Mobile

AT&T is blaming the iPhone 4's sluggish upload speeds in some areas of the country on 3G wireless gear from supplier Alcatel-Lucent.

On Wednesday, AT&T issued a statement saying a software glitch in the Alcatel-Lucent equipment is limiting data upload speeds from smartphones and data sticks using the latest version of 3G technology known as HSUPA. HSUPA is an acronym for High Speed Upload Packet Access. It increases upload speeds to between 500 kilobits per second and 1.2 megabits per second.

"AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect--triggered under certain … Read more

Microsoft has released a version of Silverlight for some implementations of the Symbian mobile operating system, meaning its rich media player will appear on Symbian handsets before it reaches Microsoft-based phones.

The port of Microsoft's rival to Flash was made available to users of the Nokia 5800, N97, and N97 Mini handsets, which run the Symbian-based Nokia S60 5th edition, on Tuesday. The application can be downloaded for free from the Ovi Store.

Microsoft's own Windows Mobile operating system does not yet support Silverlight, nor does it support Adobe's Flash. However, the new Windows Phone 7 platform … Read more

Best Buy appears to have quietly launched a wireless broadband service called Best Buy Connect.

Monthly prices range from $29.99 to $59.99 for 250MB to 5GB of 3G data service. (The 250MB option is available only without a contract.) A service contract is offered for one year and two years, and the length of the contract is tied to subsidies on new laptops: the longer the contract, the bigger the subsidy. It appears to work in the same way most people in the U.S. buy a new cell phone.

The service will allow people to log in … Read more

Are you an iPhone 4 customer running into data upload problems?

CNET is seeing plenty such reports saying iPhone 4 usersin some regions of the country, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and as far west as Salt Lake City and Seattle, are experiencing dramatic drops in their data upload speeds.

People in the MacRumors forum started writing posts about the potential problem on Sunday. The initial poster from New York City said that last week he had seen upload speeds of 1.7 megabits per second. But on Saturday, he noticed he was only able to get … Read more

Nokia has sold its wireless-modem business to semiconductor company Renesas Electronics, and the two companies have agreed to develop modem technologies together in the future.

The $200 million sale of Nokia's wireless-modem business, which includes LTE, HSPA, and GSM technologies and patents, was announced Tuesday. In a joint statement, Nokia and Renesas said they had formed a long-term alliance to develop modem technologies for HSPA+/LTE initiatives. (LTE is the long-term evolution of 3G, sometimes called 4G).

Nokia also noted that divesting itself of the business would help it focus on its core handset and services businesses.

Read more … Read more

I'm not quite sure, but make no mistake Hewlett-Packard has cut some former Palm staffers from its ranks as it closes its acquisition of the smartphone maker. I'm hearing different numbers from sources (once) close to the company, so it's difficult to put a firm number on them. Sounds like it's not too, too many though. Double digits, not hundreds. Still: sad and awful.

"Part of the integration strategy is consolidation of functions and operations, as appropriate," a spokesman for the company told me. "There always is turnover in organizations. Palm employees overall … Read more

Apple's recent explanation of iPhone 4 reception issues--that they're linked to Apple's miscalculation of how it measures signal strength on iPhones--has left many people wondering what that five-bar icon displayed on the phone really means.

Earlier on Friday, Apple issued a statement blaming iPhone reception issues on a software miscalculation rather than on hardware design. Since the iPhone 4 launched last week, thousands of consumers have complained that when gripping the phone around the lower left-hand corner of the device, the signal degrades or calls are dropped.

Apple acknowledged the problem, and explained that customers were simply … Read more

Apple now blames reception issues that many new iPhone 4 customers are experiencing on a software miscalculation rather than on hardware design. But will a software update really fix the problems that many customers are reporting?

I'm not sure I am buying Apple's explanation.

Since the iPhone 4 launched last week, thousands of consumers have complained that when gripping the phone around the lower left-hand corner of the device, the signal degrades or calls are dropped. Apple acknowledged the problem, and explained that customers were simply covering up the antenna with their hand. CEO Steve Jobs told consumers … Read more

Android users who want to to keep tabs on their Yahoo mail and learn more about their favorite movies should welcome the addition of a couple of new apps to the growing mobile marketplace.

Yahoo announced Thursday the launch of Android apps for its Mail and Messenger programs topped off by a new mobile-search widget. Available free at the Android Market, the new apps support Android 2.0 or higher and are optimized for the Motorola Droid, HTC Incredible, and Google Nexus One, according to Yahoo.

The Yahoo Mail app offers a variety of enhancements optimized for Android, said Yahoo. … Read more