U.S. CELLULAR TOPS J.D. POWER AND ASSOCIATES CALL QUALITY RANKING FOR THE NINTH CONSECUTIVE TIME Tweet

U.S. Cellular customers in the North Central Region continue to enjoy the highest quality calls on their wireless phones, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Wireless Call Quality Performance StudySM – Volume 1.

For the ninth reporting period in a row, U.S. Cellular has received the J.D. Power and Associates award for overall call quality in the North Central Region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. In addition to experiencing less static/interference, U.S. Cellular customers in this region have fewer problems with initial call connection and dropped or disconnected cell phone calls, according to the study.

"Our customers depend on us to keep them connected to loved ones every single day," said Mike Irizarry, executive vice president and chief technical officer for U.S. Cellular. "What’s more, reliable service is an absolute necessity for businesspeople on the go, emergency first responders and so many others across the U.S. Our customers trust us to deliver the absolute best experience."

Conducted twice a year, the J.D. Power and Associates Wireless Call Quality Performance Study measures the number of problems experienced with wireless call quality in seven customer-impacting factors: dropped/disconnected calls; static/interference; connection on first try; voice distortion; no echoes; no immediate voice mail notification; and no immediate text message notification.

"This is certainly an achievement to be proud of. But at the end of the day, awards and statistics aren’t what is most important to our customers,” said Irizarry “What matters most is that when they need their cell phone to work, it does."

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

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SECOND TENNESSEE SCHOOL CLAIMS $100,000 VICTORY IN U.S. CELLULAR’S CALLING ALL COMMUNITIES Tweet

A.H. Roberts Elementary School becomes ninth 2010 champion.

Livingston, Tenn. – When more than 30 cheering U.S. Cellular associates burst into their gym today, A.H. Roberts future scientists discovered something amazing was about to happen. The school’s 600-plus students and faculty had gathered for a special preview of the science fair when they learned it had become the ninth school to receive $100,000 in the company’s 2010 Calling All Communities campaign.

"This is a once in a lifetime thing," said A.H. Roberts Principal Bridgett Carwile, who got the $100,000 call one day before the surprise announcement. "We knew we had done well, but we had no idea we had won. This is such a small community but when we saw all of the support we were getting, we knew we could do it."

Word of the win spread quickly through the town. Community members and parents joined the celebration as U.S. Cellular associates tossed t-shirts and 100 Grand candy bars to the excited students. There were glitter, tears and squeals of joy everywhere.

Each year, 10 schools that garner the most community votes during the campaign split $1 million from U.S. Cellular to use any way they choose. A.H. Roberts broke into the Top 20 early in the campaign before slipping out in December. The Overton County elementary school worked with businesses to hold drawings and even raffle off a Wii video game system to encourage support. Their efforts helped the school rebound in the final weeks to win.

Carwile said the school hasn’t decided how to spend the jackpot, but it definitely needs a technology upgrade. "Our computers are refurbished and dying. They need to be replaced."

A.H. Roberts became the second Tennessee school to take home the prize this year and the fourth Tennessee champion in the campaign’s history, resulting in $400,000 invested in schools within the state. Seymour High School’s win was announced on Feb. 9. Heritage High School in Maryville and Bearden High School in Knoxville came out on top in 2009.

"I’m not surprised that the tremendous heart of Tennessee communities has lead to another win," said Jack Brundige, director of sales for U.S. Cellular. "Our associates experience the power of these communities every day and we were thrilled to be able to give back to our local schools."

Calling All Communities voter participation this year nearly quadrupled with 430,000 votes cast for 6,800-plus schools nationwide. The final winning school will be announced this week, completing the Top 10 winner’s circle that also includes schools in Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. Visit uscellular.com/callingallcommunities or U.S. Cellular’s Facebook page to view the results.

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CHICAGO SCHOOL CASHES IN ON FINAL $100,000 PRIZE IN U.S. CELLULAR'S CALLING ALL COMMUNITIES CAMPAIGN Tweet

Nationally-recognized Nettelhorst Elementary School named 2010 champion.

Chicago, Ill. – Nettelhorst Elementary School students had much more to celebrate today than just the end to a week of ISATs. More than 150 U.S. Cellular associates stunned the North side school with the news that they are the 10th and final winner in the 2010 Calling All Communities campaign. Nettelhorst is the first ever Chicago public school to win a coveted $100,000 prize awarded to 10 schools who received the most community votes.

"I would like to commend U.S. Cellular for inspiring schools and communities across the country to join forces by supporting children and their education," said Mayor Richard M. Daley. "It is programs like Calling All Communities that truly lead by example showcasing how one person or one community can make a difference in a child's life."

