Filed under: Wireless

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Chicago part of Verizon’s year-end 4G rollout

Chicago is one of the 38 cities that will be included in Verizon Wireless’ launch of its 4G network later this year, the operator said Wednesday.

Verizon, which will use a fourth-generation network technology called Long-Term Evolution, said its Chicagoland network will extend from the Wisconsin border, to Tinley Park and Homer Glen to Lake Zurich, Hoffman Estates and Bolingbrook. Lake Michigan will form the network’s eastern border. Get the full story »

Motorola to offer new Android phones for AT&T‎

AT&T Inc., the No. 2 U.S. mobile service, plans to sell three smartphones from Motorola Inc. based on Google Inc.’s Android software, potentially helping the phone maker depend less on Verizon Wireless, its most important U.S. customer.

The new devices, announced Tuesday, are aimed at a more cost-conscious audience than Motorola’s flagship Droid X device, which Verizon Wireless sells for $200. Get the full story »

Toshiba to bring tablet to U.S. early next year

Toshiba Corp. plans to release new tablet devices in the U.S., Japan and elsewhere early next year, a top engineer at the company involved in the development of tablet computers told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday.

“The market for tablets is very hot right now,” said Hideo Kasuya on the sidelines of the annual Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies, near Tokyo. Get the full story »

Worldwide chip sales jump in August

Global sales of semiconductors grew nearly 33 percent in August to $25.7 billion compared with a year ago, the Semiconductor Industry Association said Monday. Get the full story »

Verizon Wireless to pay up to $90 million in refunds

Verizon Wireless in a statement Sunday said it will pay millions of dollars in refunds to 15 million cell phone customers who were erroneously charged for data sessions or Internet use.

Motorola wants OK for reverse stock split

Motorola Inc. is seeking a reverse split of its common stock, hoping to boost the price of its shares before it splits into two publicly traded companies early next year.

In a reverse stock split, investors receive fewer shares for their current holdings. Fewer  outstanding shares usually increase the stock price, although there’s no guarantee the price will return to its previous level after the split. Motorola’s shares have traded below $10 apiece for the last two years. In afternoon trade, the company’s stock was up 3.8 percent at $8.70. Get the full story »

FCC vote clears way for ‘Super Wi-Fi’

The Federal Communications Commission is opening up unused airwaves between television stations for wireless broadband networks that will be more powerful and can travel farther than today’s Wi-Fi hotspots.

The five-member FCC voted unanimously Thursday to allow the use of so-called “white spaces” between TV stations to deliver broadband connections that can function like Wi-Fi networks on steroids. Get the full story »

Verizon CEO hints iPhone not coming soon

Comments from Verizon Communications Inc. CEO Ivan Seidenberg leave little room for the possibility of a Verizon version of the iPhone in the near future.

Speaking to an investor conference Thursday, Seidenberg said nothing about an iPhone for the company’s current network, but said he hopes Apple Inc. will come around and allow Verizon to sell the phone for a new network it’s building. The “4G” network hasn’t yet opened for service and won’t be complete next year. Get the full story »

BlackBerry-maker preparing to show iPad rival

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. could unveil its new tablet computer — as well as the operating system that will power it — as early as next week at a developers’ conference in San Francisco, said people familiar with RIM’s plans.

The tablet, which some inside RIM are calling the BlackPad, is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year, these people said. It will feature a seven-inch touch screen and one or two built-in cameras, they said. Get the full story »

Twitter: Porn pop-up problem fixed

The Twitter homepage on Sept. 3, 2010. Twitter came under attack today as hackers exploited a security flaw to wreak havoc on the microblogging service. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

Twitter has fixed a security flaw on its popular social media website after a cyber attack earlier on Tuesday sent some users to Japanese porn websites.

Twitter, which allows users to broadcast short messages of 140 characters or fewer, was flooded with tweets by users who complained on the homepage under such topic headings as ”Twitter got hacked.” Get the full story »

Apple said to be developing a smaller iPad

From Bloomberg News | Analysts at Rodman & Renshaw say Apple is working on an iPad with a smaller, 7-inch screen to compete with the more compact tablet computers on the way from competitors. The current iPad has a 9.7-inch screen.

Verizon names McAdam COO, likely next CEO

Lowell C. McAdam. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Verizon Communications said on Monday it named Lowell McAdam its president and chief operating officer, setting the veteran executive up as the successor to Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg.

McAdam, currently chief executive of Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon and Vodafone Group Plc, will take up his new role October 1. Get the full story »

HTC adds mobile services, 2 new smartphones

Smartphone maker HTC Corp. unveiled details Wednesday of its push into the increasingly important mobile services sector and introduced two new handsets using Google’s Android operating software.

The launch came a day after Nokia, the world’s biggest cellphone maker, launched three new smartphones at its annual showcase conference in London. Get the full story »

Wal-Mart introduces branded wireless plan

Wal-Mart is introducing the first cell phone plan that uses the chain’s own branding, further demonstrating its clout in getting special deals from wireless carriers.

FCC: ‘Super Wi-Fi’ could be a year away

A new flavor of Wi-Fi, with longer range and wall-piercing power, could show up in wireless gadgets a year from now if the Federal Communications Commission works out the last details of new spectrum rules that have been long in the making.

Nearly two years ago, the FCC voted to open up the airwaves between broadcast TV channels — so-called “white spaces” — for wireless broadband connections that would work like Wi-Fi on steroids. But wrangling over key technical details, including concerns about interference with TV signals and wireless microphones, has prevented exploitation of these spaces. Get the full story »