verizon

One of the new HTC Droid DNA's unsung features is its ability to jump onto global GSM networks, which is great when traveling overseas. Verizon certainly thinks so, and thanks to an unlocked SIM card slot, you can also slip in an AT&T or T-Mobile card and flip the DNA over to operate on those carriers. … Read more

Are you gearing up for Black Friday already? When it comes to smartphones, you may want to pause and reconsider any purchases.

As with many Black Friday and Cyber Monday "deals," a majority of the items on sale are outdated models, less-than-desirable devices, or just products that the carriers and retailers are looking to unload. In other words, don't let the Black Friday fever blind you from a deal that's not really a deal.

Smartphones are a different beast than other consumer electronic products. They are more personal than other gadgets, and are almost always with … Read more

You can buy the coolest and most advanced smartphone out there. But if you can't get a wireless signal, it's not worth much to you.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer some advice to a reader about picking a wireless service provider based on which one offers the best coverage. I also explain to another reader why, even though the Verizon iPhone 5 is unlocked, it won't work on any other 4G LTE networks.

Dear Maggie, I've loved my iPhone ever since I got it in June last year, and absolutely … Read more

Striving to play catch-up with Verizon, AT&T has doubled the reach of its LTE network from a year ago.

The carrier's 4G LTE network now covers more than 150 million people across the U.S., double the number at the end of last year. With its rollout ahead of schedule, AT&T aims to reach 250 million people by the end of next year and 300 million by the end of 2014.

AT&T's LTE network is currently available in 103 markets scattered around the country. This week was another busy one for the … Read more

Apple's LTE-equipped iPad Mini and fourth-generation iPad are now available in carrier stores -- at least some of them do.

Both Sprint and AT&T announced today that they're now carrying the devices. Verizon hasn't announced its own availability, but the company is also expected to be carrying the tablets in its stores today. The iPads are already available for immediate shipment on Verizon's site.

Apple launched the Wi-Fi-only fourth-generation iPad and iPad Mini on November 2. The company had promised last month when it announced both devices that it would deliver the LTE-equipped models &… Read more

The ability to charge a smartphone by simply placing it on a tabletop has been around for a while, but it's more of a novelty, for early adopters and gadget buffs.

Wireless charging cases, back covers, and pads are out in the market, and the Palm Pre memorably championed its Touchstone charging stand a while back, but the options are either too complicated, expensive, or, in the case of the Pre, not popular enough to really resonate with consumers.

That's poised to change over the next year, with momentum and a lot of big-name companies behind the idea. … Read more

NEW YORK CITY -- Verizon and Time Warner Cable said today they won't pull the plug on customers accused of piracy through a forthcoming "six strikes" program.

Link Hoewing, Verizon's vice president, and Fernando Laguarda, Time Warner Cable's vice president, said at a forum organized by the Internet Society that after they repeatedly inform customers that that their activities appear to violate copyright law, the companies' obligation is fulfilled -- and no account termination will take place.

That could reduce some of the privacy and due process concerns about the Center for Copyright Information, a … Read more

Top carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are losing sales of prepaid smartphones to the likes of Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and MetroPCS, according to an NPD report out today.

Third-quarter prepaid smartphone sales for the smaller carriers rose 23 percent over the prior quarter. But sales among the tier-one carriers dropped by 12 percent over the same period. Why? The smaller players won over customers by offering lower prices and a larger selection of prepaid phones, NPD said.

In the third quarter, 70 percent of smartphone buyers who bought their phones through a prepaid carrier had … Read more

In addition to announcing that its two Windows Phone 8 handsets, the HTC Windows Phone 8X and the Nokia Lumia 822, will be available starting November 13, Verizon will also offer one of its handsets for free by the end of the year.

According to The Verge, Tami Erwin, Verizon's chief marketing officer, said that a phone from the carrier's WP8 lineup will come "in at the free [price] point."

Currently, the HTC 8X retails for $199.99 with a two-year contract, and the Lumia 822 will be sold for $99.99 after discounts are applied.… Read more