February 2006 articles

First mobile to PC virus found

Feb 28 2006 - 01:13 PM ET | Backpage, In The News, Miscellaneous
A research group, Mobile Antivirus Researchers Association (MARA), has found the first mobile phone to PC virus. Thankfully, it appears that the virus was sent directly to them instead of being found in the wild. The virus included the following...

Fifth Media introduces the AXIA A308 PDA Phone

Feb 28 2006 - 12:52 PM ET | Backpage, PDA Phone, Smartphone
Fifth Media has announced their new Axia A308 ahead of CeBit 2006, and is billing it as the world's smallest Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone. Details: Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Intel PXA272 CPU 416 MHz 128MB and 64MB RAM 2.2...

Moto Q undergoing friendly Verizon testing

Feb 28 2006 - 12:49 PM ET | Backpage, Motorola, Rumor, Smartphone
Ubergizmo is reporting a rumor that the Motorola Q may be undergoing "Friendly-User" testing soon. The rumor goes on to say that, "With that and a few extra things to be taken care of, we should be seeing the Q...

Sony Ericsson, Google in Blogging and Search Deal

Feb 28 2006 - 12:42 PM ET | Backpage, Sony Ericsson
Coming in the midst of a Walkman Mobile induced media frenzy, Google and Sony Ericsson have jointly announced a deal to put Google services on the new K610, K800, and K790. The first being a pre-loaded blogging application that...

Sony Ericsson HBV-PV705

Feb 28 2006 - 10:55 AM ET | Accessories, Backpage, Bluetooth, Sony Ericsson
The third headset Sony Ericsson announced today was the full-featured HBV-PV705. Designed for long wear, this lightweight “pen form” headset rests on the ear (not in the ear canal), for easy communication with those around you. The HBV-PV705 will...

Sony Ericsson HBV-GV435

Feb 28 2006 - 10:48 AM ET | Accessories, Backpage, Bluetooth, Sony Ericsson
The second Sony Ericsson headset announced today is the HBV-GV435. Designed for long wear the HBV-GV435 includes: DSP Auto Volume BT 2.0 Auto Paring The HBV-GV435 is expected to ship early in Q3 2006....

Sony Ericsson HBV-IV835

Feb 28 2006 - 10:41 AM ET | Accessories, Backpage, Bluetooth, Sony Ericsson
Today Sony Ericsson announced three new headsets, one of which is the diminutive HBV-IV835. This full-featured Bluetooth headset includes: DSP Auto Volume BT 2.0 Auto Paring The HBV-IV835 is expected to ship in mid Q2 2006....

Sony Ericsson K510 announced

Feb 28 2006 - 08:05 AM ET | Sony Ericsson
The Sony Ericsson K510 is a brand new affordable camera phone that will ship in a version ready for the US. The K510i will be for most of the world and the K510a for the Americas. Features are the same,...

Sony Ericsson Z530i announced

Feb 28 2006 - 07:49 AM ET | Sony Ericsson
As part of a winter product launch, Sony Ericsson today announced the Z530i. The mid-level clamshell will not make it to the US thanks to the tri-band radio. Features of the Z530i include: GSM 900/1800/1900 Bluetooth Memory Stick Micro slot...

Sony Ericsson W300i announced

Feb 28 2006 - 07:39 AM ET | Sony Ericsson
The Sony Ericsson W300i is the first clamshell style Walkman phone. It may also have a carrier deal in the US because of its quad-band GSM radio. Like other Walkman phones, the W300i sports a music player, stereo headphones and...

Sony Ericsson K800i and K790 announced

Feb 28 2006 - 07:24 AM ET | Sony Ericsson
Bringing another Sony brand into the cellphone market, Sony Ericsson today unveiled the Cyber-shot branded K800i and K790. Specs and photos of the K800i leaked earlier this month, but the company made the official announcement this morning. The difference between...

MobileTracker celebrates three years

Feb 28 2006 - 12:00 AM ET | Site News
It's hard to believe, but today begins MobileTracker's third year of publication. Our first post (however embarassingly short and lame it may be) was on February 28th 2003. Our second post was slightly more interesting, spyshots of the Matrix phone....

Mobizzo, Sprint, MTV, all want your Mobile TV

Feb 27 2006 - 03:15 PM ET | 3G, In The News, Ringtones, Sprint Nextel
After a slew of announcements it looks as if everyone wants in on the mobile TV bandwagon. Today, international powerhouse News Corp. owners of Fox TV and Sky TV, announced a new portal, Mobizzo, to sell ringtones and graphics, leveraging...

