Entries tagged with “news” from WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

This week ending today, has been full of great news, new apps, and changes in operating systems.

The most popular stories were reviews of two recent Verizon device launches. Our Review of Reveiews of The HTC Touch Pro 2, the most key-boardstastic smartphone was widely read by readers seeking a smartphone that has been called the King of Windows smartphones. The lots-of-features phone the Samsung Rogue Review of Reivews was read many many times because it offers a great OMLED touchscreen display with a slide out keyboard for $99 with a two year contract.

BlackBerry Tour Glitches and Glitch Fixes Du Jour
There were several news stories important for BlackBerry Tour owners. First there were reports of trackball problems.  On Friday, we discovered that the RIM had released update OS 4.7.1.53 for the BlackBerry Tour, which users could get from BlackBerry Desktop Manager.  Now today, it looks like there have been problems reported downloading the 4.7.1.53 update from the BlackBerry Desktop Manager.  We have a call out to Verizon from late Friday.  We suggest you wait a few days until all the glitches for the glitch-fix, get fixed. These kind of things usually happen on a weekend. In general operators and hardware makers like to release software updates on weekends, to avoid any business-releated problems.

In the iPhone department, it was reported that iPhone users with OS update 3.1 were able to MMS. In Palm Pre news, Palm will no longer support Windows Mobile and will fully support webOS. 

Palm has filed a complaint with the USB Implementers Forum because Apple updated iTunes not to sync with the Palm Pre.

Palm claims that Apple misusing interoperability USB.standards between computers and devices using a U.S.B. connection.  The Palm Pre was not able to sync with iTunes when Apple updated iTunes, then Palm found a way to spoof iTunes making it "believe" that it was an iPod.

Palm recently started selling the Palm Pre through online retailers such as LetsTalk.com where new customers can nab a Palm Pre with a two year contract for $99 way below the price of an iPhone 3GS. Many thought that the sale price was only for a day, however we were able to find the $99 pricetag for the Palm Pre today.

The FCC is investigating Apple's rejection of Google Voice iPhone app and other apps to its app store.  The FCC has sent letters to Apple,  AT&T, and Google to investigate the matter. They have been getting a lot of pressure from consumer and activist groups to look into the practices of carriers and exclusive deals.

Google Voice is a suite of phone resource products that acts as a switchboard, voicemail and router service.

The letter to AT&T asks:

Are there any terms in AT&T's customer agreements that limit customer usage of certain third-party applications? If so, please indicate how consumers are informed of such limitations and whether such limitations are posted on the iTunes website as well. In general, what is AT&T's role in certifying applications on devices that run over AT&T's 3G network? What, if any, applications require AT&T's approval to be added to a device? Are there any differences between AT&T's treatment of the iPhone and other devices used on its 3G network?

"Recent news reports raise questions about practices in the mobile marketplace," FCC Chief Julius Grenachowski stated. "The Wireless Bureau's inquiry letters to these companies about their practices reflect the Commission's proactive approach to getting the facts and data necessary to make the best policy decisions on behalf of the American people."

In Palm Pre News, Apple has squashed directs syncing on the Palm Pre ; a study shows app catalog confusion, and the  Palm Pre is still selling well

No Mo' iTunes Syncing

The direct iTunes syncing feature of the Palm Pre was both coveted and controversial, many thought it wouldn't last. The  Palm Pre tricked  iTunes into identifying the Palm Pre as an  iPod, cutting out the need for any special software.

Apple updated iTunes to version 8.2.1, that "addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices."

"As we've said before, newer versions of Apple's iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with unsupported digital media players," an Apple spokesman said.

There are some of work-arounds for Palm Pre owners, don't update iTunes on your computer and or only buy music from DRM free sources such as Amazon.com.  Probably the best soultion is super open-syncing  doubleTwist  which works well with the Palm Pre. DoubleTwist automatically recognizes the device and will sync everything for you.

App Catalog Needs  Mo' Apps

Strategy Analytics found that the Palm App Catalog has a visually appealing storefront with an intuitive user interface and straightforward search feature, and a simple download process.