For what would be the final time of this year, cheering U.S. Cellular associates tossed t-shirts, hurled 100 Grand candy bars and congratulated ecstatic students and teachers. Brightly-colored confetti filled the playground as television cameras jockeyed for position to catch the excitement. Teachers embraced U.S. Cellular associates and each other, crying tears of joy.

"I'm in shock but it's a good shock," said Nettelhorst Principal Cindy Wulbert, after U.S. Cellular officials reached out to their more than 43,000 Facebook fans for help track her down the night before the big surprise. "This is unbelievable but we have the best parents in the world. You wouldn't believe how many late nights they spent gathering support for our school. They all pulled together to make this happen."

Located in the East Lakeview neighborhood, the CPS Magnet school has received national attention for the high academic achievement of its more than 600 pre-K through 8th grade students. Nettelhorst is often cited in the media as an example of innovation and renewal in urban public schools and has been featured on CBS, PBS, NPR, 60 Minutes and The New York Times and the Chicago papers.

Nettelhorst was in 17th place when the campaign's last Top 20 list was posted in December. In the end, the school beat out more than 6,800 contenders across the country, joining nine other champions that received the most community votes during the two-month-long campaign.

Winning schools in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, Washington, and Oregon also received $100,000 to use any way they choose. Wulbert said the school is still deciding how to use its jackpot, but most likely portions of the funds will be invested into the Community Schools Program and renovating the science lab.

"Though a Chicago school had not won before, we always knew our schools had the heart to do it," said Derek Estes, director of sales in Chicago for U.S. Cellular. "Our Chicagoland associates couldn't be more thrilled to celebrate with such an inspirational school."

Calling All Communities voter participation this year nearly quadrupled with 430,000 votes cast for 6,800-plus schools nationwide. All 10 winning schools in this year's campaign have been announced. Visit uscellular.com/callingallcommunities or U.S. Cellular's Facebook page to view the results.

Continuing its commitment to investing $4.5 million in schools in 2009-2010, U.S. Cellular will launch its popular Calling All Teachers campaign this fall, funding $1 million in classroom projects through DonorsChoose.org.

About U.S. Cellular
The 9,000 associates of U.S. Cellular believe a wireless phone enhances people's lives and a wireless company should be in the business of bringing people together. U.S. Cellular has a wide range of monthly plans, including those with unlimited nationwide calling, unlimited free incoming calls and options to prepay. The company made the commitment to invest more than $4.5 million in teachers and schools during 2009 and 2010. Based in Chicago, U.S. Cellular is the nation's sixth-largest wireless carrier, serving 6.2 million customers across the country. To learn more about the company visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com.

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Skype Names Technology Leader Adrian T. Dillon as Chief Financial and Administration Officer Tweet

Skype announced that it has hired Adrian T. Dillon as the new Chief Financial and Administration Officer. He replaces Laura Shesgreen, who will remain at Skype as Vice President of Finance. Adrian brings more than 30 years of finance experience to this role.. He will join Skype in early April and report to Josh Silverman, Skype’s CEO. Adrian will be based at Skype's headquarters in Luxembourg.

“We are delighted to have Adrian join the Skype management team. His world-class financial management and technology acumen will be a strong addition to Skype,” said Josh Silverman, Skype’s CEO. “His global experience in overseeing complex and diversified financial systems will enhance Skype’s management bench as we enter the next stage of Skype’s mission. I’d also like to extend my gratitude to Laura Shesgreen for her outstanding work and the critical role she has played in helping get Skype to this stage.”

Adrian joins Skype from Agilent, where he served as Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. Agilent is the world’s premier measurement company. Agilent provides measurement tools and technologies for everything from home entertainment to homeland security, from food safety to network reliability, and from communicating wirelessly to discovering the genetic basis of disease.

“The opportunity to manage Skype’s globally diversified revenue portfolio is extremely interesting,” said Adrian Dillon. “As Skype moves deeper into mobile and enterprise environments and its consumer base grows steadily by the day, managing the pace of change in this dynamic industry and overseeing Skype's robust growth across geographies is a challenge that I truly relish.”

Prior to Agilent, Adrian had a 22 year career at Eaton Corporation, an Ohio-based diversified industrial manufacturer. Adrian held a variety positions at Eaton, joining as senior economist, moving to CFO and EVP during his tenure. Dillon is a summa cum laude graduate of Amherst College with a B.A. in economics. He is on the Board of Williams-Sonoma, Inc, where he chairs the Audit & Finance committee.

