Mobile

With its large subsidies to Apple, AT&T doesn't break even on iPhone accounts with high data-usage until the 17th month of a 24-month contract, according to a new report from Yankee Group.

The report, titled "The Golden Subsidy Egg's Goose is Cooked: Welcome to the Brave New Subsidy-Free World," looks at the downside of subsidies paid to manufacturers by cell phone carriers. The report cites AT&T's iPhone contract with Apple as a prime example.

Subsidies have typically helped mobile carriers offer customers free or low-cost devices in order to lure them … Read more

SAN DIEGO--Executives from mobile chipmaker Qualcomm said Thursday at the CTIA Fall 2009 show here that more wireless spectrum is needed to sustain current trends in wireless data traffic. The father-and-son duo who serve as chairman and CEO of the company respectively also warned against stringent Net neutrality regulation.

Irwin Jacobs, Qualcomm's founder, former CEO, and current chairman, and Paul Jacobs, Qualcomm's current chief executive, took the stage at the event with CTIA CEO and President Steve Largent for a conversation about the past and future of the wireless industry. As part of the discussion, both Jacobses said … Read more

SAN DIEGO--AT&T's chief technology officer, John Donovan, is defending his company's wireless network, despite complaints about dropped calls and slow Internet access from frustrated iPhone users.

Donovan, who gave a keynote speech here at the CTIA Fall 2009 trade show Thursday, said that despite what people might be saying about problems on AT&T's network, his company is focused on providing customers with an excellent wireless experience.

"I'm not ignoring the criticism of our network," he told the audience. "I'm well aware of what's being said in the … Read more

Symbian has the market share; Apple's iPhone has the mind share. The future of mobile, however, will be owned by the company or project that best appeals to developers, especially open-source developers. Microsoft, with its long-standing interest in developers, also needs to reach out to open-source developers, if it wants to succeed.

Part of this reason is cost. As IBM's Savio Rodrigues suggests, Research In Motion could reduce its cost and improve the reach of its platform through open source:

RIM should be utilizing R&D investments more effectively by leveraging existing open-source projects. RIM could have … Read more

SAN DIEGO--After two years of waiting, Google Android phones are finally hitting the market en masse.

In the past couple of months, nine devices using Google's mobile operating system have been announced, including the Motorola Cliq, which goes on sale in November, and the new Samsung Moment, which was announced Wednesday at the CTIA Fall 2009 trade show here. The pipeline is full of more Android devices, some of which have been confirmed and some that are still rumored to be in development.

"We are seeing a lot of interest in Android here," Kim Titus, a spokesman … Read more

Updated 1:42 p.m. PDT with background details.

Dell and AT&T plan to launch a smartphone running Google's Android next year, according to a report, as Dell's years-long flirtation with the mobile industry appears ready for the next step.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Dell's smartphone will run Android, which would be another design win to emerge this year for Google's mobile operating system. AT&T's involvement would also mark the fourth major U.S. carrier with plans to support Android, and is particularly interesting given AT&T'… Read more

SAN DIEGO--In his first major address to the wireless industry, the new Federal Communications Commission chairman, Julius Genachowski, offered some good news for wireless operators at the industry's biannual gathering here Wednesday. But he reiterated the FCC's plans to apply new Net neutrality rules to wireless, a plan that has met resistance among the industry's major players.

As part of his speech, Genachowski announced a new initiative to add more spectrum for high-speed Internet access, and he offered assurances that the FCC will help speed up 4G wireless roll-outs by cutting through red tape for new tower … Read more

Qualcomm will offer its FLO TV on a handheld television, putting this existing service on a dedicated device for the first time.

FLO TV, the Qualcomm-owned provider of a live mobile TV service, unveiled the FLO TV Personal Television on Tuesday, with availability slated for holiday season at retailers.

FLO, or "forward link only" technology, is designed for multicasting a large volume of rich multimedia content cost effectively to wireless subscribers. AT&T and Verizon already offer FLO TV on mobile phones in the U.S.

Qualcomm says the FLO TV Personal Television is "created with … Read more

Users of T-Mobile's Sidekick have been suffering through a major outage over the past several days that left many without access to the Web or their address books.

Microsoft, whose Danger subsidiary powers the Sidekick service, said it is "working urgently" to deal with the problems, which interrupted data service for most Sidekick users starting at 1:30 a.m. PDT on Friday. The level of disruption has varied, though most users have been affected, Microsoft said.

"We are working around-the-clock to get all our services back online and will continue to post status updates to … Read more