Feds Withdraw Lawsuit Against AT&T Over T-Mobile
December 12, 2011
The U.S. Justice Department has asked a federal judge to postpone or withdraw its petition to stop AT&T from acquiring T-Mobile. It cited a shifting regulatory landscape that makes the AT&T/T-Mobile lawsuit unnecessary.
The request, as reported by Bloomberg on Friday, appears to be part of the strategic tit-for-tat between AT&T and the regulators who are determined to stop the merger.
The new move by the Justice Department, which filed its antitrust suit in August, comes on the heels of the phone giant’s decision to yank its approval application from the FCC. AT&T had decided to withdraw the approval application before the broadcast regulator, which had publicly voiced disapproval, could formally say no.
An attorney for the Justice Department argued that the case should be halted because it’s a waste of taxpayer resources to continue litigating a case that is effectively moot. The government’s position is based on the fact that AT&T can’t go forward without FCC approval and, now that the approval application is withdrawn, it is unlikely that the deal can close by a contractual deadline in September. AT&T replied that it wants its day in court so that it can obtain a legal green-light that it can take back to the FCC.
The parties will appear in court on December 15 to make further arguments about whether the government can postpone or withdraw the suit.
If the Justice Department succeeds in withdrawing the suit, it will have effectively outflanked the phone companies by forcing the clock on the deal to run out.
If the deal fails, AT&T will be obliged to pay T-Mobile a $4 billion break-up fee. The company’s CEO recently said the fee wouldn’t hurt that much because most of it could used as a tax deduction.
AT&T Runs Low on Options to Acquire T-Mobile
November 23, 2011
Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) — AT&T Inc. may be running out of options to win regulatory approval for its proposed $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile USA, forcing AT&T to choose whether to drop the bid or endure months of litigation with the U.S. government.
The Federal Communications Commission took a step toward opposing the deal yesterday, as Chairman Julius Genachowski asked commissioners to send the proposal to an agency judge for a hearing. Agency staff had found the proposed merger would significantly diminish competition and lead to job losses, said an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
iPhone overtakes BlackBerry as top phone for business users
November 18, 2011
There was a day not so long ago when the BlackBerry was the phone of choice among members of the business community. But according to the results of a new survey, this is no longer the case.
Questioning 2,300 mobile workers at more than 1,100 enterprises worldwide, the iPass survey found that Apple’s iPhone is now the leader among such users, with 45 percent of respondents saying they use one, compared to 32.2 percent who use a BlackBerry. A year ago, BlackBerry was marginally ahead of the iPhone, with 34.5 percent of the share to the iPhone’s 31.1 percent.
Half of Water-Damaged Cellphones in UK Fall in Toilets
November 15, 2011
Have you ever dropped your mobile phone in the toilet? That might explain how 16% of mobile phones have poop on them.
GoodMobilePhones.co.uk surveyed 1,937 mobile users over 18 and found that 31% of respondents have damaged their mobiles with water or another liquid in the past. This is probably also true in other parts of Europe and American continent.
The number one destination for mobile damage is the toilet, claiming 47% of damage incidents. Spilling drinks on mobiles or dropping mobiles into drinks was the second most popular cause of damage, claiming 21% of cases. Filling spots three through five are dropping phones in a bath or shower (12%), dropping in a kitchen sink (7%) and putting through the washing machine in a pocket (3%).
Men are three times more likely to be victims than women, with 73% and 27% respectively reporting to have damaged their devices.
Have you ever damaged your mobile? What was the cause?
Apple Found iPhone 4s Battery Bug
November 3, 2011
Apple today said it will release a software update to its iOS 5, agreeing with some customers on the bad performance of the new iPhone 4S battery.
“A small number of customers have reported lower-than-expected battery life on iOS 5 devices,” Apple spokesman said. “We have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life and we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks.”
Complaints rise over iPhone 4S’ fast battery drain
November 1, 2011
The quiet fuss from iPhone 4s users have grown over the last month. Their grumbling has surfaced within hours of opening their new smartphone: the iPhone 4S has a serious battery drainage.
Great battery life had long been a strong point of the iPhones, but many consumers found their new iPhone 4s draining battery life fast. Many have complained online about losing as much as 15% of the battery life in hour, even when the phone is not being used. A customer support post on Apple’s Web site has had more than 2,800 replies and has seen more than 170,000 times.
The Guardian reported last week that Apple engineers have contacted some iPhone 4s consumers, asking them to place a file on the phone that would track the phone’s performance and help Apple diagnose the problem. It could be as simple as a software issue. The battery in the iPhone 4s actually has a higher capacity than the iPhone 4, according to some sources. But with the introduction of iOS 5, a faster processor, and a system-wide notification center, it’s certainly possible that a software process is responsible for bringing the iPhone 4s to its knees faster.
A popular fix floating around the Web has worked for me. Users can turn off the phone’s attempts to constantly make sure it’s in the current time zone, which can save on battery life. That might be a pain for the few users who often cross time zones. But for most people it shouldn’t be an issue.
Hopefully a bigger software fix will come from Apple soon.
Android #1 in App Downloads
October 27, 2011
Android App downloads have overtaken Apple App Store downloads. Leading 44 percent of all mobile app downloads surpassing Apple’s App Store, which grabbed 31 percent.
The research firm attributed Android’s gain in part to recent shipment numbers.
