Mobile

Panasonic and NEC announced nine new cell phone on Tuesday that use the open-source, Linux-based mobile operating system called LiMo.

As the mobile phone market evolves, software is becoming more crucial to handset development.

Apple set the bar high with its iPhone, which uses a form of Apple's own proprietary operating system used in its computers. Other companies have followed suit with advanced software of their own, namely Google with its Android mobile software. Like LiMo, Android is based on open source Linux. So far only two devices have been introduced running the Android software, but several handset makers … Read more

Nortel Networks CEO Mike Zafirovski, who led the company into bankruptcy protection earlier this year and oversaw the sell-off of its wireless assets to Ericsson, will reportedly leave Nortel within weeks, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing "people familiar with the matter."

Nortel representatives did not immediately respond to e-mail seeing confirmation of and comment on the report.

Zafirovski was hired in 2005 to help turn around the company, much like he had done for Motorola's cell phone division. Initially, he had some success building profits from selling wireless gear to U.S. operators. Under … Read more

NEW YORK--Green is the new black in wireless as companies like Sprint Nextel and Samsung announce new products and programs geared toward environmental sustainability.

At a press event Thursday at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum here, the companies announced a new eco-friendly device called the Reclaim and an overall strategy to green the wireless market.

The news comes as consumers are increasingly buying products and services based on environmental sustainability. From energy-saving light bulbs to hybrid cars and now environmentally-friendly cell phones, green is all the rage.

For Sprint, which has been plagued by a poor customer service reputation for … Read more

This was originally published at ZDNet's Between the Lines.

T-Mobile said Thursday that it added 325,000 net customers in its second quarter, but a contract churn rate of 2.2 percent, up from 1.9 percent a year ago is a trouble spot. T-Mobile said that its new Android-powered MyTouch 3G and a distribution pact with Radio Shack gives it "opportunities for new growth."

T-Mobile, the U.S. mobile unit of Deutsche Telekom, ended the quarter with 33.5 million customers, good for fourth place among carriers. However, T-Mobile is adding customers as third-place Sprint is losing them. … Read more

Apple's iPhone may not have the largest share of the smartphone market, but it certainly grabbed a hefty piece of the profits.

According to Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi, who was quoted in an AllThingsD post, Apple managed to take 32 percent of the overall profits for the smartphone market. Sacconaghi also said in a research note to clients that Apple achieved that percentage of profit while only accounting for 8 percent of the industry's revenue, according to the report.

Sacconaghi goes on to talk about the advantages Apple has in the smartphone market, particularly the ecosystem it … Read more

When Jeff Zwerner joined Palm recently, he was in familiar company.

The man hired as senior vice president of brand design at Palm is, like three other top executives and a board member of the company, a former employee of Apple. Zwerner has been selected by Palm to shape the company's brand, with responsibility for public relations, marketing, advertising, events, and design.

Zwerner comes to Palm most recently from Factor Design in San Francisco, where, as principal, he consulted on strategic design for companies as varied as Hewlett-Packard, Coca-Cola, Gap, Disney, General Electric, and Apple. But before that, he spent two different stints in Cupertino, … Read more

A new "smart" cane developed by students at Central Michigan University may be just the first step in helping blind people more easily get around by themselves.

The Smart Cane uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to detect obstacles and alert the user on where and how to navigate while walking, according to a news item published July 29 from Central Michigan University (CMU).

Equipped with an ultrasonic sensor, the cane works in tandem with a navigational system inside a bag worn by the user. Together, they detect RFID tags mounted on small flags that stick out of the … Read more