Disney Mobile Shutting Down Too

Disney today announced it will shut down Disney Mobile at the end of this year. Early this year Disney also shuttered Mobile ESPN, its sport-centric MVNO. The company will provide service to subscribers through December 31, however they will announce a reimbursement and porting program by October 8. Walt Disney Internet Group is looking at offering its Family Center features to other carriers, however both Sprint and Verizon offer similar programs already.

Sprint Unveils Palm Centro

Updated. Sprint today launched a teaser campaign for the Palm Centro, a new entry-level Palm OS smartphone. The Centro is the smallest device from Palm yet and features Bluetooth, a 1.3 Megapixel camera, MicroSD slot and an updated of the Palm OS including a new instant messaging program and support for many popular email services. It shares styling with the new 500v announced earlier this month, but is narrower and has a smaller QWERTY keyboard. The Centro will be available in black or red on October 14 for $100 after rebate and 2 year contract.

T-Mobile Shows Off Two New Sidekicks

Today T-Mobile is announcing the Sidekick LX and the Sidekick Slide. Both have quad-band GSM/EDGE radios, Bluetooth and support for up to 4GB in the microSD slots. They also both share 1.3 Megapixel cameras, the standard Sidekick communications software as well as the new mobile MySpace application.

• LX: The LX, made by Sharp, is a slimmed down update to the Sidekick 3. It features a 3-inch WQVGA display that is thinner than the SK3's and has an improved swivel joint. There are a set of lights placed around the edge of the LX that can be set to different colors to indicate different types of messages. It comes with a 128MB microSD card and its camera has a flash. It will be available to existing T-Mobile customers on October 17th, and new customers October 24th. It will cost $299 with 2-year agreement.
• Slide: Made by Motorola, the Slide is a smaller version of the Sidekick LX. Rather than swivel around, its 2-inch QVGA screen slides straight up to reveal the QWERTY keyboard underneath. Its camera does not have a flash. It will be available November 7th for $199 with 2-year agreement.

FCC Working to Revise 700 MHz Auction Rules

n an apparent response to Verizon Wireless's lawsuit, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is working to change the open access rules attached to next year's 700 MHz spectrum auction. Verizon executives met with the FCC on September 17 and in that meeting strongly voiced Verizon's opposition to the open access portion of the auction rules. With the public comment period just beginning, there is no immediate need for the rules to be revised, but even so Martin is taking extraordinary steps--in the form of a declaratory ruling--to revise the rules as they exist. It is believed that Verizon Wireless is prepared to bid in the 22 MHz block in question. The FCC has not had a chance to consider or respond to the petitions recently filed by AT&T and Frontline regarding the auction.

AT&T Interested In Overseas Ventures

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson has said that the company is exploring new businesses overseas. In particular, AT&T is interested in bidding on spectrum in India, as well as acquiring wireless and wireline telecom companies. It has already struck partnership deals in India and is installing gear in several Indian cities. AT&T is also looking to invest in a handful of Asian and Middle Eastern countries, including China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Motorola Z6tv Announced By Verizon Wireless

Today Verizon Wireless announced that it will make the Motorola Z6tv, the third MediaFLO phone compatible with its V CAST Mobile TV service, available on October 5. The Z6tv is a slider with EV-DO data and stereo Bluetooth. It has a 2 Megapixel camera and supports landscape and portrait modes for the camera and TV. It also has a microSD slot for added storage. It will cost $179 after $50 rebate with new two-year agreement.

Kyocera In Talks To Buy Sanyo

Sanyo is entering the final stages of talks to sell its mobile handset division to Kyocera. Last month Sanyo began discussions to sell off its loss-making handset division as part of a financial restructuring attempt, though it later announced the unit would be profitable by the end of the year. The deal is rumored to be worth 50 billion Yen ($434 million) and will make the new company the 7th largest handset manufacturer. Since talks are still on going it is not known when the two companies will reach an agreement.