CBS intros paid mobile video alerts

Feb 27 2006 - 09:16 AM ET | Data, In The News
CBS today introduced two mobile video alert services that its calling CBS News to Go and E.T. to Go. Around five alerts will be sent out daily and right now the same alerts will be sent to everyone, but...

SanDisk announces 4GB Memory Stick DUO Pro

Feb 27 2006 - 12:12 AM ET | Accessories, Sony Ericsson
SanDisk announced a 4GB Memory Stick DUO Pro at PMA on Sunday. The new chip doubles the previous best of 2GB. While it's being marketed to megabyte hungry digital photographers, it will also work fine in a Sony Ericsson...

Yahoo launches S60 geotagging software

Feb 27 2006 - 12:07 AM ET | Camera, Unique
Over the weekend, Yahoo released some interesting alpha geotagging software called Zonetag. It's built for Nokia S60 mobile phones and automatically tags photos with the location where they were taken according to info from the cellular towers the phone...

Nokia makes US top priority

Feb 25 2006 - 02:14 PM ET | Nokia
Nokia is the worldwide top mobile phone maker, but its sales lag in the US market. The company's incoming CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, is making the US his top priority. Kallasvuo will become CEO on June 1st when Jorma Ollila...

USPTO issues final rejection of second NTP patent

Feb 24 2006 - 12:30 PM ET | Research In Motion
While the BlackBerry injunction hearing is taking place, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a final rejection of another NTP patent that Research In Motion was found infringing upon. This is the second this week and leaves only...

NTP vs. RIM hearing coverage, no injunction today

Feb 24 2006 - 10:14 AM ET | Research In Motion
In this morning's remand hearing, NTP asked the court for $126 million in damages, in addition to undetermined royalties, and an immediate injunction of services in the US. "The world, we suggest, will not come to an end," said James...

Sprint PCS Picture Mail Groups announced

Feb 24 2006 - 10:10 AM ET | Sprint Nextel
Ahead of the Photo Marketing Association tradeshow, Sprint Nextel announced a new service dubbed Sprint PCS Picture Mail Groups that eases the process of sharing media captured with its phones. It's somewhat similar to Vizrea Snap, a beta service for...

NTP vs Research In Motion showdown preview

Feb 23 2006 - 04:38 PM ET | In The News, Research In Motion
UPDATE: Our coverage of the hearing is in progress. Tomorrow morning at 9AM ET, NTP Inc will and Research In Motion will meet for a remand hearing before the US District Court in Virginia. Judge James Spencer will preside and...

Adult content most popular for mobile Google

Feb 23 2006 - 12:21 PM ET | Backpage, Data
Google researchers let it slip that adult content is the most popular topic for mobile Google searches. Porn made up a full 20% of searches from cellphones, compared to 8.5% from desktops. The figures were pulled out of a...

Verisign looking to sell mobile biz, report

Feb 23 2006 - 12:11 PM ET | Backpage, Rumor
Verisign may be looking to exit the mobile business, if a report from Valleywag pans out. The company shelled out nearly $300 to buy Jambra (AKA Jamster), but that company is having a hard time sustaining growth. They also snapped...

Sony Ericsson K800i photos/specs leak

Feb 23 2006 - 12:03 PM ET | Rumor, Sony Ericsson
Rumors of the Sony Ericsson K800i have been circulating for a while, but new photos and a complete specs list were leaked onto a forum yesterday. The handset will be the next gen ahead of the popular K750i and may...

FCC approves Motorola RC car accessory

Feb 22 2006 - 03:56 PM ET | Accessories, Bluetooth, Motorola, Sprint Nextel, Unique
Motorola and Zigbee have recieved FCC approval today for an accessory dongle that can control Nikko RC cars. The Zigbee dongle can either plug into a traditional looking RC remote or to a Motorola iDen (Java application required on...

Cingular global MMS interoperability

Feb 22 2006 - 03:36 PM ET | Cingular, Data
It looks as if global MMS interoperability has finally made it to the US. Aicent has inked a deal with Cingular Wireless whereby Aicent's global MMS footprint will be available to Cingular customers. In essence this means that an interconnection...

Yahoo! Go Mobile to launch with Cingular

Feb 22 2006 - 03:10 PM ET | Backpage, Cingular, Nokia
Yahoo and Cingular have launched Yahoo! Go Mobile on the Nokia 6682. The software integrates S60 phones (but in the future more models) with Yahoo! services. Specifically, Yahoo! Go Mobile will connect email, messaging, address books, and calendar. An interesting...

