Verizon Wireless has settled a lawsuit filed last month against Feature Films for Families, a Utah-based telemarketing company, for illegally calling Verizon Wireless customers and employees to advertise the movie, “The Velveteen Rabbit.” In addition to a permanent injunction preventing any future calls, the Utah-based telemarketer agreed to a $25,000 cash settlement, which Verizon Wireless…
Survey Finds More Satisfaction in Music Experience
More than three-fourths of U.S. consumers are pleased with their experience downloading and listening to songs on their mobile phone, and almost a third are willing to accept advertising on their mobile phones in exchange for free music downloads, according to results of a KPMG survey. According to the study by the audit, tax and…
Sony Ericsson’s North America Chief Steps Down
Sony Ericsson announced that Najmi Jarwala, president of Sony Ericsson USA and head of its North America region, is leaving the company at the end of the month. The company said he’s leaving to pursue other career opportunities. “Under Najmi’s leadership, we have redefined our North American strategy, built operational excellence and strengthened our total…
PSST, Cyren Call End Advisory Relationship
At least one chapter in the quest to establish a nationwide broadband network for public safety has closed. Cyren Call Communications on Friday said it will no longer serve as the adviser to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corporation (PSST). Cyren Call cited various factors, such as lack of an adequate funding source for ongoing…
Paul Jacobs Named Qualcomm Chairman
Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs was given a big vote of confidence as he was appointed to succeed his father as chairman of the company. Jacobs takes over immediately for his father, Irwin Jacobs, who co-founded Qualcomm and served as CEO from 1985 through 2005. The senior Jacobs will continue to serve as a member of…
Obama Nomimates Genachowski for FCC Chair
It’s official. President Barack Obama today announced his choice of Julius Genachowski as the next chairman of the FCC. Genachowski’s appointment was widely expected and still needs to be confirmed by the Senate. Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps issued a statement saying Genachowski has the knowledge, experience and dedication to lead the FCC forward as…
Verizon Files Suit Against ‘Rabbit’ Telemarketer
Verizon Wireless filed a lawsuit to stop a Utah-based telemarketing company from calling its customers and employees to advertise the upcoming movie, “The Velveteen Rabbit.” The lawsuit, filed this week in U.S. District Court in Trenton, N.J., alleges Feature Films for Families illegally used an autodialer to call Verizon Wireless customers on behalf of a…
FCC Proposes Fines Over CPNI Non-Compliance
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau is putting telecom carriers on notice that they need to comply with the Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) rules or face stiff fines. The bureau this week is releasing notices of apparent liability against multiple carriers that filed non-compliant annual CPNI certificates. “The broad nature of this enforcement action hopefully will…
No Android Phone from Samsung at MWC
Samsung is one company that is not expected to announce an Android handset at next week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The head of marketing at Samsung’s mobile device division told The Guardian there will be no Android phone from Samsung at the show. The company is “planning internally” for a release in the second…
Sun Launches JavaFX Mobile
Sun Microsystems this week announced the availability of the JavaFX Mobile platform, which will go up against the likes of Adobe’s Flash and Microsoft’s Silverlight. The platform is designed for delivering rich content and services across a range of mobile devices – from mass market feature phones to smartphones. Sun also announced that several leading…
TeleNav to Offer Android Navigation
TeleNav is joining the Android bandwagon with the upcoming release of its 3D, turn-by-turn GPS navigation service. Beginning Feb. 24, T-Mobile G1 customers can get a free 30-day trial by signing up on TeleNav’s Web site. The service costs $9.99 a month for unlimited use after the trial period. The service includes speech recognition, traffic…
Industry Veterans Join INQ Mobile
INQ Mobile, the new mobile social networking-focused handset company, managed to attract some veteran talent from Motorola, Qualcomm and Sony Ericsson. Joining INQ, an offshoot of Hutchison Whampoa, are Allen Burnes, formerly a director of sales and operations at Motorola; Amit Gupta, formerly with Qualcomm; and Leonardo Poggiali, previously a head of operations at Sony Ericsson.…
Research Firm Advises Support for Wide-Area Wireless
Research firm In-Stat says ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) manufacturers should add support for wide-area wireless networks in order for their devices to fulfill their full market potential. But the firm acknowledges that supporting multiple cellular protocols is difficult and costly. “The challenge is which of the broadband options: WiMAX, EV-DO, HSPA or LTE will be most…
