Todd R. Weiss

Kyocera’s Rugged DuraXV Flip Phone Is Built to Withstand a Beating by Todd R. Weiss Dual Displays, Plus 4GB of Storage Included The DuraXV features a 2.4-inch QVGA TFT internal display, a 1.08-inch external front display, 256MB of RAM, 512MB of onboard storage and a 4GB micro SD card for additional storage (the micro SD […]

More tablet owners are using their devices through cellular connections in the United States, according to new data from The NPD Group, which found that cellular use of tablets rose to 16 million users in the fourth quarter of 2014, a 95 percent increase from the same quarter one year ago. That’s still a fraction […]

Kyocera’s new DuraXV rugged flip phone is now being offered to customers by Verizon Wireless for users who want a well-built handset without all the features and bells and whistles of a typical, larger and more expensive smartphone. The DuraXV, which is built for extreme environmental conditions, is certified to meet Military Standard 810G and […]

Cablevision has launched its WiFi-only Freewheel smartphone service across the nation, offering consumers all the talk, text and data they want to use for $29.95 a month—as long as they use their new Freewheel smartphones with a WiFi connection. Freewheel, which so far works only with Motorola Moto G smartphones that can be purchased through […]

Concerns about Verizon’s use of supercookies that automatically target ads to mobile customers are prompting four U.S. senators to ask the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to look into the practice to determine if it intrudes on the privacy of consumers. In separate Feb. 6 letters sent to Tom Wheeler, the chairman […]

The growth of mobile data use around the world is soaring, with an expected 59 percent rise in 4G LTE data use in 2015 alone, according to new figures from research firm Gartner. And by 2018, mobile video will drive more than 60 percent of that data traffic, the estimates show. What that means, says […]

Verizon is selling its wireline phone operations in California, Texas and Florida to Frontier Communications for $10.54 billion as the company moves to bolster its core wireless and East Coast wired markets, as well as its FiOS business. In a related deal, Verizon is also selling about 165 Verizon-owned wireless towers and leasing wireless tower […]

Mobile High-Tech Pervades Buick’s New Avenir Concept Car by Todd R. Weiss The Shapely Avenir Evokes Speed and Fine Design The Avenir, French for future, is a rear-wheel drive concept car designed by a team of GM engineers and designers in the United States and Australia. It includes a next-generation direct-injected V-6 engine, a nine-speed […]

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has put his ideas out there for how he sees the future regulation of the Internet, from reclassifying it as a public utility to banning throttling and special “lanes” for paid prioritization of content. But as soon as his proposals formally came out on Feb. 4, a myriad […]

Sprint added some 967,000 new wireless customers in the third quarter of 2014, but the company’s net operating revenue was down by 1.8 percent and its net loss more than doubled from the same quarter one year ago. In a Feb. 5 announcement, Sprint also reported that it logged 30,000 postpaid net additions to its […]

Verizon Wireless just unveiled several new mobile phone plan options for new and existing customers, including a free 1GB boost to their 1GB to 3GB More Everything plans, or a $10-per-month price drop if they keep their current data package. But there’s a big caveat to the offers—they won’t be automatically activated on customer bills. […]

Auto Innovation Takes a Page From Home, Office Technology by Todd R. Weiss Subaru Updates Its StarLink In-Car System for 2015 Subaru’s in-vehicle connected-car system, StarLink, gets a redesign for 2015, and is being offered in the Subaru Impreza and Crosstrek vehicles for the first time this year. StarLink improvements include easier smartphone pairing capabilities […]