The Australian Communications and Media Authority has fined Nokia for sending spam-filled text messages to its customers. Nokia had been sending messages with tips on how customers could take advantage of their phones’ features, Reuters said Tuesday, but the government agreed Nokia should allow its customers to opt out of receiving the messages. ”Some businesses are still not getting SMS marketing right,” Australian Communications and Media Authority chairman Richard Bean told Reuters. &#...

AT&T has dropped its requirement that all customers purchasing “quick messaging devices” — or QMDs for short –  subscribe to an unlimited texting plan. According to Fierce Wireless, AT&T implemented the rule in January 2010 before quietly discontinuing it sometime in February of this year. The unlimited texting plan was priced at $20 per month, and while it’s no longer mandatory, AT&T does recommend that customers purchasing a messaging feature phone continue to sign up for ...

In response to the tsunami and earthquake, Boost Mobile has announced that it’s joining other U.S. carriers in waiving fees for texts and calls to Japan. It will credit international fees for text messages and surcharges made for voice calls to Japan for a one-month period. Boost Mobile says its airtime rate of $0.10 per minute still applies for customers on its Pay As You Go Plan. Credits will be retroactive from March 11th and will be honored through April 11th, 2011. Hit the jump for the official sta...

Following on the heels of AT&T and Verizon Wireless today, MetroPCS has announced that its customers can send free text messages and place free phone calls to landlines in Japan. MetroPCS says the offer extends throughout the next 30 days, and that it will “support free calls to mobile numbers in Japan for a timeframe to be determined.” It’s unclear if that means calls to mobile numbers in Japan will be free for more than, or less than, 30 days. (more…)

Last week, we told you about a pesky SMS bug that has been plaguing some users of  Google’s Android operating system. The issue in question, which Google asserts is quite rare, causes text messages to be sent to unintended or random recipients. In the company’s bug-tracking system, a response has been posted to those users filing complaints in hopes of a solution. Google writes:Thanks to everyone for your patience while we’ve been investigating these reports. As it turns out, we believe there ...

LG’s entry level messaging phone, the Neon, has landed at AT&T. Officially announced back in March, the QWERTY side slider is now available from AT&T for a mere $29 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract. The Neon packs the typical entry level fare including:GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1800/1900 MHz2.4-inch, 240×320 touchscreen display2 megapixel cameraBluetooth 2.0 + EDR14MB on board memory, expandable up to 4GB via microSDMusic ID, MEdiaNet, Mobile email supportWeight: 3.81 ouncesSize ...

Call us crazy, but one of the worst things about sitting around all day writing about tech happens when we’re in the middle of posting a story, chatting to ninjas on AIM, firing off emails left, right and center and then BOOM — a flurry of text message arrives on our BlackBerrys, making us jump out of our seats, run over to our gadget charging station and check what all of the fuss is about. So can you imagine our relief the other day when we were wading through the insane amount of PR emails we g...

The next time you’re in London and witness something that isn’t quite right (perhaps a Chav stealing a bottle of Buckfast Tonic Wine at the local offie) don’t be shy – hit up the Metropolitan Police Service and report what you’re seeing via SMS. All you need to do is send your location, what you saw and your name to 07940 500 500.  Okay, so the service was created with those who are hard of hearing or have a speech impediment in mind, but that’s not to say those without th...

Verizon hit us up yesterday to let us know that what we reported the other day was just something being tossed around internally. It was not final. They’ve clarified their position on raising text messaging fees for content providers for us.As Verizon Wireless continues to review the competitive marketplace, we constantly work to provide additional value to our customers, employees and other stakeholders.We are currently assessing how to best address the changing messaging marketplace, and are communica...

In a move sure to rock the wireless industry, Verizon Wireless announced yesterday that they will start charging content and messaging companies a fee for sending text messages to Verizon Wireless customers. Beginning November 1st, Verizon will charge a 3 cent per message fee for each Mobile Terminated message processed by its network. This fee will be levied on top of the current MT messaging fees (usually a fraction of a cent) already paid by companies. Talk about stifling a booming industry. These new fees...