May 02, 2006, 9:40 PM PDT
Cingular announces Motorola Slvr L2
Posted by: Kent German

I guess you could say Cingular needed a whole set of Slvrs. After introducing the trend-setting Motorola Slvr L7 and L6 earlier this year, Cingular today said it would carry the Motorola Slvr L2. Essentially the low-end member of the Slvr family, the L2 offers Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and multiple messaging options in the slim candy bar package. And in an unusual but welcome twist, the L2 does not have an integrated camera. For more info, see our first take.

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May 02, 2006, 4:01 PM PDT
BMW tops the tech charts (apparently)
Posted by: Kevin Massy

So it's official--BMW leads the pack when it comes to key onboard electronic-technology features. According to the Telematics Research Group (TRG), Bimmers are out in front when it comes to features such as digital entertainment, phone interfaces, driver-assist systems, and telematics. The results were based on research using TRG's Technology Index, a checklist of 30 criteria such as Bluetooth compatibility, voice-recognition capabilities, and audio-system quality. In total, TRG examined all 2006 and 2007 models from 46 automotive brands sold in the United States.

Mercedes-Benz placed second in the rankings, making it a German one-two, followed by Cadillac, Infiniti, and Lexus. Among the top 21 brands recognized for availability and sophistication of new technologies, there was an even geographical split, with seven American, seven European, and seven Asian carmakers sharing the laurels. While we can't argue that BMW has taken a lead with some of its models, we just had a 2006 BMW X5 in for review, and it had a cassette-tape player as its only audio offering. Hardly cutting-edge stuff.

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May 02, 2006, 3:26 PM PDT
Say hello to Helio
Posted by: Nicole Lee

There's yet another MVNO in town, and its name is Helio. The new mobile virtual-network operator just launched today, and it's going to ride on the Sprint Nextel wireless network to deliver its own brand of service and its own line of cell phones. And much like other MVNOs such as Amp'd Mobile, Helio is aiming for the young and hip demographic, with a strong focus on Internet content. A very notable feature of Helio phones is its tight integration with MySpace, a social-networking site popular with teenagers. Users can post pictures directly to MySpace, write and read their MySpace blogs, add new friends, and view profiles directly via their MySpace account.

Gaming and video content are also big features on the Helio phones. You can download 3D games for a fee, plus you can stream or download video from content providers such as ABC, Fox, IGN, MTV, Comedy Central, and more. Along with downloading the content for yourself, you can buy a game or a video for someone else as a gift; plus, there's a "begging" feature that asks your friends to buy something for you. Another neat feature, Helio On Top, lets users add RSS feeds to be sent to their phone's idle screen, acting like an informational screensaver.

Helio currently sells two cell phones: the Hero slider and the Kickflip swivel phone. The Hero has a large 2.2-inch QVGA screen with 260,000 colors; 240x320 resolution; a fast processor; 70MB of internal memory plus a Micro SD card slot; a 2-megapixel camera with flash and 4X digital zoom; a video camera; and a built-in music and video player. The Kickflip features the same large 2.2-inch QVGA screen with a 240x320 resolution; a 2-megapixel camera with flash and 4X digital zoom; a video camera; and a built-in music and video player.

The Hero will cost you $275, while the Kickflip is a little less, at $250. Helio's All-you-can-eat subscription plans start at $85 a month, $100 a month, and $135 a month. The plans include unlimited data and access to the aforementioned media and Internet content. If you wish to tailor your subscriptions to a different pricing option, you can also access Helio's A La Carte Membership system, which lets you choose the services you want. All subscriptions require a two-year commitment and a one-time $30 activation fee.

Source: News.com

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May 02, 2006, 3:15 PM PDT
AT&T Wireless: they just love that name
Posted by: Molly Wood

So, first AT&T was AT&T. Then it was AT&T Wireless. Then it was Cingular. Now, and I swear I'm not making this up, it's going back to being AT&T Wireless. The rebranding will cost $2 billion. The original rebranding (from AT&T Wireless to Cingular) cost $4 billion. Brain cells it takes to keep up with this ongoing insanity: 2 billion. Seconds it should take you to switch providers as soon as your rates go up to pay for all this asinine rebranding: 4, tops.

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May 02, 2006, 3:10 PM PDT
Banks, roused from slumber, may protect Internet
Posted by: Molly Wood

Financial-services lobbyists are starting to catch wind of the battle brewing over Net neutrality, realizing that a tiered Internet might not apply only to Google or Amazon. The banking lobby has apparently started sending a small flurry of memos, urging the industry to get involved in preventing telcos and Internet providers from imposing new fees that would ensure reliable access. That flurry could be a good thing for proponents of Net neutrality--after all, Google may have a lot of money, but these guys are money.