About Skype
Skype is software that enables the world's conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. Everyday, people everywhere also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. Download Skype to your computer or mobile phone at skype.com.

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AXTEL Partners with fring to Extend Fixed VoIP Services to Mobile Tweet

Mexican telco AXTEL integrates fring to route home phone calls and PC- communication on GoogleTalk™, facebook and more to subscribers’ mobile devices.

London, United Kingdom; Monterrey, Mexico. AXTEL, S.A.B of C.V. (BMV: AXTELCPO; OTC: AXTLY) ("AXTEL"), a Mexican telecommunications company, announced the launch of its voice over internet service "AXTEL Conmigo" in partnership with fring™, the multi-award winning mobile application that lets users enjoy rich internet communication over mobile internet on their mobile devices.

With fring, AXTEL Conmigo becomes the first Mexican telecommunication service enabling subscribers to receive fixed telephone line calls to mobile devices. AXTEL customers with fring will receive their home phone calls as well as personal computer correspondence with popular social networks such as Skype®, facebook®, GoogleTalk™, Twitter and others, directly from their mobile devices. fring also enables subscribers to share internet experiences including live chat, video calls, file transfer and more from mobile devices for free over Wi-Fi or 3G data packages.

Avi Shechter, Co-Founder & CEO of fring said, "We are proud to complement AXTEL Conmigo’s new service by extending their fixed-mobile convergence to enable users to also share internet experiences from their mobile devices, including services such as VoIP calls, Skype, facebook and more, that were previously confined to their home phones and PCs."

Tomas Milmo Santos, AXTEL’s Chairman and CEO stated, "fring is a natural extension for AXTEL’s offering, enabling our subscribers to not only receive their home calls to their mobile, but also communicate and share experiences with their online friends from all the popular social internet networks, from the convenience of mobile devices. Partnering with fring helps us realize our vision to enable AXTEL subscribers to seamlessly stay in touch with their friends wherever they are at home and on the go, in Mexico or around the world."

fring on AXTEL is supported on variety of Smartphones and PDA’s including iPhone, iPod touch, Windows Mobile, Symbian and Android devices. AXTEL subscribers can download fring software from www.axtelconmigo.com.mx



- ends -




About AXTEL

AXTEL is the second largest integrated services of fixed telephony in Mexico and one of the largest operators of virtual private networks in the country. AXTEL provides integrated telecommunications services to all sectors, from residential and small and medium enterprises to large corporate, financial institutions and government entities. AXTEL Mexico brings to basic telecommunications infrastructure consists of a world

AXTEL is the second largest integrated services of fixed telephony in Mexico and one of the largest operators of virtual private networks in the country. AXTEL provides integrated telecommunications services to all sectors, from residential and small and medium enterprises to large corporate, financial institutions and government entities. AXTEL Mexico brings to basic telecommunications infrastructure consists of a world class network that integrates different access technologies such as point to point, point to multipoint and fiber optic to deliver a broad portfolio of services tailored to the needs of its customers, their size and line of business. AXTEL services include fixed wireless, long distance and international, as well as advanced solutions for voice and data, web hosting, information security, virtual private networks and a full range Internet services, among others. Its value-added solutions on IP technology enable convergence of services, including voice, data and images.
AXTEL on the Internet: http://www.axtel.com.mx

For further information about AXTEL please contact:
José Manuel Basave Benítez
Corporate Communication and Social Responsibility, Director
Tel. +52 (81) 8114 1144
E-mail: jmbasave@axtel.com.mx

About fring™

fring (www.fring.com) is a multi-award winning mobile application that lets users communicate and share web-based experiences from their mobile devices. fring operates as the users’ mobile social communication hub.

Friends talk, chat, video, share files & experiences on fring and other integrated communities and social networks including Skype®, Facebook®, GoogleTalk™, Twitter, AIM®, ICQ®, &Last.fm, all through one central profile.

fring lets users share experiences across social networks, mobile operators, device platforms and internet access connections. fring is completely free to download and free to use

fring requires no additional hardware, is pc-independent, has no geographical or location limitations and operates on any available mobile internet connection (3G, Wi-Fi, GPRS, EDGE &WiMax). fring supports thousands of devices on multiple platforms including Symbian S60, iPhone/ iPod touch, Android, Windows Mobile, J2ME & Linux devices. fring continues to grow exponentially with millions of users across more than 200 countries, with about half a million new users joining fring every month.

