While WiMAX has yet to be all the rage in mobile Internet access, one of Acer's Aspire PC laptops are certainly going to help build up momentum for it. And it would appear that this specific model is built around the standardized technology recently accepted by the U.N. telecommunications agency back in 2007. The new unit is currently under development, though its release hasn't been officially announced. More at the full story.

It appears that the FCC's thinking that all this text messaging floating about can be put to good use.

The group has recently announced its proposal for an SMS-based emergency messaging system for sell phones and other mobile devices. More details on this announcement are available in the full article.

Thanks to cellphone-tracking technology -  and a police force that was savvy enough to think of it - a heart transplant patient was located only moments before he was passed up for the operation.

It was Saturday afternoon when the hospital called up the state police in a last-ditch effort to inform John Paul May or his parents of the news: a heart donor was finally found. When a search for the boy or his parents turned up with no results, state police finally contacted Sprint Nextel Corp - a cellular service provider - to locate the cellphone of John's mother.

This in turn led them to a Slippery Rock University building, where a jazz concert was being held. The authorities immediately stopped the proceedings and announced that they were looking for the boy and his mother, and true enough, John Paul May was in the audience. They wasted no time in escorting John back to the hospital, amidst a shocked audience - and a deafening standing ovation.

"I've been in the entertainment business for 30 years and never had such an emotional, shocking event happen at something live," Steve Hawk, the conductor of the jazz concert being held when the incident occurred, recounts.

Electronic Arts Mobile announced today that the highly loved racing title NASCAR 07 will finally be available on wireless phones. The game's debut is for Sprint and Nextel subscribers but EA added that the game will be opened to other major U.S. mobile carrier networks on March 1.

The company's Worldwide Studios VP Travis Boatman is very pleased as he exclaimed:

NASCAR is an incredible partner and the sport is a visceral, adrenaline-filled experience that really gets people fired up. For the mobile version of the game, we wanted to capture that spirit of action and intensity. NASCAR 07 delivers gameplay way beyond any other racing title on the platform - a gameplay that will appeal to a wide range of players. If you like racing games, you will enjoy the challenge, and if you're a fan of NASCAR, you will love the authenticity.

Authenticity, you say? Well, in terms of race tracks, NASCAR 07 looks authentic enough as it includes legendary tracks such as Daytona International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Talladega Super speedway.

Also, EA Mobile promises that the audio for this game will be "superb" right from engine roar to tire squeals and crowd sounds.

To add to the realism, players will also receive guidance, like a real NASCAR driver does, to help them skillfully maneuver through the track. And pits are highly important as your car and tires will suffer during the race.

Ah, more news from the cellular provider world, and this time it's not going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Promise. Unless maybe it gets used against you.

See, Sprint has just launched a new service being introduced by Moderati. Called MobileFaker, this service is designed to help you save face while allowing you to escape from social situations that you might otherwise be forced to endure.

Stuck in a bad date? MobileFaker can save you with escape tools like the "faux calls" function. Being pestered by an annoying loser with bad facial dandruff and an ever-present wedgie? Give him your "faux number."

OK, it sounds more like a social shield than a social weapon, but MobileFaker also has other fun features like pick-up lines and put-downs. It even has a fake breathalyzer and a Get Hip Quick feature (yeah, we wonder how that works too).

Mobile Faker is available as a JME application on Sprint Nextel under the Applications > Entertainment menu on the handset, with support for more carriers and platforms currently in the works.

We all know that voice recognition technology isn't something new. Some handsets that were previously released have already incorporated voice controls but was avoided by consumers because of limited use and poor accuracy. Well, next-gen mobile users might have an answer to this voice recognition problem.

Sprint Nextel Corp. announced that it will be providing voice recognition services. Developed by privately-held MobileVoiceControl Inc., one of a number of companies developing voice control systems, this technology promises to allow users to just press a button, say the name of the intended recipient, and input a message of up to 20 words.

Sprint has had this technology since late last year but has only recently made this service available to business customers.

Some users have already backed the service by saying that "it really works." On that note, we'll just have to see if this service becomes a hit or not, as those same users also said that "You have to learn to speak slowly and clearly."

Sprint Nextel proudly announced its latest offering, the EV-DO Revision A network cards for laptops. Promising to increase average download speeds to 450 kilobits per second to 850kbps and upload speeds to between 300 kbps and 400 kbps, the new Novatel Wireless S720 Mobile Broadband cards definitely has more boost than its current version, which provides downloads between 400kbps and 700kbps with upload speeds of about 50kbps to 70kbps.

Sold through Sprint business sales channels, as well as online, for $249.99, the offer comes with a two-year subscriber contract, which can be availed by users for about $99.99 with a two-year subscriber agreement. Currently, service plans for the card range from $39.99 per month for 40 megabytes to $79.99 per month for unlimited data usage. With the two-year service contract, customers can get the unlimited data package for $59.99 per month.

Hopefully, Sprint will do their upgrades soon on their network to EV-DO Revision A Network. Without the upgrades, this speedier wireless laptop cards will be all for naught.

Because of the realized disadvantage of Boost's growth - thereby outpacing Sprint - Sprint has announced that the carrier would have to take steps to halt the growth of its MVNO Boost, which primarily targets the youth market.

COO Len Lauer explained that this spurt in Boost's growth will essentially put a strain on Sprint's iDEN network. As it is, the network is already under pressure because Sprint had to give up a portion of its iDEN spectrum to the FCC in order to create clear public safety bands. And with the continuing growth of Boost's users, it is further straining the already near-exhausted network. In truth, the carrier actually prefer that Nextel subscribers be served with the limited capacity that they have.

While no definite plans as to how exactly they intend to stunt Boost's growth, Sprint has announced  the plan to launch dual mode handsets that use CDMA for voice and data calls, and only relies on iDEN for Push To Talk, to thin out Nextel's crowded 800 MHz spectrum.

Take me out to the ballgame
Take me out to the crowd
Buy me a handset or mobile phone
I don't care if we never get back
Cuz it's root root root for the broadcast
(Yes, Sprint is covering this game)
And it's one two three strikes you're out in the old ball game!

Sprint Nextel Corp. and Major League Baseball Advanced Media (the Internet arm of Major League Baseball) have a new service: radio broadcasts of Major League games will be available to Sprint subscribers for $5.99 a month. This service should start sometime in the middle or end of this month. Coverage should be for all games of all 30 teams.

Instead of sending a text message to somebody asking for the score, you can just tune in to the game. Your mobile phone becomes a handheld radio (this is, after all, a world where an iPod can improve your baseball). Perfect. The boss would ask, "What are you doing on the phone?" I'd say, "I'm calling our researchers about the next article I'm supposed to write." Safe!

Unfortunately, I don't have a Sprint phone. Only those with Sprint PCS Vision or Power VisionSM phones can use the service.