T-Mobile MDA now shipping

Feb 22 2006 - 03:00 PM ET | Backpage, Smartphone, T-Mobile
The T-Mobile MDA is now shipping from T-Mobile USA. It was announced along with the SDA on February 13th. The feature-packed Windows Mobile smartphone is listed at $349.99 after a $50 rebate and 1-year contract. Since the device is...

Patent Office gives final rejection to one NTP patent

Feb 22 2006 - 02:52 PM ET | Research In Motion
The US Patent and Trademark Office has given a final rejection to one of the key patents (#6,067,451) in NTP's infringement lawsuit against Research In Motion. This is the first final ruling given by the USPTO, all others have...

Sprint Nextel profits fall in Q4 2005

Feb 22 2006 - 02:07 PM ET | Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel is reporting a 55% net drop in earning during Q4. This drop was even in the light of increased earnings, and is squarely to blame on acquisitions and merger costs. Sprint Nextel's Q4 net profit dropped to $197...

16% of US own two mobile phones

Feb 22 2006 - 02:06 PM ET | In The News
USA Today is reporting on a new survey that found 16% of American wireless customers have two mobile phones (one for business and another for personal use). Five years ago the figure was nearly zero. The study was performed...

Wireless rate plan comparison

Feb 21 2006 - 03:03 PM ET | Cingular, Sprint Nextel, Staff Picks, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless
The Wireless Report has done a survey of the plethora of plans, services and tiers in an attempt to define a baseline wireless customer to compare the top four U.S. wireless carriers in the U.S. The report sets the baseline...

Please turn on your phone...

Feb 21 2006 - 10:01 AM ET | Backpage, In The News, Miscellaneous
Cell phones often get the rap as being facilitators of bad manners in public, but the San Jose Museum of Art has the novel idea of getting it's patrons to listen instead of talk. During a current exibit, "Visual Politics:...

Symbian to lose market to Microsoft and Linux?

Feb 20 2006 - 11:30 AM ET | Backpage, Smartphone
ZD Net UK is reporting that by 2010 Microsoft and Linux Smartphones will surpass Symbian in units shipped. Quoting an analyst's report from the Diffusion Group, by 2010 "Symbian will see its market share halved to around 22 percent, while...

RIM CFO: Still open to 'reasonable' settlement

Feb 17 2006 - 03:18 PM ET | Research In Motion
Research In Motion CFO Dennis Kavelman noted today at the CIBC World Markets conference that his company is still open to a reasonable settlement with suitor NTP. Reuters quotes the exectutive, "You know if there's a reasonable settlement opportunity that...

Sidekick III images leak (again)

Feb 17 2006 - 11:58 AM ET | Danger, Rumor, T-Mobile
More images have leaked online purporting to be the T-Mobile Sidekick III (or Sidekcik 3, if they will drop the roman numerals). Ever since the Sidekick II began shipping in September 2004 there have been rumors of the third rev....

Samsung SGH-Z510 RAZR look alike

Feb 17 2006 - 10:52 AM ET | Samsung
This week during 3GSM Samsung dropped a number of phones, but one of the more interesting to hit the show floor, was the Samsung SGH-Z510. Samsung is billing the new SGH-Z510 as the world thinnest phone, a questionable claim,...

Sparks Technology CellSticks

Feb 16 2006 - 05:51 PM ET | Accessories, Review
Walt Mossberg over at The Wall Street Journal took a look at a new product aimed at eliminating the hassles of backing up and transferring cell phone contacts, the CellStick from Spark Technologies. The CellStick is a USB thumb drive...

Helio announces launch lineup, MySpace Mobile

Feb 16 2006 - 03:49 AM ET | MVNO
Upstart MVNO Helio today announced its two launch phones. The company is a partnership between SK Telecom and Earthlink and plans to launch service in the US this Spring. It aims to bring Korean like technology to the US market...

Cingular in video sharing trial

Feb 15 2006 - 03:09 PM ET | 3G, 3GSM, Backpage, Cingular
Cingular Wireless is one of more than twenty mobile phone carriers testing video sharing. The trials are scheduled to be completed in the first half the year are to test out a technology that allows one-way video transfer during a...

Samsung Z710 preview

Feb 15 2006 - 02:40 PM ET | 3GSM, Camera, Samsung
3GSM 2006 -- One of the more intersting handsets that Samsung is showing off this year at 3GSM is the SGH-Z710. It's one of a few camera phones at the show that have managed to reach the 3 megapixel level...

Sony Ericsson W950i video

Feb 15 2006 - 02:29 PM ET | Sony Ericsson
Our friends over at PhoneScoop got some quality time with the brand new Sony Ericsson W950i and were able to take video of it in action (in addition to lots of photos). The W950i is the first Walkman branded handset...