NTP Brings Suit Against All Four National Carriers

NTP has brought suit against the four nationwide US carriers for patent infringement. The suits allege that email services offered by the carriers violate NTP's mobile email patents. After a long trial, RIM settled with NTP earlier this year, paying over $600 million to license NTP's patents. Though their Blackberry offerings are covered by this agreement, each carrier offers its own push email services as well, such as T-Mobile's My Email. NTP is seeking damages and injunctions against the carriers for offering these services.

Nokia Revises Its Maps Application

Today Nokia made a new version of its Maps application available for download. The revision to the software includes a new user interface that makes searching easier. It also includes a data download counter visible in the map so users can see how much data they are using, and a GPS status indicator that shows if the phone is connected to a GPS satellite. Nokia is making more maps available and also updated the PC-based Map Loader software, increasing the speed that maps are side loaded onto phones. Maps works with certain S60 phones. The software is free.

AT&T REDOING THEIR LOGO AGAIN!!!

Corrected. AT&T will begin re-branding its wireless service by adding orange to its logo today. In a nod to Cingular, it is adding orange to signage, advertising and other materials, though the blue globe will remain. AT&T is looking to change the entire company's focus to mobility and is working to advance the carrier's offerings. They will begin test marketing a new calling plan that offers DSL internet and a 450 minute wireless plan for $60 without requiring users to get a wired voice line. They are also working to negotiate better international roaming rates.

Apple Mulling Spectrum Bid

Apple is considering entering the FCC spectrum auction set for January 16, 2008. Apple has enough cash to make a bid in the auction, which starts with a minimum of $4.6 billion, though winning any spectrum will likely take up to $9 billion. If Apple were to enter the auction it would represent a large shift in strategy for the company, which has focused more on selling devices rather than services. Winning spectrum could lead to a different way for Apple to deliver content to the iPhone without partnerships with wireless companies such as AT&T.

FCC Tightens E911 Rules

The FCC today announced a stricter interpretation of E911 standards that will improve location accuracy for all subscribers. Carriers will need to meet accuracy standards for 95% of subscribers on a local level at each Public Service Answering Point (PSAP). Previously, compliance was judged on a state average, allowing carriers to beef up E911 compliance in high population areas to make up for poor compliance in smaller towns or rural districts. The FCC has set yearly benchmarks for the carriers to meet along the way to full compliance by September 11, 2011. Carriers are worried about the cost of compliance with the ruling and its tight timeline, some FCC members expressed concern over the timeline as well, because they believe new location tracking technology may become a factor in the near future.

Motorola Moves 3G Chip Business Away From Qualcomm

Motorola announced its intent to stop buying 3G chips from Qualcomm and use chips from Freescale Semiconductor and Texas Instruments in future phone designs instead. Motorola cited business reasons, and not engineering reasons, for making the supplier switch. Qualcomm is currently facing a number of legal issues which may have affected Motorola's decision, including the ITC 3G chip ban, and litigation from Nokia. It also recently lost support from Verizon Wireless, which licensed Broadcom 3G patents in favor of Qualcomm's. Texas Instruments likely welcomes this move, as it recently lost business from Nokia, which is spreading out its 3G chip suppliers to a number of vendors.

Manufacturers Receive Stay On Qualcomm Ban

The Federal Court of Appeals today issued a stay on the ban against Qualcomm's 3G chips resulting from Broadcom's patent suit. Companies who sought a stay on the ban can import new handsets with Qualcomm chips pending the case's appeal. Qualcomm chips, however, still can not be directly imported in to the US. The companies receiving a stay are: Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sanyo, AT&T and T-Mobile.

FCC Reveals Sanyo Bar Phone

The FCC today approved the Sanyo S1, the company's return to bar phone for Sprint. Like Sanyo's original bar phones, the S1 is thin - 11.1mm - however that's not uncommon for current handsets. The S1 is an entry level phone with Bluetooth, no camera is even visible in the initial documents. Sprint previewed this phone at an event last month with indications it is due out before the holidays.

Verizon Wireless Challenges FCC Auction Rules

Claiming that the rules set forth for the upcoming FCC 700 MHz auction violate the law, Verizon filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Court of Appeals to challenge the FCC to change them. The FCC recently agreed that one-third of the airwaves set for auction in January be open to any device and any service, so long as the network is not harmed. AT&T, Google, Skype and others supported the FCC proposal, but Verizon feels the open access stipulation is a threat. Neither the FCC nor Verizon commented on the matter beyond the complaint itself.

Sprint Debuts On-Phone Shopping Tool

Beginning today, Sprint data subscribers can use the new Mobile Shopper service to buy products from 30 online retailers directly from their phones. Users can search, compare prices, check inventory, email and share item information, as well as make a purchase. The tool is accessed by typing "shop" into the Sprint web browser. Users must set up an account tied to a credit card, which can be done from their phone or on a PC. The service itself is free to use.

NEW TREO for Vodaphone

The Treo 500v is the first full revision to the Treo hardware from Palm in years. It is a new Windows Mobile 6 standard smartphone that abandons touchscreen interactivity, but adds Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR with the HFP, HSP, A2DP, and OPP profiles, a 2 Megapixel camera and 150 MB of usable memory that can be expanded with a microSD card. As with previous generations of Treos, it has a full QWERTY keyboard and large screen. It will support Microsoft's Direct Push email as well as POP3 email accounts. It is a tri-band GSM/GPRS phone, supporting the 900/1800/1900 bands as well as UMTS 2100 3G. Palm will likely release a variant of the 500v that supports US networks at a later date. It is available in white and gray.

Motorola to Consider Touch Screens, Wi-Fi for Future Phones

Speaking to investors at a conference yesterday, Motorola CFO Tom Meredith indicated that the company is altering its strategy to regain solid footing in the wireless market. He commented that Motorola has taken note of the iPhone's success in bringing two technologies, the touch screen and Wi-Fi, to market and is considering adding them to future Motorola devices. Another part of its new strategy will have Motorola developing a wide range of devices that will appeal to all people from mass market to enterprise instead of focusing on one stand-out device.

Source: infoworld

8GB iPhone drops $200 in price overnight

$100 credit to current iphone customers

In an open letter posted on Apple's website, Steve Jobs has announced the company will offer early iPhone adopters a store credit to offset yesterday's drop in price. Buyers who paid full price and are not eligible for price protection will receive $100 in credit at Apple's online store. Details will be announced next week. Although carriers, often drop the price of high-end phones after a few months of sales, the suddenness and steep drop of yesterday's price cut took many owners by surprise, creating a wide-spread negative reaction.

Apple is issueing a $100 credit to iphone customers

Chief Executive Steve Jobs on Thursday apologized to iPhone buyers for cutting the price tag of the 8-gigabyte model to $399, which is $200 less than at its debut on June 29. In a letter posted on the consumer electronic maker's Web site, Jobs also said that Apple plans to give a $100 credit to existing iPhone customers. "We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers," Jobs said. "We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple

Five Facts About Google Phone

1. Google Phone is based on a mobile variant of Linux, and is able to run Java virtual machines.
2. All applications that are supposed to run on the Google Phone are java apps. The OS has ability to run multimedia files, including video clips.
3. The user interface is similar to a UI typical of mobile phones, and the image (with red background) floating around isn’t representative of the Google Phone UI. The entire UI is said to be done in Java and is very responsive. The UI, of course has a “search box.”
4. There is a special browser which has pan-and-browse features that are common to modern browsers such as browsers for iPhone and Symbian phones. The entire browser is apparently written in Java. But then others have told us that the browser is based on the WebKit core, the same engine in Safari and in iPhone, and Google has been making optimizations to speed it up. This is one aspect of the Google Phone I am not sure about.
5. Initially there was one prototype, but over past few months Google has the mobile OS running on 3-to-5 devices, most of them likely made by HTC, a mobile phone maker, and all have Qwerty apps. The model that folks have seen is very similar to the T-Mobile Dash. Around 3GSM, there were rumors that Google, Orange and HTC were working together on mobile devices.

Rumors spread on the NEW GOOGLE PHONE

As any avid Engadget reader knows, the persistent Google Phone rumor -- begun so many eons ago (er, last year) -- has been on the fast track as of late, with varying reports coming in concerning specific information such as launch date, OS, and the existence of prototypes. Well, now it looks like we've got another handful of data to add to the veritable mini-mountain of specs / info we've ascertained about the presently-vaporous device. According to "reliable sources," specific aspects of the GPhone are coming to light -- the first suggesting that the phone will run on a Linux variant (which is nothing new), and will be Java Virtual Machine-capable. Additionally, the OS of the phone will be Java-based (as well as the all phone apps itself), and performance is said to be "very responsive." The browser for the phone will be new (though some say it's based on the WebKit core, which Safari is built atop) and will tout "pan-and-browse" capabilities. Finally, the word is that HTC is manufacturing the handsets, and instead of a single form-factor for the prototype, there are a variety of phones, all with QWERTY keyboards (one article suggests the phone will be "simpler" and less "flashy" than the iPhone, with less screen space, and a BlackBerry / Treo form-factor). Certainly a lot of information, though -- just as certainly -- speculation and rumor right now, and if the past year has taught any lesson, it's to proceed with extreme skepticism.

Are replacement phones more popular on eBay?

We have noticed that more and more people are buying replacement cell phones from eBay as carriers charge an arm and a leg if you are not eligible for an upgrade. For the same razr in a store for $399.99 with no upgrade discounts, you can get it on eBay for around $115 shipped.

Windows Live Comes To Nokia Smartphones

Nokia and Microsoft today announced that Windows Live software is available to S60 users in select EMEA countries. The software gives S60 third edition users access to Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail, Contacts and Spaces and integrates many of these services into the phone. It is available as a free trial in 11 countries but will require a subscription in several of them after the trial runs out. Also in today's announcement, Nokia said that additional Windows Live services will come to both S60 and Series 40 phones next year. Yahoo! also has a similar deal with Nokia.

Sprint Adds New York City to List of WiMax Markets

Sprint has added the New York City metropolitan area to its initial list of markets for WiMax technology. Samsung, which is already working on several of the other markets, will build the New York-area network for Sprint. No timeline for launching this network has been announced, but some of the test markets are set to go live by the end of 2007, with others following in 2008. Samsung will build the network, as well as supply chips and and mobile devices to access the network.

Nokia to Re-Launch Handset Gaming

Nokia is set to re-launch the N-Gage brand as a gaming service that will be compatible with S60 handsets. The new service will allow users to sample games before buying them, as well as allow them to see what games are on their friends' phones, and whether or not they are available to play against. It will also show players' skill levels, so gamers can match up more evenly. Games will be available from a number of large and small game-developing companies, but will be focused more on casual gaming. Nokia will officially announce which handsets the service will work with later this week, though it plans to have games available for most S60 handsets by next year.

Source: Nokia

Yahoo Offers Free PC-to-Mobile Text Messaging

Yahoo has revamped its Yahoo Mail email service and among the new features is a free text-messaging component. PC users will be able to use email, IM or SMS to reach their contacts, and can switch between the three methods, picking whichever happens to be most convenient at that moment. The text-messaging feature will be available in the U.S., Canada, India and Phillipines and will be rolled out over the next six weeks in the form of an upgrade.

Source: cnn Money

HTC Updates and Upgrades Pocket PC Phone

HTC Europe today announced the TYTN II, their new top-end GSM/HSDPA Windows Mobile phone. This followup to the TYTN platform (sold on AT&T as the 8525) has a similar body with a slide-out keyboard, however now the screen can be tilted up when the keyboard is slid open. The camera has also been upgraded to 3 Megapixels with auto-focus and GPS has been added. It still features quad-band GSM/EDGE and tri-band HSDPA, Wif-Fi and Bluetooth, a QVGA touch screen and a MicroSD slot. It will also feature Windows Mobile 6 Professional and the new HTC home screen introduced on the Touch. The TYTN II will launch throughout Europe in September on carriers as well as with the HTC brand.

Nokia rebrands internet service to spice things up a bit...

As part of Nokia's on-going internal restructuring, it has formed an Internet Services division and is launching it under the brand name Ovi. Ovi, which is the Finnish word for 'door', represents a push from Nokia to provide not only mobile phones, but access to content as well. Part of the offerings that fall under the Ovi umbrage are the Nokia Music Store, the N-Gage gaming platform, Nokia Maps, and other services. Nokia will begin adding user interface elements to future phones that will access Ovi content directly. O

Nokia Music Store Announced

Nokia introduced a new music store that will compete with iTunes and other online and over-the-air music services. The Nokia Music Store is will allow users to download tracks over the air directly to select handsets, or via PC and sync to handsets later. It will initially be compatible with the newly launched N81 and N95 8GB. Users will be able to browse artists, songs, or albums, as well as get recommendations on new artists. Tracks will cost 1 Euro and albums 10 Euros, with a streaming option also for 10 Euros. The tracks will be sold as DRM-protected WMA files ripped at 192 kbps. The Nokia Music Store will launch in certain European markets in the fall, and other countries in Europe and Asia later this year.

N-Gage Gaming Service Officially Announced By Nokia

Nokia bowed its revamped N-Gage platform. The new service, which is compatible with S60 3rd Edition phones, will provide access to a wide range of games from content developers such as Electronic Arts and Capcom. N-Gage is a free application that can be downloaded to S60 phones. It will be embedded on new phones, starting with the N81 and N95 8GB. Games will cost between 6 and 10 Euros and can be paid for via credit card or through certain carriers. Different licensing options will also allow for cheaper prices. Games can be download over the air or to a PC and synced later. N-Gage will be available beginning in November.

Nokia released 4 new handets. iphone competition?

Nokia unveiled four new handsets at an event in London that are compatible with some of the services announced today. Two phones are N Series multimedia computers running S60 3rd Edition and two are Series 40 3rd Edition-based additions to the Xpress Music lineup. They all ship in the fourth quarter.

N81: This new slider is a quad-band GSM/EDGE and WCDMA 2100 MHz 3G phone that comes in two variants. One model has 8GB of storage built in, and the other has a microSD slot for additional storage. It is the first handset that will be compatible with the new Nokia Music Store and N-Gage services and has a new 3-D menu system. It has stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headset jack, as well as stereo Bluetooth and an FM radio. It has a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, 2 Megapixel camera, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. The 8GB model will cost 430 Euros and the standard edition will cost 360 Euros. N95 8GB / N95 U.S.: This update to the N95 includes 8GB of internal storage, as well as a new 2.8-inch QVGA screen. Most of the other specifications are unchanged from the original. It will cost 560 Euros. Nokia also officially announced the N95 for the U.S. market. The U.S. variant will include quad-band GSM/EDGE as well as dual-band 850/1900 WCDMA radios compatible with U.S. 3G networks. It comes with a microSD slot for additional storage. It has the original 2.6-inch screen. It will cost $699. 5610 XpressMusic: This slider phone is a step up from the similar 5300 XpressMusic. It has quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band 850/2100 WCMDA 3G radios. It features a music slider key that will automatically launch the music player from a blank screen. It has a 2.2-inch QVGA screen that is scratch proof. It offers 22 hours of music playback, support for 4GB microSD cards for storage and a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash. It also has an FM radio and secondary camera for video calling, but a 2.5mm headset jack. It will cost 300 Euros. 5310 XpressMusic: This candybar has tri-band GSM/EDGE radios and dedicated external music controls. It has a 3.5mm headset jack as well as stereo Bluetooth. It has a 2-inch QVGA screen and a 2 Megapixel camera. It supports up to 4 GB of miscroSD storage and will cost 225 Euros.

FCC Proposes Fines For E911 Failure

Source: InfoWorld / Associated Press

The FCC today proposed fining Sprint, Alltel and US Cellular a combined total of $2.8 million for failing to meet a 2005 enhanced 911 (E911) deadline. None of these carriers were able to get 95% of their subscribers on location capable handsets by 2005. Alltel and US Cellular have now met this goal, however Sprint has not yet reached the 95% mark according to the FCC. A Sprint spokeswoman today said the company has nearly met the goal with 94.7% of subscribers on location capable handsets.