Tag Archive
Packet8 back online after outage
8×8 says the failure of its VoIP system Packet8 yesterday was caused, according to the company, by “an Internet element beyond our control.” The service returned by 4:30 PM pacific time and the company is still looking into the causes of the disruption. A major issue during the disruption was 8×8’s own internal systems (including their website) went down... »
Pandora: Now Playing Everywhere
Now that Pandora, a next-generation online music streaming service, has turned its first quarterly profit, the Oakland, Calif.-based company is looking at life beyond the web. And by doing so, Pandora is moving to embody what’s being called the device-agnostic Internet. “We became profitable for the fourth quarter of 2009, and now we’re shooting for profits... »
T-Mobile drops @Home VoIP service
T-Mobile has announced that they will no longer be offering their land-line replacement service @Home which allowed customers to make wireless VoIP calls over their home broadband connection. Users of the service could make calls from their mobile phones by connection to T-Mobile’s @Home HiPort wireless router–allowing for unlimited nationwide VoIP calls for $9.99... »
MagicJack ‘femtojack’ uses mobile phones to make VoIP calls
The people behind MagicJack, a plug-and-play VoIP device, have recognized the trend of consumers cutting their traditional landline voice connections like much of the telecom industry and have updated their offering to reflect that. MagicJack’s original offering was a USB device that came with a phone jack–plug your regular landline phone into the MagicJack,... »
Cell Phones Do a Body (& Mind) Good
Well, well well – it appears that cell phone radiation isn’t all that bad; brain cancer be damned! You see, a recent study showed that electromagnetic radiation exposed to mice actually reversed Alzheimer’s disease and improved cognitive capabilities. So you see, you are smarter the more you use your smartphone. According to... »
Will Emerging Market Telecom Stocks See Double-Digit Growth in 2010?
David Hunkar submits: The emerging markets telecom sector has experienced high growth rates in the past few years. The introduction of cell phone services in many of these countries has contributed to the growth of this industry. Due to cut-throat competition, monthly subscription charges have dropped dramatically and are now cheaper than in developed... »
Pew survey finds America’s internet, broadband and mobile phone use flatlines
The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project has identified some flat lines in Americans technology use in a report released Tuesday that examined Internet, broadband, and cell phone use nationally. The percentage of U.S. adults who use the Internet is just a point higher than it was back in 2006, clocking in... »
Google’s Mobile Chief Andy Rubin on the Google Phone & the Androidification of Everything
Andy Rubin’s business card identifies him as the Vice President of Engineering at Google. In reality, he’s the Mountain View, Calif.-based search engine’s mobile chief. From the time Google snapped up his tiny startup, Android, to today, when it officially launched the first Google Phone, Rubin (and his partner Rich Miner) have been behind... »
Mobile-phone culture: The Apparatgeist calls – how you use your mobile phone has long reflected where you live. But the spirit of the machines may be wiping away cultural differences
Technologies tend to be global, both by nature and by name. Say “television”, “computer” or “internet” anywhere and chances are you will be understood. But hand-held phones? For this ubiquitous technology, mankind suffers from a Tower of Babel syndrome. Under millions of Christmas trees North and South Americans have been unwrapping cell phones or... »
Nokia Complains to ITC About Apple
Nokia Corp. (NOK) is expanding its legal arguments against Apple Inc. (AAPL).The Finland-based cell phone maker now says almost all of Apple’s products – from the iPhone and iPod to the various Mac desktops and laptops use Nokia’s patented technology. To that point, Nokia on Tuesday filed a complaint against Apple with …(114 words) ... »
Nokia Complains to ITC About Apple
Nokia Corp. (NOK) is expanding its legal arguments against Apple Inc. (AAPL).The Finland-based cell phone maker now says almost all of Apple’s products – from the iPhone and iPod to the various Mac desktops and laptops use Nokia’s patented technology. To that point, Nokia on Tuesday filed a complaint against Apple with …(114 words) Related Topics: aapl,... »
Top Stories of 2009: Mobile VoIP gets real
There are two different and sometimes warring sides to the Mobile VoIP world. There are the application and software developers who have created mobile VoIP apps that use carrier data networks and circumvent carrier voice plans, and then there are the carriers who sometimes wish to block such applications while also making plans to... »
StarTech KVM Console to USB 2.0 Portable Laptop Adapter Review
If you are an IT or network manager you know how frustrating it can be to try and troubleshoot a rackmounted server that doesn’t have a monitor or keyboard hooked up to it. After all, LCD rackmount console can be pretty expensive. Often referred to as “headless servers”, in many cases you... »
Callers of all incomes ditching landlines for mobiles in America
The number of households with cell phones but no landlines continues to grow, but the recession doesn’t seem to be forcing poor cellular users to abandon their traditional wired phones any faster than higher-income people are. The finding, from data compiled by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests that when it comes... »
High Yield Telecom Stocks Are Calling
Stockerblog submits: By now, everyone knows that land lines are decreasing, cell phone usage is increasing, and more and more households are now using cell phones as their primary if not their only phone. The phone companies aren’t standing still; they are pushing plenty of other services besides the usual telecommunications. Since... »
