zte

In what's becoming a regular occurrence, Verizon's year-end roadmap has apparently found its way online, according to Phone Arena, tipping the Big Red's smartphone plans.

It should come as no surprise that there's a handful of Android on the horizon, including devices from no fewer than six hardware makers. Should the leaked details prove true, Verizon will soon have a little something for everyone.

First out of the gate will be the Samsung Stratosphere 2, which has been rumored to have a Super AMOLED Plus display, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, an 8-megapixel camera, and a dual-core … Read more

MetroPCS today announced that its next smartphone, the ZTE Anthem 4G, will join the company's roster in the coming weeks. As the first 4G LTE handset from ZTE in the United States, the device is a mixed bag of midrange Android.

The Anthem 4G runs (only) Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and features a a 4.3-inch WVGA display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and a 5-megapixel rear camera. There's also HDMI output and Dolby Surround Audio. Additional specifications for the smartphone include 4GB internal storage, 512MB RAM, and a microSD expansion slot.

As is the case with just … Read more

ZTE, one of China's most prominent handset makers, plans to launch smartphones running the new Firefox OS early next year.

Speaking today to reporters in China, the company said it will launch handsets running Firefox OS in the first quarter of 2013. According to the Wall Street Journal, which was in attendance at the press event, the company didn't say how many Firefox OS-based smartphones it plans to launch, and offered no further details on the devices.

Mozilla announced its ZTE partnership over the summer. At that time, the company also named the operating system Firefox OS. The … Read more

Intel is going to kick off the season of the Windows 8 tablet by hosting an event next week attended by virtually all of the major PC players.

The September 27 event will highlight products using Intel's "Clover Trail" Z2760 (PDF) power-efficient system-on-a-chip (SoC) processor.

"A media event to showcase the latest Intel-based tablet and tablet convertibles, and announce details about the next generation Intel Atom processor (formerly code-named 'Clover Trail')," Intel said in a note sent out to journalists.

Intel's Erik Reid, general manager of Application Processor Platforms in the Mobile and Communications … Read more

Even though the title of the "slimmest" phone changes hands almost every other week, ZTE has claimed the superlative (for now) with its ZTE Grand Era U985. Unveiled recently at a tech expo in China, the phone is a quad-core device with a 0.31-inch profile.

The Nvidia Tegra 3-equipped handset also has a 4.5-inch HD display with 1,280x720-pixel resolution and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera.

The phone operates on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and will be made available to Chinese customers in the next few days.

In addition to the Era U985, ZTE will … Read more

The House Intelligence Committee brought executives from two Chinese telecommunications gear makers to Capitol Hill today to press them on potential threats they pose to national security, but came away with little satisfaction.

"I can say that I am a little disappointed today," committee chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said at the end of the hearing investigating Huawei and ZTE. (CNET viewed the hearing via Webcast.) "I was hoping for a little more transparency... Other inconsistencies worry me greatly."

Rogers and his fellow committee members pressed executives from the two Chinese companies repeatedly, raising allegations that the … Read more

ZTE today used the IFA consumer electronics show to announce its first smartphone to employ Intel's Atom Z2460 "Medfield" mobile processor.

Called the Grand X IN, the handset runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and features a single-core 1.6GHz processor, a 4.3-inch qHD display, and 8-megapixel camera. Like most higher-end Android phones, the ZTE comes with 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a front-facing camera, NFC, and microSD expansion. At first blush, the Grand X IN closely resembles its recent Grand X, save for its processor.

Although pricing and carrier details are still unclear, the … Read more

Today, T-Mobile unveiled its no-contract, entry-level Android device tailored to first-time smartphone users. Manufactured by ZTE, the T-Mobile Concord will sport a 2-megapixel camera, ship natively with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and will be equipped with a 3.5-inch touch-screen display.

Interested users can get their hands on it now at Wal-Mart, for $99.98, along with a Wal-Mart Family Mobile no annual contract plan. Starting August 26, the Concord will be sold at Target for $99.99, with a Monthly4G plan. Unfortunately, the Concord is not a 4G-enabled device.

Not every phone can be great. Sometimes, in the rush to get a phone to market, the final product comes out a little half-baked.

A few weeks ago, CNET's Jessica Dolcourt published a blog post called "Don't buy these phones." Being the math whiz that I am, I noticed that her list had five phones and I promptly rehashed it to fit my purposes.

Now, these aren't terrible phones. Most are rated between 2 and 3 stars. They work as advertised, they won't fall apart … Read more