3G

WWDC to include iPhone applications track

Tue, 20 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Apple announced its annual Worldwide Developers Conference will for the first time feature an iPhone development track, promising in-depth sessions and hands-on labs spotlighting the OS X iPhone 2.0 software, including the iPhone SDK and the App Store. According to Apple, the track will also offer mobile developers the opportunity to work side-by-side with in-house engineers to create iPhone applications. The WWDC event, taking place June 9-13 in San Francisco, will kick off with a keynote address from Apple CEO Steve Jobs; conventional wisdom indicates Jobs will seize the moment to officially confirm the pending release of the computing giant's much-discussed 3G-model iPhone.

For more on the WWDC iPhone track:
- read this release

QUICKLINKS: More 3G iPhone rumors; Skype launches mobile app for 50 handsets;

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

> More 3G iPhone rumors.

> Skype launches mobile app for 50 handsets.

> Rumor: Prada 2 has 5MP camera, WiFi and more.

> Report: AT&T delays 3G BlackBerry.

> Apple buys chipmaker for iPhones, iPods.

T-Mobile's 2008 device schedule leaks

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

T-Mobile USA's 2008 device rollout schedule includes the return of Sony Ericsson handsets to the operator's portfolio. Citing an anonymous tipster with a copy of a recent T-Mobile executive meeting agenda, The Boy Genius Report says the carrier will introduce two new Sony Ericsson handsets by Q4: The Bella, a 2 megapixel flip device with aGPS and 3G support, and the W760, a 3.2 megapixel slider with 3G and aGPS support of its own. Motorola will contribute the Z6w (reportedly a WiFi-enabled device) and the ROKR E8--the handset maker will also relaunch its W490 in a series of new color schemes. An "incredible" camera phone and a Windows Mobile 6.1-based device are rumored from HTC.

For more on T-Mobile's device outlook:
-read this Boy Genius Report article

Related articles:
The Shadow lurks in T-Mobile's future
T-Mobile Dash Tips and Tricks
T-Mobile unveils Vario

De la Vega: AT&T coming around on Android?

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

At a press luncheon during last week's CTIA Wireless 2008 event in Las Vegas, AT&T Mobility president Ralph de la Vega hinted that AT&T was finally coming around to Google's Android platform after meeting with Google recently.

"I like it a lot more than I did before," de la Vega said last week. "One of the things we were looking for is whether it was open and you could really put other apps on it." He said the platform "is something that we would want in our portfolio" but first we "need to get it into our devices and really test it."

The Mobility president also fanned the flames of the long-awaited 3G iPhone, which both he and Apple CEO Steve Jobs have admitted is coming out by the end of 2008. When pressed, de la Vega said most of the carrier's high-end devices will be 3G-enabled "within months." Despite the hype on the blogs, the end of 2008 is "within months," too. -Brian

Related articles:
Google debuts updated Android SDK
Startup a la Mobile unveils first Android apps

Broadcom pursuing injunction against Qualcomm

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

Chipmaker Broadcom said it will pursue an injunction to block rival Qualcomm from manufacturing 3G and EV-DO chips after a federal judge affirmed a federal jury's May decision that Qualcomm willfully infringed on three of its patents. Broadcom said it will not seek a new trial and will accept the $19.6 million in compensatory damages awarded earlier this year--Judge James V. Selna of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California originally doubled the damages in light of another court decision, but last week overturned the ruling after a change in federal law. Selna offered Broadcom the option to either elect a new trial on all issues or accept the jury's unenhanced liability and damage verdicts. Broadcom selected the latter--attorney David Rosmann said last month that obtaining an injunction was more important than damages.

For more on the never-ending Broadcom/Qualcomm spat:
-read this Computerworld article

Related articles:
Broadcom wins antitrust appeal against Qualcomm
Appeals court rejects Qualcomm request
White House declines to veto ITC's Qualcomm ban
Qualcomm rejects Broadcom settlement offer
Qualcomm's general counsel resigns

QUICKLINKS: Apple VP says third-party apps will employ digital signature authorization; AT&T's Ralph de la Vega on Android, dev

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:59:55 -0500

> Apple VP says third-party apps will employ digital signature authorization. Article

> AT&T's Ralph de la Vega on Android, devices and software development. Article

> China Mobile testing 3G Windows Mobile device. Article

> Zoho Creator Mobile debuts. Release

> T-Mobile Germany to sell unlocked iPhone--for €999. FierceMobileContent

Moto ankles Qualcomm for Freescale, TI

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Motorola announced it will no longer purchase 3G chips from Qualcomm, instead turning to rivals Freescale Semiconductor and Texas Instruments for its future chip shopping needs. Motorola credited the supplier switch to "business reasons," not engineering issues, although Qualcomm's ongoing legal battles with Broadcom and Nokia as well as the International Trade Commission's ban on its 3G chips is almost certainly a factor in the decision as well.