For the second quarter, growth in iPhone shipments fell to 9 percent from 15 percent in the first quarter, while Android’s shipment growth rose to 36 percent from 20 percent. Android’s total install base now outweighs that of iOS by a factor of 2.4 to 1, ABI said, a ratio that will reach 3 to 1 by 2016.
But Android’s open-source strategy is also driving app downloads, according to ABI.
“Being a free platform has expanded the Android device install base, which in turn has driven growth in the number of third party multi-platform and mobile operator app stores,” ABI research associate Lim Shiyang said in a statement. “These conditions alone explain why Android is the new leader in the mobile application market.”
But though Android may be tops in total downloads, Apple still holds the lead in the number of downloads per user.
“Despite leading in total mobile application downloads, Android’s app downloads per user still lag behind Apple’s by 2-to-1,” Dan Shey, ABI’s practice director for mobile services, said in a statement. “Apple’s superior monetization policies attracted good developers within its ranks, thus creating a better catalog of apps and customer experience.”
Overall, the number of mobile app downloads across the world is expected to hit 29 billion in 2011, up from only 9 billion last year. That’s due in large part to the surge in demand for smartphones, which are likely to see their customer base grow by 46 percent this year, added ABI.
Wireless execs see connected devices as ‘next big thing’
October 12, 2011
Hooking up every device to a cellular or wireless connection is the “next big thing” that will drive growth in the industry, according to Glenn Lurie, head of emerging devices for AT&T.
Lurie has been responsible for creating new revenue opportunities by connecting everything from medicine bottles to dog collars at AT&T. He believes the industry is just starting to realize this opportunity.
“Everything that has a current running through it will be connected,” Lurie said. “They need to be smarter.”
A study conducted by Machina Research and funded by the GSM Association found that the market for connected devices could grow to $1.8 trillion by 2020, with $1.2 trillion as an opportunity that can be addressed by the wireless industry. There are currently 9 billion connected devices this year, a figure that could grow to 24.45 billion by 2020.
Lurie and several other wireless industry executives gathered today to talk about the revenue opportunity that comes from connecting multiple electronic devices. The conference comes a day ahead of the CTIA Enterprise & Applications, which starts tomorrow.
Consumers are driving data consumption, as well as the popularity of data-heavy devices, said Bill Davidson, head of marketing and investor relations for Qualcomm. That runs counter to the industry’s prior assumption that business data needs would have driven adoption.
As a result, Davidson said he sees the consumer as a catalyst for industries such as health care, automotive, and utilities to adopt newer data devices.
Lurie said that as the industry moves to connect different devices in the home, or the car or in the office, it needs to keep things simple. He said consumers tend to get nervous about having multiple connected devices–which potentially could lead to multiple bills.
“We’ve got to make it so it’s more simplistic for people to understand,” Lurie said. “That’s up to us.”
The lack of education is the biggest obstacle to customer adoption, he said. Devices such as the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle have been successful because the cellular connection portion of the device is easy to understand, he added.
Likewise, the GSM said that maintaining common technology standards and consistent practices is key to driving adoption of connected devices. Lurie, for his part, is upbeat.
“We’re just getting started on the growth curve,” Lurie said.
Microsoft Rolling out Windows Phone Mango
September 27, 2011
Microsoft has begun rolling out Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango,” the newest version of its smartphone software.
Mango, first introduced in May, comes with a slew of new features designed to improve the user experience. “Our top goal was product satisfaction,” Microsoft’s Aaron Woodman told Mashable.
The updated OS includes several upgrades to its suite of communication tools. Microsoft has improved the communication hub of Windows Phone. It supported Facebook and Windows Live integration before, but Mango adds support for LinkedIn and Twitter as well. You can check out your friends’ social updates while browsing through your contacts. Microsoft has developed advanced algorithms for matching Twitter and LinkedIn handles to contacts in your phone.
Microsoft is also introducing upgraded Groups features, including the ability to send instant messages to small groups, and threaded conversations for Facebook and Windows Live messaging, in addition to SMS.
Apps are getting the bulk of Microsoft’s love, though. The upgraded OS is designed to make Windows Phone’s 30,000+ apps more discoverable, useful and accessible. To that end, Microsoft has introduced a web version of Windows Marketplace so that users can browse apps from the desktop. Its improved Live Tiles will deliver richer information from apps. Not only that, but users can create multiple Live Tiles from the same app. For example, if you love Glee, you can now pin that show from Netflix to your home screen.
Windows Phone is also getting a long-needed feature: app multitasking. Now switching apps doesn’t automatically close the app you were previously using, and it’s easier to switch between them. The new OS introduces Visual Voicemail and Internet sharing (“tethering”) to Windows Phone devices. Carriers will control the introduction and pricing for these two features.
Mango introduces more than 500 changes in total. Windows Phone users will receive the update over the air.
Microsoft hasn’t been selling as many Windows Phones as it’d like, but with Nokia’s Windows Phones slated to hit the market by the end of the year, it could soon see a boost.
Report: iPhone 5, October 4th
September 21, 2011
Tim Cook, Apple Inc new CEO will hold a media event October 4th to announce what should be the iPhone 5.
The launch date of the iPhone 5 is consistent with the waves of rumors claiming it will be released in early October.
Tim Cook will carry on the announcement with other executives such as Phil Schiller, who has partaken in such events in the past. This is a big test for Tim Cook who must persuade the shareholders, the audience, and all the Apple fans all over the world that he can confidently take over the role of the CEO at Apple Inc. and be as effective as Steve Jobs in conducting such important events.
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