"While the App Catalog contains desirable and recognizable content, the volume of content overall is lacking" commented Paul Brown, Senior Analyst in the Strategy Analytics User Experience Practice.

"The download process is logical, allowing users to get content in one click," added Christopher Dodge, Analyst at Strategy Analytics. "However, the purchase details of content are not clearly defined, leaving users unsure if they are downloading a trial version of the item or the complete version."

The study of dozen mobile-savvy users in San Diego showed that most of testers seemed to gravitate to the familiar: Pandora Radio, Good Food -- Restaurants Near You, AccuWeather, AP News and Craigslist.

Another confusing aspect of the Palm Pre App Catalog was due to currently everything in the App Catalog is a free trial. No prices are  listed along with apps, nor length of  trial periods.

Palm Pre Smartphones Still Selling Well
Last week, analyst James Faucette from Pacific Crest revealed that according  his own "checks" show that "sell-through of the Pre remains robust," with adequate supply at Sprint stores. However, there were weaker sales at Best Buy and RadioShack that had almost no inventory available.

BackBerry Tour Reviews from Wireless and Mobile News:
BlackBerry Tour (Verizon ) Review of Reviews.
BlackBerry Niagara 9630 Review of Reviews Sneak Peaks.

BlackBerry Tour News Articles from Wireless and Mobile News:
BlackBerry News: BlackBerry Tour Success Matches iPhone 1.
BlackBerry Tour  (Deal $139) with Free Headset and Memory Card.
BlackBerry Tour Will Wi-Fi on Sprint Next Year.
BlackBerry Takes a Hit from iPhone and Palm Pre- BlackBerry Tour Will Be a Hit.
BalckBerry Tour Will Go on Sale July 12.
BlackBerry News: Next Models Not So CrackBerry More Frankenberry?
BlackBerry News: U2 Tour, BlackBerry Tour and BarackBerry Prayers.
Tour of New World Acess BlackBerry Tour.
WES BlackBerry Announcements Tour/Niagra.
BlackBerry Tour, Viewed, Wowed and Touched.
BlackBerry Niagara/Tour Pics Showing Up.

BlackBerry Tour Apps & Accessories
BlackBerry (Storm / Tour) Updated Apps 2Day: BOLT Mobile Browser Beta3.
BlackBerry Tour Apps 2Day: Pandora Internet Radio 1.1.
BlackBerry Tour Apps 2Day: WorldMate Live Travel.
BlackBerry Tour Apps 2Day: TeleNav GPS Navigator.
BlackBerry Tour Apps 2Day: Charge Anywhere Credit Card App

On Sunday, the first day of sale of the new BlackBerry Tour, between 275,000 and 300,000 BlackBerry Tour Verizon Smartphones were sold according to analysts. Numbers for the Sprint version of the BlackBerry Tour have not been estimated yet.

BlackBerry Tour sales matched  the debut of the original iPhone in 2007. The BlackBerry Tour is first BlackBerry from Verizon since the BlackBerry Storm was launched in November of last year.

The BlackBerry Tour was very well reviewed (except for lack of Wi-Fi) and sells for $199 with a rebate and contract from Verizon or $49.99 with a new contract. from online retailers.

Short lines were reported near Verizon stores with customers waiting for the BlackBerry Tour.

RIM will be releasing a social networking website MyBlackBerry, the official community for all things BlackBerry-related. They say it's to learn about new applications, connect with others and share stories or tips and tricks.They'd like users to start a discussion or join in on a friend's topic, Some think it is a rehash of the BlackBerry forums.

There is more Palm Pre news today and momentum for the Palm Pre is growing. Numbers of shipped Palm Pre units were greater than expected.  Other webOS devices are coming including a GSM version.  Production has almost doubled and developers have more chapters to read. They can also get a leaked MAC SDK. 

According to Charter Equity Research analyst Ed Snyder, Palm sold 300,000 units of the Palm Pre smartphone in June and 70,000 in May . While selling 15,000 devices a day the Palm Pre is still in short supply due to the Palm Pre's unexpectedly high demand.The initial inventory of Palm Pre smartphones of 120,000 units sold-out in the first few days.

