Friday, january 9, 2009

Features: Worst Of The Week

Hello!

And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCR to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. We hope you enjoy it!

Worst of the Week: A day in the life of wireless

January 8 2009 - 1:35 pm ET | Mike Dano

So normally I use this space to write general nonsense about the events of the day. For example, this week I would probably write about Verizon Wireless’ search deal with Microsoft and how it’s really pretty lame and unimportant ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Predictions for 2009

December 18 2008 - 11:58 am ET | RCR Wireless staff

Welcome to a special edition of our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. As 2008 draws to a close and we take stock of all the changes that have happened in the wireless industry, we can’t help but wonder how things will look a ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Sprint Nextel captures the 4G flag

December 11 2008 - 1:17 pm ET | Mike Dano

So we’re in the middle of the race to 4G, and I for one am giddy with excitement. This race pits underdog Sprint Nextel against rival CDMA patron Verizon Wireless. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: And now, some extras

December 4 2008 - 1:17 pm ET | Mike Dano

(Insert witty column here.) So … I guess there’s some funny, interesting stuff going on somewhere, but I’m certainly not sober or awake enough to figure out what it is. So, since I really am that lazy, let’s just skip to some ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: The Ultimate Test

November 20 2008 - 12:44 pm ET | Dan Meyer

We at RCR Wireless News receive our fair share of new devices, sometimes before they are released to the public and sometimes after. (Occasionally, we don’t receive a product at all. We are looking at you Apple/AT&T Mobility. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Me and my robot friends

November 13 2008 - 12:56 pm ET | Dan Meyer

One of my favorite television shows of the ’90s was Mystery Science Theater 3000, also known as MST3K. The basics of the show were that a man and his two robot friends were being forced to watch terrible B-movies and they would ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: The full draft of Obama’s inauguration speech (he mentions wireless!)

November 6 2008 - 1:00 pm ET | Mike Dano

So election night has come and gone, and the biggest and most important race in the country remains undecided. Yes, the Minnesota Senate battle between Norm Coleman and Al Franken (Stuart Smalley) rages on, and all of America ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: A vote for the smart folks in wireless

October 30 2008 - 1:15 pm ET | Mike Dano

So I think there’s a presidential election coming up in the next week or so? There seems to be some rumblings about it on the TV nowadays. I keep hearing about it during the commercial breaks for “America’s Next Top Model.” ... Read More »

Star Wars: The Musical

October 23 2008 - 12:47 pm ET | Dan Meyer

I would like to start this week’s WOTW with a little song, though not sung by me as to leave your ears blood-free: ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: The greatest wireless application in the history of the world

October 16 2008 - 1:27 pm ET | Mike Dano

I like to think I’ve become hardened to the hype in the wireless industry. I don’t fawn over glitzy new phones, and I try to evaluate new products and services with a cynical, calculating eye. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Fourth-quarter bliss

October 9 2008 - 1:16 pm ET | Mike Dano

The air is beginning to get crisp here in Denver, and we all know what that means: the start of the critical, fourth-quarter holiday shopping season, when handset makers flood the market with their latest creations and carriers ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Simpler times for simple minds

October 2 2008 - 12:20 pm ET | Dan Meyer

So the holiday shopping season is rapidly approaching and, as has become a yearly tradition, wireless handset manufacturers are slowly unveiling details of their latest and greatest devices. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Loyalty and smartphones

September 25 2008 - 1:10 pm ET | Mike Dano

So the G1 has gotten me thinking, which is both difficult and dangerous. But that’s beside the point. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: The Google Android hammer

September 18 2008 - 1:34 pm ET | Mike Dano

So the world’s first Google phone is supposed to be released next week by T-Mobile USA during an event in New York. I for one am very excited about this news, because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that we need more mobile- ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Spectrum smarts

September 4 2008 - 1:23 pm ET | Dan Meyer

Spectrum is a funny thing. Not fall-on-the-floor-laughing funny, but more of a what-were-those-people-in-charge-of-assigning-spectrum-thinking sort of way. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Gunslingers

August 28 2008 - 1:50 pm ET | Dan Meyer

So, if you are like me — and if you are, can you explain to me why sometimes the bottom of my right foot itches — you have a keen interest in what types of cellphones those around you (me) use. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: The cable industry’s plan to take over wireless

August 21 2008 - 1:20 pm ET | Mike Dano

So the president of cable company Cox earlier this week gave a speech about the company’s plans for wireless. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Contact list + phone = valuable

August 14 2008 - 1:41 pm ET | Mike Dano

So I recently purchased a smartphone. I happily upgraded to it from the Moto Razr. I’m very happy with my new smartphone because it can do amazing things that feature phones can’t, like quickly access e-mail, run a range of third- ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: I signed what?

