Personal communications

Google's new Motorola ad one-ups Apple: It's all-American

Timing is everything.

Motorola has discovered this a few times in its interesting history.

So now that it is a Google company, it is attempting to time the launch of its new Moto X phone perfectly.

It has released a teasingly emotive ad, placing its hand on its heart and its flag in the ground.

While Apple has merely embraced the concept of its products being designed in California, Motorola thumbs its nose and displays its all-American credentials.

In ad due to appear July 3, the headline reads: "The first smartphone designed, engineered and assembled in the USA is … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 could arrive in September

Samsung fans, listen up: a new Galaxy Note 3 phone might be right around the corner. A new report claims the latest phablet device from the Korean tech giant could become a reality in September.

Samsung certainly has made a lot of noise about its newest Galaxy S4 superphone, but another of its popular gadget lines, the Galaxy Note franchise, is sorely overdue for a refresh. Now it appears a Note 3 model is in the works, according to sources close to technology blog Android Geeks.

You may recall that the original Galaxy Note first shook up the mobile device … Read more

Gripe and ye shall receive: Google fixes Gmail for Android

Google has come to its senses with its Gmail app for Android.

A June Gmail overhaul dropped the delete button by default from the e-mail software, a move judged to be silly by me and by 88 percent of the CNET readers who responded to our poll.

Plenty of other people didn't give a fig, the button's absence wasn't a showstopper, and it could be restored by changing the settings, but I thought it a departure for a company that today is supposed to be fanatical about crafting a great experience for users.

Well, happily, it's … Read more

T-Mobile to make bold moves July 10

T-Mobile issued invitations today for a media event in New York City on July 10.

Exactly what the carrier has in store for the shindig remains a mystery, but T-Mobile promises that it will deliver its "boldest moves yet." It all begins at 11:30 a.m. PT.

Of course, a flashy new handset (or handsets) is a big possibility, with the Sony Xperia Z as the most likely star. Remember that last week, CNET's Roger Cheng reported that T-Mobile had confirmed that the Xperia Z would go on sale "in the coming weeks."

The … Read more

AT&T turns on 7 new LTE markets, expands in six areas

AT&T has expanded its LTE presence in the U.S.

The company announced Wednesday that it has turned on seven new LTE markets in the U.S. The new markets include Grand Rapids, Minn., Hot Springs, Ark., and Mount Vernon, Ohio. In addition, AT&T has expanded LTE coverage in Atlanta, New York City, and Columbia, S.C., among other areas.

With the new markets, AT&T now has 291 areas with LTE, covering over 200 million people across the U.S. By the end of this year, AT&T expects its LTE rollout to … Read more

Basis Band gains fresh style

Basis Science, the maker of the Basis Band fitness gadget, announced today three splashy wrist straps. The company hopes the straps will bring a fresh dose of chic to the fitness-minded smartwatch.

Named with evocative titles such as Electric Spring, Carbon Steel, and Cityscape, each strap accessory features a distinctive aesthetic. Cityscape ($34.95) uses a black and white street scene motif, whereas Carbon Steel ($49.95) is made from stainless steel and soft silicone.

The Electric Spring strap ($34.95) is the most daring of all, with wildly colored patterns reminiscent of ink drops and flowers.

If you're … Read more

Verizon upgrades rugged G'zOne series with LTE model

Verizon Wireless today expanded its rugged smartphone lineup by announcing the Casio G'zOne Commando 4G LTE.

An update to 2011's Casio G'zOne Commando, the Commando 4G LTE has largely the same design as its predecessor. Clad in black with a few red accents, the handset packs rubber sidings for protection, and top and bottom ends that almost come to a point.

More importantly, it meets the expected military standards (under the MIL-STD-810G certification) for shock immersion, dust, vibration, salt fog, humidity, solar radiation, low pressure, and high and low temperature. What's more, the touch screen, which … Read more

BlackBerry launches Secure Work Space for Android, iPhones

BlackBerry officially launched a service late Monday that allows Apple and Android users to separate personal data and company information on the same device.

Managed through BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 (BES), the long-anticipated Secure Work Space creates a container to keep corporate applications such as e-mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks separate from users' personal apps. The service is designed to prevent data leakage -- including copy and paste -- between the Secure Work Space elements and the rest of the device.

The module will also create a fully encrypted tunnel to the BES server, ensuring that all communications that originate … Read more

WhatsApp is in the big leagues with 250M active users

WhatsApp's active user base could be a cause for worry among some tech companies and wireless carriers.

The messaging service announced Thursday that it has more than 250 million active users -- making it on par with Skype, Facebook Messenger, and Twitter, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Twitter's most recent numbers show more than 200 million monthly active users, while Skype's are 280 million and Facebook Messenger's aren't reported but its app is ranked sixth in free apps in Google Play, according to the Journal.

In the U.S., WhatsApp is ranked first in … Read more