Snyder expects another webOS-based device to launch with Verizon in early 2010, and a webOS-based "Centro like" device with AT&T soon after that.

With numbers like thesed Palm is expect to sell million Palm Pre smartphones within the first quarter of its availability.

In other Palm Pre news, a GSM version of the Palm Pre was shown in a Palm Pre forum in Vietnam.

StreetInsider.com reported that an OTR Global report suggests that sources in the Taiwan handset supply chain claim that Palm has almost doubled its order of the Palm Pre to assembler Foxconn from 650,000 units to 1.2 million.

For developers there are new chapters of the official Chapters 10 and 11 of Palm webOS Rough Cut from O'Reily covering background applications/notifications and localization/internationalization issues. The book is available online at Safari Books.

There is now a leaked version of an SDK for webOS for the Palm Pre on the MAC.

At a Palm Pre event this morning in New York, Dan Hesse warned that Sprint is the exclusive Palm Pre carrier.

"They need to check their facts," Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said  "That just is not the case. Both Palm and Sprint have agreed not to discuss the length of the exclusivity deal. But I can tell you it's not six months."

Statements from Verizon and rumors have undermined some Palm Pre expectations, because people may wait for the Palm Pre to come from their carrier.

The Palm Pre is expected to change the perception of Sprint, ""We are very different company than we were 12 months ago," Hesse said. "And the Pre is the coming-out party for the new Sprint that shows off our fantastic data network and rate plans."

Hesse says that the Palm Pre is a great business device. He is a power business user he has used it and to  integrate his business calendar, "I have big hands, I'm 6'5" I've got big claws, the keyboard is great."

The road warrior can carry a spare battery and the Touchstone is great for business just leave on the desk. The speaker phone automatically activates on the Touchstone.

Palm and Sprint have aggressive plans for apps, "Expect to see a steady stream of apps."

Do you want to know what reviewers think of the Palm Pre, read our Review of Reviews of the Palm Pre. To see the interview, continue reading.

Last week, was a very busy news week for the Palm Pre. We are now one week away from launch and all sorts of details and opinions are leaking out about the Palm Pre.

Sprint will be ready for the Palm Pre crowds, they have set up war rooms and hired employees to deal with the deluge.

Our editor will be attending a Palm Pre pre-launch event on this Wednesday, stay tuned to details late that evening.

Since Thursday, the main Palm Pre stories to break are that units have been shipped to stores and Boy Genius has written a review stating that the keyboard is too small. But he didn't get a final version and can't make phone calls...The comparison's are brewing between the Palm Pre and next iPhone.

Facebook members can see the Palm Pre before it appears by signing up to get it on Facebook. Location service WHERE will be available for the Palm Pre. Chapter 8 of Mitch Allen's Palm webOS Rough Cuts  that covers system and cloud services can now be read.

On Thurdsay, we learned a lot. There are many Twitter apps in the making for the Palm Pre.  When someone is calling the ring sounds like musical bells. Verizon is expected to sell the Palm Pre next year when the exclusive deal with Sprint is over. At the D7 conference more details were revealed for the app store and a they played a funny video of the Pre's spokemodel Roger McNamee. Itunes can be directly purchased and downloaded to the Palm Pre and it will sync with iTunes.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the Palm Pre will support IMAP IDLE on Gmail which is allow for better syncing and push email. Twitter search is supported in the Palm Pre universal search feature. There will be a candy bar style Palm Pre, the Eos aka Castle/Pixie.

The gesture features of the Palm Pre are very intutive and easy to learn. The business guide etoles the vitues of the Palm Pre for business including remote wipe for security.

If you are confused as to why the Palm Pre is so hot, hyped and loved, we suggest you read, "Palm Pre Best Features - Why to Hyped, Why so Good".

To honor Black History Month and to celebrate Motown's 50th anniversary, Verizon's V CAST Music will offer exclusive sets of Motown hits each week. The first will be Motown Icons. Motown for Lovers will be available in line with Valentine's Day, followed by Motown Number Ones and then the Ladies of Motown. There is also a contest to win a trip to see the Temptations.

