Visit our Filed page for categories. To browse by specific topic, see our Inside page. For a list of companies covered on this site, visit our Companies page.
Associated Press | Federal regulators have approved Google
Inc.’s $750 million acquisition of the mobile ad service AdMob despite
worries that the deal will enable Google to extend its dominance of
Internet marketing into the nascent field of wireless devices.
The Federal Trade Commission said Friday that its antitrust concerns
were overshadowed by Apple Inc.’s push into the $600 million mobile
advertising market in the U.S.
Reuters | BlackBerry smartphones are firmly attached to the belt
loops of most business travelers, but there are signs Apple’s trendy
iPhone is making inroads into board rooms and offices.
Drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc has begun iPhone trials with some senior
executives and British bank Standard Chartered has given its corporate
BlackBerry users the option of switching to the iPhone, a move that
could result in thousands of bankers switching to the Apple device for
business on the go.
By Jessica Guynn |
Google Inc. said the latest versions of its Android phones will run
faster, have more advanced capabilities and serve as Wi-Fi hotspots for
other devices. The Internet giant made the comments Thursday at its San
Francisco developers conference, where it touted the fast adoption of
smartphones powered by its software.
Dow Jones Newswires | Global sales of mobile handsets surged 17
percent in the first quarter driven by rising demand for smartphones
that also saw Research In Motion Ltd. and Apple Inc. grow market share
at the expense of Nokia Corp., IT research firm Gartner Inc.’s latest
market survey showed Wednesday.
Apart from smartphones, a rise in sales of cheaper, unbranded whitebox
handsets in some emerging markets such as India, also helped drive
mobile phone sales in the quarter, according to the research firm.
Sanjay Jha, co-CEO of Motorola and CEO of Motorola Mobile Devices, speaking in San Francisco in 2009. Some of Motorola’s smartphones will now feature TV apps. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
By Wailin Wong | New applications for watching television shows and reading books are coming to the Android mobile operating system.
QuickPlay Media Inc. said PrimeTime2Go, a monthly mobile TV
subscription service, is now available on a small number of Motorola
devices, including the Cliq at T-Mobile and the Droid at Verizon
Wireless. More Motorola Android phones will be enabled for the service
in the “coming months,” QuickPlay said in a Tuesday statement.
From the Chicago Sun-Times | Motorola and Exelon saw customer satisfaction scores improve 2.9 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively, from May 2009, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index released today.
Get the full story: suntimes.com
By Wailin Wong
| Google is phasing out its online mobile phone store, ending an
experiment in selling devices directly to consumers.
The technology giant had been selling its Nexus One device via its Web
store since the phone’s launch in January. This retail channel marked a
significant difference from the way the vast majority of U.S. consumers
purchase their mobile phones — that is, subsidized through a wireless
service provider. The Nexus One was sold unlocked for $529 without a
plan or contract, although customers could buy it for a subsidized $179
if they signed up for a two-year contract with T-Mobile.
From the New York Times | For the first time in the United States, the amount of data in text, e-mail messages, streaming video, music and other services on mobile devices in 2009 surpassed the amount of voice data in cellphone calls, according to the CTIA, the wireless
industry association. The number of text messages sent per user increased by nearly 50
percent nationwide last year alone, it said.
Get the full story: nytimes.com
By Wailin Wong |
PlatinumTel Wireless, a Chicago-based prepaid wireless provider, has won a federal court case against several local competitors over false advertising and unfair competition.
A U.S. District Court judge in the Northern District of Illinois awarded PlatinumTel a $15 million judgment in late April. The provider had first sued a number of related companies in February 2008, alleging that two competitors named EZ Stream and U.S. Mobile were misrepresenting the amount of minutes contained in its prepaid wireless plans. In its 2008 lawsuit, PlatinumTel said it posted “substantial, seven-figure losses in 2005 and 2006″ as a result of” their competitors’ “fraudulent advertising.”
By Alejandra Cancino |
It started with the smartphones. Last year, Kraft Foods Inc. offered a
stipend to employees who wanted to use their own iPhone, Android or
BlackBerry and ditch their company-issued phone.
That idea gave way to the creation of the “Bring Your Own Computer”
program, in which the company gives some employees a “substantial”
stipend to buy a computer of their choice, said Ana Paula Cruz, a Kraft
spokeswoman. In turn, employees will solve their own problems with help
from blogs and discussion boards written by the company’s information
systems department.
Cruz said the program will give flexibility to thousands of U.S. salary
employees who don’t deal with sensitive or confidential information and
use a computer to perform their job.
By Wailin Wong |
Verizon Wireless is planning to spend $121 million this year on its
third-generation network in Illinois, beefing up its network to meet
growing demand from data-hungry consumers.
Of the $121 million, $24 million will go toward increasing the
network’s 3G data capacity by 34 percent, the carrier said in a
release. The overall investment also covers the construction of new
cell sites. Since Verizon Wireless was formed in 2000, the company has
spent an average $140 million per year on its Illinois network.
Associated Press | Federal regulators are considering rules that
would require wireless phone companies to alert consumers before they
reach roaming or data usage limits on their wireless plans.
The Federal Communications Commission says it is seeking input on ways
to head off “bill shock,” which it describes as “the experience of
getting an unexpectedly high wireless phone bill.” The FCC says it has
received hundreds of complaints from across the country involving all
the major carriers.
By Wailin Wong | McDonald’s Corp. marketing chief Mary Dillon is leaving the fast food giant to take the top job at U.S. Cellular Corp., replacing John “Jack” Rooney as chief executive of the country’s sixth-largest wireless carrier.
Dillon, 48, will start her new role as president and CEO on June 1. She also will join Chicago-based U.S. Cellular’s board.
By Wailin Wong
| Activist investor Carl Icahn has raised his stake in Schaumburg-based
Motorola Inc. to 8.75 percent, according to a Friday filing with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Icahn and his investment vehicles last disclosed their Motorola holdings
in May 2008, reporting a 7.6 percent stake.
By Wailin Wong and Monique Garcia | State
legislators approved Thursday a revised version of the Illinois
Telecommunications Act that is designed to bring regulations up to date
with broadband and mobile phone technology.
The Senate passed the bill with a unanimous 59-0 vote after sailing
through the House with a 118-0 vote on Wednesday. The legislation now
goes to the governor’s desk.
