Wireless

Smartphones and tablets are no longer just for surfing the Web and checking e-mail. They've also become mini-TVs.

But figuring out the best place to get your video for these devices is not easy. Sure there are tons of companies offering access to the latest movies and TV shows for streaming or downloading onto all kinds of mobile devices. But not all services work with all devices. In this Ask Maggie, I help one reader figure out how to choose a service. I also explain how those free online music services work.

Caught between a gadget and a hard … Read more

The CEO of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is cutting top brass as the troubled company attempts to regain its footing in the competitive smartphone market, according to a report by The Globe and Mail.

An unnamed source told the publication that executives at the senior vice president and vice president levels were told before the company released quarterly results that they no longer had jobs. Executives in the sales and marketing teams were hit hardest, the unnamed source said.

RIM has steadily been losing market share to competitors such as Apple and companies building devices using the Google Android … Read more

Congressional Republicans are taking aim once again at the Federal Communications Commission.

Earlier this week, House Republicans approved legislation that would put limits on conditions that the FCC could impose on future mergers and wireless spectrum license transfers. The legislation would also require the FCC to justify the costs and benefits of new rules it imposes as well as imposes a "shot clock" when making decisions. The legislation also requires the FCC to publish proposed rules before voting on them.

Senate Democrats oppose the legislation. And President Obama has threatened to veto it if it reaches his desk. … Read more

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has taken a big step in freeing up more wireless spectrum for wireless broadband service providers.

The agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced on Monday that it has determined that it can repurpose 95MHz of wireless spectrum used by the government for commercial use. Specifics of how and when this spectrum will be cleared, and how much it will cost, are still being developed. But the agency said its preliminary report shows that it is possible.

The addition of this 95MHz of spectrum, which lies in the 1755MHz-to-1850MHz … Read more

What's better than getting a great deal on one of the hottest smartphones on the market? How about getting a good deal on two of these devices.

In this edition of Ask Maggie I help one reader get the best deal I could find on the Motorola Razr Maxx, one of my favorite Google Android devices on the market. And I help another reader, who wants the most social smartphone around, decide if Windows Phone is right for him.

Dear Maggie, My girlfriend and I both have HTC Incredibles. We are both due for an upgrade on March 21. … Read more

When AT&T slowed down Matt Spaccarelli's unlimited data plan on his iPhone, the unemployed truck driver from Simi Valley, Calif. took the country's largest phone company to court. And as a surprise to all, he won.

But Spaccarelli's victory rings hollow. In fact, the route he was forced to take -- suing AT&T by himself as opposed to employing a more influential and wider ranging class-action lawsuit -- illustrates just how difficult it is to change a carrier's business practice through legal means. Rather than big changes and a return of his … Read more

AT&T is using T-Mobile's recent layoffs as an excuse to bash the FCC and its rejection of AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA.

On Friday AT&T's head of legislative affairs Jim Cicconi issued a statement offering a big fat "I told you so," to the FCC. T-Mobile recently announced it was laying off 1,900 workers in seven call centers around the country.

Cicconi said in his statement that AT&T had planned to keep those very same call centers open if it had been allowed … Read more

Research In Motion plans to give software developers prototypes running the new BlackBerry 10 software in early May, according to Bloomberg News.

Alec Saunders, RIM's vice president of developer relations said the company will hand out as many as 2,000 devices using the BlackBerry 10 software at the company's BlackBerry Jam conference in Orlando, Fla. in early May.

Saunders said that the fact that RIM will be handing out so many device with the new software is an important step forward for the development of the software.

"It's tangible evidence of the company making progress … Read more

AT&T has taken a lot of heat over the past few months for slowing down service for its heaviest data users on its unlimited plans. But what about Verizon Wireless, which also still offers unlimited data to its older smartphone customers?

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I explain how Verizon Wireless implements its network management policy to ensure that its wireless data network isn't overwhelmed by unlimited data plan users gone wild. I also offer another reader some advice on which Android smartphone to buy from Verizon.

Does Verizon throttle unlimited data service, too?

Dear Maggie, … Read more