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The trend in wireless handsets lately has been to pack as many devices as you can into one. The iPhone really set the standard here, as it’s a phone, web browser, personal organizer, and media center all in one. But it has the standard failings of all-in-one devices. That is, it doesn’t give you the full experience of any of them. MIU is looking to develop that device, though. They’ve got the HDPC, and I gotta say, it’s one behemoth of a device. They’re readying to launch it in July, though there’s nor real word on what carrier it will be with, or whether it will even be launched in the US.
Read the rest of Doing all-in-one the right way…

As I talked about on Prepaid Reviews on Friday, the winners of the 700 MHz auction were revealed. As expected, Verizon and AT&T absolutely dominated. They were responsible for roughly $16 billion of the $19 billion bid in the auction. The rest went to the smaller players, including some satellite TV companies looking to take their signal to a mobile platform. Alltel, the nation’s fifth largest cell carrier, was shut out of the bidding, as was prepaid carrier Leap Wireless. Another prepaid provider, MetroPCS, picked up one lonely license. So who else won?
Read the rest of Some 700 MHz facts for Monday…

Welcome back everybody to Going Cellular.com’s Mobile Week In Review!

Join us every Friday for a weekly wrap up of all things cellular. If you missed our previous episode, check out the following link: Mobile Week In Review|episode 2

This week Katie takes a look at T-Mobile and their attempts to attract traditional land line owners over to their wifi enabled HotSpot@Home service. It seems like they have been having some good success.

The flipside of the positive growth that T-mobile is experiencing in their HotSpot program is the negative impact on their reputation in New York that bad reception is causing.

Read the rest of Mobile Week In Review: Episode 3…

You know, I thought we’d stop seeing quarterly reports from Alltel once they went private. I guess I’m wrong, as they released their 2007 fourth quarter and full-year data. The nation’s fifth-largest carrier grossed a little over a million customers in the fourth quarter, though their net gain was about a third of that, at 342,684. Not bad, though not quite T-Mobile in nature. For the year, they grossed 3.6 million customers, netting just under a million. The best news: This is a 51 percent increase over 2006. So despite these numbers not looking all too impressive, Alltel is relatively doing very well.
Read the rest of Alltel gains record customers in fourth quarter…

Have you ever been burned by your cell carrier? If you haven’t, you may be in the minority. The cell phone industry generates a massive amount of complaints, more than any other industry for three straight years, according to the Better Business Bureau. Minnesota state senator Mary A. Olson has noticed that there were 1,000 complaints filed against wireless companies in 2007, just in her state. And so she’s taken measures to create a wireless bill of rights. This would help clarify what people will get from their cell phone service, so we’re left with fewer ambiguities and loopholes.
Read the rest of Looking towards a wireless Bill of Rights…

We’re breaking some new ground in the cellular world. See, there’s this little clause in your contract that says you waive your Constitutional right to a trial by jury if you are somehow wronged by your company — in this case, AT&T. However, AT&T made a considerable gaffe during their merger with Cingular, and more than one subscriber is P.O.d. So they did what most people would do in that situation, which is to file a class-action suit. However, the litigation can’t begin until they clear the arbitration hurdle. The class is saying they deserve their day in court. AT&T is saying no, you signed an agreement. The plaintiff’s lawyers, however, have filed papers in a federal court in Seattle to have this clause quashed and have the case move forward.
Read the rest of Class action against AT&T may move forward…

Ever go to a show and catch a real killer opening band? I’m sure you have — I’ve seen plenty. But after that show is over, that band could fall into oblivion. Such is the way the music industry is working nowadays. Pandora, one of the greatest sites ever invented, in my opinion, is teaming with Alltel to help promote and distribute these bands’ music. They’re working to create local music stations which feature “distinct, regional music styles and the local artists who play them.” This sounds like an excellent idea for the next step in music evolution. With the power of the Internet and services like Pandora, we don’t need the record companies anymore.
Read the rest of Alltel and Pandora team up to promote local music…

Over the past few years, we’ve seen heavy restrictions come down on when you can and when you can’t use your mobile phone. The most notable instance is while driving. Many states have barred any kind of cell phone use while driving without the use of a hands-free headset. Other states, though, let you travel their streets with your phone propped on your ear. Kathryn over at Dial A Phone goes over various mobile phone restrictions around the world. You can check out her whole post. It’s worth it. Here are some highlights:
Read the rest of Worldwide restrictions on your mobile phone…

There’s a tidbit in the Houston Chronicle that I missed on Monday. It reveals that T-Mobile spent $1.8 million in 2007 “to lobby on Internet taxes and wireless issues.” While I’m not the biggest fan of lobbyists in general, some of what they did can be considered “good” from a relatively objective standpoint. That relates to the Internet taxes, on which there was a seven-year moratorium, set to expire in November 2007. T-Mobile spent a portion of that $1.8 million to extend that moratorium and continue to ban taxes on basic Internet content. That is good for all of us. However, that wasn’t what they spent the entire $1.8 million on.
Read the rest of T-Mobile spends $1.8 million lobbying, but for what?…

There is no way to truly capture the rabidity of the social networking revolution. It’s to the point where it’s almost absurd to hear that someone doesn’t have either a MySpace or Facebook account. Of course, this is good for social networks. The more members one has, the more powerful it becomes. That means a greater chance for people to find old friends, make business contacts, or just find others with similar interests. As we see an increased emphasis on data services on mobile phones, so have we seen many social networks adapt themselves to a mobile format. This means that people can carry around these potentially powerful social networks wherever they go. So how do you go social on your mobile?
Read the rest of The complete guide to going social on your cell…