Verizon

Verizon is still on a roll

Verizon Communications' hot streak continued during the first quarter of 2008.

The company said Monday that first quarter profits jumped about 10 percent to $1.64 billion, fueled by demand for its mobile phone service and fiber-to-the-home service called Fios.

Revenues grew about 5.5 percent to $23.8 billion, the company said. About $11.7 billion of that revenue came from its wireless business, an increase of about 13.2 percent from the first quarter of 2007.

There's no question that Verizon Wireless, which is jointly owned by Vodafone, has a good reputation as a wireless provider. Its … Read more

Touchscreen Blackberry on the way?

I'm still the only Mac guy I know who doesn't have an iPhone, primarily because AT&T service doesn't work in my house in San Francisco (it must be the fog.)

I still like my Blackberry 8870 (on VZW) despite the fact that it feels like I am operating in 1998 and all my friends are in 2008. It would be nice if RIM would modernize these things, especially for we addicts who prefer an outside keyboard. The new 9000 series seems to go a ways toward that until the carriers jump in and screw it … Read more

We have the LG enV(2)

We just received the LG enV(2) in-house and are currently putting it through the rigors of the review process. As you'll recall, the enV(2) is the true successor to the LG enV VX9900--we originally thought it was the LG Voyager VX10000, but the Voyager turned out to be a complete makeover rather than an incremental facelift. Our thoughts on the enV(2) haven't changed much from our initial hands-on at CTIA; it's a slimmed-down version of the original enV for sure, and we especially like its sleeker, candybar external look and easy-to-use controls. After … Read more

Verizon Wireless XV6900 available now: Gogogo!

If you've been waiting for the Verizon Wireless XV6900 ever since it was announced at CTIA 2008, today is your lucky day. Verizon Wireless announced that you can now get its version of the HTC Touch through its online store for $249.99 with a two-year contract and after discounts and rebates. The XV6900 is much like the Sprint HTC Touch, except it comes in a striking white color (that's actually pretty hot). The Windows Mobile 6 (not WM 6.1 yet) smartphone also features Bluetooth, EV-DO, a 2-megapixel camera, and HTC's TouchFLO interface. We're hoping … Read more

What are the mobile broadband options for the most popular laptops?

It hasn't quite hit the mainstream sweet spot yet, but adding a mobile broadband connection to your laptop is easier than ever. Many PC makers offer built-in mobile broadband options in their laptop lineups, and aftermarket USB or Express Card solutions are available from your preferred service provider.

Most service plans generally run from $59-to-$79 per month depending on bandwidth, and there are often partial rebates available to cover the cost of adding a mobile broadband modem to your laptop (usually a $150 option, if it's not already included in the laptop's price). Like a free … Read more

JuiceCaster 6.0 coming to T-Mobile Java phones

This article was updated at 1:21 p.m. PDT to correct information on video quality.

Generation Y (and Z) are in for a big treat. As social-networking services like MySpace.com, Facebook, and Twitter have exploded as the definitive way to keep in touch, mobile content companies have begun to offer up some sophisticated ways to capture that energy and broadcast photos, videos, audio, and text from mass market phones.

I've been impressed with what I've seen from JuiceCaster, a mobile-media broadcasting app that's available as a WAP site from any Internet-enabled cell phone, and very … Read more

Verizon unveils low-cost unlimited data plan

Verizon trotted out a low-cost all-you-can-eat data plan for its subcribers Monday, although it's only available on a few phones.

If you've got a Motorola Q9m, a Verizon Wireless SMT5800 (HTC) or a Verizon Wireless XV6800 (UTStarcom), you can now add a $29.99-a-month e-mail and Web browsing plan to your "qualifying" voice plan. Exactly what the qualifications are was left unsaid in Verizon's press release.

Unlimited plans have been all the rage among the carriers lately, as they try and one-up each other with new pricing. With the growing popularity of smartphones, it also … Read more

Setting the record straight: Verizon's Fios ads and CNET

Verizon is running an ad implying that CNET gave its Fios TV service's picture quality a positive review, calling it "near-flawless." The reality is that a CNET Networks property did use that phrasing in a news story, not a review, and the words are taken out of context.

Adding to the confusion, CNET itself bears some of the blame.

Here's the all-important context: a series of Fios TV spots running in the New York metropolitan area and possibly elsewhere uses a couple of words clipped from a June 21, 2007, CNET News.com piece on Verizon's Fios service. The commercial flashes a quote on the screen that says "near-flawless" along with the CNET logo, while a voiceover proclaims: "Your HDTV doesn't want cable. Give it Verizon Fios, for picture quality the experts call 'near-flawless.'" Another, more-recent ad is also running with a slightly expanded logo-backed quote that reads: "A near-flawless TV experience." Check out the video, which CNET uploaded to YouTube, for the original spot.

Those words did appear on a News.com story (News.com and CNET Reviews are sister sites published by CNET Networks). But the context of the original News.com piece, titled "Verizon's fiber-optic payoff," reads quite differently from how Verizon is using it:

Carriers keeping hands on the reins

Over the last few months, mobile operators have been falling over each other to profess their networks as "open," but a closer look at what they're really doing suggests they have a long way to go.

Traditionally, mobile phone operators have kept a tight grip on their networks. They have determined which phones could be used, what applications could be accessed, which features were enabled, and where subscribers could go on the Internet. But over the past year, Internet companies like Google and Skype have joined with consumer groups to lobby lawmakers and the Federal Communications Commission … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 696: So Say We All

Happy frakkin' Friday! BSG is back, we're recording in a studio other than our own, and Madonna sleeps with her BlackBerry. Ew. Also today, Craig cracks down on a Craigslist blog and a U.K. Internet service provider fights back against the filtering machine. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 696

Craigslist to fan blog: We want your domain, please http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9911446-36.html

Finally: Craigslist launches a blog of their own http://www.craigslistblog.org/2008/04/03/ finally-craigslist-launches-a-blog-of-their-own/

Study: More couch potatoes parked in front of PC to watch TV http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/ 20080404-study-more-couch-potatoes-parked-in-front-of-pc-to-watch-tv.html… Read more