Wireless and Mobile Technology

PHILADEPHIA - Cable operators are riding high heading into this year's industry trade show, which kicks off this weekend.

New legislation prohibiting drivers from talking while behind the wheel, combined with a demand for more fashionable and advanced devices and more sophisticated phones, is driving Bluetooth headset makers to innovate. The latest addition to the wireless world is Aliph's Jawbone with NoiseAssassin technology.

InformationWeek - Apple has signed iPhone deals that show it is willing to deviate from its insistence on having only one service provider sell its cell phone in each country.

iPass partners with likely first in-flight broadband firm over U.S. for what could be a highly affordable fixed monthly service plan, including Wi-Fi hotspots, for frequent travelers.

InformationWeek - WiMax has passed key speed and mobility hurdles and is on track to be launched later this year.

Software installed on cell phones provides first responders basic medical information such as blood type, medications, allergies and emergency contacts. The application appears as an emergency logo on the screen of the user's cell phone, and it helps paramedics find the person's medical history in case of emergency, even in areas without cellular reception. The software was created by developer MyRapidMD in Calif. If the phone is broken, emergency workers can call an 800 number and access data remotely.

InformationWeek - Questions about a one-per-customer policy may suggest Apple is reducing inventories to make way for a new version of a 3G iPhone.

Verizon Wireless' decision to join Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile as members of a Linux-based mobile initiative appears to have dealt a setback to Google's ambitions for its Android mobile platform. A Verizon spokesperson told the Chicago Tribune that the company joined the rival LiMo Foundation because "of LiMo's approach to providing a truly open OS that isn't simply an extension of a for-profit company's business model."

Sprint Nextel and a smaller WiMax hopeful, Covad Wireless, each moved closer to offering commercial service on Thursday.

Traditional land-line phones, once the bedrock of communications in the USA, are quickly going the way of eight-track tapes as consumers go wireless or choose Internet-based phone calling.

TOKYO - NEC Corp.'s profit for the fiscal year through March more than doubled from the previous year as the Japanese electronics maker's mobile phone and computer-chip businesses swung to profit.

The city of Philadelphia is moving on after its brief municipal Wi-Fi relationship with EarthLink, no longer trying to find a...

Virgin Mobile USA is in talks with SK Telecom over a possible deal involving Helio, the U.S. mobile operator that gears itself...

Nearly 30% of U.S. households only have a cell phone or seldom if ever take calls on their landline phone, according to a gov't survey. About 16% of households only have cell phones, while 13% also have traditional phones but get all or nearly all their calls on their cells. The number of wireless-only households has grown by 2% since the first half of last year. Underscoring the rapid growth, in early '04 just 5% had only cell phones. About a third of those under age 30 only have cell phones, the survey found.

NEW YORK - Samsung Electronics is combining efforts with fellow Korean electronics maker LG Electronics to develop a new standard for mobile TV broadcasts, the companies announced Wednesday.

WARREN, N.J. - Virgin Mobile USA Inc. said Wednesday it is in preliminary talks with South Korea's SK Telecom Co. about possible "strategic options," a phrase that usually suggests a buyout or major investment.

EarthLink has notified its Wi-Fi customers in Philadelphia that the broadband service provider will soon be terminating its metropolitan Wi-Fi service in the city. The company, which stopped accepting new customers to the network in early May, said it would provide its Philly customers with a 30-day grace period through June 12 to transfer to another provider.

Apple's announcement Tuesday that CEO Steve Jobs will keynote the company's Worldwide Developers Conference is fueling speculation that Apple will announce a 3G version of the iPhone. Jobs will speak on Monday, June 9, at 10 a.m. The conference runs June 9-13 in San Francisco.

NEW YORK — A wireless memory card for digital cameras now comes with an added twist: Besides making it easier to store and share photos, the latest version of the Eye-Fi card also helps sort images by location.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Embarq Corp. will hold onto its wireless customer base for the time being, but could hand it over to another carrier next year, the company's chief financial officer said Wednesday.

BOSTON - A new service named Foneshow offers a quick and easy way to access the downloadable radio shows known as podcasts. Instead of synching your music player to a PC to get audio clips that interest you, Foneshow lets you listen to podcasts on demand from your cell phone.

The train was on time, but the commercial launch of Wi-Fi Internet access service on high-speed trains between Brussels and...

InformationWeek - The decision to snub Google's Android and its friends intensifies the debate over exactly which firm will have the more "open" cell phone service.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Wireless telecommunications group Virgin Mobile USA, Inc., said Wednesday it was holding "strategic" talks with SK Telecom, South Korea's biggest mobile phone group.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The world's top cellphone maker Nokia said on Wednesday it would sell its line fit automotive business to Germany's Novero GmbH.

InformationWeek - The ISP plans to shut down its massive Philadelphia network deployment on June 12, but it's still negotiating its exit with So. Calif. city officials.

The competition between the Android and LiMo open-source mobile platforms heated up as Verizon Wireless joined the LiMo Foundation. On Tuesday, Verizon and the foundation announced that wireless carrier was joining as a core member, with a seat on the board of directors.

NEW YORK - Verizon Wireless is backing a free operating system that competes with programs from Microsoft Corp., Google Inc. and Qualcomm Inc. and expects it to become the "preferred" software on its network.

LONDON (Reuters) - Telefonica's O2 and Apple will be making a joint announcement in the "coming weeks," prompting speculation that the U.S. firm is set to announce a new third-generation model of its iPhone.