August 7 2008 - 2:54 pm ET | Dan Meyer

So, I hate to come down on wireless consumers, seeing as they kinda contribute to my paycheck and I am one of them, but thenews last week that Sprint Nextel was fined more than $70 million in a California court for its early ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: All hail Google

July 31 2008 - 1:06 pm ET | Mike Dano

So I think I finally understand Google’s Android effort. I mean, I know it’s about providing an operating system for cellphones, that’s pretty simple (I am a high-school graduate, after all). But I think I actually understand the ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Open up to openness

July 24 2008 - 12:54 pm ET | Mike Dano

“Openness” is one of the best buzzwords to hit the wireless industry in a while. Two years ago it was “MVNO,” and last year it was “mobile TV.” Now, it’s all about being “open.” I’m sure openness is an excellent trait for those ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: This column is not funny

July 17 2008 - 1:40 pm ET | Dan Meyer

So, wireless carriers have been going berserk over the past week with outrageous claims of the power and scope of their wireless networks. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Cutting in line

July 10 2008 - 1:20 pm ET | Dan Meyer

So, this week’s Worst of the Week column will be briefer than normal on purpose as I suspect nearly everyone reading this will be standing in line at their nearest Apple or AT&T retail location in hopes of being one of the first ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Motorola, why not me?

July 3 2008 - 1:41 pm ET | Mike Dano

So Motorola isn’t doing too hot lately. In fact, the troubles seem to be seriously mounting for the company that basically invented the cellphone and — up until a few months ago — was the second-largest handset maker in the ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: What does my phone do?

June 26 2008 - 1:42 pm ET | Mike Dano

So Nokia announced plans to acquire Symbian this week. Nokia said the move would improve Symbian’s position in the market and smooth the process for Symbian application development. Yup, I’m sure everything for developers will ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Quit fiddling!

June 19 2008 - 2:23 pm ET | Mike Dano

So I try not to pay attention to what happens in Washington; it generally makes my head hurt. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: The 3G iPhone comes in black and white?!?!?! Wow!!!

June 12 2008 - 1:36 pm ET | Mike Dano

So Apple announced a 3G iPhone. Aren’t you excited? I sure am. I like everything about the iPhone, including the fact that it’s the “phone that changed phones forever,” at least according to Mr. Jobs. Not that he’s bragging, of ... Read More »

Worst of the Week Special Edition: Some guy sends us a hilarious e-mail

June 5 2008 - 5:59 am ET | Dave Baird

Editor’s Note: We get a lot of e-mails in response to our weekly Worst of the Week columns, and we read and enjoy each one (at least, the ones that agree with us). ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Oh Canada!

May 29 2008 - 1:41 pm ET | Dan Meyer

So, as I’m sure most of you know there is a country to the north of the U.S. called Canada. This place is very similar to the U.S. in that they drive on the right side of the road, like to eat bacon and have a history of tension ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Mobile video explained (but not endorsed)

May 22 2008 - 2:01 pm ET | Mike Dano

So there’s a lot of fun stuff going on in the mobile TV and video markets, and a lot of it is either being ignored by the major players in the wireless industry or by the users that are supposed to be flocking to it in droves. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Where is my camera phone revolution?

May 15 2008 - 5:59 am ET | Mike Dano

According to my super-smart friends over at Gartner, there were 76 million camera phones sold in 2005 in North America. The next year, 2006, there were 107 million camera phones sold. Today, it’s next to impossible to find a ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Odds and ends

May 8 2008 - 1:08 pm ET | Dan Meyer

So, the rumors were flying thick and fast this week surrounding embattled No. 3 operator Sprint Nextel. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: The Third World and the future of wireless

May 1 2008 - 1:42 pm ET | Mike Dano

So I think the future of the wireless industry has nothing to do with mobile TV. It doesn’t involve mobile social networking, full-track music downloads or touchscreens. In fact, it has nothing to do with America at all. ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Text me to your leader

April 24 2008 - 1:42 pm ET | Dan Meyer

So, as hard as it may seem to comprehend, some weeks it’s difficult to pluck something out of the wireless industry that is worthy of being judged “Worst of the Week.” ... Read More »

Worst of the Week: Cellphones on airplanes?

April 17 2008 - 1:41 pm ET | Mike Dano

So it seems that our congressional representatives, in all their wisdom, want to prohibit people from talking on their cellphones while they’re flying in airplanes. ... Read More »