Cell Phones

I never thought I would use a cell phone. However, now it is very handy to have all the family phone numbers programmed into it. It makes it so easy to call the kids and relatives. I don't use it a lot and I don't get many calls but I enjoy the use I get out of having it. It gives you peace of mind to have a cell phone on the road, just in case a deer decides to run out in front of you or an unexpected happening on the road. It gives you a feeling of security to be able to call if you need help.

Spint Nextel Corporation

For $483 million dollars, Sprint Nextel Corporation acquired Virgin Mobil USA. This boosts their presence in the market for customers who pay for cell phone service month to month. This acquisition was announced in July and Tuesday Virgin Mobil shareholders voted in favor of the acquisition. This pays them $5.80 in Sprint stock for each Virgin Mobile share. The deal also retires approximately $223 million of their debt. They offer service to 5.2 million subscribers at present, so that really ads to Sprint.

Cell Phones Barred

A federal agency on Thursday banned the import of new models of cell phones because they contain semiconductors. These are made by Qualcomm.com and the chips violate a patent held be a rival company, Broadcom Corporation. This was the decision of the U.S. International Trade Commission. The decision represents a compromise between a ban on all phones with Qualcomm chips, as Broadcom requested, and a ban only on the chips themselves, as recommended by an ITC administrative law judge late last year.