorola MPx220 is starting a softlaunch at BestBuy stores nationwide. Reports of availibility have varied, but a Howard Forums user reports on sucess finding the phone at a BestBuy store in California. BestBuy stores in Tampa, Florida--where...

Siemens SX66 to be on AT&T Wireless

Oct 08 2004 - 12:28 PM ET | AT&T Wireless, Rumor, Smartphone
Mobile Gadget News is reporting that AT&T Wireless will carry the Siemens SX66. This device has a bunch of names: HTC Blue Angel / MDA III / XDA IIs Pocket PC Phone Edition. Features include: * Quad-band GSM * WiFi...

IEEE to tackle cell phone battery standards

Oct 07 2004 - 03:01 PM ET | In The News
IEEE is going to take on the challenge of creating standards for lithium-ion mobile phone batteries. bq. The new standard will seek to make cellular phone batteries more robust by setting uniform criteria for their design, production and evaluation. It...

Sony Ericsson GC79 data card launched on T-Mobile USA

Oct 07 2004 - 02:53 PM ET | T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA today launched the Sony Ericsson GC79 data access card. It's a combo GPRS and Wi-Fi card for laptop computers allowing customers to get the fastest connection possible. T-Mobile operates over 4,100 802.11b Wi-Fi hotspots across the nation. You...

Google SMS search beta launches

Oct 07 2004 - 02:13 PM ET | SMS
Google today announced Google SMS beta, a service that allows mobile phone users to search Google via text messages. Just send your query to 46645 (GOOGL on most phones) and you'll get back results in another text message. Currently the...

Samsung D500 announced

Oct 07 2004 - 01:41 PM ET | Samsung
Samsung today announced the SGH-D500, a high-end slide style mobile phone. The Samsung SGH-D500 includes many features that are not uncommon but have eluded Samsung phones until this point (Bluetooth, shared memory etc). Here are the specs: * 1.3 megapixel...

Baby Phat i833 announced

Oct 07 2004 - 10:13 AM ET | Motorola
Motorola today announced a customized version of its popular Motorola i830 mobile phone: the Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons i833 phone by Motorola. The limited edition phone is accented with 0.4 carats of real diamonds. The Baby Phat by...

Cingular to ship Opera on 6620

Oct 06 2004 - 12:53 PM ET | Cingular, Data
Opera Software announced today that Cingular Wireless will include Opera Mobile on the memory card that ships with its Nokia 6620 smartphone (launched last month). Just yesterday we noted that Opera will begin to ship as the default browser for...

Motorola i860 launched by Nextel

Oct 06 2004 - 12:39 PM ET | Motorola, Nextel
You can purchase the Motorola i860 from Amazon.com for just $124.99 after rebate. Nextel has launched the widely anticipated Motorola i860. This is the first iDEN handset with a digital camera. Main features of the handset include: * Main display:...

Sprint, Fujifilm team on cam phone prints

Oct 06 2004 - 12:32 PM ET | Camera, Sprint Nextel
Sprint PCS today announced a deal with Fujifilm that will allow Sprint's Picture Mail customers to send digital camera-phone pictures from their online Picture Mail album to any participating retail photofinisher. Currently Ritz Camera, Sam's Club and Wolf Camera are...

T-Mobile USA takes top retail satisfaction slot

Oct 06 2004 - 12:28 PM ET | T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA has been a customer service champ of late--the company was recently rated by J.D. Power and Associates for the best customer care and was just today awarded with with highest setail sales satisfaction. The J.D. Power and Associates...

Verizon Wireless launches backup service

Oct 06 2004 - 12:03 PM ET | Verizon Wireless
As expected, Verizon Wireless today announced a low-cost backup service for user's phonebooks. Backup Assistant works with with select Get It Now-enabled phones, including the LG VX6000. bq. Once customers sign up for Backup Assistant they can also view, edit...

Audiovox CDM-9900 photo preview

Oct 05 2004 - 04:19 PM ET | UTStarcom (Audiovox), Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless launched the Audiovox CDM-9900 just last week, but we have heard a lot of buzz about this phone already. MobileTracker has a 9900 in the office and will provide a full review shortly, but we've taken a few...

Opera Mobile default browser in UIQ 3.0

Oct 05 2004 - 02:45 PM ET | Data
Opera Software announced that the company's Opera Mobile web browser has been selected to be the default browser on UIQ 3.0, a user interface platform for Symbian OS. UIQ is used on Sony Ericsson's P800, P900, and P910; BenQ's P30...

Treo 650 to include Exchange Server syncing

Oct 05 2004 - 02:37 PM ET | Palm
palmOne has licensed Microsoft Exchange Server Synchronization Protocol to build into future Treo smartphones. The most anticipated (but not yet announced) future Treo is the Treo 650--it is expected to include the new software. The move to include Exchange should...

