Silicon Republic - Comms

Google voice and location app for iPhone officially released

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:03:00 +0000

After much speculation last week, Google's iPhone app that allows people to search on Google has been officially released.

Belfast mobile software firm's Asia-Pacific expansion

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:10:00 +0000

Belfast technology firm SLA Mobile has expanded into south-east Asia with a new office in Kuala Lumpur aimed at capturing a share of the fast-growing Asia-Pacific mobile market.

Telcos should co-operate, not compete with Google

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Google's influence and market power with key telecommunications industry stakeholders is having a significant impact on the industry, an analyst has claimed.

Google to launch voice-search app for iPhone

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:52:00 +0000

Google is getting ready to launch a voice-based search application for the iconic iPhone, demonstrating the increasingly complex and beautifully intricate, but rewarding, texture of the emerging mobile internet.

Dramatic fall in mobile phone sales for 2009 - Nokia chief

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:23:00 +0000

The challenging economic environment will take its toll on mobile phone sales in the fourth quarter and into 2009, Nokia's chief executive has warned.

O2 data revenues continue on growth trajectory

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:52:00 +0000

Ireland's second-largest mobile operator Telefonica O2 said that data revenue continues to grow, with non-SMS revenue in the third quarter up 12.5pc year-on-year. Broadband numbers stand at 82,000.

Could free INQ rain on BlackBerry Storm launch?

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:01:00 +0000

3 has revealed that its low-cost alternative to both the Apple iPhone and the BlackBerry Storm - the social network-oriented INQ backed by Hutchison Whampoa, Microsoft, Skype and Facebook - will hit the market around the same week the Storm is due for release.

Mobile industry outlines anti-bullying guidelines

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:47:00 +0000

The mobile industry has put in place new measures to help parents combat the rising tide of bullying via mobile devices.

Nokia's Eseries goes mainstream with E63

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:22:00 +0000

What is happening with Nokia's Eseries lately? First we get the superb E71 smart phone, which went slim-line and lightweight, while packing in all the features and functionality that might make BlackBerry users reconsider their options.

G1 will have hard job competing with iPhone user experience

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:01:00 +0000

The T-Mobile G1 smart phone, the first wireless handset to be based on Google's Android mobile operating system (OS), still has a gap to close in terms of user experience and music downloading, an analyst firm has said.

O2 launches video stock-market reports for smart phones

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:50:00 +0000

NCB Stockbrokers has launched video, mail-based stock-market reports for O2's 3G broadband and EDGE networks that will bring video messages to handsets such as the iPhone 3G, the XDA and the BlackBerry.

Vodafone creates 'Total Communications' brand to drive fixed and wireless

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:07:00 +0000

Vodafone has created a new business unit called Total Communications, which will oversee the full integration of the Perlico business into Vodafone and be a force in the mobile and home broadband areas.

iPhone more reliable than the BlackBerry, study claims

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:45:00 +0000

There have been substantially fewer failure rates on iPhone devices than those on BlackBerry and Treo smart phones within their first year of ownership, a new study has revealed.

March of mobile internet blocked by old-fashioned IT

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:01:00 +0000

Old-fashioned IT systems are preventing mobile operators from getting better insights into what customers want, and this is affecting innovation as well as the ability to combat churn.

Apple now No 2 smart phone maker in the world

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Apple's mould-breaking iPhone has resulted in the company usurping Research In Motion as the world's No 2 smart phone maker, according to new research.

BlackBerry Storm release times revealed

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:16:00 +0000

Vodafone has confirmed to siliconrepublic.com that the much anticipated BlackBerry Storm - Vodafone and RIM's answer to the Apple iPhone 3G - will hit stores in the UK in mid-November, and stores in Ireland in late November/early December.

Broadband numbers up 28pc at UPC - 94,000 subscribers

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:09:00 +0000

Cable broadband, TV and telecoms provider UPC reported revenues of US$91m for the third quarter at its Irish division, up 20pc on last year's €75.9m performance.

Meteor storms into mobile broadband

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0000

In recent weeks, Meteor went live with the first stage of its 3G network, and by next year plans to be a force in the mobile broadband business. Elaine Robinson is head of product development at Meteor.

Telcos must learn to design for life

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:03:00 +0000

Telecoms providers will need to work harder to use universal design principles to ensure all users - including those with disabilities - can use their products and services.

Five ways to see the mobile future

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:42:00 +0000

Telecom analyst firm Berg Insight has pinpointed five key trends it believes will come to pass in the mobile advertising market, including that ad-funded business models will become a new paradigm in the discount-mobile, virtual network operator segment.

BlackBerry users to make credit-card transactions from device

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:45:00 +0000

An innovative new payment technology will enable BlackBerry users to make credit-card transactions via their device.

Financial crisis hits mobile phone market

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:11:00 +0000

The world's mobile phone industry has felt the full force of the financial crisis with handset sales down 0.4pc to 299 million devices shipped in the third quarter.

The future of mobile is personalisation, says fast-moving software player

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Widgets, mash-ups but fundamentally personalisation will be the future of mobile, as operators strive to corner market share in a business profoundly changed by the iPhone and BlackBerry Storm.

Mobile web growth explosive as one million .mobi domains registered

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:52:00 +0000

The promise of the mobile web - boosted by more web-friendly handsets - is finally being realised, and the Dublin-headquartered dotMobi registrar has revealed that more than one million mobile domains have been registered.

Digiweb planning additional data centre expansion

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:16:00 +0000

Broadband and telecoms provider Digiweb has just opened its new 38,000sq ft data centre in Blanchardstown and is planning "to expand to tens of thousands of square feet" of further capacity over the next three years.

New chairman at Eircom amid BCM sale rumours

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:35:00 +0000

Amid reports that an Isle of Man-based equity fund called LIT has made approaches to buy Babcock Brown Capital (BCM), owners of Ireland's incumbent telecoms provider Eircom, the telecoms company has appointed a new chairman to replace Pierre Danon, who left the company last June.

What's the buzz about hotspot provider Bitbuzz?

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:26:00 +0000

Wireless hotspot provider Bitbuzz has reported that it has reached a total of 113,478 registered users at the end of its 2008 second quarter.

Telecoms sector braces itself for cold winds of change

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:00:00 +0000

The telecoms sector in Ireland spends €724m a year on infrastructure, but this rate of investment could be under threat as harsh economic realities emerge.

BlackBerry Storm price plans revealed

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:09:00 +0000

Vodafone today revealed the price plans for the much-anticipated BlackBerry Storm device that will enter the market just in time for Christmas. The device will come with mobile TV and music downloads included.

Motorola to go with Google's Android in major technology overhaul

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:55:00 +0000

Mobile manufacturer Motorola is expected to deploy Google's Android operating system on future devices as part of a major technology overhaul that may see job cuts and the reduction of old hardware platforms.