A sampling of the full-track songs coming to V CAST Music during Black History Month are familiar favorites such as "Shop Around," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Please Mr. Postman," "ABC" and "I Second that Emotion."

More full-track songs from artists, including The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Commodores, The Four Tops and The Temptations from Motown's early years to songs from other hitmakers such as Boyz II Men and the Jackson 5, will be available for download and purchase through V CAST Music - either over-the-air or on a desktop computer.

Use V CAST Song ID and be Entered for a Chance to Win a Trip to See The Temptations

Throughout February, customers who use V CAST Song ID to identify any Motown recording will be entered for a chance to win a fly-away trip to see The Temptations in Las Vegas. Participants can also enter for a chance to win via text messaging or for free online. For more information about the sweepstakes and to view all the exclusive content, go to www.verizonwireless.com/blackhistory or www.vzwrules.com/Motown.

On the mobile and wireless front, form the Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the top stories on Wireless and Mobile News were:

1. The CES on-site announcement of the the Palm Pre smartphone with a Mojo SDK, developers love definitely won the most important news story at CES.  Reviewers went wild with praise calling the Palm Pre the first iPhone Contender. The Palm Pre won CNET awards and is a real-woman's smartphone.
2. Stevie Wonder and the National Federation of the Blind requested more accessible technology.
3. The Sony Walkman W508 shakes, rattles and rolls with gesture control.
4. The new Sony Cyber-Shot C510 camera photo notices when you smile and takes a photo automatically.
5. Motorola launched the MOTOSURF A3100, a Windows Mobile 6.1 Quad-band GSM "touch tablet" smartphone and the MOTO W233 renewable phone made from recycled water bottles
6. The Mobinnova ICE Windows smartphone was notices but it was so 20th-century.
7. The Nokia E63 is unlocked smartphone at a reasonable price.
8. T-Mobile announce their new Shadow.
9. Logic Bolt revealed their projector phone prototype.
10. Tri-Specs showed their bluetooth sunglasses.
11. HTC released the HTC S743 smartphone an unlocked not touchscreen two keypad Windows Mobile smartphone.
12. Unify4Life has developed a way to open your garage door with a BlackBerry.
13. Audiovox is working with the FLO TV service to deliver live TV in autos
14. Slacker Radio now has BlackBerry version.

In a open letter to the Apple community Steve Jobs revealed the reason for his weight loss to quell rumors that he was on his deathbed.  Jobs' doctors have diagnosed a "hormone imbalance that is robbing his body of proteins.  He has begun treatment and expects it will be late Spring before he regains his body mass.

Jobs notes that he wanted to concentrate on his health over the holidays rather than prepare for Mac World.

His entire letter follows or it can be read at the Apple website.

Mobile internet usability solution provider, Keynote Systems announced the results of its first  Keynote WebEffective for iPhone study of user satisfaction of mobile web sites.

Study Results

In the Keynote WebEffective for iPhone study, more than 75 participants were tasked with finding an entertainment news story, reading a news article, and searching for a story on a specific topic then sending it to a friend. Highlights of the study include:

• Satisfaction rates were low for both Yahoo! (51 percent) and Fox News (64 percent) mobile Web sites and less than half of users found the sites to be appealing.
• Only four percent of users tapped into advertising, nearly a quarter noticed advertising but did not click through.
• Significantly more Yahoo! users (60 percent) reported frustration with the site than Fox News users (33 percent).
• Expected user frustrations included site errors, cluttered pages, poor site speed as well as excessive scrolling. Path analysis reveals how users encountered and attempted to work around these issues.
• Unexpected findings included a lack of visual appeal and difficulties around the search feature.

And the winner of the most memorable Number One Wireless Moment of All Time from CTIA Wireless Association:

The first commercial cell phone call on October 13, 1983.

When a phone call placed in parking lot of Soldier Field in Chicago by Bob Barnett  in a Chrysler convertible to the grandson of Alexander Graham Bell in Berlin.

