March 15, 2007 – For American Idol fans that can’t get enough of the reality show, AT&T is now launching Live Idol Videos and Live Idol Tones for their mobile phones. The videos and ring and answer tones will feature the 12 contestants of American Idol to be used with a 3G phone at $19.99 for unlimited video access and $2.49 per ringtone and $1.99 per answer tone.

March 1, 2007 – For users who need movies times for a date, business professionals in need of flight information, or trivia contestants at the bar, Alltel Wireless now offers AskMeNow, a service that answers questions via text messaging. Users can access AskMeNow on smart phones for the monthly rate of $3.99 for smart phones or, for non-smart phones, $1.99 per month or 25 cents per question.

March 15, 2007 – Problems with cell phone networks are falling, with Verizon Wireless leading the pack, according to a J.D. power and Associates report released today. Over recent years, reported wireless call problems have reached an all-time low due to the rollout of the next wave of 3G networks, stated the report.

March 7, 2007 – Nokia announced today that the mobile manufacturer plans to realign its device business, marked by moving its device sales division to corporate headquarters in White Plains, New York. 

March 8, 2007 – Verizon launched V-Cast Mobile TV this month, claiming to be the first major carrier to feature full-length broadband quality TV. The new service comes with eight channel options, including sports, news, weather, and entertainment through their mobile devices. Users can access Verizon V-Cast Mobile TV for a rate of $13 to $25 a month.

March 15 2007 - More than one-third of adults using cell phones would accept advertisements on their mobile devices, according to a study released today by market research firm Harris Interactive. In a survey of 903 persons, the report claims that 344 of the respondents said they were at least somewhat interested in receiving advertisements via their mobile devices.

March 15, 2007 – Arizona State Senate yesterday rejected a cell phone rights bill that would have allowed users to withdraw from their carrier plans due to unsatisfactory service. In a 16-11 vote, the Senate voted to deny Bill SB1241 because of undetermined consequences, according to the Associated Press.

March 22^nd 2007 – Kajeet is a new pre-paid cell phone service aimed a tweens (kids aged 8-12, between being kids and teenagers). The new service runs on the Sprint network and claims to offer a no long-term contract, no roaming and no termination fee experience. Also included are games and a number of unique features that allow parents to control how their tweens use the phone, including a time manager (which can determine when the phone can be used), a wallet manager (which lets parents determine who pays for calls and text messages) and a web-based contact manager. Four phones are available for Kajeet: the $49.95 LG LX150 flip phone, the $69 Nokia 6165i flip phone, the $69.99 LG 225 and the small and sleek $99.99 Sanyo Katana. The calling rates start at 10 cents a minute, 5 cents for text messages, and there’s a 35 cents a day access fee. The phones can be purchased online or through Best Buy stores.

26^th March 2007 – The alternative carrier Helio has just announced the spring availability of the Ocean, a dual-slider handset produced by Pantech. Helio and Earthlink founder Sky Dayton makes the ambitious claim that “With Ocean, Helio has changed the shape of 3G with a new kind of device - the dual slide - a design that doesn't compromise on voice, text, IM, email, surfing, and every other way you want to stay connected." More details and pictures after the jump.

10^th April 2007 – The mobile network Amp’d has announced that they have close to 200,000 subscribers, 84,000 of which signed up in the first quarter of 2007. The network (which recently added the Motorola Q to their roster of phones) also claims that their users are doing much more than making phone calls; figures released by the company claim that their users have downloaded more than four million videos and songs in the first quarter.

13^th April 2007- T-Mobile today announced the Sidekick iD, the latest version of their popular Sidekick hybrid cell phone/data devices. The new Sidekick iD will be cheaper than the existing Sidekick 3 ($99 with a two-year contract, against $199 for the Sidekick 3) and is smaller and lighter.  It’s also lighter on features; the Sidekick iD has no Bluetooth and no camera.