New Cellular Products To Watch At The Show

By Joseph Palenchar On Jan 6 2011 - 6:01am

LAS VEGAS — Many cellphone suppliers put the press on hold in the days before International CES, but others chatted up their plans for product introductions. Here’s what they’re planning:

Enspert: Besides entering the U.S. tablet market with an Android device (see p. 4, 130), the Korean company is entering the cellular market with an Android phone and a mobile hot spot. Details were unavailable.

 

 

TomTom Targets Mid, High Ends At CES

By Joseph Palenchar On Jan 6 2011 - 6:01am

LAS VEGAS — TomTom is adding to its flagship Go series of portable navigation devices (PNDs) and unveiling a new mid-range series.

Cellular's Need For Speed On Display At CES

By Joseph Palenchar On Jan 17 2011 - 6:01am

LAS VEGAS — In the cellular exhibits and meeting rooms of International CES, it was all about speed: 4G network speeds to quickly access the Internet and microprocessor speeds for quickly accessing apps.

Among at least 14 new cellphones unveiled at CES, eight were 4G phones for the AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint networks. Two 4G phones and one 3G phone became the first U.S.-market models to be announced with 1GHz dual-core processor to accelerate processing speeds to 2GHz.

Report: Carriers Adopt 3 Strategies To Boost Data

By Joseph Palenchar On Jan 24 2011 - 6:01am

HAMPTON, N.H. – Cellular carriers are building up their data revenues by expanding their smartphone portfolios, introducing tiered data plans, and upgrading network speeds, research company Technology Business Research (TBR) concluded in a recent report.

“The wireless industry is undergoing rapid evolution toward a data-focused revenue model,” said analyst Kate Price. “The combination of a wide array of smartphones, high-performing networks and multiple rate-plan options has been the key to data revenue growth for the top performers.”

Why Sprint Raised Data-Plan Prices

By Joseph Palenchar On Jan 24 2011 - 6:01am

Overland Park, Kan. — Sprint is raising the price of its postpaid plans with unlimited-data use for new 3G smartphones.

Beginning Jan. 30, the 3G/4G carrier will charge an additional $10/month for unlimiteddata use through newly activated 3G smartphones. The charge had previously been levied only on the carrier’s 4G smartphone plans.

FCC Vote Could Create Citywide Wi-Fi Service

By Joseph Palenchar On Oct 4 2010 - 4:01am

WASHINGTON — Wide-area “Super WiFi” hot spots could be one of the results of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote to open up unused “white spaces” in the TV band for unlicensed uses.

Verizon Sees Tablets, Video In 4G Plan

By Joseph Palenchar On Oct 18 2010 - 4:01am

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — Verizon Wireless will go to January’s International CES with an array of 4G-equipped devices ranging from tablets, 3G/4G smartphones, and machine-to-machine products following the launch later this year of its 4G 700MHz LTE network in 38 major metro markets.

The products, including “devices for video,” will be available in the first half of 2011 following this year’s launch of wireless modems for laptops, said Verizon Communications president/COO Lowell McAdam.

AT&T To Expand Android Selection To 8

By Joseph Palenchar On Oct 18 2010 - 4:01am

DALLAS – iPhone carrier AT&T will roll out three new Motorola-made Android phones starting in October, bringing the iPhone carrier’s Android selection to eight models.

The 3G models, priced from $79 to $129, run the Android 2.1 OS and feature the latest version of Motorola’s Motoblur social-network aggregation service. In an unusual move, AT&T is pricing the phones through its channels without rebate, matching the practice by large CE chains such as Walmart, Best Buy and RadioShack.

AT&T Readies USB Modems Upgradable To LTE, HSPA+

By Joseph Palenchar On Oct 18 2010 - 4:01am

DALLAS – AT&T unveiled its first mobile-broadband modems that users can upgrade to the HSPA+ and 4G LTE cellular-data technologies, but the carrier declined to specify whether they would be available this year.

Android Poised For Strong Q4 Share Gains

By Joseph Palenchar On Nov 8 2010 - 6:01am

NEW YORK — Android smartphones made strong gains in third-quarter smartphone share among U.S. consumers and are poised for further gains now that a variety of entrylevel handsets have been launched at price points down to $9.99.

Android’s third-quarter gains in consumers’ smartphone purchases, excluding enterprise purchases, came mostly at the expense of RIM’s BlackBerry OS but also at Apple’s expense, an NPD Group survey of consumers found.