Spotting, Avoiding Costly Cell Phone Plan Fees
With both Verizon Wireless’ and T-Mobile’s early termination fees in the headlines this year, advocacy group Consumer Action has outlined four tips to help spot and avoid ETFs in the event you want to dump your wireless carrier for a prepaid plan:Determine if you are even in the ETF “penalty …(609 words) ... »
Teen Downloads 1.4 Million Kilobytes of Data
We knew teens love their texting and downloading, but not this much. One California teen, whose father had recently added him to the family cell phone plan, managed to jack up the bill to $21,917. The father, Ted Estarija, has wondered publicly why Verizon Communications Inc. didn’t bother to contact …(105 words) ... »
Just a Little Touch Revives Old Chip Hand
Apple, with the introduction of the iPhone, upended the world of user experience with the device’s multitouch technologies. To be sure, Apple’s iPhone wasn’t the first to use touch technologies, but it put them to such good use that it’s since become de riguer to use touch in cellphones and other connected devices. I’ve been... »
Cell Phone Industry Gets ‘Framed’ by NYT
Joel West submits: The cell phone industry made the front page of the New York Times Monday, and it’s definitely not a good thing. Here’s the web headline: Driven to DistractionPromoting the Car Phone, Despite RisksBy Matt Richtel…Long before cellphones became common, industry pioneers were aware of the risks of multitasking behind the wheel. Their... »
FCC looking to an all IP communications future
Strong words coming from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski: “USF is a multibillion-dollar annual fund that continues to support yesterday’s communications infrastructure.” So what is he planning to shift the Universal Service Fund’s billion dollar budget towards? VoIP, of course. Well that and all other forms of IP communications. The PSTN may be here for a... »
Will a Black Eye from Consumer Reports Hurt AT&T, iPhone?
Larry Dignan (ZDNet) submits: The blogosphere lit up Tuesdaywhen news of Consumer Reports’ cell phone satisfaction survey hit the Internet and AT&T (T) – and, indirectly, Apple (AAPL) – received the blackest of black eyes by the magazine. It wasn’t enough that Consumer Reports ranked AT&T dead last with an overall ranking of “poor” for... »
The Mobile Difference: those connected more active in many facets of digital life
Overview: Some 39% of Americans have positive and improving attitudes about their mobile communication devices, which in turn draws them further into engagement with digital resources – on both wireless and wireline platforms. Mobile connectivity is now a powerful differentiator among technology users. Those who plug into the information and communications world while on-the-go are... »
fring and Skype Video calls on your Mobile Phone
Just a week after fring released an Android version, fring has now announced video calls over your mobile phone’s Internet connection. It supports both fring video calls and Skype video calls.Pretty cool to have a videoconference call using your cell phone. Currently fring video is only supported on Nokia touch (such as X6, N97 mini,N97,... »
Crackdown launched on Chinese mobile phone porn
China Mobile, the country’s largest wireless carrier, is coming under pressure to shut off access to pornography through its cell phone network. The move comes as online sites accessible only through mobile phones are becoming a popular new method for distributing porn, since the technology makes it harder for government to track and shut them... »
Broadcom offers open source HD Voice
Broadcom announced that it will offer BroadVoice codecs open source in order to lower the price of HD voice and encourage the technology’s growth. The BroadVoice codecs come in two varieties: BroadVoice32 and BroadVoice16 for wideband and narrowband telephony respectively. The company is releasing the C source code under the LGPL license from the Free... »
Palm Shares Close Higher on Nokia Rumors
Palm Inc. (PALM) shares closed up 8.3 percent on Friday as rumors flew that the device maker, which has watched its fortunes decline, could be an MA target.Specifically, speculation has it that cell phone giant Nokia Corp. (NOK) wants to buy Palm. Palm’s stock closed at $12.40 on Friday; Nokia’s ended at …(139 words) ... »
San Jose Mercury News, Calif., Action Line Column: Crooks Targeting Cellphones
By Dennis Rockstroh, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Oct. 23–Yo, Silicon Valley, chances are you are one of 3 billion worldwide carrying a cell phone. So, you’re a target. Criminals lurking in the dark recesses of the Web are trying to steal the personal and financial information of the unwary, …(561 words) ... »
Busted: Maria Shriver Breaks CA Cell Phone-Driving Law
The advocates for banning the practice of talking on a cell phone while driving now have a high-profile case to bring attention to their cause.Celebrity Web site TMZ caught California First Lady Maria Shriver on camera, talking on her cell while behind the wheel. And it isn’t the first time.California …(101 words) ... »
Interoperability Overdue for Instant Messaging
You would think it was crazy if your cell phone could call only people with phones on the same network. But we put up with that absurd situation when it comes to instant messaging _ and have for years. Worse, there’s little sign of change anytime soon. On a typical …(938 words) ... »
When the Cloud Fails: T-Mobile, Microsoft Lose Sidekick Customer Data
If you’ve ever been curious about what would happen when a cloud service fails, then you don’t have to wonder any longer. Earlier today, customers of T-Mobile and Sidekick data services provider Danger, a subsidiary of Microsoft, lost access to all their data. Some believe that this data wipeout is because of a... »