Sprint announces one millionth song download

Feb 15 2006 - 12:25 PM ET | Sprint Nextel
Today Sprint Nextel announce that the Sprint Music Store has surpassed its one millionth song download. Sprint is the first mobile provider to cross this milestone, but it was also the first to the market. Verizon's competing service just launched...

Opera announces mobile AJAX widgets

Feb 14 2006 - 04:23 PM ET | 3GSM, Backpage, Data
Opera Software today announced its first AJAX powered widget for mobile phones. The app's called Freedom and gives users a suite of widgets such as news, real-time stock prices and maps. “Freedom is a great demonstration of how the...

PalmSource dumping Garnet for Linux, skips Cobalt

Feb 14 2006 - 02:45 PM ET | PDA Phone, Palm, Smartphone
Access PalmSource today announced their companies latest OS platform and a possible future of the Palm and Treo product lines. The Access Linux platform utilizes Palm OS for Linux with the NetFront browser and open source linux components. The...

Virgin Mobile USA's "Inner Circle"

Feb 14 2006 - 02:09 PM ET | Backpage, MVNO, Virgin Mobile
Virgin mobile has announced two new packages for their Mobile services in the U.S.. First up is a new service called "Inner Circle". Essentially this package is aimed at teens to enable unlimited nights and weekends calling to three phone...

Sony Ericsson debuts stereo headset HBH-DS970

Feb 14 2006 - 12:26 PM ET | 3GSM, Accessories, Backpage, Bluetooth, Sony Ericsson
3GSM 2006 -- Sony Ericsson launched a new stereo Bluetooth headset dubbed the HBH-DS970. With its Walkman series music phones selling briskly, the stylish headset should be a welcome addition. Battery life for the headset is rated at 300 hours...

Motorola goes WMV, talks podcasting

Feb 14 2006 - 12:07 PM ET | 3GSM, Motorola
3GSM 2006 -- Motorola yesterday announced that it signed a licensing agreement with Microsoft to use Windows Media technology in upcoming phones. This won't affect Motorola's relationship with Apple, but may be a sign that Motorola is really starting...

Nokia, Sanyo team up for CDMA sales

Feb 14 2006 - 12:01 PM ET | Nokia, Sanyo
Nokia and Sanyo are teaming up to help capture more of the CDMA market. While Nokia is the worldwide market share leader, they have issues in the with CDMA. A new, yet unnamed, company will form out of the...

Sony Ericsson W950i announced

Feb 13 2006 - 05:58 PM ET | 3G, 3GSM, Sony Ericsson
3GSM 2006 -- After launching two other models this morning (see J100 and K610i) Sony Ericsson debuted its most powerful Walkman phone yet, the W950i. The handset sports a massive 4GB of flash memory which puts it on an...

BT, Virgin and Microsoft to do mobile TV

Feb 13 2006 - 11:56 AM ET | 3G, Backpage, In The News, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone
The TimesOnline is carrying a story that BT, Virgin and Microsoft are announcing a Mobile TV alliance. The three will announce a digital TV service for mobile phones at the 3GSM Congress in Barcelona. This is just one of...

Sprint Nextel to spin off wireline biz, Embarq

Feb 13 2006 - 11:13 AM ET | In The News, Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel reached an agreement with a key labor union over the spin-off of its local phone business. The new company will form in the second quarter and will be called Embarq. The Communications Workers of America dropped opposition...

Imate SmartFlip

Feb 13 2006 - 10:53 AM ET | PDA Phone, Rumor, Smartphone
The internet rumor mill is blazing this morning with pictures released to the internet of the new iMate SmartFlip. Details are sketchy at this point, but what we are hearing is that it will be clamshell, Windows Mobile 5.0,...

Motorola W220 announced

Feb 13 2006 - 10:49 AM ET | 3GSM, Backpage, Motorola
3GSM 2006 -- Motorola hasn't had any major new handset announcements at the show thus far, but the company did introduce the W220. It's an entry-level clamshell that will likely stick to emerging markets. Features are sparse, but do...

GlobeTrotter GT MAX, tri-band HSDPA / 3G UMTS Wireless Data Card

Feb 13 2006 - 10:22 AM ET | 3G, Backpage, Data
Option N.V. the wireless technology company, today has announcement the GlobeTrotter GT MAX, a tri-band HSDPA / 3G UMTS Wireless Data Card. "The GlobeTrotter GT MAX is has a multi-band flip-out integrated antenna design meaning that GT MAX once...

