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  • Sony Ericsson sees net profits fall 97%, looks to cut 2,000 jobs

    Filed under: Sony Ericsson , Misc Sony Ericsson warned the world just over a fortnight ago that things wouldn't be too rosy when it came time to announce Q2 results, and rosy things are not. Even though the handset maker was hoping and praying to break even at the end of the quarter, net profits ended up falling through the floor to the tune of 97%. As predicted, weak sales of mid-to-high-end mobiles were blamed for the bulk of the bad news, and it did affirm that conditions would remain rough for the rest of the year. Granted, the looming launch of the Xperia X1 should help matters a bit, but without a new stable of low-end cellies to send to emerging markets, it'll be a long road back to the top. Unfortunately, SE's sagging position in the market has left it slashing 2,000 jobs across the globe, though it didn't say exactly where the cuts would be made. It's okay SE, there's only one place to go when you're laying on the bottom... or something like that. [Image courtesy of Flickr ] Read - Sony Ericsson's Q2 earnings Read - Sony Ericsson plans job cuts Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • Pope Benedict XVI texting out messages of encouragement

    Filed under: Culture , Telstra , Misc Don't act like you didn't know that Pope Benedict XVI was down with modern technology . As part of World Youth Day, the man himself will begin sending out texts of encouragement to pilgrims who have signed up through Telstra to receive them. A total of four gigantic "prayer walls" have been erected at the Sydney Opera House, the Domain, Darling Harbour and Randwick Racecourse in Australia, where folks will actually be able to send their own messages for all to presumably see. The first message sent out? "Young friend, God and his people expect much from u because u have within you the Fathers supreme gift: the Spirit of Jesus - BXVI." Hllujh, amn brtha. [Thanks, zedster] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • San Francisco to test wireless parking sensors, cause rat races to momentarily open spaces

    Filed under: Misc We dig the idea in theory, we really do, but we can definitely see this causing more harm than good. Starting this fall, San Francisco will begin a trial involving wireless parking sensors in 6,000 of its 24,000 metered spaces, enabling antsy drivers to be alerted via street signs or cellphones when a spot becomes available. Only one problem -- give 50 anxious motorists the same message that a single spot is unoccupied, and you've just created a bona fide mess. Though it'd probably be fun to watch from the sidelines, wouldn't you agree? [Via Core77 ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • Build your own Bluetooth handgun handset, or don't

    Filed under: Peripherals , Misc Want to attract attention (and the police) every time you answer your cellphone in public? Then perhaps this build-at-your-own-risk Bluetooth handgun handset project is for you. As far as DIY mods go, this one looks to be simple enough (if somewhat time-consuming), with it involving nothing more than stuffing a disassembled Jabra Bluetooth headset into a suitably realistic-looking airsoft gun, which apparently fits just right so that the trigger operates the call start/end button. If you're still on board, you can find all the necessary details by hitting up the link below. [Thanks, Elijah] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • PSA: working atop cellphone towers is inherently dangerous

    Filed under: Misc Color us flabbergasted, but tower climbing is being deemed "the most dangerous job in America" by Edwin Foulke Jr., head of the Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). A recent look at the industry found that five climbers perished during a 12-day span this spring, bringing the grand total to seven in 2008. Of course, there are already remarks that the recent rush to expand 3G networks could be somehow connected, with Craig Lekutis, president of WirelessEstimator and a former tower industry manager, stating that the "recent spate of accidents must be viewed as an industry-wide cause for concern, both on the carrier and climber levels." In order to help bring awareness to the intrinsic hazards, OSHA is pushing a "Tie or Die!" campaign -- which, honestly, sounds a bit brash on the surface -- but we're all for reminding folks to anchor down that somehow have the ability to forget. [Image courtesy of Verizon Wireless ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • Americans using mobile internet the most, RAZR family most responsible

    Filed under: Culture , Studies , Misc Who says we Americans don't love our mobile internet? We don't like paying through the nose for it , but there's no denying we heart it profusely. According to new research from Nielson, around 15.6% of US wireless subscribers utilize mobile internet on their handset, while the UK ganked the silver medallion at 12.9% and Italy the bronze at 11.9%. Out of the 16 countries studied by the firm, America ranked number one in terms of usage, and oddly enough, Motorola's RAZR / RAZR2 were found as the top devices (10%) for accessing the mobile web. For those curious, Apple's iPhone came in second with 4%, while RIM's BlackBerry 8100 and 8800 series claimed 2% each. Even if you're usually not the numbers type, we'd say it's worth your while to give these a peek -- pretty interesting stuff, from a nerd's point of view. [Warning: PDF read link] [Via modoNews ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • Sunrise offers pay-per-hour HSPA access in Switzerland

