Michelle Maisto

Samsung and Verizon Wireless have announced the availability of two new devices, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7€”first introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January€”and, arguably a few rungs down the ladder, the Samsung Brightside, a feature phone with a dedicated slide-out keyboard. The new Long-Term Evolution- (LTE-) enabled Galaxy Tab runs Android 3.2, Google’s […]

Asus Chairman Jonney Shih introduced the very versatile PadFone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Feb. 27. With this Android-based device, Asus is attempting to cover the entire field of mobility€”from smartphone to tablet to laptop. More than a 4.3-inch smartphone running Android Ice Cream Sandwich, the Padfone is one of a family of complementary […]

Santa Clara is the code name of carrier Orange’s new self-branded smartphone, the first to run the new Intel Atom Medfield processor. As promised, Orange, a division of France Telecom, introduced the phone Feb. 27 at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona. The Santa Clara phone€”its real name is not known or perhaps not determined […]

Apple has used some of its nearly $100 billion cash pile to purchase app-search service Chomp, according to a report from TechCrunch. The free app helps users of iOS and Android devices find an app they’d like, based on what the app does. Apple is said to have paid $50 million for Chomp, according to […]

Apple iOS users are generally paying lower prices for apps than users of Android devices, according to a Feb. 23 report from research firm Canalys. While free apps are the most downloaded apps on both platforms, prices of the top paid-for apps, says Canalys, are “dramatically higher” in the Android Market than in the Apple […]

T-Mobile is about to get an LTE makeover. T-Mobile USA CEO Philipp Humm says there are plans to spend $4 billion on a “network modernization” strategy that will include a 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) deployment, improvements to voice and data coverage, pursuing business-to-business (B2B) opportunities, expanding T-Mobile’s sales force by 1,000 people, increasing advertising spending […]

LG Electronics plans to introduce the Optimus 4X HD at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona Feb. 23. Another big-is-beautiful device, its debut coming quick on the heels of LG’s 5-inch Optimus Vu “phablet,” the 4X HD features a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display and is the world’s first with a Nvidia Tegra 3 4-Plus-1 […]

T-Mobile and nine public interest groups are asking the Federal Communications Commission to stop the proposed deal between Verizon Wireless and Cox Communications, as well as a second agreement between Verizon and SpectrumCo, a joint venture between cable companies Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. The deals, worth $3.9 billion in total, would […]

Verizon Wireless customers began reporting outages to 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) services early Feb. 22. And alas, the issue doesn’t appear to be regional; subscribers in Michigan, Arizona and Virginia have posted messages to Verizon forums, Cnet reported. Additionally, Engadget heard from unhappy Verizon customers in Indiana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio. “VZW is investigating customer […]

LG has an agenda for 2012 and is wasting no time. On Feb. 20 it launched the Optimus LTE Tag, a new Long-Term Evolution-enabled smartphone with which it’s looking to help drive the near-field communication (NFC) market. The announcement comes just a day after the release of the LG Optimus Vu, a 5-inch “phablet” with […]

Barnes & Noble has slashed the prices of its Nook Color and Nook Tablet devices, in a move clearly intended to help them compete more effectively against Amazon’s aggressively selling line of Kindle devices, particularly the Kindle Fire. The Nook Tablet, shedding $50 from its price tag, is now $199€”like the Kindle Fire€”and the Nook […]

LG Electronics officially launched its Optimus Vu “phablet” in Korea Feb. 19, surprising those who expected the half-phone, half-tablet to debut at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona later this month. Early in February, LG released a teaser of the device, and many of the suspected specs hold true: The Vu features a 5-inch […]