Ardent sports fans love having access to info as it happens. What’s the score right now? Who is winning the race? How many fouls have already been committed?

But answering questions like these along with watching videos of spectacular plays or events can use up a lot of a mobile user’s monthly data plan, but ESPN is apparently considering a way to help those poor sports-obsessed folks out.

The Wall Street Journal reports that, “ESPN is considering a plan to pay wireless carriers for the mobile content used by the sports channel's subscribers.” That way, any usage of ESPN mobile content wouldn’t count against a user’s monthly data plan. Such a deal isn’t imminent, but it has been discussed with at least one major carrier, the Journal notes.Continue reading...

Trying to understand what’s actually in a cell-phone contract can get a little hairy, but consumers in Orlando, Tampa and Houston won't have to bother now that AT&T has launched its new, prepaid wireless phone service, Aio.

There is no annual contract involved in the new plan, which AT&T plans to roll it nationwide in mid-June, according to Fierce Markets. 

According to AT&T's press release, the brand name (pronounced as a cheery "A-O") "encapsulates Aio’s brand promise: simply, delightfully, more."

“We talked with no-annual-contract customers and created our service around what they want. They want simple, easy plan choices with unlimited offers; first-class service at affordable prices; great devices; nationwide voice and data coverage; and no annual contracts. Today’s wireless customers don't want to compromise,” stated Jennifer Van Buskirk, president of Aio Wireless. “We are set up to win over value-conscious customers who are increasingly moving towards smartphones and mobile broadband."Continue reading...

More than 425,000 cell phones are decommissioned each day in the United States, but that doesn’t mean people don’t want their phones. In fact, they can’t get enough of them and, even though big global brands including Samsung and Apple eat up a massive part of the global market, there is still plenty of money left over and plenty of companies that would like a piece of that action.

Now you can add Facebook and maybe Amazon to that list.Continue reading...

Four musical icons, Gloria Estefan, Joe Jonas, John Rich and Nelly, have 72 hours to turn average folks into superstars on The Next, The CW network’s newest music reality show. It's premiering this Thursday with Queen Latifah on-board as a producer — and sponsorship by pre-paid mobile carrier Cricket's Muve Music, marking its first branded entertainment TV partnership.

As a ‘challenger brand,’ Cricket is the seventh largest wireless telecommunications network in the U.S., serving seven million plus customers and differentiating its brand by relying on music and entertainment to stand out in the pre-paid space. This new partnership with The Next is the brand’s pre-emptive move as the turf battle for wireless customers heats up.Continue reading...

AT&T has launched its fastest wireless network speed, 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution), in 11 additional markets, including New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Today's announcement makes AT&T 4G LTE available to the company's subscribers in a total of 26 markets covering 74 million consumers. 

“We’re building a 4G LTE network that’s blazing fast, and we offer dual layers of 4G technologies to provide customers with a more consistent speed experience,” said John Stankey, President and Chief Executive Officer—AT&T Business Solutions, at Citi’s 22nd Annual Global Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference in San Francisco. “Our network, together with our unsurpassed 4G device portfolio and innovative applications, will give our customers an industry-leading mobile broadband experience.”Continue reading...

As Sprint Nextel's press release notes, its latest spot (which drops CEO Dan Hesse and introduces a new tagline: "All. Together. Now.") which breaks tonight on primetime TV, riffs on its long-running 'Now Network' positioning."

While "that promoted the idea Sprint customers can get what they want, when they want while on the Sprint network (this) evolved positioning takes the Now Network concept a step further by celebrating the growing importance of what people are doing with their mobile devices – talking, texting, emailing, posting videos, tweeting and updating their Facebook pages – and encourages even more fun, uplifting social interaction with one another."

That's all well and good, but one rather unsettling aspect to the campaign is that it features the real email address and phone number for Veatrice Henson, a socially savvy almost-centenarian.Continue reading...

Here's the first official look at the new T-Mobile Sidekick 4G by Samsung. According to T-Mobile's website, the Android-powered smartphone "pays tribute to its heritage with its stylish good looks and a killer keyboard while redefining messaging and upgrading to 4G speeds."

Apple tries to crack the code for China, as Verizon Wireless prepares to start carrying the iPad in the U.S.

BP stations in the U.S. are looking to rebrand, presenting a challenge for new CEO Robert Dudley.

Cadbury introduces "Most pampered bar in the world" campaign.

DoubleTree by Hilton rebrands globally.

Gap Inc. is focusing on international and online growth, CEO Glenn Murphy tells investors.

GE reports quarterly growth in orders after long drought.Continue reading...