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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. 

According to the Associated Press Verizon has shortened how long rural carriers have to wait before they begin to offer Verizon-exclusive LG and Samsung phones.

Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson told an AP reporter that, two months ago, Verizon started allowing LG and Samsung to sell their phones to rural carriers six months after the devices' launch at Verizon.

Verizon Wireless is nearing an agreement to sell parts of Alltel Corp. to rival AT&T. The deal is valued at about $2.5 billion, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Verizon Wireless will support statewide efforts to ban texting while driving, Steven E. Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel for Verizon Wireless, told the New York Times.

The company will work with state legislators around the country advocating no text while driving in states where there is chance of passing.

The Verizon website states, "The existing research indicates that using a wireless phone while driving degrades a driver's performance, whether it is a hands-free or hand-held wireless phone...for your well being and the well being of those around you, you should consider turning your phone off and allowing calls to go to voice mail while you are driving."

Firefighters in the field and evacuees at shelters in Santa Barbara County are relying on the Verizon Wireless and wireline networks to stay connected during the Jesusita wildfire.

RCR Wireless News ended operation of both its print and online products, yesterday.

A statement on the website said, "Unfortunately, the market for RCR's products has been hit particularly hard by the global financial meltdown."

"RCR Wireless News was passionately run by first-class people and it pains us to make this move but the economy gives us no other choice," said Crain Communications Chairman Keith E. Crain.

They were headquartered in Colorado, where the Rocky Mountain News ceased publication, last week. Old articles are still available on the website. Where will people now go for Wireless and Mobile News?  Mmnn how about Wireless and Mobile News.?

RCR Wireless' Quantcast combined rank was 17,757 and reached 99.6 K people a month.
Wireless and Mobile News' Quantcast rank is higher and reaches more readers.

Wireless and Mobile News welcomes former RCR Wireless News readers please let us know what kind of articles you would like to see.

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.

Sony Ericsson reported a 10% drop in sales from last year.

Nokia lost market share and its profits are down 30% from last year.

Google reported third quarter revenues of $5.54 billion, a 31 percent year-over-year jump and a 3 percent increase over the previous quarter.

According to the Washington Post, to help cover the McCain's ranch near Sedona Arizona, Cindy McCain and her staff got some help from wireless carriers.

First McCain offered free land for a tower from Verizon. Verizon started the very expensive process of public scrutiny, environmental concerns, and hired a contractor. It abandoned.the process and gave them a free mobile "tower on wheels" in June.

In July AT&T installed a similar portable configuration for AT&T wireless calls.

The article states, "Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his campaign have close ties to Verizon and AT&T. "

Barack Obama's attorney criticized John McCain for accepting the free cell phone towers reported James V. Grimaldi at the Post.

"This is John McCain's display of his maverick ethics: He believes he is entitled to free cell service while other Americans have to pay for theirs," said Bob Bauer, general counsel of the Democratic presidential candidate's campaign and chairman of the political law practice at Perkins Coie LLP.

COMMENT from Wireless and Mobile News

Why didn't  the campaign just install a few extra landlines?

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

BlackBerry Bold late
RIM wants to make sure it works
On AT&T.

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.

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

Apple iPhone suit
Says ain't "twice as fast as
Ads said it would be.

Google is hiring
Android designers now.
T-Mobile needs them.

Apple sent an email stating details for purchase of the iPhone 3G at Apple Stores.

The UTStarcom Arc. clamshell phone with Bluetooth and a camera, IM and email messaging is offered by Virgin.

Only 3% of people recycle  mobile phones while many are lying around at home according to a survey released by Nokia.

There will be a Knight Rider K.I.T.T. GPS device with the same voice as the TV show.

Apisphere  partnered with interactive advertising network BuzzHub.

Action Engine Corporation and Millennial Media, will integrate Action Engine's in-application Mobile Advertising Engine (MAE) technology with Millennial Media's  MBrand network.

Olympic sponsor AT&T will produce AT&T Team USA Soundtrack to inspire and support U.S. Olympic Teams.

Yankee Group announced that wireless industry trade journalist Brian Dolan has joined the firm as Senior Analyst/Editor of the Events and Publishing Division. In this new role, Dolan will shape the programs of the firm's events, beginning with Mobile Internet World 2008, which will take place October 21-23 in Boston.

Dolan will also be responsible for writing and editing two publications: Mobile Internet Trends and WiMAX Trends.

Before joining Yankee Group, Dolan served as the editor of FierceWireless. While at Fierce, Dolan also founded publications covering the mobile content industry and IPTV.

Doing its part to help address the issue of nearly one-third of U.S. high school students dropping out, AT&T  announced the launch of AT&T Aspire, a $100 million philanthropic program, which includes job shadowing for 100,000 students nationwide, to help strengthen student success and workforce readiness.

“In the U.S., 1.2 million students drop out of high school every year. This has implications for individuals and for our nation’s global economic leadership,” said AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson, who will address the topic Thursday at the Economic Club of Chicago. “AT&T Aspire is about supporting the great work already underway to help our kids succeed in school, and helping students see the connection between education and their best future.”

Through the Aspire initiative, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation are committing $100 million (over four years, 2008 - 2011) toward high school success and workforce readiness. The platform includes four key elements:

• Grants to schools and nonprofit organizations that are focused on helping students graduate from high school and become better prepared for college and/or the workforce.
• A student job shadowing initiative, involving 400,000 AT&T employee hours, that will give 100,000 students a firsthand look at the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century workforce.
• The underwriting of national research that will explore the practitioner perspective (teachers, principals, superintendents, school counselors and school board members) on the high school dropout issue.
• Support for 100 state and community Dropout Prevention summits, announced earlier this month by America’s Promise Alliance.

Apple announced that the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) surpassed Wal-Mart to become the number one music retailer in the US, based on the latest data from the NPD Group. With over 50 million customers, iTunes has sold over four billion songs and features the world's largest music catalog of over six million songs.

"We launched iTunes less than five years ago, and it has now become the number one music retailer in the world," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes. "We are thrilled, and would like to thank all of our customers for helping us reach this incredible milestone."

Information is based on data from market research firm the NPD Group's MusicWatch survey that captures consumer reported past week unit purchases and counts one CD representing 12 tracks, excluding wireless transactions. The iTunes Store became the largest music retailer in the US based on the amount of music sold during January and February 2008.

AT&T has opened its developer information with guuidelines showing developers how to create wireless applications for the first time. Shortly after the release of the iPhone SDK while the open Android platform is gaining ground.

AT&T hopes it will aid people with disabilities. Their news release states, “In an effort to encourage application developers and handset manufacturers to consider the needs of seniors or customers who have disabilities when designing products and services, AT&T Inc. announced that their approach to Universal Design will be made publicly available for the first time.”

Universal Design is the practice of designing products and applications that are usable by the broadest possible range of consumers. AT&T embraces the concept of Universal Design and has urged its handset and software partners to consider this methodology as they are developing wireless products and applications. AT&T’s recently launched Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier applications are examples of accessible products and services that result from innovative collaboration and design.

Alltel has introduced an unlimited voice plan called Freedom Unlimited for $99 per month following other carriers AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.