10/23, 4:45pm
UN approves UCS universal cellphone charger
A new Universal Charging Solution (UCS) has been approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a division in the United Nations, according to a Thursday report. The energy efficient charger will be compatible with all cellphones regardless of make and model, with certain unnamed manufacturers already incorporating the standard into their products, the ITU says. Other than the energy savings, the new charger will also help eliminate waste as the charger can be retained as new phones are upgraded and older ones are thrown out.
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10/12, 11:00am
Telefonica may be attempting to clear 3G stock
The iPhone 3GS is essentially unavailable in Spain, reports from the country claim. The device is believed to be in short or non-existent supply from official carrier Telefonica, as well any of the company's associated third-party outlets. Some sources in the region say they have been on multiple waiting lists for weeks or months, in at least once instance going as far back as July.
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10/02, 4:45pm
O2 set to test LTE technology in six countries
Telefonica, which owns the UK-based wireless provider O2, announced that it will begin trial testing of its Long Term Evolution mobile broadband technology in six European countries. The 4G technology will allow for faster wireless data speeds, and the trials will involve hardware from six manufacturers including Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, NEC, Nokia Siemens Network, and ZTE.
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09/10, 2:00pm
Motorola Cliq for T-Mobile
Motorola this afternoon entered into modern smartphones with its first Android device, the Cliq. The touchscreen slider centers on a new interface known as MOTOBLUR that has customized home screen widgets that let users check and update their social status, handle messages and check information like weather without loading a separate app. It even integrates status updates in other apps, such as for incoming calls or GPS mapping.
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07/10, 3:10pm
Palm Pre Still Sells Well
Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette today said that Palm Pre sales are still healthy over a month after the phone launched. Referring to his own checks, he estimates that about 40,000 of the multi-touch phones are now shipping each week and that the numbers could hold through at least August. He also expects that sales could improve if Palm can improve its shipments to Best Buy and Radio Shack, which have had short supply ever since launch.
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07/03, 12:50pm
Palm Pre due at Dutch Hi
Ahead of a scheduled UK launch event next week, Dutch wireless provider Hi has posted a product page on its website advertising the Palm Pre smartphone. Hi is a sub-brand of KPN, which has ties to Telefonica. As Telefonica runs UK carrier O2, which was reported to be the exclusive carrier of the Pre, the posting implies that Telefonica may have landed a multi-country deal. The product page reveals Hi will sell the Pre only subsidized with a contract.
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06/30, 7:55am
Palm May Have Sold 300K
Palm may have sold as many as 300,000 Pre phones in less than a month on sale, according to a investor's note by Charter Equity Research analyst Ed Snyder. He estimates that about 120,000 Pres were available on launch day but that these sold out within days and that about 15,000 examples of the multi-touch phone are being made every day, leading to the final estimate for the month. As many as 1 million phones could reach Sprint by the end of the first quarter of sales, which for Palm finishes at the end of August.
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05/25, 1:20pm
TG01 due in Japan, Spain
Wireless providers NTT DoCoMo and Telefónica on Monday announced that the TG01 full touchscreen handset, Toshiba's first, will launch in their respective markets of Japan and Spain. The Japanese version, called PRO T-01A, will arrive sometime in June, while Spain will get the TG01 in July.
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05/01, 12:45pm
Apple in Brandz Top 100
Apple and its US carrier AT&T are some of the most important technology companies in terms of brand worth, the latest Brandz Top 100 ranking (PDF) from MillwardBrown indicates. Gauging them not just on their actual income but also their social impact, the firm estimates that Apple has the sixth-largest brand value in the world and has seen the rough value of its brand climb 14 percent to about $63.1 billion. AT&T ranked 28th but was also one of the fastest-rising companies, jumping 67 percent to just over $20 billion.
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03/11, 6:40pm
Telefonica Pre deal
Telefónica's Movistar has negotiated an exclusive deal with Palm to distribute the upcoming Pre handset in Spain and Latin America, according to a number of Spanish news outlets. Sources also claim that the company's subsidiary, O2, will sell the device in the UK market. The reports mark the first alleged confirmation of carriers beyond Sprint to get the smartphone, although outside of the domestic market.
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02/18, 5:35pm
HSPA+ in Italy, Germany
Ericsson on Wednesday announced it will partner with wireless provider Telecom Italia to bring wireless data speeds as fast as 28Mbps when downloading and 5.8Mbps when uploading thanks to HSPA+ technology. Milan will be the first Italian city to offer the fast speeds in June, with a nationwide rollout due for the second half of the year. At the same time, Telefónica O2 Germany has said it will launch its HSPA+ network for cellphones and computers in the second half of the year in Munich.
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02/17, 12:30pm
Universal Phone Chargers
Most cellphones could use a single, interoperable standard for their power chargers within three years if a GSM Association initiative proves successful. The partnership includes phone makers like LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson as well as carriers like AT&T, KTF, Telefonica, T-Mobile and Vodafone; all have developed a format that would use micro USB as the standard and cut the typical power use by about half. The plan would cut back on the number of chargers thrown out after switching phones as well as reduce the amount of energy used to keep phones running.
