Mobile

Updated 7:20 a.m. PDT with information from the conference call.

Verizon Communications saw earnings grow 5.3 percent in the first quarter, helped by its acquisition of Alltel. But wireless competition is heating up with AT&T, which saw strong growth due to the iPhone.

For the three months ended March 31, Verizon reported net income of $3.2 billion, or 58 cents a share, barely beating last year's earnings of $3.0 billion, or 58 cents a year. Revenue was up about 12 percent, to $26.6 billion, largely due to the acquisition of regional … Read more

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

On a conference call to discuss first-quarter earnings, Verizon operating chief Dennis Strigl said the company is always talking to device makers, but had "no announcements to make relative to Apple today."

USA Today reported that Apple is in high-level talks about bringing the iPhone to Verizon Wireless. The news comes just a few days after AT&T CEO Randall … Read more

The first Netbook running Google's Android operating system is expected to be available in the next three months and cost about $250, according to a Computerworld report.

The Alpha 680, as the laptop is known as, is going through final testing at Guangzhou Skytone Transmission Technologies, Skytone co-founder Nixon White told the site.

The Netbook uses a 533MHz ARM 11 CPU and sports a 7-inch LCD screen, keyboard, touchpad, and built-in Wi-Fi, according to the report. However, the Alpha 680's 2-cell battery will last only two to four hours while surfing the Internet, much lower than the expected … Read more

It seems that the fellas over at The Boy Genius Report got their hands on leaked screenshots of an alpha version of Skyfire's mobile browser for BlackBerry. Their source has proclaimed it "already being the best BlackBerry browser ever."

Wow, that's some potentially overblown praise, especially as Opera's mobile browser has been the alternative of choice for many BlackBerry users. It's also not the first time that the free Skyfire browser has been overhyped. No disrespect meant to Skyfire--its mobile browser for Symbian and Windows Mobile has a solid design, competitive speeds, and supports (… Read more

Updated: April 24, 2009, at 1:10 p.m. PT with a comment from Google.

Last week Google tantalized Android developers with an early version of its software developer kit for Android 1.5, the upcoming version of its mobile operating system. Included with it is a laundry list of new features coming out, many of them suspiciously familiar to those Apple's iPhone already has. But here's one, highlighted on Friday, that the iPhone doesn't have: Live Folders.

Loosely lumped into the category of "more home screen widgets," Live Folders are essentially shortcut views into … Read more

After months of waiting, President Obama will soon get his super-secure BlackBerry.

The Washington Times newspaper reported Thursday that the presidential BlackBerry 8830 is "in the final stages of development by the National Security Agency." The agency is still testing the encryption software to ensure it's up to snuff. And the president could have his new device in a matter of months.

A Washington, D.C.-based company, Genesis Key, developed the software called SecureVoice that will be used to secure the high-security BlackBerry. Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, has also been involved in development, the Washington Times said.

Since the inauguration in January, President Obama, who vowed security officials would have to pry his BlackBerry out of his hands, has been using a cumbersome work-around to communicate with key members of his staff and close aides. … Read more

T-Mobile USA has developed a new durable SIM card that is ideal for providing wireless connectivity to smart electric meters, as the company tries to expand its market opportunity beyond cell phones.

On Thursday, T-Mobile introduced the embedded SIM, which is much smaller than traditional SIM cards that fit into mobile phones and other mobile devices. The tiny is made out of silicon instead of plastic and is about the size of a pin head. It is designed to be durable enough to withstand environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, and motion. And as a result T-Mobile says it's … Read more

T-Mobile USA has sold 1 million G1 Android phones, six months after launching the product.

T-Mobile corporate parent Deutsche Telekom revealed the number as part of its earnings announcement earlier this week, as spotted by Telephony Unfiltered. The G1 was released in October and accounts for about two-thirds of all the 3G phones running on T-Mobile's network.

It's an important milestone for both T-Mobile and Google, and a little surprising that it went undiscovered for several days. Android phones are also available in other parts of the world, but both Google and T-Mobile have put a ton of … Read more

A dispute has erupted in Europe regarding people's right to connect to the Internet.

The core issue concerns legislation that would give Internet service providers the right and duty--without turning to the courts first--to cut off connections of people who download pirated material.

The battle is being fought between individual EU states and the European Parliament and has created intense discussion among bloggers, politicians, civic groups, and opinion leaders.

The issue is threatening an extensive telecommunications reform package currently under debate and heading toward a vote in the EU Parliament on May 5.

The parliament's industry committee voted … Read more