"We have confirmed that Motorola has already begun to shift resources away from Qualcomm 3G efforts towards Texas Instruments," writes American Technology Research in a Barron's article reporting the news. "Checks suggest a dramatic about-face on business rather than technical issues, with designers now encouraged to minimize Qualcomm in new products…We believe Motorola's decision was purely business as our technical contacts had suggested many Qualcomm-based WCDMA designs in the pipeline and a general preference amongst Motorola designers for Qualcomm, despite the higher pricing. Our checks reveal that Motorola found Qualcomm 'hard to do business with,' which we interpret as either too high-priced, or also having something to do with the royalty rates."

ATR estimates 35 million 3G phones for Motorola in 2008, which translates to $700 million in sales and 10 cents in earnings per share of lost opportunity for Qualcomm.

For more on the Motorola moves:
- read this Barron's article

Related articles:
Qualcomm and Motorola collaborate on UMTS handsets
Broadcom wins antitrust appeal against Qualcomm
Appeals court rejects Qualcomm request
White House declines to veto ITC's Qualcomm ban

Friends close, enemies closer

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Maybe we can all get along after all. On Monday Samsung Electronics and Ericsson announced a cross-license deal that puts to rest a legal dispute that erupted after the rivals failed to renew a patent agreement at the end of 2005. According to a Samsung filing with the Korea Exchange, the deal spans a number of 2G and 3G patents the two firms hold--although few if any other terms were disclosed, Samsung did add the détente effectively ends all of Ericsson's outstanding lawsuits in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S.

The news on the Samsung/Ericsson agreement comes as analysts forecast the pending results of a second quarter that saw Samsung make significant gains on Motorola, currently the world's second largest handset manufacturer behind Nokia. With sales surging in emerging markets and Motorola struggling to keep up, conventional wisdom suggests third-place Samsung is poised to close the gap--analysts say Sony Ericsson also experienced a healthy Q2 of its own.

As the old saying says, "My enemy's enemies are my friends"--clearly Samsung and Ericsson came to the conclusion that it makes more sense to end their legal differences and instead channel their respective energies into kicking Motorola when it's down. And more power to them: Winners and losers should make their case for supremacy in the court of public opinion, not in a court of law. That's the way business works when it actually does work. -Jason

P.S. Be sure to check out the newly-relaunched FierceDeveloper website, which boasts a series of new features including improved navigation that integrates with other FierceMarkets wireless/telecom industry publications, improved layout and design, expanded search features and integrated news and blog feeds. Poke around and let us know what you think.

OpenMoko issues first open-source handset

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:59:58 -0400

OpenMoko, Taiwan-based First International Computer's initiative to develop an open mobile smartphone, released to developers its first handset, the Linux-based Neo 1973. The smartphone includes:

A 2.8-inch VGA touch screen
A-GPS for location and navigation services
GSM850/900/1800/1900 compatibility for network support across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Africa, and the U.S.
Application management for adding, updating, and removing applications
Push e-mail, contacts, and calendar synchronization via open source software company Funambol; and
The OpenMoko SDK

First International Computer plans to release two consumer versions of the Neo in October, one with a price tag of $450 and the other retailing at $300. Support for 3G networks is on deck for next year; while OpenMoko said it will promote some certified applications on its devices, more niche-oriented programs will be left to the discretion of individual consumers.

"OpenMoko is an open source mobile communications movement on a mission to create a platform that empowers people to customize their phone, much like a computer, in any way they see fit," OpenMoko architect and First International Computer mobile communication business unit product manager Sean Moss-Pultz stated in an e-mail to InformationWeek. "While [Apple's iPhone] delivers a polished experience, it's an experience that is exactly how you they want you to have it. In other words, users really have no freedom to change the device if they don't like the way Apple chose to make things. OpenMoko is the anti-iPhone."

For more on the Neo 1973:
- read this InformationWeek article

Nokia: Patent dispute may delay 3G

Tue, 29 May 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Nokia says that its patent dispute with Qualcomm may delay global uptake of 3G data. Nokia and Qualcomm have been locking horns since a cross-licensing patent agreement expired last month. Nokia uses patented Qualcomm technology for 3G, while Qualcomm uses Nokia technology in some of its chips. Blog