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hwy120 Wireless & Business Solution Technologies News

How to Compare Equipment Leasing Companies

Covering the start-up costs required to launch a business can be an overwhelming challenge in today’s economy. One major purchase in particular is office equipment, and it can become quite costly depending on the type of business you are starting.

Soaring iPad Sales Again Fuel Talk of Fading PCs

With consumers watching their budgets during tough economic times, said analyst Jeff Orr, "Monies that may have been historically used for upgrading the home computer are now being considered for incremental home devices, including tablets" like Apple's iPad. Apple sold 15.43 million iPads in the fourth quarter, more than all the PCs by HP.

Texas Instruments Closing Plants in Houston, Japan

While chipmaker Texas Instruments had earnings that topped analyst estimates, the company offered a tepid forecast for the first quarter of this year, and announced that it will shutter two factories and lay off 1,000 workers. Closing the two factories will save Texas Instruments about $100 million annually. The Houston plant is 42 years old.

Samsung Wins Dutch Decision in Apple Patent War

In seeking a ban of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet, Apple had sought a wider interpretation of its design rights against Samsung. But the Dutch court found that there were product examples previous to the iPad, or prior art, such as a concept video produced by Knight Ridder in 1994 and a patent filed in 2004 by an inventor.

Verizon Feels Joy, Pain of iPhone Sales

"Taking a loss is one of short-term problems that a wireless vendor will see when they start selling an extremely popular product," said analyst Charles King in discussing Verizon. "Over the course of a two-year contract, Verizon will recoup those costs in grand fashion but over the first couple of quarters it's going to hurt."

Spectrum Transfer May Help Both AT&T and T-Mobile

The spectrum transfer was part of the deal between AT&T and T-Mobile in the eventuality that the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile failed, but it could also work to AT&T's advantage by allowing it to acquire better licenses than the ones it is giving away to T-Mobile, said technology analyst Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group.

New RIM CEO Will Stay the Course; Is that Enough?

Thorstein Heins has been chief operating officer at RIM for product and sales since August, and he's been with RIM, previously as senior vice president for hardware engineering, since 2007. On Sunday, RIM's board announced it was replacing co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie with Heins, who became president and CEO.

Supreme Court Says Warrant Needed for GPS Tracking

In a review of GPS tracking, the Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement needs a warrant before attaching a GPS device to a car. A GPS device installed by police on Antoine Jones' Jeep helped them link him to a house used to stash money and drugs. He was sentenced to life in prison before the appeals court overturned the conviction.

Analysts Expect iPhone to Top Strong Apple 4th Quarter

High consumer interest in tablets -- especially Apple's iPad 2 and Amazon's Kindle Fire -- may be one reason why Apple's Mac shipments appear to have been lower than analysts had initially expected for Apple's fourth quarter. With an upward revision in iPhone sales, however, Piper Jaffray analysts believe the iPhone will make up for the Mac shortfall.

Personal Loans Make a Comeback

At a time when banks remain reluctant to approve business loans, many are issuing more and more unsecured personal loans. SmartMoney reports that SunTrust Bank handed out 23 percent more personal loans through September 2011 than it did in the same period a year ago, while TD Bank issued 5 percent more personal loans. Wells Fargo and Capital One also say their personal loans are up.

Your Credit Score: You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

If you, like a lot of businesspeople, have been wrestling to boost your credit score, get ready for a figure-four necklock. There's a new credit score in the ring and it's a monster, armed with mechanisms to assess your creditworthiness that make FICO look like a 98-pound weakling.

10 Inspiring Small Business Office Views

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A View to a Thrill What do you see when you look up from your desk? A sparkling ocean? Panoramic views from high above a bustling city? An endless azure sky? We can't all be so lucky--but some entrepreneurs are. In between brokering deals, managing employees, and building their companies at a frenetic pace,

Working Backwards to Create a Great Customer Experience

Marketing is pretty logical, really. It's simply the process of getting someone with a particular business need to know, like, and trust you. Of course, then you must turn that know, like, and trust into try, buy, repeat, and refer. It's like leading someone down a path.

Time Warner Customers Can Watch TV on iPhone

At no additional cost to Time Warner subscribers who have broadband service, customers can use the free iOS app to access an interactive Time Warner program guide with up to a week's listings, view program descriptions and filter content with a personalized channel list. The Time Warner content streams via Wi-Fi.

Google Misses Earnings, Grows Google+

One of the bright spots for Google's fourth-quarter results is Google's extracurricular activities. Google CEO Larry Page said he was excited about the fourth-quarter growth of Android, Gmail, and Google+, which now has 90 million users globally -- well more than double what he announced three months ago.