Samsung SGH-I320 slim-line Koreanberry

Feb 13 2006 - 10:07 AM ET | PDA Phone, Samsung, Smartphone
Today Samsung entered the hunt for the Blackberry by releasing it's own Crackberry, Q, Frankenberry rendition, the SGH-I320. The details are slim at this point, but Samsung says the phone is slimmer then a Motorola Q, and is a...

Microsoft launching push email devices

Feb 13 2006 - 09:45 AM ET | Backpage, PDA Phone, Smartphone
Microsoft is planning on launching a couple of devices today to compete with the Blackberry. Microsoft's devices will feature it's version of push email from several providers including Vodaphone, and Cingular. But according to an article at the Wall...

Sony Ericsson and Nokia announced cooperation with DVB-H

Feb 13 2006 - 09:32 AM ET | Backpage, Nokia, Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson and Nokia today announced their intention to work together in the DVB-H space to build phones and secure programming from 2006 onward. According to Sony, "There are going to be a multitude of technologies that will enable...

T-Mobile SDA launched

Feb 13 2006 - 09:00 AM ET | Smartphone, T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA today launched the T-Mobile SDA. The Windows Mobile powered device is manufactured by HTC (if you've heard of the HTC Tornado, it's the same device) and branded directly by T-Mobile. Features of the T-Mobile SDA include: Windows Mobile...

T-Mobile MDA announced

Feb 13 2006 - 09:00 AM ET | Smartphone, T-Mobile
In addition to launching the SDA, T-Mobile USA today announced the T-Mobile MDA. It will begin shipping February 21st (next Tuesday). Like the SDA, the T-Mobile MDA is manufactured by HTC. The MDA went by the codename Wizard and is...

HP iPAQ hw6900 officially announced

Feb 13 2006 - 08:14 AM ET | 3GSM, Smartphone
3GSM 2006 -- While it was hardly a secret, HP has finally announced the iPAQ hw6900. No real new information came out, but it's always nice to get official confirmation of specs. Features of the iPAQ hw6900 include: Quad-band...

Nokia 6131 announced, mid-range flip phone

Feb 13 2006 - 07:51 AM ET | 3GSM, Nokia
3GSM 2006 -- The Nokia 6131 is clamshell style mobile phone with a mid-range feature set and price point. Nokia has slowly been increasing the number of clamshell models it sells since the form factor has proven to be...

Nokia 6136 with UMA support announced

Feb 13 2006 - 07:21 AM ET | 3GSM, Nokia
3GSM 2006 -- Nokia announced its first UMA compatible phone, the Nokia 6136. The 6136 can perform seamless handoffs between the GSM cellular network and a WiFi network (using VoIP and a tech called UMA which stands for Unlicensed...

Nokia 6070, candybar style entry level phone

Feb 13 2006 - 07:15 AM ET | 3GSM, Nokia
3GSM 2006 --In addition to announcing two more high-end handsets--the 6131 and 6136--Nokia today debuted the 6070. The Nokia 6070 is a candybar style phone with basic camera phone features. Features of the 6070 include: Triband GSM 850/1800/1900 for...

BenQ EF91 HSDPA handset announced

Feb 13 2006 - 07:12 AM ET | 3G, 3GSM, Siemens
3GSM 2006 -- BenQ announced its first HSDPA phone at 3GSM, the EF91. The company is calling it the first HSDPA phone, but both LG and Samsung were showing off HSDPA equipped phones at CES. Discounting the claim, the...

BenQ EF51 music phone announced

Feb 13 2006 - 07:03 AM ET | 3GSM, Siemens
3GSM 2006 -- The BenQ EF51 looks at first glance like a music player (it has a certain Creative Zen Micro vibe), but in reality it's both a mobile phone and a music player. Technically called the BenQ-Siemens EF51, it's...

Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX T Series announced

Feb 13 2006 - 05:35 AM ET | 3G, 3GSM, Smartphone
3GSM 2006 -- Fujitsu Siemens announced two feature packed Windows Mobile powered smartphones today, the Pocket LOOX T Series. Both the T810 and T830 pack similar feature sets: Tri-band GSM + UMTS 802.11b/g wirelesswith VoIP capability Bluetooth v2.0 Integrated...

Broadcom announces Bluetooth/FM radio chip

Feb 13 2006 - 04:14 AM ET | 3GSM, Backpage, Bluetooth
3GSM 2006 -- Broadcom is showing off a new chip that combines Bluetooth and FM radio. The company hopes that it will help make FM radio a standard feature for mobile phones that have Bluetooth. Having the two functionalities...

