Verizon

LG Venus available now from Verizon

For those of you who have been coveting the LG Venus ever since you got a glimpse of it earlier during our CTIA coverage, you're in luck. That's because the LG Venus has gone official today on Verizon's site for immediate availability. As you remember, the Venus is a unique slider phone that has two screens on the face of it--the lower one is a touch screen for onscreen navigation--and features include EV-DO, a 2-megapixel camera, V Cast support, and more. It's available for $199.99 after a $50 discount and a 2-year service agreement.

What would billionaire Mark Cuban buy if he had the money?

Seems ironic that a billionaire who owns such trifles as a G5 private jet could have unmet wants due to the fact that he can't afford them. But that's exactly the case for Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and the HDNet television network. Not familiar with Mark Cuban? You'll probably know him best from his fancy footwork on Dancing with the Stars (he was just eliminated last month) and the short-lived reality show in which he starred, The Benefactor.

Mark spoke to attendees in the afternoon keynote at the Blog World and New Media ExpoRead more

Verizon's BlackBerry Pearl available in stores Nov. 8

For those Verizon Wirelesscustomers who have been waiting for the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130, the time is here. The pretty little Pearl is available now for purchase online and will be in stores nationwide on November 8 for $149.99 with a two-year contract. Unlike the original, GSM Pearls, the Pearl 8130 features video-recording capabilities, 3G (EV-DO) support, and built-in GPS, which you can use with Verizon's location-based service, VZ Navigator. It also has Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support for stereo Bluetooth headsets, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and support for up to 10 e-mail accounts. Sounds like … Read more

Google pitches Gphones to Verizon

Google is pitching its vaunted Gphone to Verizon Wireless, but the odds are still against the search giant striking a major deal with the second largest phone company in the U.S.

The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported Tuesday evening that Google is in "serious discussions" with Verizon Wireless to put its mobile "GPhone" software on Verizon phones.

For months, people have been speculating about the rumored Google "GPhone." Most people believe that it's not a specific phone, but is more likely an operating system or software that integrates many of Google'… Read more

Inside the world's largest corn maze

DIXON, Calif.--I'm sitting on a stairway in the middle of the world's-largest corn maze and blogging the experience. Literally.

I like to say I'm the first to do things, and of course, you never really know if it's true. But I have to say I think the odds that someone else has been blogging inside this maze, which comprises 40 acres of healthy cornfield in this small farming town near Sacramento, are pretty small. But you never know.

I'm doing it thanks to the Verizon EV-DO card I've been using, and the ability … Read more

Vonage, Verizon settle patent spat for up to $120 million

Updated at 7:25 a.m. PDT Friday.*

Vonage said Thursday it had resolved an ongoing patent dispute with Verizon Communications at a price tag of up to $120 million, ending what has been a mostly gloomy saga for the struggling Internet phone company.

The announcement comes about a month after New Jersey-based Vonage, which has yet to turn a profit, lost the bulk of an appeal regarding three voice over Internet protocol patents held by the nation's second largest telephone company.

The appeals court upheld a jury finding that Vonage had infringed on two patents that are arguably … Read more

Comcast, Verizon troubles illustrate peer-to-peer software opportunity

It's long been an open secret that many major telecommunications companies, including Internet service providers (ISPs) and cellular data providers, impose specific limits on the volume and type of bandwidth consumed by their customers.

"Open" in the sense that these companies almost universally reserve the right to impose such limits, and occasionally make public statements defending their right to do so. "Secret" because the companies rarely reveal their specific limits, and because it seems like these limits are constantly being rediscovered by people who ought to know better.

It reminds me of people who claim … Read more