Techdirt WirelessEasily digestible tech news...It's Good To Be A Monopoly: Rogers Prices iPhone Service At 2 Arms And 2 Legs- June 30, 2008 There's been a fair amount of complaining about the pricing of the new iPhone 3G over the last few weeks. While plenty of people were initially enamored by the cheaper price for the actual phone in the US (and in some other countries), this subsidized low price often hid higher service fees (with a locked contract) that came with it. However, it appears that the folks at Rogers Communication up in Canada really went overboard in its service pricing: offering very expensive service fees that...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080630/0204011545.shtml Taking Suggestions: What Else Should We Ban While Driving- June 28, 2008 With California's law banning driving while talking on a mobile phone without a handsfree device set to take effect next week, the author of the original bill is already working on a followup to ban driving-while-texting as well. He says this is necessary because driving-while-texting "wasn't an issue" when the original bill was put forth. Of course, there are an unlimited number of different driving distractions -- so if we really need to come up with a law for all of them, why don't we put..http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080626/1929381530.shtml When All Else Fails, Sue For Patent Infringement- June 27, 2008 We've seen it all too often over the years. After a technology company has failed to get anywhere in the market with its products, it decides to sue everyone possible for patent infringement. As has been said: Those who can, innovate. Those who can't, litigate. The latest to join the bunch is a failed multimedia device company, e.Digital, who is suing a ton of companies, claiming to hold a patent on using removable flash drives in portable devices. Seriously. It's already sued Casio, LG...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080627/0215061536.shtml Can We Close The Book On MVNOs Now- June 27, 2008 Back in 2002, there was suddenly a lot of buzz about how MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) were going to be the next big thing. The idea was that any brand could start offering mobile phone service just by slapping its brand on mobile phones that would work on someone else's network. Then you could have a company with a huge brand jumping into the mobile phone space, adding various "synergies" (gag) from other business lines, without having to worry about the technical infrastructure...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080626/0155411526.shtml Flirting Over Email Or Text In Scotland Could Land You In Jail- June 26, 2008 It appears some Scottish politicians are putting forth a bill that could put people in jail for up to 10 years for sending a text or email with "sexual content." The goal of the bill is to discourage sexual harassment over email or text messaging -- but it appears to be worded quite broadly. The bill defines the crime as "committed if someone sends an unsolicited text message to someone else which a court finds was designed to give the sender sexual gratification or to humiliate, distress or...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080625/0230001513.shtml Do You Really Want Your Car To Be A Rolling WiFi Hotspot- June 26, 2008 Apparently Chrysler is looking to turn your car into a rolling WiFi hotspot, allowing you to connect to the internet both for the sake of accessing information, but also for providing it (such as traffic info). Of course, automakers have talked about internet access in cars before, but it hasn't gone very far -- so unless you brought your own EVDO card, you weren't doing much. But is there really a strong demand for such things As some analysts note, it seems like the automakers may be...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080624/0137231486.shtml Nokia's Open Sourcing Of Symbian Shows How Closed Markets Become Open- June 24, 2008 Originally I wasn't going to write about Nokia's decision to purchase the rest of Symbian and then open source the code, but a few people have written in to ask about our take, and the more I think about it, the more interesting it becomes. There's certainly been a palpable fear lately among some that things like the locked-down iPhone represent a dangerous "future" to be avoided. But that doesn't seem to have much historical support. New markets often are driven initially by locked down...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080624/1307361498.shtml If You Carry A Blackberry And Are Paid Hourly, Do You Count Checking Your Email As Time Working- June 24, 2008 We've talked about the question of the work-life balance plenty of times, as people begin to recognize that "life" (such as personal surfing) is showing up in the office and "work" (such as checking your email) is showing up at home. However, that's leading to a few problems with some legacy systems. For example, what does it mean for workers who are paid on an hourly basis, with the potential for overtime That problem recently came up when ABC News tried to make it clear to new staff...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080624/0148541487.shtml Before Getting Bought By Verizon Wireless, Alltel Tried To Buy Sprint, T-Mobile And AT&T Wireless- June 24, 2008 After being rumored for years, Verizon Wireless finally bought Alltel earlier this month. However, Alltel's CEO has now admitted that the company wasn't just looking to be acquired these past few years. It had, itself, aggressively looked into buying Sprint, T-Mobile or even AT&038;T Wireless at times. In fact, it tried to buy Sprint three separate times. The other two certainly seem like longshots. Deutsche Telekom appears to have no real interest in getting rid of T-Mobile, and depending.http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080623/0200581477.shtml The March Of Mobile Phone Progress Isn't Always Smooth Or Direct- June 21, 2008 Tim Wu is discouraged. Writing in Slate last week, the telecom expert lamented the terms he's facing as an aspiring iPhone 2 owner: a two-year AT&038;T contract thanks to the handset's newfound inability to be unlocked and a move toward a more conventional subsidized handset model. Wu sees this as emblematic of a shift in the mobile industry: The fact that someone like me is switching to AT&038;T is a sign of the times in the telephone world. The wireless industry was once and is still...http://techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20080618/1201241445.shtml |