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02/09, 4:15pm
Verizon commits to LiMo
The LiMo Foundation on Monday announced six new wireless providers have committed to release LiMo Platform based handsets in 2009. The Linux OS-based phones will become available from Verizon Wireless, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, SK Telecom, Telefonica and Vodafone sometime in 2009. The open-source Linux operating system in the devices will be based on the latest version of the LiMo Platform.
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07/31, 10:10am
iPhone up, Telefonica down
Spanish carrier Telefonica has reported a decline in its second-quarter profits despite the help of the iPhone, according to published results. Profits dropped 20 percent in Q2 over the same period a year ago, with net income sliding to $3.21 billion from $4.01 billion. This still beats the predictions of a Bloomberg survey however, which had suggested profits of only $2.84 billion.
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07/10, 11:40am
Movistar iPhone prices
Spanish carrier Movistar, owned by Telefonica, has published its official subscription plans for the iPhone 3G. The company has prepared two iPhone-specific data plans: the basic one costs €15 (plus VAT) per month on top of a voice plan, and is technically unlimited, but after the 200MB threshold reduces speed to 128Kbps down, and 64Kbps up. The Plus option costs €25 and has similar throttling, but moves the threshold to 1GB.
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06/27, 11:15am
Spanish iPhone prices?
Prices for Spanish subscriptions to the iPhone have been leaked, according to reports. Exploration of the Movistar website has allegedly uncovered a page displaying phone prices, with a cost of €99 for an 8GB iPhone, and €199 for a 16GB model. Options are further divided into "iPhone" and "iPhone Plus" tariffs.
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06/26, 1:40pm
Telefonica iPhone launch
Spanish carrier Telefonica has large plans for the debut of the iPhone 3G, sources say. At the heart of this is Telefonica's building in the Gran Via shopping district of Madrid, which is having its first floor completely redone in time for July 11th, the official release date of the 3G in 22 countries. Window displays have been emptied out, and installed video signage currently remains non-functional. Both Apple and Telefonica are said to want a "media extravaganza" around the world in advance of the 3G's availability.
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06/25, 4:25pm
Telefonica iPhone 3G
Dow Jones reports that Telefonica SA has received 300,000 pre- registrations in the United Kingdom and Spain to buy the iPhone 3G. A company spokesperson said that individuals have been reserving units of the device on the Telefonica Web site. Telefonica will begin selling the 3G iPhone July 11 in Spain, the Czech Republic and twelve Latin American countries. Apple's own retail stores in the UK may not be able to sell the iPhone 3G on July 11th, an industry publication reports. The issue stems from Apple's new activation policy, which forces customers to subscribe to a given carrier in-store, rather than at home through iTunes.
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06/09, 12:45am
3G iPhone at Apple retail?
Apple retail stores around the world are beginning to receive mysterious boxes (one box per store) with strict instructions not to be opened until next week, along with new unidentified signage. It's unknown at this time what exactly is in these boxes but a couple false reports have come in stating they contain a version 2.0 iPhone display unit. An AppleInsider report is posting similar information taking place in Apple retails stores across Australia.
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06/04, 9:15am
Telefonica iPhone in Spain
Telefonica has issued a terse confirmation that it will be distributing the iPhone in Spain, a local site reports. While the company has made earlier statements suggesting it would bring the phone, and its subsidiary Movistar is preparing to carry the device, Telefonica itself now says it has reached a deal. "Telefonica has signed an agreement with Apple to market the iPhone in Spain," the company's statement reads. "The iPhone will begin to sell this year."
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06/02, 7:05am
iPhone for Spain
Movistar today said that it will carry the iPhone for Spain. The company follows in the pattern of earlier announcements and doesn't say when the device will be available or which model; customers can sign up for notifications as to when launch information will be available, according to a company posting. The official announcement follows a confirmation of plans from a Movistar executive last month that also suggested the carrier would have a short run of exclusivity before rivals can carry the device.
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05/20, 10:25am
3G iPhone at WWDC
Apple will not only introduce a 3G-capable iPhone at the Worldwide Developer Conference on June 9th but will make it available almost immediately, according to a rumor circulating from Gizmodo. If accurate, the report confirms that phones may be available well ahead of anticipated schedules and launch in at least some countries right away. Some launches may be staggered; one report has Telefonica launching the phone in Spain through a flagship Madrid store on June 18th with wider availability on or near the same day. Other European launches may follow suit, says the new claim.
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05/19, 4:30pm
Movistar Spanish iPhone
Telefonica Movistar will carry the iPhone in Spain through a temporary exclusivity arrangement that will last several months without interference from competitors such as Vodafone. Sevenclick reports that although neither Apple nor Telefonica would say which device it would introduce into the country – between the current and potential third generation iPhone – it would hold on to the device for three to six months before competitors would be allowed to sell it.
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05/14, 11:15am
Telefonica iPhone Soon
Telefonica Europe chief Matthew Key today said that his company would make a joint announcement with Apple regarding the iPhone within weeks, hinting at a near term launch for an anticipated 3G upgrade to the cellphone. Key, whose telecoms group operates O2 in Ireland, the UK, and other countries, hasn't directly confirmed the device when asked about its existence but alludes to both its release and a possible expansion of service beyond just the O2 brand.
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