iSuppli Finds Qualcomm Chip in Storm
iSuppli’s teardown of the BlackBerry Storm revealed the Research In Motion (RIM) product includes a Qualcomm baseband chip and carries a materials and manufacturing cost of $202.89. The cost includes all parts and manufacturing for the Storm but doesn’t include expenses related to intellectual property; royalties and licensing fees; software; shipping; logistics marketing and other…
Martin Defends Against Mismanagement Claims
Kevin Martin, until recently resigned as chairman of the FCC, wrote a 136-page report to House Committee on Energy and Commerce this week defending his administration against claims of abuse and mismanagement. “In my view, the Majority’s report ignored relevant information, contained numerous errors and lacked substance… I feel it is necessary to respond to…
Ericsson Cutting 5,000 Jobs Despite Sales Increase
Equipment maker Ericsson said it will cut 5,000 jobs in a cost-saving measure, in addition to outsourcing and hiring fewer consultants and temporary staff. Ericsson also said it will consolidate its R&D facilities, move to fewer software platforms and replace its own hardware less often. The company said its fourth-quarter profit was $465 million, down…
RIM’s Grasp at Certicom Blocked by Injunction
The ongoing bid by Research In Motion (RIM) to acquire applications specialist Certicom was officially blocked this week by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. RIM, maker of the BlackBerry, tried buying Certicom for nearly $40.8 million late last year. But in the process, RIM breached non-disclosure agreements, the court found. Certicom, in response, said…
Sprint Lobbies Obama for Funds, New Rules
Sprint Nextel hopes to use $2 billion of President-Elect Barack Obama’s proposed bailout fund to construct a National Emergency Response Team for mobile communications. The nation’s third-largest wireless company said it could deploy this within a year and said the money would last for five years. Its plan would include at least 100 satellite-based cells…
Motorola Cuts Another 4,000 Jobs
Motorola will cut 4,000 jobs this year, with 3,000 coming from the mobile handset division, the company announced last night. That’s in addition to a 3,000-person cut announced in October, in which 2,000 were part of the mobile division. The combined rounds of layoffs are expected to save Motorola $1.2 billion this year. Motorola also said…
Apple’s Jobs Says Illness is Serious, Takes Medical Leave
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is leaving the company until the end of June for medical reasons. Jobs earlier this month said he would remain at work but undergo “relatively simple and straightforward” treatment for an unspecified hormone imbalance that led to his recent dramatic weight loss. Now, “unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues…
Macworld, CES on Tap
A variety of new software for the Apple iPhone will debut this week at the Macworld conference in San Francisco from yesterday until Thursday and the Consumer Electronics Show in Last Vegas from Thursday to Sunday. Among the early announcements are an upgrade to Quickoffice’s MobileFiles Pro and a remote data service from Soonr. MobileFiles…
RIM Pushed Back by Certicom
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) said today that Certicom is opposing its acquisition at CDN $1.50 per share, which RIM offered earlier this month. Certicom is seeking an injunction from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and a cease-trade order from the Ontario Securities Commission, RIM said. “While this course of conduct is consistent…
Profit Down, RIM Revenue Still Growing
Research In Motion (RIM) earned $398.3 million on revenue of $2.78 billion for its third quarter of 2008, the Canadian maker of BlackBerry smartphones announced last night. The company’s income was down from $495.5 million in the second quarter, yet an increase from $370.5 million last year. Revenue increased from $2.58 billion in the second…
House Report Finds FCC’s Martin Abused Power
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is guilty of “deception and distrust,” the House Committee on Energy and Commerce concluded in a year-long investigation released today. “There are instances in which the Chairman manipulated, withheld, or suppressed data, reports and information… with the purpose of affecting congressional decision-making,” report authors John Dingell and Bart Stupak, both Democrats…
Apple, RIM Surprise in Smartphone Sales Report
The global smartphone market in the third quarter of 2008 grew only 11.5% year-over-year – the least amount since Gartner began counting in 2004, analysts said today. End-user sales of smartphones totaled 36.5 million units in the quarter. “Going forward, we should expect the smartphone device market to continue to grow but at a slower…