Sony Ericsson J100 announced

Feb 13 2006 - 03:53 AM ET | 3GSM, Backpage, Sony Ericsson
3GSM 2006 -- The Sony Ericsson J100 is one of two new handsets the company announced this morning at 3GSM (see our article on the K610i, the other new handset). Unlike most Sony Ericsson handsets, the J100 is bare...

Sony Ericsson K610i announced

Feb 13 2006 - 03:47 AM ET | 3G, 3GSM, Sony Ericsson
3GSM 2006 -- Leading the pack for handset announcements at 3GSM, Sony Ericsson announced the K610i and J100. The K610i is an update to the K600i that was announced last year at the same event. The candybar styled 3G handset...

Nokia and Vodafone team to promote S60

Feb 13 2006 - 03:38 AM ET | 3GSM, Backpage, Nokia, Vodafone
3GSM 2006 -- Nokia and Vodafone this morning announced a partnership to increase the adoption of the S60 phone platform. By making more Vodafone handsets S60 the carrier will have an easier time making the customizations and value adds...

Cingular announces global 3G roaming

Feb 13 2006 - 03:25 AM ET | 3G, 3GSM, Cingular, Danger
3GSM 2006 -- Cingular Wireless announced a global 3G data plan aimed at business travelers. Starting next month Cingular will offer a GlobalConnect data plan that features unlimited domestic use and up to 100MB/month of usage on partners' networks...

McAfee launches Mobile Security suite

Feb 13 2006 - 12:00 AM ET | 3GSM, Backpage, Security
3GSM 2006 -- McAfee has launched a new security suite built exclusively for mobile phones. The consumer side of the McAfee Mobile Security (there is also software for network operators and enterprise users) is an application that is available for...

HP to split handhelds from laptop division

Feb 12 2006 - 10:42 PM ET | Backpage, Smartphone
HP will split its handheld devices from the laptop division. This will make its iPAQ smartphones a more core business for the company. Smartphones are a high-growth sector for the company and is forecasted to post 50% growth year...

3GSM World Congress 2006 starts Monday

Feb 11 2006 - 04:00 PM ET | 3GSM
3GSM World Congress 2006 begins Monday and we expect a large number of announcements from Europe's largest wireless show. It's being held in Barcelona this year and will be attended by every major mobile phone manufacturer. While MobileTracker was unable...

Verizon testing V Cast advertising model

Feb 11 2006 - 03:45 PM ET | Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is testing a two-tiered pricing model for its V Cast multimedia service. The original price point was $15 a month for unlimited access, but the company is now testing a plan that incorporates advertising and a lower monthly...

RIM workaround explained

Feb 10 2006 - 11:52 AM ET | PDA Phone, Research In Motion, Smartphone
BusinessWeek is carrying a detailed explanation of how the new RIM workaround would work. Essentially NTP's case and the patents involved, revolve around where emails are stored while a user is out of range, on RIM's two Network Storage...

Cornice Dragon Series Micro HD's

Feb 10 2006 - 10:41 AM ET | Backpage, Miscellaneous, PDA Phone, Smartphone
Cornice’s is making two notable announcements at 3GSM: The Cornice Dragon Series Micro Hard Drive will be launching in 8- and 10-gigabyte capacities. Cornice Hard Drives will be inside the Samsung i300 Mobile Smartphone [via Cornice]...

T-Mobile UMA plans

Feb 10 2006 - 10:25 AM ET | Backpage, T-Mobile
PhoneScoop is reporting that T-Mobile will be charging "a couple of bucks a month" for an upcoming UMA plan. The Samsung T709, a T-Mobile exclusive, will be able to transfer phone calls utilizing UMA between traditional GSM networks and...

Nokia to bundle F-Secure on select devices

Feb 10 2006 - 06:10 AM ET | Backpage, Nokia, Security
Nokia announced that F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus will ship on several of its business oriented phones. The software will be on the memory card bundled with the N71 and will be in the catalog on the E60, E61 and E70...

Zi announces Decuma 4

Feb 10 2006 - 05:55 AM ET | Backpage, In The News
Zi Corporation announced a new version of its handwriting recognition software, Decuma. Version 4 adds predictive features (including word completion) which is a first for handwriting recognition according to the company. Decuma recognizes 100% naturally shaped letters in upper...

Nokia announces LBS for mid-range

Feb 10 2006 - 05:51 AM ET | Nokia
Nokia this morning announced new location based services (LBS) and a new GPS module to let phones make use of the services. This release is to bring LBS to lower-end phones, models such as the Nokia 6230i or 6280....

