Breaking news, information, and analysis on the latest mobile phones and mobile technology
Matti Makkonen, a Finnish engineer, invented SMS (Short Message Service) in 1984. However, he never patented his idea though in 2008, Makkonen won the Innovation Award from Economist magazine. SMS was invented with few goals, including to make for a Simplified Messaging System, allow users to receive messages even if the phone was off and/or…
Four of the largest US carriers — including AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile — agreed to create a nationwide service that would allow users to reach 911 via SMS. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said that the operators have signed on to the “text-to-911” program, which will see “major deployments” during next year before launching…
The UK Treasury hopes to raise as much as 3.5 billion GBP from the auction of 4G spectrum licenses early next year, chancellor George Osborne said in his autumn budget statement. British telecom regulator Ofcom put a 1.3 billion GBP reserve price on the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands last month, adding that companies wanting to…
Qualcomm has revealed that it expects 5 billion smartphones to be sold between now and 2016. The company looks to benefit from this trend as it’s one of the biggest maker of chips used in today’s smartphones (think Snapdragon), Nexus 4 included. According to Qualcomm, this healthy growth in the mobile sector is fueled by…
You would think that Chinese phone makers are dipped in gold, having secured contracts with all of the leading brands. However, the truth is somewhat different. From one billion devices they are expected to make this year, companies which make devices will keep just 1%. You got that right – the rest goes to the…
You know how you get a free CD or some sample to try out with a purchase of many printed magazines. That’s cool, but check this out – today’s Entertainment Weekly edition comes with a real smartphone. You got that right, it’s an Android-based device which is kinda “rough of the edges” but it can…
High-end gear is no longer required to shoot decent videos. Quite the contrary, most modern smartphones come with solid cameras, some of which even allow recording in full HD resolution. However, the megapixel count is just one piece of the puzzle – you also need to take care of other elements like audio, lighting and…
Google campus has been an even more interesting place during the last couple of days with Wedding Crashers stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn shooting scenes for their upcoming film “The Internship.” It’s interesting that the search giant opened its offices to Hollywood in a move that could prove as great marketing for the company.…
Voyager Mobile, the mobile virtual operator we talked about in the past, wants to expand its device portfolio in the fourth quarter with the release of tablets, portable hotspots and USB modems. In an email to FierceWireless, the MVNO’s president John Mardini confirmed the news adding that the price plans are “being completed now” and…
A London-based cinema is using a novel approach to deter people’s urge to use their mobile phones during films – it has hired stealthy ninjas in the cinema who swoop on the phone addicts and stop them. The Prince Charles cinema, which specializes in low-cost cult films, is offering free viewing to volunteers willing to…