Carmen Nobel

Handheld computer maker Palm, Inc. announced that the company will change its name to palmOne following the spin-off of its PalmSource operating system division in the fall. palmOne, Inc. will house the companys hardware business, including the brands Zire—focused on consumers, Tungsten—focused on corporate users, and Treo—the smartphone business that the company will own upon […]

Nextel Communications Inc. and RadioFrame Networks Inc. are preparing to launch a set of products and services that improve in-building network coverage for Nextels wireless users. The joint solution, to be announced in the next few weeks, is called Integrated IDEN/WLAN because it lets users deploy a wireless LAN over an infrastructure that supports a […]

WLAN switching startup Aruba Wireless Networks Inc. has developed a management tool that helps IT managers plan, tweak and secure wireless networks. RF Director is an umbrella platform that includes three management applications: RF Plan, RF Analyze and RF Lock, said officials at the San Jose, Calif., company. RF Plan is a three-dimensional site survey […]

While research in Motion Ltd. won a stay of an injunction prohibiting the company from selling its BlackBerry e-mail products in the United States, customers remain concerned about the companys burgeoning legal fees. The Federal District Court in Richmond, Va., last week ruled in favor of NTP Inc. in its patent infringement case against RIM, […]

NEC America Inc. and Motorola Inc. are joining forces on an effort to provide wireless roaming between corporate and cellular networks, the two companies announced last week. The companies plan to offer roaming for data transmissions and for voice over IP, officials said. NEC, of Irving, Texas, will provide the WLAN (wireless LAN) infrastructure, the […]

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of NTP Inc. in its patent infringement case against Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion Ltd., which has been brewing since late 2001. The Federal District Court in Richmond, Va., ordered RIM to pay $53,704,322 for past damages and attorney fees. Furthermore, the court issued an injunction enjoining […]

Hewlett-Packard Co. aims to help enterprise customers ease into the world of wireless connectivity with a new demo plan and partnership that marries its iPaq devices with Extended Systems Inc.s new messaging server. This month, HP will announce a plan that includes four steps to help prove the value of enterprise wireless products to IT […]

A group of major wireless industry companies last week announced an initiative to standardize the interface to cell phone application processors. The MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) alliance is an evolution of OMAPI (Open Mobile Application Processor Interface), a similar initiative that Texas Instruments Inc. and STMicroelectronics NV formed in December. The problem with OMAPI, […]

While camera phones and teen-focused messaging services have been the target of summer marketing campaigns, wireless carriers are not forgetting corporate customers. Summer launches from AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Sprint PCS Group include a corporate bent. AT&T Wireless last week launched a wireless phone through a partnership with NEC America Inc. The NEC 515 […]

As the wireless LAN industry consolidates, competition is heating up and spawning a host of new WLAN options. For starters, several PC makers in September will begin shipping notebooks equipped with Atheros Communications Inc.s mini-PCI cards that support 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g—the troika of IEEE WLAN standards—according to Atheros officials. Intel Corp., currently Atheros top […]

Intel Corp. and Linksys last week announced a partnership designed to make WLAN configuration easier for small-office and home-office customers. Initially, Intel is simply conducting tests that ensure that notebook computers with Intels Centrino mobile chip set will work well with Linksys access points. Linksys products that have undergone such testing will be identified with […]

Cell phone chip maker Qualcomm Corp. on Friday announced that it has sued competitor Texas Instruments Inc. Filed on Friday in a Delaware state court, the suit alleges breach of a Patent Portfolio Agreement that the companies signed in December 2000, which gave the two companies access to each others patents. Qualcomm alleges that TI […]