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Palm Reports Q3 FY 2010 Results Tweet

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Mar 18, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today reported that total revenues on a GAAP(1) basis in the third quarter of fiscal year 2010, ended Feb. 26, 2010, were $349.9 million. Gross profit and gross margin on a GAAP basis were $47.0 million and 13.4 percent, respectively. In accordance with two recently released accounting standards related to revenue recognition, these results include the effects of accounting for multiple-element arrangements, including ratable revenue recognition for the future deliverables for Palm(R) webOS(TM) products as required by GAAP.

To facilitate comparisons to Palm's historical results, Palm has included non-GAAP adjusted measures, which exclude the impact of accounting for multiple-element arrangements, stock-based compensation and other items detailed in the notes section of this release. The company believes this information will help investors better evaluate its current period performance and trends in its business.

Non-GAAP Adjusted Revenues in the third quarter totaled $366.0 million, and non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Profit was $63.5 million. Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Margin was 17.3 percent and was impacted by a $45.3 million charge taken in the quarter for reserves for inventory purchase commitments, which exceed current forecasted demand. Excluding the impact of the inventory purchase commitment reserves, non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Margin in the third quarter would have been 29.7 percent.

"Our recent underperformance has been very disappointing, but the potential for Palm remains strong," said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. "The work we're doing to improve sales is having an impact, we're making great progress on future products, and we're looking forward to upcoming launches with new carrier partners. Most importantly, we have built a unique and highly differentiated platform in webOS, which will provide us with a considerable - and growing - advantage as we move forward."

The company shipped a total of 960,000 smartphone units during the quarter, representing a 23 percent increase from the second quarter of fiscal year 2010 and an almost 300 percent increase versus the third quarter of fiscal year 2009. Smartphone sell-through for the third quarter was 408,000 units, down 29 percent from the second quarter of fiscal year 2010 and down 15 percent year-over-year.

On a GAAP basis, net loss attributable to common stockholders for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 was $(22.0) million, or $(0.13) per diluted common share. This compares to a net loss attributable to common stockholders for the second quarter of fiscal year 2010 of $(13.7) million, or $(0.09) per diluted share, and to a net loss attributable to common stockholders for the third quarter of fiscal year 2009 of $(98.0) million, or $(0.89) per diluted common share.

The company's net loss attributable to common stockholders on a GAAP basis reflects accounting guidance, effective in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010, which requires the anti-dilutive provisions of Palm's series C preferred shares and related warrants to be treated as derivatives for financial reporting purposes. The fair value of the derivatives was estimated as of the first day of fiscal year 2010 and is marked to market on a quarterly basis, with any change in value reflected in the company's financial results for the period. The series C derivatives balance was $82.1 million at the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 compared to $178.7 million at the end of the second quarter of fiscal year 2010. This reduction in fair value resulted in a $96.6 million non-cash gain on series C derivatives and was reflected in the company's third quarter GAAP financial results. With regard to the series C derivatives, any future increases in Palm's stock price from period to period will be reflected as a non-cash loss on these derivatives in the company's financial results, and any future decreases will be reflected as a non-cash gain in the company's financial results.

Non-GAAP Net Loss for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 was $(102.8) million, or $(0.61) per diluted share. This compares to a non-GAAP Net Loss for the second quarter of fiscal year 2010 of $(45.5) million, or $(0.29) per diluted share, and to a non-GAAP Net Loss for the third quarter of fiscal year 2009 of $(94.7) million, or $(0.86) per diluted share.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 totaled $(5.7) million. EBITDA, adjusted to exclude the effect of ratable revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, net other income (expense), restructuring charges, a casualty recovery, a gain on the sale of auction rate securities and a gain on series C derivatives, or Adjusted EBITDA, totaled $(90.2) million.

The company's cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments balance was $591.9 million at the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2010. Cash used from operations for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 was $(0.5) million.

Explanatory Note

During the third quarter of fiscal year 2010, Palm elected to early adopt updates to revenue recognition standards issued in October 2009 and revise all prior financial information to include the adoption. Palm has included in this release selected quarterly financial schedules reflecting the impact of retrospective adoption of the new accounting standards and reconciling the application of old and new accounting standards to historical statements of operations, balance sheets, cash flows from operations, non-GAAP items, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. These financial schedules will also be available at http://investor.palm.com.

