ice

It's a first-time Prizefight for a whole new evolving category between Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 and LG's Intuition.

These two unique devices bring the world of a smartphone and a tablet into one form factor. Throw in the use of a stylus, and we're talking about two of the most versatile mobile devices on the planet.

The Galaxy Note 2 has learned its lessons and it brings a versatile stylus, albeit with a much steeper learning curve. The LG Intuition stylus interface is straightforward and simple, but there's no place to hold the stylus on … Read more

Find a stick to bite down on during today's show, because we're learning more than we ever wanted about the band Nickelback -- how they became Internet pariahs, why they've sold 50 million records, and the stomach-churning origin of their name.

We'll also review a new documentary about disappearing glaciers and climate control, question the value of Internet ads and the new "four second rule," and prove that the new flagship Apple store in Palo Alto, Calif., is just too darn loud.… Read more

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is slowly dripping its way onto more devices.

As seen over the last two weeks of October, ICS now flavors 25.8 percent of all Android devices, up from 23.7 percent in the prior month and 20.9 percent in August.

Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, ate up 2.7 percent of the market in October, up from 1.8 percent the previous month.

The most dominant version of Android remains version 2.3, or Gingerbread, still found on more than 54.2 percent of all Android devices. That's down slightly … Read more

The day before MobileCon kicks off in San Diego, T-Mobile and LG prime the mobile pump by unveiling the LG Optimus L9.

Running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the midrange handset also features a 4.5-inch qHD display made with Corning Gorilla Glass 2, a 1GHz dual-core processor, and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and 1080p HD video recording.

There's also a large 2,150mAh battery onboard, and LG's Quick Memo app. There's no pricing or availability information yet, but we're hoping to learn more when we (hopefully) see the phone tomorrow at MobileCon.… Read more

It's the apps, stupid.

Users will stick with iOS because of the abundance of apps despite problems with the rollout of iOS 6, said a Taipei-based analyst.

A rocky introduction of new in-house apps such as Maps and Siri nothwithstanding, users will stick with iOS because they "have already bought so many mobile apps and music on the iOS platform that it would be hard for them to switch to other devices running on the Android or Windows operating systems," said Simon Yang, an analyst at the Topology Research Institute, speaking in Monday's China Post.

Yang … Read more

Doran Else bought his Photon 4G last October, lured by the fast dual-core processor and by the close relationship between Motorola and its new owner, Google. Motorola had recently joined the Android Upgrade Alliance, promising to release operating system updates to all its phones for 18 months following their release.

But for Else and thousands of others, those operating system updates turned out to be a mirage. Last Friday, buried in a Motorola forum, the company quietly abandoned its update pledge, killing off plans to ever update the Photon 4G. The Electrify, a re-branded Photon available on the US Cellular … Read more

Pantech's Burst and Element will be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich treatment starting today.

Both phones can be upgraded to Android 4.0, AT&T said in a blog post published today. The update brings the phones to the second latest version of Android, behind Jelly Bean, or Android 4.1.

To download the update for the Burst, go here. To download the update to the Element, go here.

The two Pantech phones are mass market smartphones and part of AT&T's strategy to widen its smartphone base with more attractive pricing.

Perhaps believing that it's not wise to put all its smartphones in an iPhone basket, AT&T has been on an Android tear lately. The last two weeks have yielded eight handset announcements with more on the way as we head full-on into the holiday buying season. Suffice it to say, AT&T is headed into the fourth quarter with its strongest Android lineup to date.… Read more

For the Apple-loyal, the iPhone 5 is practically an automatic purchase. But for the rest of you, it can't hurt to know what your options are.

A few weeks ago, CNET's Brian Bennett posted a roundup of the best iPhone 5 alternatives. It turns out that there are tons of excellent smartphones out there that can match (and in some ways surpass) Apple's iPhone 5. The above video collects Brian's top picks into a rated list.

So if you're wondering about your smartphone options, be sure … Read more