Verizon

Rumor has it that there will be code details about OS X 10.6 at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference next week. Bold prediction, considering it's a developer's conference. Geniuses. Now, what cat to name it after? Also, Bill Gates gives his last speech on the road to his nearly-full-time-job-retirement; Oklahoma City has a sweet Wi-Fi mesh network that you can't use (unless the password is "password"); and you can now get your Outlook e-mail on an LG enV(2).

Mac OS 10.6 debuting next week? … Read more

Previously, if you wanted access to your corporate e-mail, you needed to have a smartphone like a Palm, Windows Mobile, or BlackBerry device. Now Verizon Wireless is offering a direct push e-mail solution called RemoSync, which can be used on ordinary phones like the LG Chocolate and the Motorola Razr2 V9m. You do need to sign up for monthly access for $9.99 a month, but hopefully you can have your company expense that for you. The RemoSync application is especially configured for companies that use Microsoft Exchange Servers for e-mail, contacts, and calendars, and yes you can use it … Read more

NEW YORK--Verizon Communications plans soon to offer online parental controls for free to all its broadband customers in an ongoing effort to keep kids safe on the Net.

The free new perks were announced Tuesday by CEO Ivan Seidenberg during a lunch at WiredSafety's Stop Cyberbullying Conference at Pace University in New York. Seidenberg spoke in front of an audience filled with young people, parents, educators, and government officials, who all gathered for the daylong conference on cyberbullying.

Specifically, Verizon plans to offer parents the ability to block their children from viewing selected content. The company is also offering … Read more

As cable and phone companies slug it out in markets across the U.S., improving customer care is becoming a core part of their strategies.

For the past few years, cable and phone companies have been neck and neck in many markets. Cable companies have introduced new phone services to compete with phone companies, and phone companies have started offering competing TV services.

On the broadband front, cable and phone companies now offer similar speeds in feeds in many markets. While cable has historically been priced slightly higher than services offered from phone companies, these too are evening out in … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Over the 8,260 miles I've driven on Road Trip 2006 and Road Trip 2007, I've visited, written about, and photographed some of the most interesting destinations in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

I've also gotten to road-test some really cool gadgets and drive the spiffy and comfortable Infiniti QX56 over some long and very hot distances.

Now I'm getting ready to depart on Road Trip 2008. This year, rather than leaving from my home base in San Francisco, I'll be flying east and starting a grand tour of the … Read more

CARLSBAD, Calif.--The D6 conference wrapped up on Thursday with a session on broadband access: Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher interviewed Lowell McAdam, CEO of Verizon Wireless, and Kevin Martin, chairman of the FCC.

Mossberg started by putting a chart up showing how far behind the U.S. is in broadband access, and how expensive our access is. Martin said you need to look at the unique demographics of the U.S., and if you compare some states, like Massachusetts, to Korea, then they'll hold up better. Of course, providing access to less-advantaged areas is still a challenge.

So … Read more

After introducing high-profile cell phones like the LG enV(2) and the Samsung Glyde, Verizon Wireless is showing no signs of slowing down. Today the carrier announced another new handset, the Motorola W755. The W755, available in both purple and black, offers a flip phone design with external music controls. Features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, a memory card slot, VZ Naviagtor GPS support, text and multimedia messaging, and a music player. And since it supports Verizon's 3G EV-Do network it is compatible with the carrier's V Cast streaming video service and V Cast Music. The W755 … Read more

Consumers want more choice when it comes to mobile phone service.

At least that's the big conclusion from a consumer survey published Wednesday by IBM's Institute for Business Value. According to the report, 80 percent of consumers said they'd prefer a service provider that gave them more choice in the applications and services available on their mobile device.

This is welcome news for advocates of open networks, such as Google. The Internet giant has effectively lobbied the Federal Communications Commission to include a provision in the recent 700Mhz spectrum auction to force the winner of some licenses … Read more

MARIN HEADLANDS, Calif.--This is very surreal.

I'm sitting on a bench on top of a cliff here, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and looking straight at the Golden Gate Bridge.

For the last 15 minutes, there has been a steady stream of sirens from emergency vehicles, and I can see that all traffic on the bridge is completely stopped. I Twittered what I was seeing, and almost immediately, one of my followers replied with details of what seems to be a multiple-vehicle accident blocking most of the lanes on the bridge.

Before this happened, I was planning on starting … Read more