Carriers

When you strip it all away -- the e-mail and texting, the voice navigation, and Angry Birds -- your smartphone isn't a smartphone at all. It's a radio.

The job of a radio is to detect, receive, and maintain the signal that leashes the cell phone to the network. When you turn on your phone, it chirps out data that lets the network know another cell phone has hopped on board.

The network authenticates the phone, and the phone is free to send and receive data or calls. In other words, more fundamentally than software and the processor, … Read more

MobileCon, the rebranded mobile show that used to be known as Fall CTIA, runs October 9 to 11 in San Diego, CA. As before, the show will have a strong IT and enterprise focus, but we'll still see consumer goodies crop up in the form of new handsets.

What we won't see is the mass press conference spectacle of January's CES or the absolute circus of February's Mobile World Congress at the quieter MobileCon. Instead, expect news generated in private meetings and unexpected press releases for new smartphones.

Although AT&T already announced its fall lineup … Read more

Perhaps to challenge Verizon's supremacy, AT&T held an exciting press event in New York. On display was everything from the new HTC One X+ to Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 flagship phone, Nokia's Lumia 920. … Read more

When I read the news this morning that Motorola had acquired facial and gesture recognition company Viewdle, the first thing that crossed my mind was, "Here comes multi-user profiles for Android."

Why? Because it's the next logical step for the platform, and one that could help differentiate it from Apple. That, and it's something for which I'm really hoping. Assuming I read the tea leaves properly, future versions of Android will introduce the capability to unlock a device with your face that leads to individual profile settings. … Read more

RIM needs a halo smartphone desperately to stem the tide of consumers drifting to Android and iOS. Apparently such a handset, the Aristo, is right around the corner. … Read more

Perhaps believing that it's not wise to put all its smartphones in an iPhone basket, AT&T has been on an Android tear lately. The last two weeks have yielded eight handset announcements with more on the way as we head full-on into the holiday buying season. Suffice it to say, AT&T is headed into the fourth quarter with its strongest Android lineup to date.… Read more

If you want fast 4G, move to Australia.

After looking over recent LTE test results from San Francisco and New York where downloads speeds topped out at 23.6Mbps, I feel an uncontrollable urge to gloat. Our 4G speeds in Australia are up to four times faster, and here's why.

Signal strengths (and weaknesses) First, there are technological differences between the 4G networks in Australia and similar networks in the United States. Significantly, they operate on higher frequencies, with both Tesltra and Optus (two of our biggest carriers) repurposing (mostly) unused 1,800MHz spectrum to deliver 4G services, while … Read more

AT&T said today that it plans to sell LG's flagship Optimus G super smartphone, adding to an already crowded lineup of mobile devices.

The Optimus G is one of the first phones to run Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon processor, allowing it to handle complex tasks such as pinch-to-zooming a high-definition video clip as its running, or working in a second application with video playing in the background.

AT&T didn't provide information on pricing or availability.

Along with a 1.5 gigahertz quad-core Snapdragon processor, the Optimus G is packed with 2 gigabytes of RAM, … Read more

It may sound wacky but a new accessory from Swissvoice, the ePure Bluetooth Station, will transform cell phones into virtual home handsets. The setup is designed to mimic the shape and feel of an old-school desktop ringer but is capable of much more. … Read more