mobile

Mobile just one leg of Microsoft's three-screen strategy

LAS VEGAS--Microsoft had little new to say about its Windows Mobile phones at CTIA 2009, but reinforced its intention to play in all the future arenas of personal computing.

Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, ran through essentially the same news that his boss, CEO Steve Ballmer, presented about six weeks ago during the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain. The company demonstrated how Windows 7 has built-in software for connecting to 3G wireless networks, showed off some of the features of Windows Mobile 6.5, and played a quick video highlighting its mobile application store, … Read more

What gives Firefox 'Fennec' the mobile edge

LAS VEGAS--At CTIA 2009 on Thursday morning, I sat down with Mozilla's Jay Sullivan, vice president of mobile, to get a hands-on demo of Firefox's in-development mobile browser, code-named Fennec.

In addition to using Fennec on a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet with my own two hands instead of on a desktop emulator, I also saw a new feature in action that is poised to give Fennec the edge over rivals, when it enters the mobile-browsing marketplace.

During our meeting, Sullivan also dispensed with a few more details about Fennec's road map and hinted at a final name.… Read more

Webware Radar: March Madness reaches the sky

Aircell, the company that offers Gogo Inflight Internet service to airline passengers, announced on Thursday that based on internal research, Gogo customer visits to NCAA-focused sites increased 953 percent during the first and second rounds of NCAA Tournament play.

Visits to sports-focused sites in general were up 123 percent from February. The most visited NCAA site on Gogo was CBSSports.com (Disclosure: CBSSports.com is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET News.)

Real-estate search site Trulia announced Thursday that it set new records for site traffic in the first quarter of 2009. According to the company, visits … Read more

Skydeck: An in-box for your mobile phone

Skydeck is a useful-looking mobile message management service that creates a comfortable way to read and respond to phones calls, voicemail, and text messages from the Web. It differs from similar offerings by providing a classic in-box interface online, complete with a reading pane, folders, annotation abilities, and tagging. Skydeck also builds in a visual voicemail service operated by SpinVox so you can read your inbound messages in addition to listening to them. A search bar at the top of the page that helps you quickly find phrases and messages--including content from those transcribed voicemails.

If you have a headset, … Read more

IE Mobile overhaul: Sleek yet weak?

I sat down with Microsoft on Wednesday at CTIA 2009 to take a closer look at the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system first previewed at GSMA Mobile World Congress. As part of a much riskier design that users will probably either appreciate or hate, the smartphone operating system includes a complete overhaul to Internet Explorer Mobile.

IE Mobile will sport a cleaner design, with icons large enough for you to put down the classic touch-screen stylus and start using your fingers. Round navigation buttons line the bottom of the screen and then fade from view until you tap them. … Read more

Toshiba buying Panasonic's share of LCD venture

As part of its bid to restructure its liquid crystal display business, Toshiba will buy out partner Panasonic's share in the Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., the two companies announced Wednesday.

Toshiba already owned 60 percent of the company, compared with Panasonic's 40 percent, and the resulting buyout will cost Toshiba about 2 billion yen or about $20 million, a Toshiba spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal. The deal is scheduled to be completed by April 28, when the name of the company will be changed to Toshiba Mobile Display.

The company, established jointly in 2002, currently produces … Read more

CEOs see wireless as answer to economic crisis

LAS VEGAS--Wireless industry executives at the CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show here say that despite the economic meltdown, the cell phone industry remains strong. And they're confident that it will be a driving force in pulling the nation out of the current financial crisis.

Verizon Communications CEO Ivan Seidenberg and Robert Dotson, CEO of T-Mobile USA, which is owned by Deutsche Telekom, took the stage on Wednesday, the opening day of the trade show, with a similar message.

These executives said that despite the economic troubles facing the nation and the world, the wireless market is thriving and innovation … Read more

T-Mobile grabs Nokia 1661

Nokia may have a big booth at CTIA, but so far the company's news has been light. Besides the E71x for AT&T, Nokia's only other new cell phone in Las Vegas is the 1661 for T-Mobile's prepaid service. The low-end handset sports a simple candy bar design with basic features. The handset is dual-band (GSM 850/1900), which means it will only work in North America.

Inside you'll find an FM radio, messaging, a 250-contact phone book, a speakerphone, a calendar, and an alarm clock. Yet, there is one unique touch. On the 1661'… Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: BlackBerry app store opens

Research In Motion opens its BlackBerry app store, including one app that brings full-length TV shows to the BlackBerry Bold; YouTube pulls music videos of the major music labels off its Germany site; and a Hitachi exec is indicted in LCD price-fixing scheme. Get those, and the rest of the day's top stories, in today's podcast.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

BlackBerry App World has landed

TV coming to the BlackBerry

YouTube now pulls music videos out of Germany

Hitachi exec indicted in LCD price-fixing scheme

Green-tech investment dollars plummet

All quiet on the Conficker front. Now what?… Read more