wireless

LAS VEGAS -- Competitive wireless carriers say a AT&T-Verizon Wireless "duopoly" is threatening mobile competition in the U.S., and they want regulators in Washington, D.C., to "level the playing field."

At a conference here Tuesday hosted by the newly branded Competitive Carrier Association, nationwide carriers T-Mobile USA, Sprint, and Clearwire joined forces with more than 100 smaller rural carriers that formerly made up the Rural Carrier Association to sharpen their talking points and organize their lobbying efforts to promote policies that will encourage and safeguard competition in the wireless market.

The message … Read more

Our present isn't nearly as wireless as our past promised our future would be. (Oh, it does too make sense.)

For example, planning to mount a TV on the wall or a projector on the ceiling? Be prepared for a mess of wires to go with it, what with the cable box, Blu-ray player, game console, Apple TV, and other goodies you'll want to connect.

Ideally, you'd be able to wirelessly beam all your video sources to your video destination, with little to no lag and HD fidelity intact. And you can, with today's deal.

For … Read more

The iPhone 5 has arrived, and it's pretty great. But I can't shake this nagging feeling that Apple could have done more.

A week ago, CNET's David Carnoy penned a great roundup of the most-wanted features that didn't make it into the iPhone 5. It seemed like easy pickings for a Top 5 video, so I imposed a ranking, stood in front of a camera, and created the video you see before you (click here if you don't see a video at the top of this … Read more

AT&T mobile subscribers in Seattle and Portland can now grab their own slice of LTE.

The carrier announced today that it has turned the switch on its high-speed network for customers in both cities. That brings AT&T's total number of LTE-enabled markets to 72.

Earlier this month, the company activated 4G LTE access in Anchorage, Alaska, Bakersfield, Calif., Jacksonville, Fla., Modesto, Calif., Omaha, Neb., Syracuse, N.Y., and Bridgeport, Conn.

An AT&T spokesman told CNET that the company plans to reach a total of 100 cities by the end of 2012 and complete … Read more

Apple's AirPlay, which wirelessly streams movies and music between devices, has a new competitor.

The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced the launch of Miracast, an industry-standard technology that will let users wirelessly transmit video and images from one device to another. As with Apple's AirPlay, users will be able to send the multimedia from, say, a mobile device to a big-screen television.

According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, a not-for-profit industry association of hundreds of companies, all Miracast products come with Wi-Fi Direct, meaning users won't need a wireless network to transfer the data. In addition, the technology automatically … Read more

It's kind of strange timing for Gogo to quietly raise its in-flight Internet prices -- with airplane Wi-Fi usually being frustrating rather than helpful and JetBlue just announcing it's offering it for free -- but according to PandoDaily, the wireless service has upped their costs.

In what used to be $17.95 for Wi-Fi on a long flight on Virgin America now costs at least $30. Because rather than offering a one-time flight pass, Gogo is now charging by the hour. One hour of in-flight wireless costs $10, so a cross-country flight could be about $60. That's … Read more

And now for something completely different.

Need a wireless speaker to complete your home-theater surround system? How about a Pandora-friendly speaker for the living room? Maybe you're just tired of sitting in the dark.

Whatever the case, here's a product I didn't even know existed until this morning, but now feel I must have: today only, 1SaleADay has the Soundolier DUO-CP lamp with wireless speaker for $129.99, plus $4.99 for shipping.

The Soundolier has a list price of $379.99, and that's exactly what you'd pay for one at Amazon. Elsewhere I've … Read more

Now that the iPhone 5 is official, the real fun can begin. Ensuring that you'll be one of the lucky few to have the latest iPhone in your hands at the end of launch weekend can be a challenge.

There are more carriers and retailers selling the newest iPhone on launch day than ever before. We'll continue updating this page with the latest information surrounding the iPhone 5 launch on September 21, and how you can get your hands on it as soon as possible.

Apple

If you're into the whole line-standing, fanfare, and clapping-employee thing, Apple … Read more

Verizon Wireless and AT&T have pushed back shipment dates on iPhone 5 as pre-orders continue to pile up.

AT&T's Web site says every configuration of the iPhone 5 will ship in 14 to 21 business days, which means some orders could arrive as late as October. Verizon says the phone will be delivered on September 28.

The shipment delays follow similar messages found on Apple's own Web site. They underscore the continued demand and appeal of the iPhone 5, even if some critics have considered it a disappointing upgrade.

Sprint Nextel, however, isn't … Read more