Thunderbird Innovates, but Web Mail Wins

Thunderbird makes checking email almost as simple as surfing the web. When you click to read a message, it opens in a new tab, just as new web pages do in a web browser. And when you close Thunderbird, it remembers the messages you have open, so that you can continue where you left off the next time. But Thunderbird falls short in a few ways

U.N. Sets Stage for Blazing-Fast New Mobile Devices

IMT-Advanced is coming, promising to make present mobile technology seem like dial-up Internet. The IMT-Advanced system uses radio-frequency spectrum much more efficiently, and devices built with it will need less bandwidth to access the Internet, stream videos and transfer data. That means those devices could deliver blazing fast data.

European Union Restarts Review Clock on Google-Motorola Deal

Even if the European Commission decides to approve Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, there are other hurdles that Google and Motorola still need to clear. According to Motorola Mobility, antitrust clearances also will be required in Canada, China, Israel, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey and the United States for Google's acquisition.

Apple Patent Application Indicates Siri's Potential

Intriguing possibilities for Apple's Siri are mentioned only briefly in the Siri patent application, including the voice agent providing assistance for "automated teller machines." Apple also is thinking beyond the smartphone, as it notes that the Siri system could be used on "any number of different platforms, such as Web, e-mail, smartphone."

AT&T Raising Data Rates and Allowances

"The [new AT&T] data plans address the increased data usage that smartphone users are experiencing with increased data thresholds," said analyst William Ho. "For new consumers, they'll have more data usage relative to older plans but at the same time the pricing increases" if they sign up for an AT&T data plan beginning Sunday.

Apple Moves To Reinvent Textbooks with iBooks 2

Michael Gartenberg, research director for Gartner, said the announcement by Apple of iBooks 2 "may be one of the most important" that Apple has ever made. But he said it "will take much longer for changes in the educational system to happen," and for adoption of Apple's iBooks 2 to spread.

Small Businesses Seek Mobile Payment Options

Small businesses are seeking mobile payment solutions that free them from reliance on traditional payment providers. For example, the Square card reader plugs into the headphone jacks on most smartphones and turns them into card swipers, enabling businesses to accept card payments without the complications of a merchant account.

New Ultrabooks Dazzle 2012 CES Attendees

Business professionals will find plenty of things to like about the latest Ultrabooks, such as their svelte, lightweight designs, powerful multimedia capabilities and elegant appearance. For example, the HP Envy 14 Spectre (shown here) has lightweight, scratch-resistant midnight-black glass on the lid, an HD display, palm rest and HP ImagePad.

Is Android Differentiated -- Or Fragmented?

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that fragmentation was what would happen if an Android app ran on one or more devices, but not all. Differentiation, he said, is Android customization based on a carrier or manufacturer's sense of innovation. Schmidt said that Google is working to have Android 4.0 become the primary platform in use.

Dell Readying To Re-Enter Tablet Market in 2012

After Dell failed last year with its Streak tablet, most analysts agree that success for a new Dell tablet depends largely on the operating system and the apps. Analyst Michael Disabato said if Dell opts for Windows 8 for its next tablet, it might be the wrong choice because the user experience may be less than optimal.

Motorola, Lenovo Will Make Intel-Based Smartphones

Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp., noted of Intel's Atom platform that "anytime you're late to a market in this fast-paced environment, you're not on equal footing." But, she added, Lenovo and "especially Motorola" are good smartphone partners for Intel to have, and this deal is "a good first step" for Intel.

Jay-Z Backs Duracell Powermat Chargers

Powermat, the outfit behind wireless mats that let consumers charge smartphones and other devices just by putting them on the mats, has teamed with Duracell in an attempt to make wireless charging ubiquitous, an ecosystem similar to the placement of Wi-Fi hot spots. Powermat tech can detect when a phone is fully charged and allocate resources.

BlueStacks App Player Brings Android To PCs

"Assuming things work well -- and BlueStacks can fund the R&D needed to keep up with the Android system -- then this may prove to be an interesting solution," said analyst Al Hilwa. "However, until we have heard from Microsoft, I am not sure how safe of a bet this technology is."

AT&T, Nokia and HTC Announce First LTE Windows Phones

"Nokia needs a smartphone device winner in 2012 in order for other carriers to offer [their] future devices and build momentum," said analyst Kirk Parsons. "Whether it's the 900 model or another one is too soon to predict, but given Android's and iPhone's large lead in the [smartphone] segment, it will be an uphill climb."

Automakers Rush To Offer Apps in Cars

Car console screens are becoming the next frontier for apps. Ford Motor is doubling the number of apps available for its Sync in-car infotainment system, while Mercedes-Benz and Kia will reveal the first apps for their infotainment systems. Automakers are being careful to roll out only those they don't think will raise issues about driver distraction.

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