Newly minted Odin Mobile sells phones for the blind

People with visual impairments just got a new champion in the cell phone world. Odin Mobile launched on Wednesday with a vision of bringing specialized cell phones to customers with limited eyesight.

Accessibility features -- inputs meant especially for those with special needs -- are baked into nearly every cell phone and smartphone, but the three handsets that Odin Mobile stocks in its online shelves are specifically created for blind and low-vision customers.

The Huawei Vision ($300), a Project Ray device backed by Qualcomm and built on an Android phone, was designed specifically for the blind.

Phone owners will navigate … Read more

Verizon's BlackBerry Q10 drops June 10 for $200; preorders start June 6

Big Red faithful who have long been craving a physical keyboard's reassuring typing touch, this is your moment. Verizon will begin offering the new BlackBerry Q10 smartphone in stores starting next Monday, June 10 -- but eager beavers can preorder theirs starting Thursday.

Verizon and the other three major carriers -- AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile -- are pretty much on target with previous timelines that marked sales starting in early June.

Another consistency is the price. BlackBerry's QWERTY master sells for $199.99 on Verizon and AT&T with a new, two-year service agreement. Expect … Read more

BlackBerry Q10 preorders begin June 5 for AT&T

Starting June 5, BlackBerry's keyboard-equipped BlackBerry Q10 smartphone becomes available for preorder through AT&T.

The carrier announced in a tweet that it would sell the Q10 for $199.99 with a new, two-year service agreement.

June 5th pre-order the #BlackBerryQ10 for $199.99 w/2-yr agreement soc.att.com/1b1u550 #KeepMovingUp pic.twitter.com/CRIpfDJZd1

— AT&T (@ATT) June 4, 2013

Keyboard enthusiasts will love the Q10's terrific physical keyboard, and BlackBerry holdouts will similarly appreciate the upgrades stacked into Blackberry 10 OS.

If you're thinking of preordering the device, stop by for all … Read more

No Droid HTC One for Verizon? No big deal

After months of rumored buzz about a Droid variant of HTC's One flagship phone for Verizon, Big Red announced on Monday that it'll soon sell the same One as rival providers. Without providing any specifics, the carrier only acknowledges that the flagship handset is on the horizon.

"We don't have anything to add beyond the tweet that said we were offering the HTC One on our network by end of the summer," Verizon said to CNET in an e-mail.

Even without the benefit of differentiating Droid branding, Verizon's HTC One is very late to … Read more

Verizon bringing HTC One into the fold

Looks like speculation of the HTC One hitting Verizon this summer is true. The carrier just confirmed that it will bring the superphone into its lineup in a couple months.

Rather than issuing a formal press release, Verizon spilled the beans via its official Twitter account and cryptically stated that the phone "will be available on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network later this summer."

Regardless of the lack of a firm launch date, this is huge news for loyal HTC One fans since the handset has gained quite a following in recent months as it has begun … Read more

U.S. Cellular gets into the 'Home Phone' biz for $20 a month

U.S. Cellular is the latest wireless service provider to make the jump into your home.

On Friday, the carrier unveiled its U.S. Cellular Home Phone service, which goes on sale in retail stores on June 7 and online a couple of weeks later on June 20.

Similar to its wireless plan for cell phones, this new $19.99 monthly home phone service gives customers unlimited nationwide calling over your landline phone, as well as the standard calling features of voice mail, caller ID, and call waiting.

The carrier also throws in call forwarding and three-way calling.

If you'… Read more

Eight things the Moto X needs

Motorola needs a smartphone hit badly, and it should have happened already. Its last innovative smartphone was the Droid Razr Maxx, way back in January 2012. While its battery lasted a phenomenal 15 hours, a number that newer handsets can't yet match, this is an inexplicable handset drought for the company. Motorola has a long and storied history of shaking up the market with earth-shattering products. That's why I know the company has what it takes to craft the Moto X, now officially due by October, into a hit. And with such stiff competition in the mobile space, … Read more

HTC One Nexus User Experience confirmed

HTC just made all the speculation about an stock Android Version of its HTC One smartphone official today. The company's blog announced that the HTC One with what it calls the Nexus User Experience will arrive on June 26 for $599.

CNET did previously confirm that HTC was indeed working on a version of the HTC One that will run pure Android. Now the shroud of mystery has been lifted. In fact, the coveted device was shown off today by Google's Sundar Pichai at the D11 technology conference.

Contrasting Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S4, which will also be … Read more

BlackBerry Q10 landing on Verizon June 6

Not to be outdone by T-Mobile, Verizon sets June 6 as the launch date for the BlackBerry Q10. Priced at $199.99, the long-anticipated device features a superbly crafted physical keyboard plus the latest BlackBerry 10 software.

Verizon is now taking preorders for the Q10 and expects to stock its store shelves with the phone by June 6. This development will no doubt come as welcome news for the BlackBerry faithful. Many in this camp are zealously addicted to typing on real keys and poo-poo messaging via touch screen.

And what a keyboard the BlackBerry Q10 sports. Based on the … Read more