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corporate posts

Sanjay Jha in at Motorola as co-CEO, handset division chief

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 4th 2008 @ 11:38AM

Motorola announced today that it would be appointing Qualcomm's former COO Sanjay Jha to head up its ailing handset division -- much to the chagrin of our own Ryan Block. Jha will also take on co-executive duties for the parent company along with current CEO Greg Brown. The news comes hot on the heels of speculation that the electronics-maker will spin off its mobile phone wing as a separate, publicly traded entity, though chatter persists that an outright sale of the division may be more economically advisable at this stage. So here's the question that begs asking: why has Moto gone the co-CEO route? Whether it's a matter of the board's confidence in Brown's abilities, or a by-product of some unseen moves, it comes off as unusual at best.

Verizon's RemoSync brings Direct Push email to select handsets

by Darren Murph posted Jun 10th 2008 @ 11:44AM

Hankerin' for some bona fide push email on your VZW handset, are you? If this is indeed the case, look no further than RemoSync, the latest Get It Now application that enables a handful of the carrier's handsets to get their Exchange-hosted email pushed directly to them. More specifically, those who purchase the app will be able to read, compose, reply, delete, forward, etc. emails, download Outlook contacts and view those immensely annoying calendar events. The pricing structure is quite curious, though. First off, it'll cost you $9.99 per month, and while a data plan isn't required per se, those without one will be charged $1.99 per megabyte (or "airtime") when using RemoSync. For a list of compatible mobiles, tap the read link and give that scroll wheel a few turns.

[Via PhoneScoop]

Business-centric iPhone, wireless speakers rumored

by Darren Murph posted Jul 11th 2007 @ 7:04AM

No sooner than JP Morgan squashes the iPhone nano rumor and gives legs to the 3G hunch, here we have more "Taiwanese sources" shooting off about future Apple and iPhone-related products. Granted, the vast majority of these propositions are bordering on laughable, but the suggestion of an "iPhone for business" isn't too far fetched -- especially considering that Apple has already hinted at appeasing the suits in due time. Additionally, these anonymous voices insinuated that Apple was working on a wireless audio system "that would allow music to be played directly from an iPod, iPhone, or range of Apple computers." We're not saying we believe any of it (yet), but feel free to affix your skepticism filter and hit the read link for the full report.

[Thanks, Steven]

Panasonic's Conference Speakerphone packs a SIM card

by Darren Murph posted Jan 27th 2007 @ 3:30PM

Any of us blessed (or cursed) to spend the majority of our waking hours theoretically locked in a corporate boardroom know very well the form and function of a desktop speakerphone, but Panasonic and Willcom and teaming up to deliver a rendition that relies on cellular technology rather than landlines. Oddly enough, it appears the forthcoming Conference Speakerphone will actually pack a SIM card, speaker, several built-in microphones, a mobile microphone, and even an SD slot for users to easily record conversations. Actually, if someone utilized a third-party battery pack, this entire unit could be taken on the go and used as what would quite possibly be the world's largest cellphone of the decade. The appeal is that Willcom will reportedly be offering a "flat-rate talk plan" that allows companies to equip their employees with these machines and then communicate gratis, similar to many mobile networks with free in-network calling. Although the Conference Speakerphone is slated to ship this Spring, the value here is definitely questionable, as picking up a numerous ¥100,000 ($828) devices can seriously squash that meager IT budget.

[Via DigitalWorldTokyo]