verizon

LAS VEGAS--HD Voice has suddenly become a hot topic at this year's Consumer Electronic Show.

The feature, which significantly enhances call quality by improving voice clarity while blocking out background noise, has been long touted by the wireless carriers. Widely available in Europe for years, the U.S. carriers have lagged behind.

T-Mobile said yesterday that HD Voice was now available on select phones in its lineup. PC Mag reported that AT&T was shooting for a launch some time this year. Now Verizon has stepped in, and told CNET that it would offer the feature in 2014. … Read more

LAS VEGAS -- Redbox Instant by Verizon isn't a Netflix killer, and it's okay with that.

Executives from the joint venture were at the Consumer Electronics Show to talk up its video streaming and DVD rental service, which went into beta a few weeks ago.

CEO Shawn Strickland, a former Verizon executive, wanted to make it clear Redbox Instant would not compete against Netflix. His service would offer up new and some older movies -- and only movies. He said he believes there's a segment of consumers who are hungry for nothing but a film experience.

"… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Anyone tuning in to the livestream of Verizon's 2013 CES keynote hoping for news likely left disappointed. The hourlong event featured lots of rhetoric but little in the way of new data or product announcements.

In his first address to the CES audience as Verizon's CEO, Lowell McAdam spent an hour explaining the various industries being transformed by mobile Internet connections -- and, indirectly, talking up Verizon's prospects in a world in which more and more workers need persistent, high-bandwidth connections everywhere they go.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Ford Motor Co. Chief Technology Officer Paul … Read more

Verizon Wireless found a buyer for more of its unwanted 700MHz wireless spectrum.

On Tuesday, Verizon announced it has struck a deal with regional carrier U.S. Cellular to sell its 700MHz A block spectrum licenses in Oklahoma City and in 31 surrounding counties. The licenses cover roughly 1.9 million potential customers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Federal Communications Commission must still approve the transaction.

Verizon acquired some 700MHz licenses in the lower A block in various markets during the FCC's 2008 auction. It also bought the nationwide 700MHz in the upper C block. Verizon … Read more

Lowell McAdam officially took over as CEO and chairman of Verizon on January 1, 2012. Just over a year into the job, McAdam will take the stage at CES on Tuesday to discuss Verizon's plans for 2013. The event kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT (7:30 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, January 8, and CNET will be there to cover it live. We'll have a live blog full of news and analysis, as the event unfolds.

You can tune in to the blog and video stream here:

LAS VEGAS -- In a prelude to his keynote at CES here, Verizon chief executive Lowell McAdam told investors that the company's fourth quarter was its best quarter ever. Verizon added 2.1 million net subscribers during the quarter, a historic high for the company, he said.

"Thirty percent of our net adds are new to Verizon," McAdam said.

McAdam, who made the remarks at the 2013 Citi Global Internet, Media & Communications Conference that's also taking place in Las Vegas, stated that Verizon's base of LTE devices grew from 16 percent to 23 percent … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Samsung today announced a 4G LTE Verizon of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet.

Almost identical to the Wi-Fi-only version of the Note 10.1, Verizon's model will arrive this month. Samsung did not make pricing available.

The Note 10.1 tablet comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Samsung's suite of productivity tools, along with the S Pen stylus that's chock full of artsy and productivity tricks.

You can get acquainted in CNET's full Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet review.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify the differing roles between Delphi and Verizon, and the name of the service.

LAS VEGAS--With a black box the size of a pack of playing cards plugged into a car's OBD2 port, Delphi gives owners a variety of control and information features, from tracking to remotely locking and unlocking the doors. Delphi partnered with Verizon to offer the Vehicle Diagnostics device and its associated Connected Car service, which emulates many of the features available from modern telematics services.

After plugging the Delphi Vehicle Diagnostics device into a car's … Read more

The good news is that owners of the Samsung Galaxy S3 through Verizon now have global roaming capabilities. The bad news is that Verizon apparently believes the "sometime after launch" promise it made equals a half-year wait.

Last June, when the Galaxy S3 was about to launch, I wrote about how Verizon promised it would allow for global roaming and using any SIM card, not just one locked to a Verizon calling plan. From my column back then, Verizon said: