World / Mobile Communication
Hey Vodafone, Verizon called, it wants its Wireless back
01.07.2008 04:46
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Verizon Wireless, Vodafone Verizon chief Ivan Seidenberg gave a particularly candid interview with the Financial Times recently, revealing that he'd like to see Verizon take full control of Verizon Wireless -- a joint venture with Vodafone in which Verizon holds 55 percent -- given that Verizon is "doing 100 percent of the work." Zing! Despite saying that Voda's "been a great partner," the bulk of the conversation makes it sound like relations are definitely strained between the two telecom giants, and Seidenberg thinks that once bigwig Arun Sarin hands over the Vodafone reigns to Vittorio Colao next month, "maybe he'll want to do something different." You know, "different" as in "sell off $60 billion worth of Verizon Wireless to Verizon Communications." Also interesting is Seidenberg's revelation that Sarin wanted Verizon to snap up Alltel last year before it sold to private equity firms, but thanks to Verizon's majority on the VZW board, they were able to put the kibosh on the plan, apparently over concerns that they'd end up in a nasty bidding war. Alas, all's well that ends well, we suppose.[Via mocoNews]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Hey Vodafone, Verizon called, it wants its Wireless back
01.07.2008 04:46
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Verizon Wireless, Vodafone Verizon chief Ivan Seidenberg gave a particularly candid interview with the Financial Times recently, revealing that he'd like to see Verizon take full control of Verizon Wireless -- a joint venture with Vodafone in which Verizon holds 55 percent -- given that Verizon is "doing 100 percent of the work." Zing! Despite saying that Voda's "been a great partner," the bulk of the conversation makes it sound like relations are definitely strained between the two telecom giants, and Seidenberg thinks that once bigwig Arun Sarin hands over the Vodafone reigns to Vittorio Colao next month, "maybe he'll want to do something different." You know, "different" as in "sell off $60 billion worth of Verizon Wireless to Verizon Communications." Also interesting is Seidenberg's revelation that Sarin wanted Verizon to snap up Alltel last year before it sold to private equity firms, but thanks to Verizon's majority on the VZW board, they were able to put the kibosh on the plan, apparently over concerns that they'd end up in a nasty bidding war. Alas, all's well that ends well, we suppose.[Via mocoNews]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Motorola's touchscreen Blaze for Verizon in the wild
01.07.2008 04:46
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA Remember that touchscreen Motorola Blaze we'd mentioned a while back that was on the hook to get Verizon's visual voicemail service? It may not be in Verizon stores yet, but it's all up in Boy Genius Report's labs with a dark red body, MING attitude, and almost limitless mediocrity on board. The touchscreen apparently requires ridiculous amounts of effort to actuate, and that problem is compounded by a lame on-screen keyboard that makes texting tricky at best. EV-DO Rev. A is cool and all -- and the visual voicemail support should be a pretty popular add-on feature -- but that giant Motorola logo up front with the red ring and three pounds of chrome leaves the Blaze with a face only a mother could love. Let's hope Verizon's positioning this one as its low-end touchscreen offering, because we're not seeing it cha-chinging many registers otherwise.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Motorola's touchscreen Blaze for Verizon in the wild
01.07.2008 04:46
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA Remember that touchscreen Motorola Blaze we'd mentioned a while back that was on the hook to get Verizon's visual voicemail service? It may not be in Verizon stores yet, but it's all up in Boy Genius Report's labs with a dark red body, MING attitude, and almost limitless mediocrity on board. The touchscreen apparently requires ridiculous amounts of effort to actuate, and that problem is compounded by a lame on-screen keyboard that makes texting tricky at best. EV-DO Rev. A is cool and all -- and the visual voicemail support should be a pretty popular add-on feature -- but that giant Motorola logo up front with the red ring and three pounds of chrome leaves the Blaze with a face only a mother could love. Let's hope Verizon's positioning this one as its low-end touchscreen offering, because we're not seeing it cha-chinging many registers otherwise.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Treo 800w spec sheets and training materials reveal details, lack of MMS
01.07.2008 04:46
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Palm, Sprint We're not sure where our tipster got these pictures (nor are we going to ask), but they appear to be screens from the Treo 800w's specification and knowledge training documentation. New tidbits include a 333 Mhz processor, 4.4.1 x 2.28 x 0.73-inch dimensions, and a weight of 4.94 ounces. Windows Mobile 6.1 looks to be in full-force, the camera shoots at 2 MP, and the USB port is 2.0. As for other revealed features, you're looking at threaded SMS chat, but MMS is mysteriously missing in lieu of Sprint Picture Mail, a trend that continues to confuse us. If all this pans out, look for the 800w to be available on July 13th for $249.99. Hit the continue link to see the rest of the juicy shots and details.[Thanks, brian]Continue reading Treo 800w spec sheets and training materials reveal details, lack of MMSPermalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Half fake Sony Ericsson, half fake iPhone seeks asylum with FCC
01.07.2008 04:46
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Others, GSM Every so often, a company with a hot ripoff on it hands will roll the dice and send its wares through the FCC approval process, look around while whistling innocently, and hope beyond hope that no one notices anything unusual about the goods. The latest sneaky little son of a gun comes courtesy of Ezze Mobile Tech, the creatively named "MEGA4" with quadband GSM, a touch display, TV-out, and Bluetooth. Screen off, the design reeks of Sony Ericsson's cues, but turn it on, and, well... you can pretty much tell where this is going. We guess it's nice to get a little taste of the buffoonery we'd be treated to if Apple and Sony were to merge, but with just GPRS data on board, a set of FCC documentation is about as close to the flavor as we want to get.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Sony Ericsson, Maria Sharapova release accessory line
01.07.2008 04:45
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Sony Ericsson, Accessories Like a dagger through Motorola's heart, we're sure, Sony Ericsson's collaboration with tennis superstar Maria Sharapova is starting to pay dividends with the Maria Sharapova Design Collection of custom phone accessories. Launching in the third quarter, wares include the "Courtside Case," Excercise Case, Travel Wallet, and "Party Bag" -- at least three of which we weren't aware we needed -- but the custom branding should push at least a few of these out the door. One word of caution, though: Miss Sharapova assures us in the press materials that "I am looking forward to using the collection with my Sony Ericsson T303," and if her phone of choice is seriously an EDGE-less slider with a 160 x 128 display, we're forced to cast her good taste into serious doubt.[Via Engadget Spanish]Read
World
Accessories
Sony Ericsson, Maria Sharapova release accessory line
01.07.2008 04:45
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Sony Ericsson, Accessories Like a dagger through Motorola's heart, we're sure, Sony Ericsson's collaboration with tennis superstar Maria Sharapova is starting to pay dividends with the Maria Sharapova Design Collection of custom phone accessories. Launching in the third quarter, wares include the "Courtside Case," Excercise Case, Travel Wallet, and "Party Bag" -- at least three of which we weren't aware we needed -- but the custom branding should push at least a few of these out the door. One word of caution, though: Miss Sharapova assures us in the press materials that "I am looking forward to using the collection with my Sony Ericsson T303," and if her phone of choice is seriously an EDGE-less slider with a 160 x 128 display, we're forced to cast her good taste into serious doubt.[Via Engadget Spanish]Read
World
Accessories
T-Mobile bumping per-text rates again
01.07.2008 04:45
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Messaging, T-MobileJust a little over a year after going to 15 cents per message, T-Mobile's at it again, bumping the rate to 20 cents for those who go over their monthly allotment. For anyone with an unlimited messaging plan, it's obviously not an issue -- but many folks aren't, so this could end up stinging the pocketbook just a bit when it goes in effect come August 29. For what it's worth, T-Mob just seems to be responding to the 20 cent trend that's going on in the industry right now -- but it still hurts something fierce, and it's a pretty solid reminder that even casual texters are better off on a legit messaging plan these days.[Thanks, Ryan J. and Mike]Read
World
SMS
T-Mobile bumping per-text rates again
01.07.2008 04:45
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Messaging, T-MobileJust a little over a year after going to 15 cents per message, T-Mobile's at it again, bumping the rate to 20 cents for those who go over their monthly allotment. For anyone with an unlimited messaging plan, it's obviously not an issue -- but many folks aren't, so this could end up stinging the pocketbook just a bit when it goes in effect come August 29. For what it's worth, T-Mob just seems to be responding to the 20 cent trend that's going on in the industry right now -- but it still hurts something fierce, and it's a pretty solid reminder that even casual texters are better off on a legit messaging plan these days.[Thanks, Ryan J. and Mike]Read
World
SMS
Alltel adds messaging to My Circle
01.07.2008 04:45
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Messaging, AlltelThis ain't your grandpappy's My Circle. Well, actually, it pretty much is, with one small change: customers signing up for a My Circle messaging plan of $7.99 or higher on Alltel will now get unlimited messaging within their Circle, while the non-Circle bucket starts at 400 per month. The $19.99 "All Access Pass" is still available too, which rocks unlimited messaging to everyone regardless of whether they're cool enough to be in your Circle -- and it includes mobile web access, to boot. The new plans are available immediately.Read
World
SMS
Alltel adds messaging to My Circle
01.07.2008 04:45
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Messaging, AlltelThis ain't your grandpappy's My Circle. Well, actually, it pretty much is, with one small change: customers signing up for a My Circle messaging plan of $7.99 or higher on Alltel will now get unlimited messaging within their Circle, while the non-Circle bucket starts at 400 per month. The $19.99 "All Access Pass" is still available too, which rocks unlimited messaging to everyone regardless of whether they're cool enough to be in your Circle -- and it includes mobile web access, to boot. The new plans are available immediately.Read
World
SMS
NEC's "Bubble Talk" delivers micro-voicemails
01.07.2008 04:45
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Messaging, NEC Between this, voice-to-text, and text-to-voice systems, the lines between talking and texting are getting very blurred indeed. NEC used the NXTcomm show in Las Vegas to show off its "Bubble Text" technology, which is really nothing more than voice SMS -- record a quick snippet of talking, send it off, and the recipient gets a note in his or her inbox with your sonorous speech attached to it. At a high level, it's no different than attaching a sound clip to an MMS, but NEC appears to have streamlined the software to the point where setting up and sending the message is no more difficult than sending a traditional text -- and depending on your circumstances, it can actually be quite a bit easier since there's no actual texting involved. NEC claims that seven carriers have already deployed Bubble Talk, and it's in talks (bubble talks?) with several others. Follow the break for a video of Bubble Talk in action.[Via Unwired View]Continue reading NEC's "Bubble Talk" delivers micro-voicemailsRead
World
SMS
NEC's "Bubble Talk" delivers micro-voicemails
01.07.2008 04:45
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Messaging, NEC Between this, voice-to-text, and text-to-voice systems, the lines between talking and texting are getting very blurred indeed. NEC used the NXTcomm show in Las Vegas to show off its "Bubble Text" technology, which is really nothing more than voice SMS -- record a quick snippet of talking, send it off, and the recipient gets a note in his or her inbox with your sonorous speech attached to it. At a high level, it's no different than attaching a sound clip to an MMS, but NEC appears to have streamlined the software to the point where setting up and sending the message is no more difficult than sending a traditional text -- and depending on your circumstances, it can actually be quite a bit easier since there's no actual texting involved. NEC claims that seven carriers have already deployed Bubble Talk, and it's in talks (bubble talks?) with several others. Follow the break for a video of Bubble Talk in action.[Via Unwired View]Continue reading NEC's "Bubble Talk" delivers micro-voicemailsRead
World
SMS
Navizon's Mobfindr gets your phone to text home
01.07.2008 04:44
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Messaging, Software, Symbian, Windows Mobile, OS X Fiddlesticks, did you just leave your precious iPhone in the bathroom of that gas station back there? Why yes, we're pretty sure you did! If you're looking to verify that with a little more certainty, though, Navizon has just the answer. The company -- already no stranger to positioning apps for the iPhone -- has released its "Mobfindr" feature which allows you to text a key phrase to your beloved companion and have it reply with its current location. Great for finding a lost or recently-stolen phone, tracking children, or perhaps for tracking man's best friend should you decide to strap an iPhone to him in lieu of a Garmin DC 30. The feature's currently available exclusively for the iPhone, but Navizon expects BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and S60 versions in the near future. Follow the break for a look at Mobfindr getting its track on.Continue reading Navizon's Mobfindr gets your phone to text homeRead
World
SMS
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