Verizon Wireless Top of the Class at Customer Support
Verizon Wireless might not be your favorite carrier but it sure is the best when it comes to customer support. J.D. Power and Associates have finished their latest Wireless Customer Care Performance Study and they say Verizon Wireless is top of the class with Alltel, T-Mobile and AT&T left behind.
The most important thing in Verizon’s way of dealing with issues is its ability to solve a problem in a single call. Hold times are higher 34% since 2003 but people seem to be willing to wait more if a solution is right around the corner. The study was based on responses from about 11,000 people.
MediaFLO USA Expands Mobile TV News Coverage
MediaFLO USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, has expanded its news coverage to include three new standalone full-time 24/7 news channels to its award-winning mobile TV service: CNBC and MSNBC from NBC Universal, and FOX News. The new channels significantly increase the amount of live breaking news and in-depth current affairs programming available to AT&T and Verizon Wireless subscribers and will launch in time for the political party convention season. MediaFLO USA’s mobile TV service is available to AT&T subscribers as AT&T Mobile TV and to Verizon Wireless customers as V CAST Mobile TV. All programs are available to AT&T and Verizon Wireless subscribers in 58 major metropolitan areas nationwide, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Seattle and Washington D.C.
Ericsson to supply microwave transmission links to Mexico’s Telcel
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has been selected by Telcel – Mexico’s leading mobile operator and a subsidiary of América Móvil – to provide microwave-transmission links for high-speed mobile broadband. The agreement is the largest microwave deal in Latin America so far. Ericsson will provide Telcel with microwave-transmission links for 2G and 3G/HSPA based on the Ericsson MINI-LINK TN solution. This is a turnkey project in which Ericsson will provide full customer, equipment and field support. Mobile penetration in Mexico is growing at a yearly rate of about 22 percent and reached an estimated 64 percent in 2007. This rapid growth has prompted Mexican mobile operators since 2003 to upgrade their networks to offer high-capacity and high-speed data services. Ericsson’s microwave solution will boost the transmission capacity of Telcel’s 2G and 3G networks, enabling the provision of high-speed mobile broadband based on HSPA.
HTC Dream: Sidekick-like keyboard and trackball
Rumor! Grains of salt and whatnot. Forward-looking statements, etc. Thinking caps on, pencils down and what have you. Gearfuse apparently got a tip from an insider close to the HTC Dream saying that the device “will feature a keyboard and trackball almost identical to the Sidekick”. If this is true, fine by me. The Sidekick’s got a nice keyboard. I’m not head-over-heels, take-it-to-the-prom in love with the trackball but it gets the job done. This video from a few weeks ago is supposedly the Dream in action and, yes, the fleeting glances of the keyboard and trackball make them look like they could be in the same league as the Sidekick’s.
Verizon Wireless Offers Up the Blitz
Verizon Wireless’ latest mobile phone offering called Blitz, is a simple and basic text messaging phone with slide-out QWERTY keyboard. This candy bar-looking mobile phone is geared for mobile phone users who are both voracious texters and also those who simply want to stay in touch with their friends and family. The VW Blitz offers up an easy-way to do your mobile blogging, web browsing and SMS sending through its My Messaging Key. It features a bright, high-resolution screen with 1.3 megapixel camera, a speakerphone and a Stereo Bluetooth for hands-free calling. The Verizon Wireless Blitz will set you back around $69.99 with a two-year service contract if you order online.
More details on Motorola Rapture VU30 for Verizon
Except a few pictures that we revealed back in March, the details on the Motorola VU30 have been pretty scarce until now. It’s sleek, stylish, and sure to get you noticed.” It looks as a slim clamshell and with its rounded forms and buttons reminds us of the U9. In standby mode the lower left and right corners of the external display house shortcuts to the music player and the camera, which can be activated and controlled by the display (it is touch sensitive). That’s the reason on the right side there is a lock switch. VU30 is a CDMA/EVDO phone with 2-megapixel camera, microSD slot for memory and microUSB for connecting a charger or cable for computer connection.
Dual Sim Diamond is the Cubic Zirconia of Phones
If HTC has the Touch Diamond then the Dual SIM Diamond is its cubic zirconia equivalen. Retailing only at ? 120.46 ($178) as opposed to the ? 421.60 original price of the HTC Touch Diamond, it’s very tempting to look at the phone as good enough for that special someone. On board is slot for two SIMs, a 2.0 MP camera, Bluetooth and support for 3GP ,MP4 video files. This is not a fast phone as it can only connect you to GPRS networks unlike the HSDPA-enabled HTC Touch Diamond but the look from front to back is pretty close to the original.
