phones

AT&T calls for backup on iPhone Day

Eight days before the iPhone arrives, AT&T is planning for extra security and a flood of customers next Friday.

The company has hired 2,000 temporary workers to help keep things rolling on iPhone Day (previously known as June 29th), according to CNN. It doesn't sound like these folks will be pressed into explaining the intricacies of AT&T's monthly data plans or selling Bluetooth headsets, but instead they'll help make sure rabid iPhone fans don't bum-rush the doors in hopes of securing an iPhone.

A report yesterday said AT&T plans … Read more

Still mobile, Sanyo unveils Sprint handsets

Despite earlier speculation that Sanyo may shut down its mobile division, it looks like Sanyo and Sprint are trucking on with brand-new handsets.

Today Sprint announced the Sanyo SCP-3200, a fairly basic clamshell with Bluetooth, GPS, a speakerphone, a VGA camera, Web and e-mail access, plus voice-activated dialing. Available colors include Midnight Black, Playful Pink, and Atlantic Blue. You can get it for $200 retail, or as low as $50 if you're willing to sign a two-year agreement with Sprint.

Dell hawking unlocked phones

What hath the iPhone wrought? Perhaps more computer companies selling fancy phones.

Just as Apple prepares to sell its long-awaited combination smart phone and iPod, six models of unlocked Nokia and Pharos phones have cropped up on Dell's Web site. The Nokia E61, E61i, N73, N80 and N95, and Pharos 600 and 600E are available to be used with any GSM carrier. Prices range from $383 to $736, a bit pricier than when buying directly from a wireless carrier, which subsidizes the price with a contract.

The phones can be found under the small business accessories tab on Dell.… Read more

Top 5 Worst things about the iPhone

Hundreds of thousands of you have watched our top 5 on the worst things about the iPhone and strangely, few have commented to me about it. So I thought we'd give you a chance to talk back here on the old CNET TV blog.

Take this opportunity to add your own worst things about the iPhone, or tell us why we're all messed up in the head and paid for by Microsoft for ever saying something nasty about an Apple product. It's your choice.

If you haven't seen the Top 5 in question yet, go take a gander at it … Read more

Phones on a plane

Though the idea of cell phones on an airplane makes many people cringe, progress continues to march forward. Yesterday Airbus announced it had received approval from the European Safety Agency (sort of like the FAA) for a system that will bring cell phone use to the skies. Developed in partnership with a company called SITA, the OnAir system will allow passengers to send and receive not only e-mails and text messages but also full-blown voice calls.

Screaming in horror are you? Or are you one of those people who think you need to be reached at all times? Members of … Read more

Apple, AT&T stores could change hours on iPhone day

Ever since we Apple confirmed the time and date of the iPhone launch, there's been a lot of speculation about whether AT&T and Apple stores will close for a short period prior to the release time to prepare for the expected onslaught of buyers. We'd be surprised if Apple pulled such a move with its retail locations--it hasn't done so in the past--but today Boy Genius told another story. According to a "leaked" AT&T document Apple and AT&T stores will close at 4:30 p.m. on June 29 … Read more

Levi's to debut cell phone in Europe this September

Not to be outdone by its higher-end fashion brethren like Prada, denim mainstay Levi's will be selling a mobile phone and marketing it to young, label-conscious technosexuals, the company announced in Paris this week. The original partnership was announced in October.

The steel-encased phone, manufactured by the French company ModeLabs, comes with a detachable chain that's reminiscent of vintage pocket watches. Buyers will be able to choose between metallic silver, brown copper, and black color schemes; for those with more feminine inclinations, "shiny silver" and "shiny sand" models will also be introduced, featuring "… Read more

iPhone, You Phone, I Tube, YouTube

Apple sent all the kids a-twitter (not to be confused with the popular social networking site of the same name) by revealing that the iPhone is going to have a special H.264 YouTube player built-in.

The horny (as in antlers, please get your mind out of the gutter) one thinks this is awesome and that the iPhone will quickly become the mobile platform for watching William Shatner sing "Rocket Man".

But you say to the Macalope, "Oh, one of brown fur and deadly appendages, how can I score myself a piece of pocketable technology perfectly suited … Read more

Imaginary phone diagnosis: 'Vibranxiety'

No, you're not going crazy (necessarily) if you find yourself imagining that your phone is vibrating in one of your pockets. Or, if you are, you're far from alone.

That's the shorthand conclusion of a recent USA Today article that reports a phenomenon dubbed "phantom vibration syndrome," also known as "vibranxiety." So what causes this irritating ghost ring, anyway?

"You come armed with this template that leads you to be attentive to sensations that represent a cellphone vibrating," Jeffrey Janata, director of the behavioral medicine program at University Hospitals in Cleveland, … Read more