wireless

ZTE showcases Aio Wireless handset, the Prelude (hands-on)

LAS VEGAS -- In conjunction with the news that AT&T will be launching its own prepaid network called Aio Wireless (which the company actually announced earlier this month), the ZTE Prelude made an appearance at this week's CTIA tech show.

Available for $49.99, the device is a compact, entry-level smartphone that surprisingly runs the more recent Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.

Design Measuring in at 4.6 inches tall, 2.4 inches wide, and 0.43 inch thick, the Prelude is small and compact, and weighs 4.4 ounces.

Its design isn't anything to … Read more

Three tri-band hot spots join Sprint's ranks

LAS VEGAS -- Sprint just announced a trio of tri-band LTE mobile hot spots today at CTIA 2013. The devices are the Netgear Zing, the Netgear 341U, and the Novatel Wireless MiFi 500LTE.

The most striking product is the Netgear Zing, which not only connects to Sprint's 3G and 4G networks to supply up to 10 users simultaneously, it also features a large LCD touch screen. In fact Sprint claims it's the first hot spot it has offered with a touch-controlled display. Another added bonus to the Zing is it's capable of roaming globally on GSM networks. … Read more

Customers not as happy with iPhone as they were last year

More customers are satisfied with Apple's phones than any other handsets, but they're not as happy as they were last year, a new report said.

According to an American Customer Satisfaction Index report issued today, Apple received a score of 81 (on a scale of 100) in terms of customer satisfaction. But the company dropped 2 percent from its 2012 position, and the iPhone lags the customer satisfaction rating of 86 for Apple's desktop, laptop, and tablet business.

At the same time, satisfaction with Motorola phones jumped 5 percent from 2012 to 77, and Nokia grew 1 … Read more

SoftBank grants waiver for Sprint to talk more to Dish

SoftBank made a bold move in its ongoing battle with Dish to acquire Sprint. The Japanese wireless carrier gave Sprint a special waiver on Monday to let it go into more broad talks with Dish.

While this seems counterintuitive, SoftBank said that it believes further talks between Dish and Sprint will only show the U.S. wireless carrier that SoftBank is the superior candidate for the acquisition.

"We continue to believe that our agreed transaction, which we plan to close in approximately six weeks, creates substantially greater value and provides far greater certainty for Sprint shareholders," SoftBank Holdings … Read more

Dish said to bid $2B for Lightsquared spectrum

LightSquared's wireless spectrum could be getting a new owner, according to a new report.

According to Bloomberg, Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen made a $2 billion bid last week for LightSquared's radio frequencies, which are owned by private investment firm Harbinger Capital Partners.

Bloomberg added, based on unnamed sources said to be familiar with the deal, that LightSquared has until the end of the month to make a decision.

Dish is already bogged down by other networking and communications deals floating around -- namely a $25.5 billion bid for Sprint Nextel. The nation's third-largest mobile provider … Read more

CTIA 2013 preview: Spring show quietly fades away

LAS VEGAS -- When Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Lopez are the biggest draws for a technology show, there's a problem.

The CTIA Wireless trade group's spring show officially kicks off for the last time on Tuesday. It marks an unceremonious end to the conference, which next year will merge with its sister show in the fall to better align itself with the holiday shopping season.

While CTIA still touts itself as the largest wireless show in North America, its influence and importance have waned in the last few years. CTIA has always had the misfortune of following at … Read more

Nokia Lumia 928 launches for sale via Verizon

Verizon subscribers eying Nokia's new Lumia 928 can now pick up the phone either online or offline.

As previously promised, the 928 went on sale Thursday, available through Verizon's Web site and its brick-and-mortar retail stores.

Selling the phone for $99 with the standard two-year agreement, Verizon is currently offering a ship date of May 20, so eager buyers won't have long to wait.

The Lumia 928 is a smaller, lighter, and sleeker version of its 920 predecessor and offers an AMOLED display and a brighter flash. Like all Lumias, it runs Microsoft's Windows Phone software.… Read more

Three great-sounding affordable sound bars

No one can deny the popularity of sound bar speakers, but I've always been frustrated by their sound quality. There were exceptions; the $899 Atlantic Technology PB-235 and $699 SpeakerCraft CS3 are quite good, but in the more popular $300-to-$400 range the 'bars weren't all that great. Granted, they were a big step up from TV speakers, but their sound was still a compromise, compared with what's available from the better $300-to-$400 Emotiva and Audioengine self-powered stereo speakers (they get hooked up from your TV's stereo analog jacks).

A few weeks ago I spent … Read more

Verizon pricing for shared plan won't change, CFO says

Verizon Wireless may be looking at new phone pricing options, but that won't affect service plan pricing, Verizon's financial chief said Tuesday.

Fran Shammo, speaking at the J.P. Morgan tech conference, said the company has looked at T-Mobile's new phone and service plan options "a number of times," but Verizon won't change the service pricing on its "Share Everything" plans.

"We may give users more options to buy phones, but it won't affect the service pricing," he said.

T-Mobile earlier this year killed its contract plans and subsidies … Read more