    Filed under: HSDPA , Misc , HSUPA Remember those days when you'd beg your mom to hop online and watch GamePro.com load for 15 minutes in order to read the latest reviews, only to be shut down by pops who refused to pay $.50 per minute to be on the world wide web? Thankfully, Sunrise's latest mobile broadband plans aren't that bad, but each precious hour of surfing over HSPA will set you back 3 Swiss francs (or $2.97). On the upside, there's no commitment attached to the USB modem, and there aren't any data usage caps either, so who knows, maybe this deal will float your boat after all. [Thanks, Jay] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • NFC Forum publishes two new specifications, most of us still waiting for even one

    Filed under: Misc Though NFC hasn't quite reached the penetration level required to make it a ubiquitous and critical tool like, say, Bluetooth or WiFi, the NFC Forum is still pushing ahead to make the short-range communication standard ever better. Two new specifications have been published for inclusion in the NFC ecosystem of protocols this week: Generic Control RTD and Connection Handover. Generic Control RTD is simply a way for one NFC-enabled device to tell another to perform a particular action; Connection Handover is where it gets interesting, allowing NFC to be used to establish a connection over some other technology (like Bluetooth) with a more complicated pairing procedure. As the NFC Forum puts it, that gives you the best of both worlds -- the ease of use afforded by NFC along with the higher bandwidth of a more robust protocol -- which makes it easier to use NFC to initate transmission of larger files. That's cool, but seriously, can we just pay for our train fare to start? [Via Phone Scoop ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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  • Analyst says Motorola "would be lucky" to get $500 million

    Filed under: Handsets , Motorola , Misc Things have been looking pretty bleak for Motorola and its attempts to salvage its handset division for some time now, but a number of analysts are now painting an even clearer picture of just how bad things might be. According to BusinessWeek, some analysts are saying that with spin-off plans looking less and less likely, Motorola may revert back to its original plan to sell off the handset division outright, although Envisioneering Group's Richard Doherty says it "would be lucky to fetch $500 million." As BusinessWeek points out, that very same analyst pegged the business at a hefty $8 billion just last year. Analyst Richard Windsor of Nomura even went so far as to say that Motorola might actually have to pay someone to take the division off its hands. Now that's an idea we can get behind . [Via Unwired View ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • Nokia wraps up acquisition of NAVTEQ

    Filed under: Handsets , Nokia , Misc It was already all but a done deal once the shareholders gave the thumbs-up and EU regulators gave the go-ahead , but Nokia has now announced that it has officially wrapped up its acquisition of NAVTEQ -- a move that, coincidentally, comes just a few days after TomTom and Tele Atlas finalized their own deal . As you might expect, both Nokia and NAVTEQ have nothing but praise for the $8.1 billion deal, with Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo saying that, "Nokia and NAVTEQ together make a powerful combination, and customers will benefit as the transaction enables NAVTEQ to accelerate its expansion into new regions and introduce innovative new content." NAVTEQ President and CEO Judson Green further added that, "Nokia has a deep understanding of the requirements for the industry," before dishing out the usual line about how the deal will benefit the customers most of all. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • Is T-Mobile's 3G service rolling out nationwide in October?

    Filed under: T-Mobile , Misc According to the overactive internet rumor party line, T-Mobile is planning to take its currently limited 3G service nationwide come October. TmoNews claims -- thanks to an anonymous tipster, of course -- that on October 1st, the telco will bring speedy service to 27 of its top markets, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Miami, amongst others. Of course, right now this is pure speculation and hearsay, until we get confirmation from T-Mobile (or at least some hard evidence), we'll just have to keep our fingers and toes crossed. [Via Boy Genius Report ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • German "Future Store" lets you grocery shop with your cellphone

    Filed under: Handsets , Misc It's been a long, long time since we've heard from Germany's "Future Store" -- the ultra-futuristic German grocery store that might have sprung directly from the Sprawl trilogy -- but they've got a new feature we thought you might be interested in. Shoppers in the store can now use camera-equipped cellphones (i.e., cellphones) to snap pictures of item barcodes, and then download the information at the checkout when they're finished shopping. The system totals all of your purchases into one big, nasty barcode which you then scan and pony up cash (or cards, or fingerprints, or magical rainbow juice) for. It's unclear how to store handles shoppers who don't scan everything they've got in their cart, but if it's anything like our favorite books, it's not pretty. [Via PHONE Magazine ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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