Infographic: 19 billion intelligent “things” will be internet-connected by 2016

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Every day we’re becoming more connected via the internet and to show this, Verizon is out with an infographic demonstrating what life might be like for us in three years. The graphic takes you through a typical wirelessly-connected day, from analyzing your morning run to buying groceries with your smartphone. By 2016, predictions call for 2.5 wireless… Read More…

T-Mobile fires back at AT&T with new ad: “What keeps AT&T up at night? Apparently us.”

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UPDATE, 12:40 P.M.: T-Mobile got back to us and we’ve updated the story below with the newspapers that ran the ads. —————— Looks like we’ve got a good ol’ heavyweight cell phone carrier fight brewing between T-Mobile and AT&T. Just days after AT&T debuted full-page newspaper ads attacking T-Mobile’s network, Bellevue-based T-Mobile USA has fired back… Read More…

Nokia begs Instagram for a Windows Phone app, creates #2InstaWithLove

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Nokia is getting creative to show how badly it wants an Instagram app for Windows Phones. “We’ve been listening, and we know you all love Instagram,” writes Nokia’s Paul Coombes. ”The only way for us to show how much the Nokia community really care about bringing this world class app to Windows Phone, is by having a little… Read More…

HTC’s February revenue nosedives 44%, lowest in 3 years

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HTC continues to struggle and took a serious hit in February, recording their lowest revenue in three years. Sales fell 44 percent compared to February 2012 to $380.4 million, which is also a 27 percent drop from January sales. HTC, which has its North American headquarters in Bellevue, is a longtime Microsoft partner that still… Read More…

Politicians and unions urge FCC to prevent T-Mobile layoffs from MetroPCS deal

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T-Mobile’s proposed deal to gobble up MetroPCS could be approved early next month. But before anything is set in stone, several entities are urging the FCC to make sure jobs are protected as a result of the merger. In a filing submitted today with the FCC, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) found that the merger will cut a… Read More…

AT&T bashes T-Mobile with full-page newspaper ad

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AT&T thinks poorly of T-Mobile and they’re running full-page newspaper ads to prove it. In the latest chapter of the bash-fest between the two mobile carriers, AT&T began running attack advertisements yesterday in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. In the ad, AT&T claims that T-Mobile’s network has twice as many dropped calls, twice as… Read More…

Bing Fund backs mobile app Sonar to help people discover who is hanging out nearby

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Do you want to know who is hanging around you at the coffee shop, airport or bar? A new mobile app called Sonar, which today is announcing funding from Microsoft’s Bing Fund, taps into individual’s social networks to identify who is lurking nearby. Of course, Sonar probably wouldn’t like the term “lurking,” given the privacy… Read More…

T-Mobile revenue falls 5% as company signals future cuts

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T-Mobile USA, looking to rebound against its larger rivals, reported lower fourth quarter revenue and profits overnight, and gave a clear signal that it will be making additional cuts in attempt to to shore up its business. The Bellevue-based company, part of Deutsche Telekom, reported a 5.2 percent decline in total revenue, to $4.92 billion,… Read More…

Clearwire takes $80M from Sprint, continues talks with Dish

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As it continues to weigh buyout offers, Clearwire has elected to take an $80 million investment from Sprint, a move that could impede the acquisition of satellite TV provider Dish Network. Both Sprint and Dish are looking to buy Clearwire, the Bellevue wireless broadband operator that’s most coveted for its spectrum holdings. Dish has said… Read More…

This app studies your text messages to recommend restaurants

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Intelligent robot assistants like Siri have changed the way we interact with our mobile devices, and can now make recommendations for us. But the technology has yet to fully adapt to our personal preferences. University of Washington graduate student Jared Bauer is developing an application that has several of the same functions as Siri, such… Read More…

Study shows Sprint severely undervaluing Clearwire spectrum

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A study that one Clearwire shareholder commissioned shows that the company’s spectrum is worth two to three times more than what Sprint is currently offering in its bid to acquire Bellevue-based Clearwire. The study, done by Information Age Economics, shows that Sprint’s current offer of $2.97 per share undervalues its longtime partner Clearwire. It was commissioned by Crest… Read More…

MetroPCS urges shareholders to approve T-Mobile deal, sets vote for March 28

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UPDATE, March 5: MetroPCS has pushed back the shareholders meeting to April 12. –––––––––– It has been more than four months since T-Mobile announced its intentions to gobble up MetroPCS. And while the wireless industry continues to go through numerous transformations, the big merger could be on track to go through if MetroPCS shareholders approve the deal next… Read More…

FCC issues order to boost wireless connectivity at stadiums, tunnels, airports

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Have you ever lost your cell phone connectivity in a tunnel, subway or sports stadium? We have, including some of our frustrating visits to CenturyLink Field here in Seattle. Well, a new order from the Federal Communications Commission could help solve this wireless bottleneck. The FCC recently adopted new policies around the use of signal boosters, amplifiers… Read More…

Nokia’s new Windows Phones aim for affordability

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Nokia announced two new Windows Phone 8 models during its news conference this morning at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona — aiming to expand its market share by appealing to smartphone buyers on a budget and those in developing countries. It’s part of a broader effort by Nokia and Microsoft to gain traction in the… Read More…

HTC settles FTC charges over mobile security holes

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HTC America has settled FTC charges alleging that lax security practices on its smartphones and tablets left the door open for malicious programs to hijack phones and compromise the privacy of millions of users. The FTC complaint says HTC’s use of the logging programs Carrier IQ and HTC Loggers, combined with programming flaws, created the potential… Read More…

HTC relaunches Dashwire to help ease smartphone transitions for mobile operators

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Nearly a year and a half after Seattle-based Dashwire agreed to be sold to Taiwain smartphone maker HTC for up to $18.5 million, the company is being relaunched to help mobile operators with smartphone transitions and other software that improves user experiences. Founded by former Microsoftie Ford Davidson in 2006, Dashwire has developed a mobile phone back-up service… Read More…

SwiftKey for Android challenges Swype with integrated ‘Flow’ input

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SwiftKey, the popular keyboard app for Android devices, launched a new version overnight that incorporates a feature called SwiftKey Flow, letting users type by gliding a finger across the keyboard to connect letters, maintaining contact with the screen. Sound familiar? Yes, it is very similar to the core functionality of Swype, made by a Seattle-area… Read More…

T-Mobile debuts prepaid wireless service GoSmart

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T-Mobile is hoping to keep pace with its competitors with a new budget wireless service called GoSmart Mobile. GoSmart Mobile, which is completely separate from T-Mobile, will be available starting today at over 3,000 stores in the U.S. and offers pre-paid unlimited plans starting at $30 for unlimited voice and text. For $35 you can… Read More…