The FCC got the rules right for mobile in the 2010 net neutrality order and shouldn’t reverse course now, Mobile Future officials said in a series of meetings at the agency. “The 2010 open Internet principles grasped this uniqueness, and wisely gave wireless network operators the ability to manage their networks optimally rather than adopting a one size fits all approach,” Mobile Future said. “Changing the approach to mobile broadband at this stage would open the door to a raft of unintended negative consequences for consumers and for the open Internet itself.” The group released a copy of an ex parte filing on the meetings Thursday.

Pioneer said its lineup of 2014 CarPlay-compatible in-dash multimedia receivers will have access to Apple’s CarPlay platform via a free firmware update. Consumers with the iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5 can use the Siri “personal assistant” to make and receive calls, compose and respond to text messages, use Apple Maps for navigation, and listen to their music libraries and iTunes Radio, Pioneer said Thursday. Ted Cardenas, vice president-marketing for Pioneer’s car electronics division, said CarPlay improves the iPhone experience while driving by “by providing a safer way to access the iPhone features.” In another announcement, Pioneer said its gen-four AppRadio touchscreen receiver is shipping to Pioneer dealers including Best Buy, Car Toys and Crutchfield. The CarPlay-compatible AppRadio 4 SPH-DA120 ($600) lets consumers use cloud and device-sourced content from the iPhone 5 and later Apple smartphones, Android smartphones and MirrorLink-enabled smartphones, Pioneer said. AppRadio 4 adds “feature-enhanced” smartphone control, voice control for Siri Eyes Free and Google Voice Recognition, Bluetooth hands-free calling and audio streaming, and a new graphical user interface, Pioneer said. AppRadio 4’s design uses minimal physical buttons on the left side of the screen for quick access by drivers, Pioneer said. Most functions -- including the app interface, music control/playback, AM/FM radio and Bluetooth connection -- are operated through the 6.2-inch WVGA capacitive touch screen, the company said.

The NFC Forum launched the “Tap Into NFC” developer program Thursday, designed to leverage the capability of near field communication for new applications and services. The program will support application developers through events, networking opportunities and a dedicated website (http://bit.ly/1ufRexz) with developer kits, technical specs, news and product information, it said. To commemorate the launch, the NFC Forum will host a Twitter contest Oct. 16-23 using #Tapin2NFC, in which developers can share what they like most about the program and site, including favorite products from the product showcase, the forum said. A winning tweet will be selected at random and the winner will receive an NFC-enabled wearable device. Details will be available at the NFC Blog (http://bit.ly/1r1b2yC) the second week of October, the forum said.

Bose sent subscribers an email Wednesday saying SoundLink III speakers are now available with colors and logos for seven NFL football teams. NFL branding adds $50 to the cost of the Bluetooth SoundLink III, bringing it to $349. Supported teams are the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks. Shipping is free at Bose.com.

Global ownership of connected TV devices, including smart TVs, smart Blu-ray players, Internet-enabled game consoles and digital media streamers, grew 7 percent sequentially in Q2 from Q1 and 34 percent compared with Q2 last year, Strategy Analytics said Thursday. Growing demand for devices “that facilitate the streaming of online video to the large screen TV is creating a highly competitive environment with no fewer than 16 major technology brands accounting for 90 percent of devices in use,” it said. Key findings: (1) One in every four connected TV devices installed in homes around the world is a Sony-branded product, while the “combined footprint” of Microsoft, Nintendo, Samsung and Sony is 60 percent of all devices in use. (2) Samsung enjoyed the highest unit increase to its installed base of connected TV devices during the quarter. (3) Apple remained the leading brand of digital media streamer, but its share dropped to under 30 percent for the first time “in the face of competition from Google’s Chromecast, Amazon’s Fire TV and Roku,” it said.