NEC 500is

Feb 09 2006 - 11:54 AM ET | 3G
The latest RAZR competitor is the NEC 500is and wow is it slick! At only 11.9 mm thick, the EDGE enabled GSM phone has a 176x220 LCD, a monochrome OLED secondary display, and a 1.3 megapixel camera, stuffed into...

T-Mobile doubles price of SMS messages

Feb 09 2006 - 10:46 AM ET | Backpage, SMS, T-Mobile
T-mobile has doubled the price of SMS messages from $0.05 to $0.10 in the U.S.. Though this price hike is not good news for T-Mobile subscribers, it's made worse with the fact that customers are reporting no way to...

RIM unveils workaround for Blackberry

Feb 09 2006 - 10:29 AM ET | Research In Motion
RIM, which is based in Waterloo, Ontario, unveiled a plan that will allow Blackberry device to continue functioning if a court ordered injunction is imposed later this month. The company says it has developed and tested a software workaround...

Sprint and Bones in Motion release BiM Active Suite, a mobile fitness application

Feb 08 2006 - 04:24 PM ET | Backpage, In The News, Sprint Nextel
Sprint and Bones in Motion appear to be the first to market with a unique application suite that tracks fitness and lifestyle goals via gps enabled cell phones. Bones in Motion's BiM Active software "enables runners, cyclist, and walkers...

Nokia E61 shipping in mid February?

Feb 08 2006 - 04:02 PM ET | Nokia, PDA Phone
The buzz on the net is that MobileBee is showing that the new Nokia E61 will be shipping February 15th. Upon calling MobileBee in New York for confirmation, MobileTracker was told that the phone was expected around that time...

Motorola RAZR Z announced for Korea

Feb 08 2006 - 02:43 PM ET | Motorola
Motorola has announced a new version of its RAZR line, this one exclusive to the Korean market. The RAZR Z is the first slide-style RAZR phone and will launch through SK Telecom later this month Spec wise the Motorola RAZR...

2006, the year of 3G

Feb 08 2006 - 11:15 AM ET | 3G, Backpage, In The News
ABI Research is reporting that 2006 may be a banner year for 3G technologies world wide. As reported by MobileMag, "The expansion of 3G services is expected to increase substantially this year, continuing the trend from last year when...

Cell phone credit cards

Feb 08 2006 - 11:15 AM ET | Cingular, In The News, Motorola
According to the Wall Street Journal, Motorola is planning to market it's "M-Wallet" service to U.S. consumers. The service allows shoppers to purchase products by waving their cell phone with an embedded chip over scanners at cash registers across...

Kajeet MVNO startup gets major VC money

Feb 07 2006 - 07:06 PM ET | MVNO
Another day another MVNO, this time Kajeet. The plan is to attract part of the expanding youth market, from pre-teen to early teenagers. This is a little younger than most youth MVNOs (Amp'd, Boost, etc) target, but there will...

Cingular to test DiBom DVB-H tech

Feb 07 2006 - 06:54 PM ET | 3G, Data
DiBcom told RedHerring in an interview that Cingular Wireless will test out its DVB-H based mobile TV technology. DVB-H is not the only mobile TV standard around, but it does have one major boost--Nokia is backing it. The N92...

Sharpcast connects cell photo albums to the desktop and web

Feb 07 2006 - 04:51 PM ET | Backpage, Camera, Miscellaneous
Today at the DEMO 06 conference in Phoenix, AZ new startup called Sharpcast is promising to seamlessly connect your computer, cell phone, and web photo albums together. Sharpcast promises "instantaneous backup of mobile phone pictures, speedy catalog recovery and...

Sony Ericsson and Panasonic to deliver EDGE enabled ToughBooks to Cingular

Feb 07 2006 - 02:18 PM ET | 3G, Backpage, Cingular, Panasonic, Sony Ericsson
News Note: Today Sony Ericsson and Panasonic inked a deal to integrate the GC83 EDGE PC Card inside the Toughbook CF-29 utilizing Cingular's network. [Press Release]...

Verizon offered Fugees reunion concert tickets to V Cast subscribers

Feb 07 2006 - 02:08 PM ET | Backpage, Verizon Wireless
Last night Verizon brought us the Fygees reunion concert, but in addition they also appear to be the first cell phone provider to leverage a new technology that allows a subscriber to purchase tickets directly onto their mobile phones....

FCC approves two new Nokia phones, the N80 and the 6282

Feb 07 2006 - 12:32 PM ET | 3G, Cingular, Nokia, PDA Phone, Smartphone
Yesterday the FCC approved two new Nokia phones for the U.S. market, the 6282 and the N80. The phones appear as originally specced, with both handsets including GSM 850/1900 and WCDMA 1900, but not WCDMA 850. This may make the...

