telecommunication - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Apple rolls out free case program for iPhone 4 owners

  As promised last week, Apple today rolled out its free case program for iPhone 4 owners who are having reception problems with the popular new smartphone.

• MagicJack femtocell misses planned launch date

  The magicJack femtocell, a product unveiled to much excitement earlier this year, has not launched as expected during the second quarter, although the company says it will still become available this year.

• New Nook for Android e-reader tool supports Android 1.6 and higher

  Barnes & Noble Thursday launched Nook for Android, a version of its free e-reading app for devices running Android 1.6 or higher, which include smartphones such as the Droid X.

• 5 makers for Windows Phone 7 now official

  Microsoft has officially divulged names of at least five manufacturers for its coming Windows Phone 7 devices, with Asus recently added to a list of four revealed at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference on July 13.

• Avaya CEO on Cisco, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and how to win over Nortel customers

  Avaya CEO Kevin Kennedy recently sat down at his office in Basking Ridge, N.J., with Network World Senior Editor Tim Greene to discuss the company's progress integrating Nortel enterprise assets into the company, the changing nature of the business communications market, the effects of Facebook and Twitter on corporate networks, the impact of Skype, the competition Avaya faces from Cisco and Microsoft and the promise of cloud computing. What follows is an edited transcript of that conversation.

• AT&T net income up on smartphone additions

  AT&T reported net income of $US4 billion for the second quarter of 2010, up nearly 26 percent from the second quarter of 2009, driven largely by increasing demand for Apple's iPhone and other smartphones, the company said Thursday.

• Nokia reports earnings down 40 percent on flat Q2 sales

  Nokia reported flat sales for the second quarter, with a 40 percent year-on-year drop in earnings. The company is still seeing customers shun its high-end smartphones.

• New 'Kraken' GSM-cracking software is released

  The GSM technology used by the majority of the world's mobile phones will get some scrutiny at next week's Black Hat security conference, and what the security researchers there have to say isn't pretty.

• Motorola, Verizon make quick fix on Droid X display problems

  Verizon Wireless and Motorola today said fewer than one-tenth of 1% of the new Droid X <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/topic/75/Smartphones">smartphones</a> that have been sold have experienced a "flickering" or "banding" on the display, and that Motorola has resolved the problem.

• Mac, iPad sales push Apple to record revenue

  For the third time in the last four quarters, Apple today reported it sold a record number of Macs, although sales of the iPhone slipped slightly.

• NTT set to expand in Africa with acquisition

  The acquisition of Dimension Data by Nippon Telegraph &amp; Telephone Corp. marks the first time a Japanese mobile operator has managed to get a slice of the growing African telecom and IT market.

• AT&T adds mobile services for business, government users

  AT&amp;T Tuesday announced that it's offering three new mobile services, including text messaging and encrypted mobile voice products, aimed at business and government users.

• HP seeks PalmPad trademark; Is a WebOS-based iPad killer on the way?

  Hewlett Packard is seeking to trademark the name "PalmPad" for computer hardware and mobile devices, providing a solid indication that a tablet computer based on HP's purchase of Palm and its WebOS is under development.

• App Store security record unblemished after 2 years

  While the rest of the world focuses on the perceived issues surrounding the iPhone 4's antenna reception, I thought I'd bring us back to something that really matters to iPhone users, namely, the security of Apple's App Store, which just marked its two-year birthday.

• Motorola deal may end mobile-gear consolidation

  Nokia Siemens Networks' acquisition of most of Motorola's cellular networks business may be the last move in a long game of consolidation in the industry, which has been hammered by price pressures.