Mobile

The Apple iPhone has boosted AT&T's subscriber numbers, but network problems and a bevy of complaints from frustrated customers are likely hurting the company's reputation.

While a recent survey by the consulting firm CFI Group found that iPhone users are the most loyal smartphone users with 90 percent saying they'd recommend the device to a friend, half of all iPhone owners surveyed said they would like to jump ship to another provider if given the chance.

And for the first time, AT&T has scored worse than all four major U.S. wireless operators … Read more

Internet attacks came from 201 different countries in the second quarter, up from 68 countries in the first quarter, according to a report released Thursday.

Akamai Technologies' quarterly "State of the Internet" report compiles data about the online world, from Internet attacks to average connection speeds across the globe.

Among the 201 countries now seen as the source of malware and other Internet threats, the U.S., China, and South Korea accounted for more than half of the attacks in the second quarter.

Blaming the Conficker worm on the majority of the assaults, Akamai discovered attacks on 4,… Read more

Phone giant AT&T sees big opportunity in building its own applications.

The phone company Wednesday announced it's buying privately held Plusmo for an undisclosed sum to help it build widgets and apps for mobile phones, PCs, and TV. Details of the transaction were not available.

Plusmo builds applications and widgets for mobile phones. But because it uses common Web development standards it should be easy for AT&T to use its technology to build applications across multiple operating systems. Once the acquisition is complete, Plusmo will become part of AT&T Interactive, AT&T … Read more

Bringing universal broadband to all Americans is not going to be cheap.

The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday it could cost more than $350 billion to wire the United States with high-speed Internet access.

The FCC has been given the responsibility of coming up with a national broadband policy to ensure every American has access to broadband. And on Tuesday a task force at the FCC led by Blair Levin, former chief of staff to onetime FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, issued its initial report on forming this plan. The final report is due to Congress in February.

The FCC task … Read more

Following the finalization of the Wireless-N (802.11n) standard, the Wi-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit group that tests and certifies wireless products to ensure they interoperate, launched on Tuesday its new test program that supports the final specs of the standard.

This certification is still necessary because, according to Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the final specs include a lot of options and items that vendors could interpret differently, which could lead to products that don't work with each other. "Our certification program ensures that the product conforms with the final standard and interoperates with others.&… Read more

The long-awaited BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac is finally at hand, Research In Motion announced Wednesday.

The new desktop software, designed specifically for Mac users, will be available as a free download on RIM's Mac page, starting at 10 a.m. PDT Friday.

BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac allows people to sync data with Mac apps for contacts, appointments, tasks, and notes. The software also allows people to schedule back-ups, encrypt files, and perhaps most importantly, install software updates for their BlackBerry devices.

Apart from the business side of things, RIM said the software features BlackBerry Media Sync, allowing … Read more

Most new smartphone users are now consumers, a dramatic change from just a few years ago when the gadgets were primarily in the hands of business types, according to a survey released Wednesday by research firm CFI Group.

The survey "CFI Group Smartphone Satisfaction Study 2009" found that smartphone users are no longer just reading e-mail or scheduling appointments but also surfing the Web, streaming video and music, downloading games, and snapping pictures. Smartphones are now seen more by consumers as minicomputers than as cell phones, according to CFI.

Predictably, Apple's iPhone is credited with igniting the … Read more

Orange will carry the iPhone in the U.K. in the fourth quarter of this year, the operator announced Monday.

The move marks the end of competitor O2's lucrative exclusivity on Apple's handset in this country, and comes days after O2 announced the release details for the rival Palm Pre smartphone, on which it has U.K. exclusivity.

Orange did not say exactly when it will begin to carry the iPhone. When O2 launched its iPhones in November 2007, it did not specify the duration of its exclusivity deal with Apple, other than to describe it as "… Read more

Nokia announced Monday that it has acquired "social atlas" service Dopplr for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition isn't much of a surprise. Last week, reports surfaced claiming the deal was already done, but neither Dopplr nor Nokia would confirm it at the time. Those same reports suggested that Nokia would acquire Dopplr for $15 million to $22 million, but the official announcement did not mention an acquisition price.

Neither Dopplr nor Nokia immediately responded to request for comment.

Dopplr allows users to create trips and share them with friends. The service also provides users with help on … Read more