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May 02, 2006, 2:45 PM PDT
RIM facing another lawsuit
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

Just as the dust had finally settled on the NTP lawsuit, Research in Motion has been hit with more patent-infringement allegations--this time, by wireless e-mail provider Visto. The new suit comes after a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas found that its rival, Seven, infringed on three different Visto patents and awarded the company $3.6 million in damages. The victory gave Visto the green light to go after RIM, alleging that the BlackBerry maker infringes on four of its patents. Brian Bogosian, CEO of Visto, said in a statement, "Based on Visto's sweeping victory in court against Seven Networks on Friday, RIM must understand that there is no place in the mobile e-mail space for this sort of behavior." RIM rebutted, "Based on prior art and actual products in market, RIM believes Visto's patents are invalid," and added that it is "fully prepared and equipped to deal with the matter." Oh boy, here we go again. For all the sordid details, check out Anne Broache's story on News.com.

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May 02, 2006, 2:23 PM PDT
France gets to keep iTunes--for now
Posted by: Molly Wood

France's parliament has seriously watered down proposed legislation that would have forced Apple and other companies to license their DRM schemes. The legislation was aimed primarily at Apple's Fairplay DRM, which, among other things, ensures that songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store can be played only on iPods. A French consumer association has already sued both Apple and Sony, saying their DRM technologies restrict consumer choice. And although some analysts have speculated that this and other laws are simply attempts by France to minimize the influence of U.S. technology companies, I gotta admit, the old "restrict consumer choice" thing is also not my favorite sip of Beaujolais.

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May 02, 2006, 2:09 PM PDT
Verizon matches and beats Cingular's Q1 numbers
Posted by: Kent German

Verizon Wireless has matched Cingular by adding 1.7 million subscribers during the first quarter of 2006. Verizon beat Cingular, however, on churn rate by posting a record figure of 1.18 percent, compared with Cingular's rate of 1.9 percent. Revenue from services increased 16 percent to $7.6 billion, but as was the case with Cingular, average revenue per user decreased.

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May 02, 2006, 2:03 PM PDT
AT&T Wireless is back
Posted by: Kent German

All right, this wireless merger madness just needs to stop because it's getting ridiculous now. And I mean really ridiculous. Remember in late 2004 when we thought we forever bade farewell to AT&T Wireless due to its merger with Cingular? Well, it appears we were wrong. Though I'm not surprised, I'm still a bit shocked that the AT&T Wireless name is set to magically come back to life next year. How can it all go full circle, you ask? Well it's a bit complicated, to say the least, so a short history lesson is in order.

Originally AT&T started AT&T Wireless to capture the then-infant cell phone market. In the late 1990s, however, AT&T spun off its wireless division into its own company before it was purchased by Cingular a year and a half ago. Cingular then ditched the AT&T Wireless moniker to spend a reported $4 billion on building the Cingular brand (complete with the little orange logo guy) as the nation's largest carrier. AT&T then swooped in and gobbled up SBC and BellSouth, Cingular's co-owners, for a hefty few billion dollars each.

So now that AT&T owns 100 percent of Cingular, it has announced it will replace the Cingular name in 2007 with, you guessed it, AT&T Wireless. Say good-bye to the color orange and the little springy logo. According to Ad Age, the name change will cost $2 billion--get ready for rate-plan hikes--to ditch what the company spent $4 billion trying to build. As Nicole Lee wrote in March, AT&T plans to bundle services, and it hopes the name change will make it easier to do so. But as for me, I just don't get it.

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May 02, 2006, 12:15 PM PDT
Robot cars ride again
Posted by: Wayne Cunningham

Last year, we watched as 5 cars out of 20 completed a 132-mile desert course in the DARPA Grand Challenge. DARPA just announced the Third Grand Challenge, to be run on November 3, 2007, which will require making it through only a 60-mile course. The catch is that those 60 miles will be run through urban terrain, complete with traffic and busy intersections. The desert course was tough and required not only solid robotics but also a vehicle with real off-road chops. Last year's winning VW Touareg, Stanley from the Stanford team, might fare OK in this setting, but Team TerraMax's giant vehicle would probably run into problems--unless it can just drive over obstacles. I'll place my bets on the team that uses a Honda Fit.

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