Mobilog

Tuesday, August 5, 2003

Bells and whistles continue to whet consumers' appetites for new wireless phones. Second-quarter handset shipments increased 19.2 percent compared to a year ago, according to a new report from IDC.
8:36:01 AM

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Vodafone buys Project Telecom. Founders trouser £100m [The Register]
8:33:36 AM

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Millions Going Solo With Cells. Industry analysts say 7.5 million Americans have cut the cord of their land-line phones, with students, recent graduates and young professionals leading the way. Some wonder if they'll return to land lines later or if wireless will meet all their needs. [Wired News]
8:33:24 AM

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Brief: Qwest to sell Sprint wireless voice and data. The deal also means Qwest customers in its 14-state local service region can get the Sprint services under Sprint's PCS Vision plan. [Computerworld Mobile/Wireless News]
8:33:11 AM

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Smart Rooms. Future Watch: "Thinking surfaces" and rooms that record what happens in meetings could help designers of the future get their jobs done faster and better. [Computerworld Mobile/Wireless News]
8:32:27 AM

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How Robots Will Steal Your Job. The man behind the website HowStuffWorks has a theory that in the future most of us will be out of work, replaced by robots. He elucidates this vision in a series of essays, a sci-fi novel and even a patent application. By Joanna Glasner. [Wired News]
8:31:33 AM

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U.S. Service Sector Expands to Record High. The giant U.S. service sector zipped ahead for a fourth straight month in July, beating expectations to expand at the fastest clip on record, a report said. By Reuters. [New York Times: Business]
8:30:48 AM

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Coping With Cellphone Calls Overseas. It is becoming easier and cheaper for Americans on business trips to Europe and Asia to call home on their cellphones. By Susan Stellin. [New York Times: Business]
8:29:55 AM

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Buyout firms aren't taking companies public or selling them at top dollar any more. But they are finding other ways to cash out. Most notably, they are benefiting from special dividends paid by the proceeds of junk bond sales. Regal Entertainment Group and Domino's are among companies that have paid such dividends recently. This year, buyout firms have reaped around $2 billion in such payouts, nearly four times what they raised in the same period last year. Ultimately, the trend should make it easier for funds to raise more cash.

"fiercewireless"
8:20:59 AM comment

Since May a dozen companies have gone public. Many more have jumped in the pipeline hoping the market rebound holds. As of August 1, 29 companies had registered IPOs this year versus 24 at this time last year. Investors have shown an increasing appetite for IPOs while keeping their expectations firmly grounded. Earlier this year, insurance companies, real estate investment trusts, and other relatively safe bets led the IPO market. Now it's technology firms such as Netgear, iPayment, and InterVideo that have gone to market. But while the pickup is welcome, few expect a return to yesteryear. In sum, only 18 companies have raised IPO funds this year. In 1999, 544 companies went public.

"fiercewireless"
8:19:50 AM comment