ericsson

NEW ORLEANS--When Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg used his Consumer Electronics Show keynote to demonstrate the company's Connected Me concept, which turns the human body into a bridge between gadgets, he was met with lackluster applause.

Part of the problem was the audience didn't fully grasp what Vestberg was trying to show. He was on stage holding a smartphone in one hand and the sensor for an audio system in the other. The data signal shot through his body, playing an MP3 from the phone on the speaker system. In effect, he became a replacement for a USB cord … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--T-Mobile's network will be compatible with the iPhone later this year -- even if it isn't selling it, the company said today.

The wireless carrier added that it had tapped Ericsson and Nokia-Siemens for its $4 billion 4G LTE deployment.

The moves will address the two biggest gaps at T-Mobile: the lack of the iPhone and a more advanced 4G LTE network. Bogged down by its failed merger attempt with AT&T last year, the company has more recently shifted gears in hopes of mounting a comeback in the wireless market. … Read more

ST-Ericsson, a chip maker that got caught up with the wrong crowd, has announced sweeping changes in an effort to stay relevant in the mobile market.

The company, a joint venture between STMicroelectronics and Ericsson, today announced a new strategic direction that will see the firm focus its efforts on a "complete system solution" for smartphones and tablets. The company will focus on delivering application processors, modems, connectivity solutions, and a host of other components to vendors looking to compete in the mobile space. In addition, ST-Ericsson said that it could license the technology it develops to third-parties.… Read more

The consortium of companies who successfully bid on Nortel's patent portfolio last year today received the go-ahead from the U.S. Department of Justice to proceed with the acquisition.

That deal was struck last June by the Rockstar Bidco consortium--a group of companies led by Apple that sought ownership of some 6,000 patents and patent applications from the bankrupt Canadian telecom equipment maker.

The deal was put on hold following a DOJ investigation into the effects of the sale, which had a mandated waiting period that expired today.

"We are pleased to emerge from this review process, … Read more

Telecom geeks (like me) may know Ericsson as the mammoth company that supplies phone network equipment to carriers. But did you know it has a burgeoning app following as well?

That was news to me as I sat down with a few executives from Ericsson while at Mobile World Congress. But the company has long fostered a small, but healthy, community of developers, and actually offers application programming interface tools that allow better access to network capabilities.

While Ericsson's bread and butter remains telecom gear, the company has worked to spread its wings into different areas. It's all … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Today at Mobile World Congress, Ericsson CEO Hans Vestbeg, saunters over to a bicycle on the far edge of his keynote stage and touched a spoke. Instead of hopping on the bike, like many in the audience undoubtedly hoped he would, the leader of the Swedish network equipment giant announced that this particular bike is a connected device.

The Copenhagen Wheel, as he called it, is capable of uploading information as diverse as traffic, weather, and pollution details all from atop a set of rubber wheels.

Yes, the bike is a shining example of the innovation that lays in … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Stephen Sneeden, product marketing manager for Sony Mobile, told CNET Asia in an interview here at Mobile World Congress that he predicts the company will likely only release quad-core Sony smartphones in early 2013. He does, however, state that this is just his assumption--the company will make the official announcements when it's ready.

"We're going to join quad-core when we feel that the performance matches the battery efficiency," he said. "Because right now we don't feel that is there. What we are going to be doing in the second half of the year is moving to the Cortex A15 architecture, which we feel outperforms the current quad-core architecture.

"You'll see in 2013, as we're evaluating the quad-core performance where it makes sense, where you're not suffering in quality and the performance truly is there, and there really is something that demanding applications need," he contiuned." That's when we make the right move to quad-core." … Read more

Although we haven't reviewed this phone on C Spire's network, you can read CNET's Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review for Verizon Wireless.

Sony completed its buyout of the Sony Ericsson brand today and renamed the venture Sony Mobile Communications.

The new effort aims to "integrate the mobile phone business as a vital element of its electronics business, with the aim of accelerating convergence between Sony's lineup of network enabled consumer electronics products, including smart phones, tablets, TVs and PCs," the company said in a statement announcing the deal's closure.

The last major stumbling block to the acquisition was removed late last month when the European Commission gave its approval to the $1.47 billion deal, which was announced last October. … Read more