Nokia, Zeemote bring controller to N-Gage and S60
Zeemote announced plans to distribute its Zeemote JS1 Bluetooth controller with Nokia’s N-Gage handsets and to launch its Zeemote Zeekey application. This new application enables the Zeemote JS1 Controller to work with N-Gage games and other S60 applications. With a thumbstick and four assignable trigger buttons, the ergonomically designed Zeemote JS1 Controller which weighs just 47g/1.7oz, offers real analog control over Bluetooth, enabling users to truly engage with mobile games and other applications residing on the handset. Using the remote, the user can control applications on the device that normally would require button presses. The application will also enable the Zeemote to control other functions like mapping, music players, and even the camera!
Explore your SE phone with MyPhoneExplorer 1.7
It’s the good news for Sony Ericsson phone users. You can connect your phone via cable, bluetooth or infrared to this software and manage all your phone features with this. This compact software called MyPhoneExplorer 1.7 is basicly compatible with all phones from SonyEricsson except P800i, P900i and P910i.
It offers features including:
Address book – with direct sync to Outlook, Outlook Express, Lotus Notes and Thunderbird;
Organizer with calendar view and direct sync to Outlook, Sunbird, Thunderbird, Rainlendar, Lotus Notes, Google and net shared calendars (WebDAV, FTP, local);
SMS – archive, export, import, excessive messages;
File browser with cache system to minimize data-transfer;
Set phone clock based on atom-time;
and much more. f.e.: call-lists, edit profiles, phone-monitor.
You can download it here.
Bose SoundDock gets an iPhone-friendly update
Bose has got down with the iPhone, introducing the SoundDock Series II for playback from the handset or the traditional iPod. Which will probably leave you less-than-happy should you own a Series I, because aside from the added iPhone docking, there’s not a lot new here. Ok, there are a few new features, including a more streamlined look (without affecting that trademark Bose audio quality), connectivity for non-Apple players (round the back) and a new remote with playlist navigation and volume control. But really, this is more or less the same gloss black audio system with a different adaptor. And it could be yours for $299 in the US from September. No UK launch date or price as yet.
The 01 Phone discovered – is this our dream phone, with 32GB of storage?
T3 just discovered a website containing a brand new phone: The 01 Phone! Not sure whether the full-touch screen phone is a concept phone or an actual phone that a manufacturer is working on. However, it offers powerful specifications and features. On an unknown (until now) website titled just www.the01phone.com, lies a handset that will blow all others out of the water. With a 5.0-megapixel camera, 3G internet, and a whopping 32GB of storage, the 01 – as it’s believed to be called – could mean the death of the Nokia N96, the BlackBerry Bold and Samsung’s INNOV8 i850.
Whatever it is, it has a countdown on the homepage, with 27 days left, so let’s wait and see….
Verizon discounting data devices !
If you aren’t planning to catch the Hogwarts Express when it leaves on September 1, you might want to use the time you’ll save packing between now and then to run over to a Verizon store. It seems as if they’ll be discounting select data devices through the end of this month. Prices of discounted devices are as follows:
LG enV2 – $79.99 (reduced from $99.99)
LG Voyager – $99.99 (reduced from $149.99)
Blackberry Curve 8330 – $99.99 (reduced from $149.99)
Blackberry 8830 World Edition – $149.99 (reduced from $199.99)
Looks like a great week to replace that RAZR you just dropped in the sand with something a little more 2008 (or 2007, as the case may be).
iPhone Facebook App 2.0 coming in September
Coinciding with the debut of the new look of their web portal, Facebook has also announced that version 2.0 of the iPhone/iPod Touch app will arrive in the App Store in September. They’ve also made available preview screen shots of what we can expect from the latest update to the social networking app specially designed for Apple’s premier mobile device.
Verizon Wireless Discusses a Mobile Search Deal With Google
Verizon Wireless and Google, two industry Goliaths that have seen each other as potential rivals, are discussing a partnership that would give Google’s search service a prominent spot on the screens of Verizon phones, according to people briefed on the talks. The discussions are being spurred by the growing popularity of sophisticated devices like the iPhone that have simplified Web searching on mobile phones. New phones like those based on Google’s Android software, and models coming from Research in Motion and others, are likely to accelerate the trend.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 expected in October by Vodafone
The uncertainty of trying to predict exactly when — and where — Sony Ericsson’s beastly X1 would launch has come to be one of the more entertaining dramas in the mobile world this year, but it looks like Vodafone’s ready to shut down the rumor mill. The Windows Mobile superphone has now been slapped with an “expected” launch date in October for Voda’s UK audience, which means we can probably expect it in at least a few other European locales in the same timeframe. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is a stylish but powerful feature rich premium Windows Mobile device that doesn’t compromise on style with it’s premium metal finish. It has a unique Arc QWERTY slide-out keyboard, a very large 3″ colour touchscreen and fast internet browsing with broadband speeds of 7.2Mbps, integrated GPS with Vodafone SatNav, WiFi and FM Radio for entertainment.