Chinese telecom carriers’ strategies to end subsidies to smartphone makers has meant a falloff of smartphone demand after a peak in March and April, said an NPD DisplaySearch report released Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1E0cKdR). Telecom carriers in China will gradually stop subsidizing smartphones directly to focus more on consumer call charges, DisplaySearch said, which is expected to affect current inventory levels of name brands. The change in strategy could affect the supply chain, adding to declining smartphone display average selling prices (ASPs) in the open market, DisplaySearch said. The average price of a 5-inch 720p in-plane switching module was $25 in August 2013 and dropped 44 percent to $14 this August, said DisplaySearch, which could lead to “weaker-than-usual” sales growth in second half 2014. “An adequate supply” of mobile phone displays will result in falling ASPs through the rest of the year, said Terry Yu, analyst. Coolpad, which has strong relationships with Chinese telecom carriers, already suffered from inventory issues that forced the company to implement a new distribution strategy in September, Yu said. Coolpad plans to launch three distinct brands to lessen the impact of subsidy adjustments: one each for telecom carriers’ channels, traditional distribution and e-commerce, Yu said. The iPhone 6’s arrival in China in a few weeks, however, is expected to improve display procurement demand and ASP performance, he said.

Third place behind Apple and Samsung in the tablet wars is “up for grabs" among Amazon, Asus, Lenovo and other “emerging vendors,” ABI Research said Wednesday (http://bit.ly/10lBnlY). Lenovo in particular “is working to gain ground in the market,” and in 2019 is expected to ship 21 million tablets, or 7.3 percent of the global market, ABI said. This “would land it solidly in third place,” it said. Lenovo remains the world’s biggest PC supplier, but now sells more smartphones and tablets than it does PCs, and is the world’s third-largest tablet supplier, Lenovo itself said in the runup to the IFA show last month in Berlin (CED Sept 3 p6). During 2013, the tablet market “exploded with new devices overwhelming consumers,” ABI said. “Leading tablet vendors quickly dominated the market, but are now feeling the squeeze and quickly losing market share control,” creating a “stall” in more advanced and mature markets like North America and Western Europe, it said. “This stall is giving other vendors the opportunity to close the prominent gap and claim third place. The dent emerging vendors are creating in the market is impressive, but continuing that success is going to be the real challenge.”

LG began selling a 21:9 curved 34-inch monitor in the U.S. Wednesday, incorporating an in-plane switching screen and Ultra Quad HD panel with 3400 x 1440 resolution. “Many people spend more time in front of computer monitors than they do in front of TVs, and yet the industry hasn’t delivered the same level of innovation when it comes to monitors,” said Tim Alessi, LG’s U.S. head of new product development, in a news release. The curved screen provides a more immersive viewing experience, Alessi said. The $1,299 monitor is compatible with PCs and Macs and supports Thunderbolt 2 for high-speed data transfers, the company said. On the audio side, the 34UC97 also features MaxxAudio and a 7-watt stereo speaker system. LG’s 34UC97 will be available nationwide in October at online and regional retailers including Adorama, Amazon, Fry’s B&H, Newegg and Tiger Direct, LG said.

AT&T Wireless announced new promotions bundling tablets with smartphone purchases in an effort to boost the uptake of tablet wireless contracts. A limited-time offer beginning Friday includes an LG G Pad 7.0 LTE for 99 cents with the purchase of a smartphone for $0 down on AT&T’s Next installment plan. The promotion includes a two-year agreement and qualifying data plan with voice activation for the phone and a two-year data plan for the tablet, the company said. In an offer running Oct. 3-Jan. 8, customers can get a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 (a $369 value) for $99 with the purchase of any Samsung Galaxy smartphone with two-year service agreement including data for the phone and a two-year data plan for the tablet, it said. Customers who buy an iPhone on the AT&T Next plan will get $200 off a new iPad bought on a two-year wireless agreement through Oct. 31, AT&T said. Qualified wireless service is required on both devices, it said. Customers must sign a two-year wireless agreement for the iPad and use AT&T Next to purchase the iPhone, the carrier said. Customers can score a $100 credit when purchasing a smartphone via AT&T Next and adding it as a new line to an account, AT&T said.

Sinclair’s court challenge of the FCC incentive auction order would deprive the broadcasters in the Expanding Opportunities for Broadcasters Coalition of the chance to participate in the auction, the EOBC said in a motion to intervene filed Wednesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Wednesday. The EOBC motion seeks only to intervene against Sinclair’s challenge, not the narrower NAB filing it has been consolidated with, the motion said. CEA also asked to intervene solely against Sinclair (CED Sept. 30 p4). “EOBC member broadcasters have relied in good faith that the auction will occur under the rules adopted in the Report and Order and on the timetable set forth by the FCC,” the motion said. By asking the court to vacate or enjoin the auction order, Sinclair’s petition is a threat to the EOBC plans, the motion said. “If successful, Petitioner’s appeal will harm EOBC’s members,” the motion said.