At the time cell phone systems weighed much as 200 pounds and could only work with a car battery.

Launch of App Center
On Blackberry Storm with the
New OS Version

MetroPCS announced that In the third quarter of 2008, on a consolidated basis, MetroPCS reported gross additions of approximately 935 thousand subscribers, which represents an increase of 39% over the third quarter of 2007. 

MetroPCS ended the third quarter of 2008 with approximately 4.8 million subscribers, which includes net additions during the quarter of approximately 249 thousand subscribers. MetroPCS has added approximately 1.2 million subscribers during the twelve month period ended September 30, 2008, and continued to achieve incremental penetration in every Core and Expansion market.

"We are pleased to report 249 thousand net additions during a particularly challenging economic environment and in what has historically been our seasonally slowest quarter. Clearly, these results demonstrate the resiliency of the MetroPCS business and highlight the value proposition to our subscribers of our predictable, affordable and flexible service offerings," said Roger D. Linquist, MetroPCS' Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

The Associated Press reported that the Mobile News Network received more than 16 million page views for the month of August, with 948 news organizations signed up to provide content. More than one million local stories featured on the Mobile News Network were read — the widest coverage available of breaking news, sports, entertainment and business developments for consumers on the go. The Mobile News Network is the first product released by AP’s Digital Cooperative, an initiative aimed at finding new digital outlets for news and information produced by AP members.

There have been exceptional wireless and mobile news the month of
September. Here are our top stories:

100 Million iPhone apps have been downloaded.

The announcements from CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment.

AT&T launched new LBS services

We reviewed the  HTC Touch Diamond (Sprint)

Research
An ABI study said Touchscreen Revs to Reach $5 Billion in 2009.
GPS is the hottest feature for Xmas.
Consumers Want NFC says an O2 Study.
32.2 Million World Smartphone Sales: Garnter Study.
58% Don't Know What Social Networking Is, 1/3 Losing Interest, Synnovate Study.
Biz Will Spend $11.6 Billion on Mobile Apps by 2012, from Compass.
Coupons, Freebies, and Ringtone Incentives are needed for mobile marketing.
Mobile Web Grows 29.4%, Film Search Leads, from Crisp Wireless.
Mobile Payments to Grow Ten Fold by 2013, says Jupiter Reaserch.
Neilsen added Segments Research.
Mobile Teens Will Be Studied by Multimedia Intelligence & Experian
EDGE, HSPA and LTE Continue to Lead 3G, Says 3G Americas
US Catches Up to Europe's 3G Adoption

Last week there were new announcements and findings from CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment.  Attendees took part in an expanded education series, browsed new products from more than 250 exhibitors and heard from industry luminaries who discussed the future of wireless technology as the industry approaches its 25th anniversary.

Research
CTIA and Harris Interactive discussed their teen study and Cell Phones.
The Neilsen tween study showed 46% of Tweens Use Cell Phones / 55% Text.

New Smartphone and Cell Phones
New cell phones included the Velocity 111, Velocity 103,  Elektrobit Sat Phone
without an antenna, 3G Virgin Mobile Shuttle, Asus and  552w Smartphone with Glide UI.

Sprint announced the  Motorola i576,  HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro and One Click on the Lotus, Rant and Highnote.

Alltel offers ther 99 cent MMS Greeting Service.

RIM News
In RIM BlackBerry news - Sprint will offer the BlackBerry Curve 8350i, There is now Ticketmaster for BlackBerry,  Free Slacker Radio on BlackBerry,  Microsoft Live Search for the BlackBerry browser and maps, tere's going to be a new free BlackBerry MapQuest app, MySpace for BlackBerry will go live in October, TiVo has partnered with RIM and there's the new Flip BlackBerry Pearl.

Carrier News
AT&T certified the Qualcomm Gobi chip for mobile broadband and showed their social networing "My Communities."

Verizon launched the social networking SocialLife, V Cast Video mobile website,  Ringback Buddies on Facebook, City ID from Cequint and that the New York Times is now available from their deck.

California bill
To ban texting while driving
Passed Senate, House next.