5th August 2008 8:31 AM   by Eric M. Zeman   updated Today, 9:09 AM

Today Motorola announced three new ROKR-branded mobile phones. All three are music-focused devices and have FM radios with RDS, full-sized 3.5mm headset jacks and stereo Bluetooth. They each have a slot for microSD cards and include Motorola's Crystal Talk technology. They will become available in numerous world markets at various times during the third quarter.

• EM30: This bar-style phone slightly resembles the ROKR E8 and shares its quad-band GSM/EDGE radios, 2 megapixel camera, and ModeShift, which switches the keypad between standard phone controls and music player controls. It loses the E8's scroll wheel and replaces it with a standard D-pad and soft keys. The EM30 can support microSD cards up to 8GB.
• EM28: This ROKR is a clamshell that will come in two ... Read more »

Today Apple released an updated version of the iPhone's firmware. The new firmware, 2.0.1, is available through iTunes and fixes bugs.

4th August 2008, 12:42 PM   by Eric M. Zeman

Today Privus Mobile announced a new service that increases the likelihood that incoming calls to cell lines can be identified via caller ID. Users of various BlackBerry and Windows Mobile smartphones can use the software, which costs $25 for three months or $90 for 12 months. Privus Mobile is a subsidiary of Accudata Technologies, and has access to many of the major telephone databases and directories, including those for cell numbers. Private blocked calls will remain private, but company name information or individual subscriber information will be displayed with a call whenever it is available. The application will also allow you to save any incoming calls directly to the smartphone's contact application complete with the caller ID information already entered.

Today, 8:54 AM   by Eric M. Zeman

Today AT&T announced some changes to its international coverage and services. It has added markets for voice and data coverage, as well as reduced some roaming rates when traveling internationally. Smartphone users can purchase 50MB of data while roaming in 67 specific countries for $60 per month. Laptop card users can purchase 5GB of data in the US, with 200MB of international data, for $230 per month. AT&T has also boosted the number of cruise ships where its customers can roam from 75 to 120, and the number of countries from 145 to 150.

4th August 2008, 8:31 AM   by Eric M. Zeman   updated Today, 11:31 AM

The FCC has given Verizon Wireless permission to acquire Rural Cellular Corporation. In order to complete the purchase, one of the two companies will need to divest wireless licenses and assets in six different markets, one in New York, three in Vermont, and two in Washington. The acquisition was first announced in July 2007. Verizon Wireless is paying $2.67 billion for RCC's assets in markets spread around New England, the Mid West, the South and the Pacific Northwest, which cover 716,000 people.

4th August 2008, 8:14 AM   by Eric M. Zeman

Motorola has appointed Dr. Sanjay Jha as Co-CEO of Motorola and CEO of Motorola’s Mobile Devices business. He will run the day-to-day operations of the mobile phone business and is charged with reviving the division. He was previously COO of Qualcomm.

4th August 2008, 7:31 AM   by Eric M. Zeman   updated Today, 8:13 AM

Today the LiMo Foundation announced that 11 more companies have joined its ranks. The 11 new members -- Cellon, Esmertec, Freescale Semiconductor, Longcheer Holdings, MIZI Research, Movial Corporation, PacketVideo Corporation, SK Innoace, Telecom Italia, VirtualLogixTM Inc. and ZTE Corporation -- offer a range of different services and technologies, rounding out the types of organizations that are contributing resources to LiMo. With more than 50 members, the LiMo Foundation hope to advance the use of Linux in mobile phones.

28th July 2008, 9:26 AM   by Eric M. Zeman

Earlier this year, Nokia announced that it would close a manufacturing plant in Bochum, located within the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The government of North Rhine-Westphalia had given Nokia four millions euros in grants to build the plant to begin with. When Nokia announced the plant closure, North Rhine-Westphalia sought to be reimbursed for those grants. Nokia has agreed to pay North Rhine-Westphalia 1.3 million euros to resolve the matter. About 2,300 workers lost their jobs as a result of the closure.