smartphone

Prepaid or postpaid?: The fight for your cell phone dollars (Smartphones Unlocked)

This article originally published 11/11/2012 and was updated most recently on 3/25/2013.

Now that T-Mobile has smashed into the center of the no-contract wireless game, the tussle for your business between the contract and no-contract carrier model is even more urgent.

There's no question that the prepaid model is designed to save you money over a two-year contract agreement, but how much do you really gain by going prepaid, and what might you lose from the subscriber experience?

For the sake of comparison, I'm going to break down the cost of ownership over a … Read more

Three T-Mobile phones worth waiting for (roundup)

Now that T-Mobile has done away with its two-year contract model, we take a look at the three hottest handsets that are destined for the carrier.

Based on its new options, you will be able to get these phones alongside a monthly $50 unlimited talk and text plan (and 500MB of data thrown in for good measure). If you want unlimited data, you'll need to pay $20 more, totaling up to a reasonable $70 per month.

For more on what the carrier has in store, join CNET tomorrow at 8 a.m. PT as we live blog its "… Read more

Sony Xperia ZL phone now up for preorders

Smartphone buyers eyeing Sony's Xperia ZL can now pre-order the phone directly through Sony's online store.

The ZL is available in two flavors and at two prices, both versions unlocked and carrier-free.

The C6506 model sells for $759.99 and offers 4G LTE connectivity. The C6502 model goes for $719.99 and is compatible with the HSPA+ networks used by AT&T and T-Mobile. Both models are available in black, white, and red.

The phone is pre-selling online only through the Sony Store for now but should soon pop up at other select online retailers, Sony said … Read more

HTC One launch delay: Blame camera shortfall, HTC says

The launch of the HTC One has been stymied by a limited supply of cameras.

HTC chief marketing officer Benjamin Ho confirmed the component shortage in an interview with the Wall Street Journal yesterday.

"Our friends in the media have been asking why there has been a delay in shipments for the new HTC One, whether there is a component shortage," Ho said. "There is some shortage, because the phone's camera was designed specifically for us, and production cannot be ramped up so quickly."

Ho's comments echoed those of an "unnamed HTC executive,&… Read more

The lowdown on Virgin's affordable Kyocera Event

Though the Kyocera Event has only 3G data and is nearly identical to the Kyocera Hydro, save for not being waterproof like the Hydro, it still has enough tricks up its sleeve to be considered a reliable and decent handset.

True, the biggest incentive to buy it is that bargain price tag. At $79.99, it's one of the two best Android smartphones (the other being the Kyocera Rise) in its price range. But it doesn't hurt that it has a respectable rear-facing camera and runs Android 4.0 as well.

Design The Kyocera Event is compact, and … Read more

Hulk-strong screens, IR blasters, NFC-everything: Your future phone (Smartphones Unlocked)

Here's the smartphone of your short-term future: it has a 5-inch, 1080p HD screen, an 8-core application processor, and a 13-megapixel camera that does crazy things like simultaneously record through both front and rear lenses. You can use it to change your TV channel, tap it to play songs on your car, and control it without ever touching the screen.

The smartphone of your near future takes your pulse, synchronizes to your scale, and tumbles from your hands without a scratch. Oh yeah, and did I mention that it'll last two days on a single charge?

New production … Read more

HTC One lands in U.K. next week, U.S., Europe, and Asia in April

After a delay that's stalled HTC's sale of its flagship HTC One, the company has now announced the phone's availability for several markets.

HTC will start stocking shelves with the One in the U.K., Germany, and Taiwan next week. Most other markets in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region will follow by the end of April.

HTC acknowledged the shipping delay in a statement, saying: "We appreciate our customers' patience, and believe that once they have the phone in their hands they will agree that it has been worth the wait."

CNET editor … Read more

Apple to launch 'low-end iPhone' without Retina in 2013 -- report

Apple is planning a "low-end iPhone" that will lack some of the extras found in the company's iPhone 5, one analyst claims.

In a note to investors today, Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets said that Apple plans to launch "multiple new phones" between June and July this year. According to AppleInsider, which obtained a copy of his investors note, Daryanani said in addition to a flagship handset that Apple will call the iPhone 5S, the company will deliver a lower-end device featuring "plastic casing and no Retina display."

"With a lower … Read more

Friday Poll: What killer feature do you want in the next iPhone?

Everybody's talking about killer features these days, but what exactly is a killer feature? It's a tech innovation or hardware spec or special piece of software that gives you good chills, that makes a nice smartphone into a must-have smartphone.

Your idea of a killer feature may be different from your neighbor's. Siri may have been a killer feature for you back when the iPhone 4S came out. The freshly announced Samsung Galaxy S4 has been criticized for not offering a killer feature. It seems that if the heart doesn't quicken at the mention of a technological upgrade these days, many consider it a disappointment.

Far in advance of the actual next iPhone announcement, we're hit with rumors that the new phone will have a killer feature, that Apple's famous "one more thing" will return in all its glory. We're just not sure exactly what it might be.… Read more