Nokia, Intel hook up for Series 60

Oct 05 2004 - 02:27 PM ET | Nokia, Smartphone
Nokia and Symbian today announced a partnership with Intel for chips in upcoming Nokia Series 60 mobile phones. The phones will use Intel's XScale processor, a chip already used in Windows Mobile based smartphones. bq. As part of its new...

AT&T Wireless launches mobile music store

Oct 05 2004 - 12:19 AM ET | AT&T Wireless, Data
AT&T Wireless today announced the mMode Music Store or what the company is calling, "The first-ever mobile music store in the US." The service ties in with Windows based personal computers to make the mobile phone a "Remote control" for...

Samsung E315 launched by T-Mobile

Oct 05 2004 - 12:16 AM ET | Samsung, T-Mobile
T-Mobile has launched the Samsung E315, a mid-range camera phone. The E315 is very similar to Cingular's E317 and AT&T Wireless' E316. Features of the Samsung E315 include: * VGA camera with video recording and digital zoom * Main display:...

Powell backs Cingular / ATT Wireless merger

Oct 04 2004 - 03:08 PM ET | AT&T Wireless, Cingular
FCC Chairman Michael Powell is in favor of Cingular's merger with AT&T Wireless according to sources that spoke with Reuters. The FCC is expected to make a decision on the $41 billion buyout in the next couple of weeks. Though...

Arima U300 smartphone showed off

Oct 04 2004 - 01:34 PM ET | Smartphone
Arima Group will be showing off a new smartphone at Symbian Expo on October 5 and 6 in London. The Arima U300 uses the UIQ 2.1 smartphone OS, made popular by the Sony Ericsson P900. Features of the U300 include:...

Nokia 7710 boasts TV features

Oct 04 2004 - 12:47 PM ET | Nokia
We have been covering Nokia 7710 rumors for a few weeks--Just last week a large picture set of the unannounced phone was leaked onto the internet, along with more detailed specs. Today Reuters jumps on the bandwagon and adds more...

Toshiba V602T announced by Vodafone K.K.

Oct 04 2004 - 02:10 AM ET | Vodafone
Vodafone K.K. today announced that it will begin to carry the Toshiba V602T starting in November. The phone will come in both "metal" and "ceramic" textural variations but other than that the features of the Toshiba V602T are the same:...

Samsung e317 launched by Cingular

Oct 04 2004 - 12:20 AM ET | Cingular, Samsung
Cingular Wireless last week started a soft launch of the Samsung e317. Most markets should see the phone now, but many Western readers have noted that it is not yet available. This launch confirms rumors contained in MobileTracker's report on...

Motorola MPx220 launch near

Oct 03 2004 - 01:21 PM ET | AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Motorola, Rumor, Smartphone
Chatter concerning the Motorola MPx220 has become more detailed in the last few days. Some claim that stores already have the device in stock. AT&T Wireless has images of the phone residing on its server: # Large # Small The...

Nokia 6230 launched by Cingular

Oct 02 2004 - 12:40 PM ET | Cingular, Nokia
Cingular Wireless has launched the Nokia 6230 (announced nearly 1-year ago), a hotly anticipated handset that the company has advertised for months. Features of the 6230 include: * EDGE high-speed data * Bluetooth * 128x128 pixel 65,000 color TFT display...

Nokia 7710 details surface

Oct 01 2004 - 04:16 PM ET | Nokia
More photos and specs of the Nokia 7710 have leaked [some images mirrored here and here]. The first rumors concerning the Nokia 7710 appeared last month, mostly in the form of a grainy image. Here's what we know so far:...

Sidekick II for $229 with no contract

Oct 01 2004 - 02:31 PM ET | Bargain, Danger, T-Mobile
The Sidekick II sells from T-Mobile for as low as $249.99 ($299.99 minus a $50 web-only rebate), but Amazon.com is selling it for $229 without contract. While marked as "coming soon", the price to purchase the phone only is a...

Nokia 7610 appears in Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog

Oct 01 2004 - 02:13 PM ET | Nokia
The Nokia 7610 appears in this year's Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. The famed catalog is known for extravagant and expensive gifts--pricey gifts this year include a blimp and a personal submarine. The Nokia 7610 is the only mobile phone shown...

Motorola RAZR V3 launches in UK

Oct 01 2004 - 01:41 PM ET | Motorola
The Motorola RAZR V3 is now available in the UK. Carphone Warehouse is selling the highly sought after device for as low as £49.99 (about $90 US) with a new activation from O2. You can also purchase the RAZR V3...

eZiText coming to Series 60

Oct 01 2004 - 01:28 PM ET | In The News
Zi's eZiText predictive text system is now compatible with Series 60 mobile phones. With this Series 60 Platform announcement, Zi is now pre-integrated on all the major operating system platforms for mobile phones. eZiText tries to one up other predictive...

Picture messaging slowly catching on

Oct 01 2004 - 01:18 PM ET | Camera
Forbes is running an article about the slow adoption rate of picture messaging (MMS typically) even though the sales of camera phones have gone through the roof. Pictures messages were one way carriers planned on increasing revenue per customer, a...