wireless

The Federal Communications Commission has approved Google's plan to operate a database that would allow unlicensed TV broadcast spectrum to be used for wireless broadband and shared among many users.

Google, which was granted commission approval on Friday, is the latest company to complete the FCC's 45-day testing phase. Spectrum Bridge and Telcordia completed their trials, and there are another 10 companies, including Microsoft, which are working on similar databases. The new database will keep track of the TV broadcast frequencies in use so that wireless broadband devices can take advantage of the unlicensed space on the spectrum, … Read more

The U.S. Department of Defense is building its own secure 4G network to improve collaboration among separate branches of the military, according to the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The network is part of an effort dubbed "Joint Information Environment," which will consolidate 15,000 Defense Department networks in the cloud, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey said in a speech (PDF) delivered Thursday at the Brookings Institute, an influential think tank based in Washington, D.C. In addition to greater collaboration, the new network will be "significantly more secure, helping ensure the integrity … Read more

Your car's brake lights are simple, right? You step on the big pedal, the red lights on your vehicle's tail illuminate, and drivers behind you can see that you're slowing down. But what if your next car's brake lights could let drivers who aren't in line of sight know that you're slowing; what if they could let drivers rounding a bend know that you're slowed or stopped on the other side?

That's Ford's vision for its experimental Electronic Brake Light technology -- an odd moniker, as all brake lights are typically … Read more

Verizon Wireless has built a loyal following by having a rock-solid network. But the carrier is not known for having the widest selection of cool devices.

Getting Apple's iPhone a couple of years ago helped ease the frustration. But Verizon's slow adoption of one of the season's hottest smartphones has some subscribers scratching their heads.

In this Ask Maggie edition, I offer my insights on choosing a Verizon smartphone. I also explain to another reader the best option for making sure you are never left out of a Google Android software update.

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

Verizon Wireless subscribers interested in the Galaxy S4 Developer Edition can now order one directly through Samsung.

Selling for $650, the unlocked developer edition offers all the features of the standard S4. But as per its name, it's geared toward developers and other people who want to tweak the phone without running into the obstacles posed by the locked version.

An unlocked boot-loader gives you the ability to reprogram the phone with custom ROMs that carry only the OS and basic apps. You can then install a variety of apps of your own choosing and make other changes.

The … Read more

The fight for ownership of Sprint Nextel is drawing to a close, as Sprint shareholders overwhelmingly voted to approve an offer from Japan's SoftBank to buy the company.

Approximately 98 percent of the votes cast on Tuesday supported SoftBank's offer. The deal must still be approved by the Federal Communications Commission. But Softbank said it believes the deal should close in early July.

"Today is a historic day for our company, and I want to thank our shareholders for approving this transformative merger agreement," Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said in a statement. "The transaction with … Read more

The fight for Clearwire is heating up as Sprint has increased its bid for the company in light of a recent increase by rival Dish Network, which also wants to buy the nationwide wireless broadband carrier.

On Thursday, Sprint announced it is increasing its bid to acquire the remaining shares it doesn't already own to $5 a share. Clearwire's special committee and board of directors are now recommending to shareholders that they reject Dish Network's offer and instead consider the offer from Sprint.

In May, Dish Network increased its bid for the company to $4.40 per share in cash, … Read more

Wireless charging isn't a very useful idea if every device needs a separate charging station, which is why it's notable that Intel has joined a newer consortium called the Alliance for Wireless Power

The chipmaker got itself a seat on A4WP's board of directors, joining Samsung, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Integrated Device Technology, and Gill Industries, the consortium said Wednesday in a statement (PDF).

Intel likes A4WP because the technology extends not just to mobile phones but also laptops. Here's how Navin Shenoy, vice president of Intel's PC client group and general manager of its mobile client … Read more