May 8 - 12:05pm EDT   Fractus has revealed that it has sued 10 cellphone manufacturers this week over their allegedly violating nine different patents relating to internal cellphone antenna technology. The Spanish company's targets are most important world firms and involve HTC, Kyocera, LG, Palm, Pantech, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sharp, Sanyo and UTStarcom. These companies were aware of the patents but violated their use all the same, Fractus claims. [full story]

February 23 - 2:15pm EST   AT&T is pulling its Quickfire messaging phone at least temporarily from shelves, Electronista can confirm through an AT&T spokesman. The company has issued a note asking stores to pull the PCD-made slider from shelves and demo booths due to quality concerns and hasn't said if or when it expects the device to return. [full story]

October 10 - 4:10pm EDT   A new handset from PCD, the cellular phone division of UTStarcom, is coming soon to AT&T, now branded under the Quickfire name, according to a Thursday Engadget report. Previously unveiled as the Knick, the Sidekick-like handset hides a full QWERTY keyboard behind its sliding color screen, and will support HSPA 3G data networks. It will support mobile TV and have assisted GPS capabilities and can navigate via AT&T's Navigator service. [full story]

August 25 - 11:05am EDT   Verizon this morning switched its attention to non-smartphone messaging with the formal rollout of the Blitz. The UTStarcom-made device has a traditional feature phone interface but a slide-out QWERTY keyboard that speeds up responding to e-mail as well as instant messaging. The change also has the upside of keeping the closed phone short at 3.5 inches tall and allowing room for a 2.2-inch LCD. [full story]

July 31 - 12:15pm EDT   Verizon Wireless has picked up a new UTStarcom phone, reports say. Previously unavailable in the US, and known elsewhere as the TXT8010, it is being imported by Verizon and renamed the Blitz, with an initial launch scheduled through Wal-Mart stores on August 8th. People wanting to avoid Wal-Mart for whatever reason may have to wait until September 28th, when it should become available through Best Buy stores. Pricing is unannounced but should be relatively low, as it is set to be an INpulse prepaid phone. [full story]

July 2 - 4:45pm EDT   Virgin Mobile today quietly posted its first phone since its buyout of Helio. The UTStarcom Arc sits slightly above the baseline for most of Virgin's budget lineup and focuses primarily on its inclusion of a VGA camera, Bluetooth, and its two-tone, rounded flip design to stand out from other offerings on the pay-as-you-go carrier. [full story]

June 30 - 1:40pm EDT   Information has leaked on the remainder of Verizon's cellphone releases for 2008, a report claims. Preeminent in the list are some phones unexpected for Verizon's roster, such as CDMA versions of the Touch Diamond and the Touch Pro, which will likely rebranded under the carrier's own naming scheme. Also mentioned is a Samsung phone, the SCH-U310, which does not have any previously published information. The fact is unusual in that many of Samsung's phones are released in Asia and Europe months before they arrive in North America, and are publicized internationally. No dates have been mentioned for the U310 or the Touches. [full story]

June 20 - 12:30pm EDT   The Ottawa, Canada-based business Wi-LAN has added three more companies to a list of ongoing lawsuits, Reuters reports. It is now targeting three cellphone makers, specifically Motorola, UTStarcom, and BlackBerry creator Research in Motion. The companies are specifically accused of violating Wi-LAN patents, and litigation is already in progress at the Marshall Division of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The court is well known for ruling in favor of patent suit plaintiffs. [full story]