Here’s a story that we’ll be filing under “wtf is wrong with people”: A man in Maryland who was using a prepaid mobile phone ran out of credit. When that happens you can’t call/text anyone, except emergency numbers. He dialed 911, fabricated a story about being mugged, and then asked for a ride home. Police…
Photo: Murphy, Britain’s first mobile phone sniffing dog
Britain has a problem with their prison system. They don’t any issues keeping inmates locked in their tiny little cells, and giving them plenty of time to think about all the naughty things they’ve done. They’ve got issues with mobile phones being sneaked into prison facilities, which are then used to coordinate criminal acts outside…
Verizon: LTE tablets and phones coming by May 2011, first demos will be in January at CES
During the Reuters Global Technology Summit, Verizon Chief Executive Lowell McAdam said that the operator will have multiple tablets, and 3 to 5 LTE enabled phones hitting the market by May 2011. Motorola, Samsung and LG will be making tablets, and Motorola, HTC, LG and RIM are making phones. Many of the tablets that Verizon…
Foxconn to ship 24 million 4G iPhones during 2010; have 960×640 IPS screen, 512 MB RAM
Digitimes Senior Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is claiming that Foxconn is going to ship 4.5 million 4th generation iPhones during the first half of 2010, and 19.5 million iPhones during the second half of 2010, for a combined 24 million units. Following on the myriad iPhone 4 leaks that have been hitting the blogosphere lately, Kuo…
HTC Wildfire: Looks like a Nexus One, but it’s not [QVGA screen, 528 MHz, 384 MB RAM, $380]
Look, I understand that companies rehash old designs when creating new products to fit in new price segments, but the HTC Wildfire is a bit embarrassing. The front of the smartphone looks like the Nexus One, but don’t be fooled, it’s not even close to being the same device. The Wildfire has a 528 MHz…
AT&T: Before we launch LTE, we’ll upgrade our 3G network to support 14.4 Mbps
At a recent event in New York City, AT&T President and CEO John Stankey said that the company plans on rolling out a 14.4 Mbps upgrade to their 3G network by the end of the year. It’s not going to be done to the entire network, but it should be able to cover about 250…
Rumor: Intel in talks with Infineon about possible purchase of mobile chip business
Intel’s got a lot of engineers, making a lot of processors, but when it comes to advanced radio technology … the company is lacking. Yes, Intel did popularize WiFi with their brilliant Centrino marketing campaign back in the early and mid 00s, but the huge bet on the successor to WiFi, WiMAX, isn’t paying off…
Europe’s 800 MHz band = America’s 700 MHz band; 4G has a long way to go
Anyone who’s ever purchased an unlocked mobile phone has had to research frequencies. There used to be a time when most mobile phones on the market only ran on EDGE, and only supported 2 bands. America, to this day, mainly uses 850 MHz and 1900 MHz for GSM, while Europe predominantly uses 900 MHz, with…
Common Cents Mobile: Walmart’s MVNO, using Sprint’s network, is $0.07 per min and per text
Walmart is launching a new MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) called “Common Cents Mobile” that leverages Sprint’s infrastructure. It’s going to launch in over 700 stores on the 15th of May, and will provide customers with 7 cents per minute calls, and text messages at 7 cents each. What’s unique here is how they’re going…
80% of developers say 70% revenue share is not enough
It’s hard out there for a dev, what with 70% of every dollar your application makes coming back into your pocket. It used to be worse, a lot worse, with some operators taking 60% or more of the money collected via the sale of your application. A recent survey completed by 400 North American developers…