The updates to the method of revenue recognition result in a substantial portion of Palm webOS product revenues being recognized upon delivery. The remaining Palm webOS deferred revenues, which are related to future services and unspecified software, will be recorded as deferred revenues on the company's balance sheet, and amortized into earnings on a straight-line basis over the estimated product life, which is currently 24 months. Under the new standards, all related cost of revenues are recognized upon delivery. Under the previous accounting standards, Palm was required to account for sales of Palm webOS products using subscription accounting because Palm indicated it may periodically provide services and unspecified software free of charge to customers of Palm webOS products. Under subscription accounting, revenues and related direct product cost of revenues for Palm webOS products were deferred at the time of sale and recognized on a straight-line basis over the estimated product life. This resulted in the deferral of significant amounts of revenues and cost of revenues related to Palm webOS products. As of Nov. 30, 2009, the day prior to Palm's adoption of these updates, total deferred revenues were $550.8 million and total deferred cost of revenues were $332.7 million.

Palm adopted these updates by retrospective application as if the updates had been applied in all prior periods. Consequently, the financial results of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009 through the second quarter of fiscal year 2010 have been revised. Palm believes retrospective application provides the most comparable and useful financial information for users of its financial statements, is more consistent with management's evaluation of the business and better reflects Palm's underlying economic performance.

Click to read full press release

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Palm webOS PDK Public Beta Now Available Tweet

Palm Demonstrates New Games at Game Developers Conference.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Game Developers Conference (GDC) - Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) announced that a public beta version of the Palm(R) webOS(TM) Plug-in Development Kit (PDK) is now available at the Palm Developer Center (developer.palm.com). Palm is demonstrating new games from early PDK developers in its booth at GDC (No. 2016).

The PDK complements the Palm webOS Software Development Kit (SDK), letting developers use C and C++ alongside the web technologies that power the SDK and mix them seamlessly within a single app. The PDK enables new functionality, including immersive 3D graphics, and gives developers who have built games for other platforms an easy way to bring their titles to the webOS platform. Developers can download the beta PDK and start developing today, but distribution of games built with the beta PDK will require functionality provided in an upcoming Palm webOS update.

"Palm webOS is the go-to platform for great games on two of the three leading carrier networks," said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, Product Marketing, Palm, Inc. "We have both the developer tools and the hardware necessary for a world-class gaming experience, and an impressive portfolio of webOS game titles from top-notch developers to show for it."

At CES in January, Palm introduced 12 games built by four leading developers with early access to the PDK:

* "Asphalt 5" (Gameloft)
* "Brain Challenge(R)" (Gameloft)
* "Glyder 2" (Glu Mobile)
* "Let's Golf!" (Gameloft)
* "MONOPOLY" (EA Mobile(TM))
* "Need for Speed(TM) Undercover" (EA Mobile)
* "SCRABBLE" (EA Mobile)
* "Sudoku" (EA Mobile)
* "Tetris(R)" (EA Mobile)
* "The Oregon Trail" (Gameloft)
* "The Sims(TM) 3" (EA Mobile)
* "X-Plane" (Laminar Research)

Since then, more than 20 exciting webOS titles have been launched by these early-access developers:

* "Apollo" (Laminar Research)
* "Assassin's Creed(TM) - Altair's Chronicles" (Gameloft)
* "Brothers In Arms(R): Hour of Heroes" (Gameloft)
* "Castle of Magic" (Gameloft)
* "Deer Hunter 3D" (Glu Mobile)
* "Dungeon Hunter" (Gameloft)
* "Earthworm Jim" (Gameloft)
* "Gangstar: West Coast Hustle" (Gameloft)
* "Giant Fighting Robots" (Laminar Research)
* "Guitar Hero 5 Mobile" (Glu Mobile)
* "Hero of Sparta" (Gameloft)
* "Real Soccer 2010" (Gameloft)
* "Real Tennis" (Gameloft)
* "World Series of Poker: Hold'em Legend" (Glu Mobile)
* "X-Plane Airliner" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Carrier" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Extreme" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Glider" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Helicopter" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Racing" (Laminar Research)
* "X-Plane Space Shuttle" (Laminar Research)

"The Palm webOS PDK is extremely powerful and far-reaching, as evidenced by the number of titles we've been able to bring to the webOS platform in a very short time," said Baudouin Corman, vice president of publishing, Americas, Gameloft. "It's quite difficult to make a great phone that's also an outstanding gaming platform; Palm has been successful delivering both."

More information about the beta PDK is available at the Palm Developer Center (developer.palm.com). More information about games for Palm webOS is available at www.palm.com/applications.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. creates intuitive and powerful mobile experiences that enable consumers and businesses to connect to their information in more useful and usable ways. The company's groundbreaking Palm(R) webOS(TM) platform, designed exclusively for mobile application, introduces true multitasking and Palm Synergy(TM), which brings your information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view of your life.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels, and at the Palm online store (www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at www.palm.com.

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