Carriers

Sprint is really pulling out all the stops lately to differentiate itself from the rest of the big nationwide carriers. Its latest attempt is to offer a decidedly fantastic money back guarantee. Starting April 1, 2010, Sprint will give new customers 30 days to try out Sprint service, and if they are not completely satisfied, Sprint will give them a refund for absolutely everything--the device purchase, the activation fee, the service plan charges, all taxes and surcharges--and the company will waive the early termination and restocking fees, too. AT&T and Verizon have 30-day policies as well, but they … Read more

As we pack our bags to leave Las Vegas, It's time to reflect on the CTIA that was. After a sleeper of a show last year, 2010 was quite eventful. The show floor was busier, the announcements were bigger, and there was more of a buzz permeating the Las Vegas Convention Center. It can be hard to keep track of it all, so here's a summary of what we saw.

4G Sprint and HTC grabbed most of the spotlight when they announced their new HTC Evo 4G. The Evo is more than just hype; it's slick and powerful and Sprint has a growing WiMax network (it might switch to LTE, however). Indeed, we liked it so much that we named it the top phone at CTIA. Yet, Sprint was not alone in pushing 4G; MetroPCS and Samsung announced the LTE-equipped SCH-r900 for Las Vegas and other markets later this year. Read Maggie Reardon's recent take on 4G for a great perspective on how the technology could develop. T-Mobile tried to counter the 4G news by promoting its 3G network and AT&T execs advocated for more spectrum.

Android Just like at CES and Mobile World Congress, Android went big at CTIA this year. We saw the first Android phone from Nextel, Kyocera's first Android handset, a Dell Android device, and the promising Samsung Galaxy S. Oh, and did we mention that the Evo 4G runs Android 2.1? Nice.

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LAS VEGAS--To many people's disappointment, we didn't see any handset news from Verizon Wireless at CTIA 2010, but the carrier did announce that it will launch its own app store on March 29, among an already crowded field of app stores.

The V Cast Apps store will be available first on the RIM BlackBerry Storm 2, but will be rolled out to additional devices in the next few weeks. The store will complement other stores, such as BlackBerry App World and Android Market, but hopes to leverage itself by allowing customers to bill app purchases directly to their … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Day two of CTIA 2010 is in the books, and it was another action-packed 24 hours filled with talk of wireless trends and product announcements. If you missed any of the news, don't worry. We've rounded up the highlights of the day's events, which include our hands-on analysis and photo galleries, right here for your reading pleasure.

LAS VEGAS--After months of trial tests in select parts of the country, AT&T announced Wednesday that it'll begin rolling out its 3G MicroCell femtocell solution nationwide beginning in mid-April. Yes, that will include San Francisco and New York City, two of the more maligned cities when it comes to AT&T coverage.

As a reminder, AT&T's 3G MicroCell acts as a mini cell tower in the home to improve both signal strength and data connections via your home's broadband connection. The 3G MicroCell unit will sell for $149.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--MetroPCS leaped ahead two of its larger rivals today when it announced that it would introduce 4G LTE networks in the second half of this year. The network, which will come first to Las Vegas, will run on a Samsung-powered infrastructure. Sammy also will provide Metro PCS's first LTE phone, the SCH-r900.

Samsung didn't reveal any details about the SCH-r900, but we know that it will run support CDMA and LTE. Metro PCS's remains light on smartphones so we don't expect the SCH-r900 to go that route. Previous Metro PCS Samsung handsets include the touch-screen … Read more

LAS VEGAS--To no one's surprise, Sprint kicked off CTIA 2010 here by announcing its first 4G phone. The HTC Evo 4G is not only the carrier's first WiMax cell phone--previously the carrier only has offered 4G laptop cards and the Samsung Mondi--but also the first commercially available 4G handset with a major U.S. carrier. The Evo runs Google Android OS 2.1; finally, a new Android phone meets the world with the latest Android OS available.

From the outset, the Evo is an attractive touch-screen device that closely resembles the HTC HD2. We got a taste of the Evo's candy bar design when photos of the HTC Supersonic leaked in late January. And in the end, the final product doesn't stray far from those initial impressions.

The massive 4.3-inch display is quite a looker. Its rich resolution and color support make for a pleasant browsing experience. The touch screen also appeared to be accurate and responsive in our brief hands-on. Below the display are four touch controls for the home screen, main menu, search, and backing out of a page. There's physical navigation control, but that's fine since we rely on the touch screen for most navigation anyway.

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LAS VEGAS--AT&T executives are pushing the government to allocate more spectrum for wireless broadband and back off on regulation in order to keep the mobile broadband growth engine revving.

Ralph de la Vega, head of AT&T Mobility and the new chairman of CTIA, and Randall Stephenson, the CEO of AT&T, each spoke at the CTIA 2010 wireless trade show here Tuesday about how the U.S. leads the world in wireless broadband, but they emphasized the need for more spectrum and a light regulatory touch from the government to keep the momentum going.

De … Read more

Though it feels like I just got off the plane from Europe and Mobile World Congress--and claimed my broken suitcase, thank you very much, Lufthansa--it's time to board another flight to another cell phone trade show. Next week, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) holds its spring wireless bash in Las Vegas. It's the larger of the industry association's two annual events and we're expecting to be busy chasing news. Though last year's show--check out this retrospective for a look back--was a bit quiet, a few trends are emerging for 2010. The fun … Read more