Signal Strength

Confused by Google Android updates? Join the club

The dizzying pace of Google Android OS upgrades may leave many consumers scratching their heads in confusion and others pulling out their hair in frustration.

The first smarpthone sporting the new Ice Cream Sandwich software, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, hit the market today in the U.K. The hotly anticipated device will be available in other markets around the world by the end of the month.

The biggest selling point of the new smartphone is the software: Ice Cream Sandwich. This new OS not only redesigns the Android user interface and provides one release of software for both tablets and … Read more

Cox hangs up on cell phone service

Cox Communications is shutting down its wireless phone service, the company announced late Tuesday.

The cable provider said that it will stop selling its wireless service to new customers starting Wednesday, November 16. But it will continue offering the service to current customers until March 30, 2012. The company is offering current customers a $150 credit for every line that is being disconnected. And it is also waiving early termination fees.

Cox uses Sprint Nextel's 3G wireless network to deliver its mobile phone service. The company said that it was discontinuing the service because it was unable to compete … Read more

Visa brands its digital wallet V.me

Visa has officially launched its new brand for its digital wallet, called V.me, as the credit card company also works to court app developers to help further is mobile payment platform.

Early next year, Visa will start marketing its digital wallet as V.me, a brand that is differentiated from its Visa credit card brand. The new digital wallet, which works a lot like PayPal by allowing users to link the wallet to other forms of payment like an existing credit card, will make it easier for customers to make online purchases, especially from their mobile phones.

Instead of … Read more

AT&T to sell Kindle Touch 3G

Looking to buy a Kindle Touch this holiday season? Well, Amazon.com won't be the only place the new device will be available.

Starting next week, AT&T said it will sell the 3G version of the Kindle Touch e-reader, one of three new e-readers recently announced by Amazon. The Kindle Touch offers a new touch screen. AT&T will charge $149 for the device, the same price as Amazon.com.

This is the first time AT&T will be selling the Kindle e-reader in its retail stores. And it will give people an opportunity to … Read more

Help! Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet?

At less than $250 a pop, Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet are sure to be hot gifts this holiday season.

The new, low-cost tablets are ushering a new era in tablet computing by making these devices more affordable. In fact, they're so cheap in comparison to other devices on the market that a shopper could get two Kindle Fires or Nook Tablets for less than or the same price as one Apple iPad.

So which low-cost tablet is right for you or for those on your shopping list? In this edition of Ask … Read more

$19 for unlimited cell phone service? Am I dreaming?

Cash-strapped wireless subscribers can now get unlimited everything smartphone service for less than $20 a month. So what's the catch? And is it really worth it?

That's the question I help answer for one reader in this edition of Ask Maggie. Indeed, Republic Wireless's $19 a month plan requires customers use Wi-Fi wherever they can. While this may be a good fit for some wireless customers, it's not for others.

The same is true of other prepaid services. While the advertisements may make some prepaid services seem cheaper than services from bigger nationwide rivals, consumers need … Read more

Ditching the work-issued BlackBerry (Ask Maggie)

Corporate types are kissing their company-issued BlackBerry smartphones buh-bye. And Ask Maggie is here to help the newly liberated choose a smartphone of their own.

Companies large and small are recognizing the benefits of allowing their employees to bring their own smartphones into work rather than issuing them devices. Additional on-device security features and productivity apps on Google Android, Apple iPhone, and Microsoft Windows Phone smartphones is making corporate IT departments more comfortable with opening the networks to other devices, too.

But with so many smartphones to choose from, where does a smartphone newbie begin? In this edition of Ask … Read more

Don't get scammed when selling your old iPhone (Ask Maggie)

I am the first to admit when I am wrong. And indeed, I made a mistake a few weeks ago when I mentioned in this column a certain Web site as a place to sell an old iPhone without checking the reputation of the site mentioned.

In the October 4 edition of Ask Maggie, headlined Where to unload your laptop for top dollar, I listed the Web site CashForiPhones.com as a place to sell a used iPhone. Since then, I've learned from various readers and through my own investigation, that this particular Web site has a reputation for … Read more

HTC unveils latest Beats-enabled Android smartphone (live blog)

Editor's note: We used Cover It Live for this event, so if you missed the live blog, you can still replay it in the embedded component below. Replaying the event will give you all the live updates along with commentary from our readers and CNET reporters. To get the key points from today's announcement, you can check out a summary of what got announced, in our story here. You can also read CNET's first impressions of the Rezound with Beats Audio. To get a closer look at the device, see the slideshow of our hands-on. And check out this video from CNET TV.

NEW YORK--HTC is expected to launch its latest 4G LTE handset with integrated Beats Audio technology at an event here today.

The company hasn't been too secretive about the new device, which is called the HTC Rezound and is expected to operate on Verizon's network. Advertising has already been spotted in Verizon Wireless stores. The new HTC Rezound (aka HTC Vigor) is expected to have a 4.3-inch 720p HD touch screen, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and an 8-megapixel camera.

But the big draw for the new device could be the integrated Beats Audio technology. The new audio technology comes from HTC's acquisition of Dr. Dre's Beats Electronics. There are already a couple of devices on the market that use the technology.

… Read more