Vizrea Snap launches at DEMO

Feb 07 2006 - 11:18 AM ET | Camera, Review, Staff Picks
Vizrea Snap was introduced this morning at the DEMO conference. The service attempts to simplify sharing photos and video from mobile phones. MobileTracker caught a sneak peek of Vizrea Snap last week and was impressed with the simplicity. Currently...

Review: Qix, a new way to use your phone

Feb 06 2006 - 08:22 PM ET | Review
We don't highlight many applications on MobileTracker, but we got to play around with one called Qix and had to share. It's only for Symbian phones and has to be installed by the carrier (you'll see why in the video),...

Sony Ericsson M600i announced

Feb 06 2006 - 05:39 PM ET | Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson introduced the M600i today at an event in London. The phone shares design similarities with both Sony Ericsson's consumer and professional product lines--it features an integrated keyboard, though one with each key serving two letters. The handset will...

Sprint crime deterrent Superbowl ad

Feb 06 2006 - 05:35 PM ET | Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel had one of the funniest ads in this year's Superbowl--a 30-second spot with two guys comparing phones. The commercial is available in Flash video format below. 'Well my Sprint phone has TV and downloads music... and crime deterrent.'...

Cingular 8125 launched

Feb 06 2006 - 02:42 PM ET | Cingular, Smartphone
Cingular Wireless has launched the 8125 for business channels. The Cingular 8125 is simply the carrier's version of the HTC Wizard (AKA T-Mobile MDA). The 8125 is fairly loaded with features: Quad-band GSM plus EDGE Bluetooth and WiFi MiniSD card...

Liquid lenses now shipping for camera phones

Feb 06 2006 - 02:33 PM ET | Backpage, Camera
We missed this one last week, but it's still news worthy. Varioptic announced that it is now shipping liquid lenses for use in camera phones. Because the lens uses liquid to focus, it's much thinner than models that use more...

Palm Treo 700p details leak online

Feb 06 2006 - 10:53 AM ET | Palm, Rumor, Smartphone
Details surrounding the rumored Palm Treo 700p leaked online over the weekend. The 700p has been expected ever since the 700w was announced, but officially it has not been announced. It's going to come out first on Sprint, probably early...

Nokia N91and E70 approved by FCC

Feb 03 2006 - 03:23 PM ET | Nokia, Rumor
The Federal Communications Commission has approved two high-end Nokia handsets, the N91 (shown at right) and E70. The N91 is especially interesting because it includes a 4GB hard drive and would be the first phone with a hard drive...

PayPal working on mobile payment solution

Feb 03 2006 - 03:09 PM ET | In The News, Rumor
According to a report from Finextra, PayPal appears to be working on a mobile payment service. PayPal has posted ads looking for employees to work the new PayPal Mobile business unit. In the ads, the company describes PayPal Mobile...

Mobile ESPN hits stores Superbowl Sunday

Feb 03 2006 - 03:00 PM ET | MVNO
Mobile ESPN will launch in BestBuy stores nationwide on Superbowl Sunday. The mobile virtual network operator has been doing sales online only since November. Currently the carrier stocks one phone, the Samsung MVP. The handset sports EV-DO, a memory...

Cingular nabs pink Motorola RAZR V3

Feb 02 2006 - 03:28 AM ET | Cingular, Motorola
Cingular Wireless has become the third US carrier to pick up a pink Motorola RAZR. However all three are different shades. The Cingular model fits in between the lighter version for Verizon Wireless and the magenta version for T-Mobile USA....

Verizon Wireless wins injunction against spammer

Feb 01 2006 - 05:16 PM ET | Backpage, SMS, Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless today announced that it has won a permanent injunction against a Florida company it accused of sending spam SMS messages. Passport Holidays sent 98,000 spam text messages to Verizon Wireless subscribers. The company will also pay $10,000...

June 29 is date for 3G spectrum auction

Feb 01 2006 - 03:36 PM ET | 3G, Backpage
The Federal Communications Comission has set June 29th as the date for its advanced wireless service licenses auction. T-Mobile USA is expected to make a big showing at the auction since it is currently light on spectrum and doesn't...

USA Today launches WAP site

Feb 01 2006 - 03:28 PM ET | Backpage, Data
USA Today launched a WAP version of its online content today. In terms of circulation, USA Today is the nation's largest news paper. The WAP site was created by Crisp Wireless and is updated in real time with content...