Verizon

A group of investors in Vodafone Group want the European cell phone operator to spin off its stake in U.S.-based Verizon Wireless.

Vodafone owns a 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless, which has been adding subscribers rapidly and posting huge profits. Meanwhile, Vodafone's own global cell phone services have come under financial pressures.

A group of investors called ECS Assets, or Efficient Capital Structures, wants to see Vodafone's stake in Verizon Wireless spun off into a separate tracking stock. The group is getting help and support from the U.S. proxy firm Glass, Lewis & Co.… Read more

Apparently, somewhere deep in cyberspace, there's a hidden Verizon Wireless Web site that holds some of the carrier's juiciest secrets, such as upcoming handsets. And though there's no specific mention of which site (so take this news for what it's worth), according to Engadget Mobile, some enterprising individuals have discovered the Samsung SCH-i760 on this site, fueling rumors that the unique slider smart phone will come to the CDMA carrier. There were no details as to release date or pricing, but we do know that the Windows Mobile 6 device has passed FCC testing and features … Read more

Shockingly, there are other music phones out there that aren't iPhones (Amazing, I know). LG and Verizon have come together to release an update to the LG VX8500 Chocolate phone from last year. Dubbed the LG VX8550, the new Chocolate looks a little slimmer and sleeker and comes with a new navigation wheel with a trace motion light. The touch keypad (which we found rather annoying in the old Chocolate) will now have a vibrating haptic feedback when touched. Hopefully this will make it easier to use. Features of the phone include a microSD card slot, a music player … Read more

What do you do when your main competitor is about to unleash the most hyped gadget ever to the cell phone-toting masses? Give said gadget a mocking nickname in a memo to employees.

The Thursday letter to Verizon Wireless employees from Chief Operating Officer Jack Plating is delicately titled "iWhatever." In it, Plating acknowledges the incessant iPhone hype and assures employees that AT&T can't match Verizon's service, choice of phones and extras, like music.

"A day hasn't gone by over the past two weeks when someone hasn't asked me what our … Read more

With the iPhone completely dominating cell phone news this week, it's easy to forget that other cell phones exist. Crave wonders why any manufacturer or service provider would see the PR benefit in making an announcement this week, but that hasn't stopped T-Mobile from unveiling its Hotspot @Home and Sprint from taking the wraps off its new LG Muziq phone.

But today Verizon Wireless revealed that it was hosting its own party to match the Apple and AT&T events on the iPhone launch day. In a press release, the carrier invites shoppers to test-drive "the … Read more

More advertising dollars are flowing to the Internet, in a trend that started years ago. Advertising Age has come out with its annual look at the United States top-100 advertising spenders. There are few surprises, but it's confirmation of what you've probably been seeing and expecting. Internet ads now account for 5.5 percent of total spending by the top 100 advertisers in the U.S. That adds up to nearly $10 billion, and the Internet's about even with radio and ahead of outdoor.

What are the biggest losers? TV's share of ad spending has been … Read more

Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:20 a.m. PST.

WASHINGTON--A federal appeals court weighing the patent case that Verizon filed against Vonage heard arguments on Monday for an hour without reaching an immediate decision.

After a federal jury ruled on March 8 that Vonage did infringe patents, the Internet phone company has been fighting for its life through the legal process. No injunction is currently in place, however, and Vonage has claimed to have a work-around.

One hint about what the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit may be thinking came from comments … Read more

The next round in the ongoing patent infringement saga between Verizon and Vonage will begin on Monday when the companies present their oral arguments to the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.

Vonage is arguing a few things. First, it believes that it got a bum deal even before the original trial started. Vonage argues that during the markman hearing, or the hearing in which terms of the patents were defined, several of the terms were defined too broadly. This hurt Vonage in the trial because it was this broad definition that the jury used to determine whether or … Read more

As noted bluntly here before, mobile phone makers have come up with some pretty ugly speakers as they attempt to morph their products into the ultimate combo music devices they hope they'll eventually become. While they continue to flail about for the right answer, LG has decided to make a pair that goes back to its cellular roots with a clamshell design.

From a distance, one might actually mistake its latest Verizon Wireless stereo speakers for the handset itself because of their hinged design. MobileWhack says the speakers, which will work with most of Verizon's V-Cast phones, are … Read more