Personal communications

Boost announced today that it has begun offering the LG Venice, a variant of the LG Optimus L7 and U.S. Cellular's LG Splendor, for $219.99.

The handset has a 4.3-inch screen and runs on the Android 4.0 platform.

Its 5-megapixel rear-facing camera is capable of shooting 720p HD video and comes with an LED flash. A VGA front-facing camera is also included.

As a Boost device, users will get access to Boost Mobile ID, which allows users to customize their phones with preselected apps and widgets, depending on what ID package they choose.

The Venice … Read more

If you own an old-school Razr Maxx and have been gazing longingly at Motorola's latest creation, the Droid Razr Maxx HD, here's a tidbit to consider. Its bigger screen and more robust processing comes at a price: a shorter run time. … Read more

Android applications are once again in the hotseat over possible security vulnerabilities.

Security researchers at the Leibniz University of Hanover in Germany recently released a study (PDF) examining the way in which legitimate Android applications in the Google Play marketplace respond to attacks on security protocols known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS). In eight percent of those cases, the researchers found that apps used the security protocols improperly, leaving sensitive data open to hackers with some know-how.

The security team, however, didn't suggest that anyone has yet deliberately exploited these vulnerabilities.

SSL and TLS … Read more

Score another one for Apple. Or two.

Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported over the weekend that Apple won a pair of cases against Samsung over the last several weeks. The first, which came down in mid-September, found that Apple did not infringe a Samsung patent related to application downloads. The second ruling occurred earlier this month, and found that Apple did not violate Samsung patents related to airplane mode.

According to Foss Patents' Florian Mueller, Samsung had also tried to claim infringement against a third patent related to the way in which space is used on a home screen, but … Read more

Now that T-Mobile has announced plans to host its showcase event , it looks like Monday, October 29, will be a really big day for mobile news. Not only will T-Mobile be switching on its PR machine into overdrive, both Google and Microsoft are hosting major press conferences. … Read more

The Federal Trade Commission is offering a cash reward of $50,000 to whoever develops a solution to block robotic calling on both landlines and mobiles.

In 2009, the FTC banned automatic commercial telemarketing calls -- but solicitation is still a problem as advanced technology makes illegal, irritating calls more difficult to block.

The FTC Robocall Challenge site says that anyone who wants to take on the war with robo-marketeers can submit their idea from October 25 to January 17.

The FTC is asking these basic questions: does it work? Is it easy to use? And can it be rolled … Read more

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son is ready and willing to entertain other buyout possibilities in the U.S., he has reportedly confirmed.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published yesterday, Son said that he isn't yet willing to rule out other acquisition deals, though he didn't specifically cite any company that might be in his crosshairs. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, who was also present at the interview, told the Journal that at some point in the future, he could see his company merge with T-Mobile.

Softbank announced earlier this week that it would pay $20.1 billion … Read more

The drama between Sprint and Clearwire might finally be coming to an end.

The carrier announced today in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it has entered into a deal with Eagle River Holdings that will see it receive additional voting power.

Up to now, Sprint held 48.1 percent voting power, giving it substantial control but not enough for it to solely determine Clearwire's future. Eagle River Holdings has 2.3 percent voting power, and its chief executive, Craig McCaw, owns another 2.3 percent.

According to the filing, Eagle River Holdings will sell nearly 31 million … Read more

Now you see it, now you don't.

Just over a month after car-hailing service Uber launched support for taxi service in New York City, the company is pulling out, CEO Travis Kalanick confirmed to CNET in an e-mailed statement today. All mention of taxi service in New York City has also been removed from the company's Web site.

"We did the best we could to get more yellows on the road but New York's TLC (Taxi and Limousine Commission) put up obstacles and roadblocks in order to squash the effort around e-hail which they privately have … Read more