CES - Cell phones and smartphones

CES: Dell debuts Streak 7 tablet

LAS VEGAS--At its press conference on Thursday, Dell revealed its Streak 7 tablet. This is the follow-up to the Streak released last year.

The tablet features a new design and the follwing specs:

Dual Core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra T2 processor 7-inch screen Support for T-Mobile's 4G network Dual cameras: 5 megapixel rear camera and 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera Runs Android 2.2 and full Flash 10.1 implementation; upgradable to Honeycomb in the future. Live news, sports and entertainment television via T-Mobile TV First 4G tablet (according to Dell) Up to 802.11n Wi-Fi Offers the full Dell … Read more

Verizon's CES keynote hails a 4G world

It's all about the network: Verizon's new 4G LTE broadband infrastructure was the cornerstone of Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg's keynote address on Thursday morning at the 2011 CES trade show in Las Vegas, where he hailed the possibilities of the "creative revolution" stemming from the increasingly hyperconnected world we live in.

"Wireless data is now more than doubling every year," Seidenberg said. "Smartphones are growing at almost 90 percent a year, and a whole new computing platform for mobile broadband has emerged."

This power of the network was key to all … Read more

CES: Qualcomm inks wireless power pact with Powermat

Mobile phone chipmaker Qualcomm has inked a partnership to explore wireless charging technology with Powermat, a specialist in the area.

Wireless charging holds the promise of ridding people of a lot of wires but poses risks that different devices will use incompatible charging methods, so it's no surprise that part of the partnership involves building an industry alliance around the technology.

Qualcomm's current wireless approach, called WiPower and using a method called near-field magnetic resonance technology, is on display at CES this week.

In their deal, the companies agreed to a broad partnership designed to explore the technology … Read more

CES: OtterBox intros Reflex Series for iPhone 4

Expanding on its line of rugged cases for the iPhone 4, OtterBox unveiled its new Reflex Series case here at CES.

The company says the case was "inspired by the crumple zone of a car" and combines two materials--polycarbonate and TPE rubber--to form an "unprecedented" single-layer concept. We're not sure exactly what that all means, but the company claims the case recoils and springs back, "ready to protect again and again."

If that wasn't enough to sell you, OtterBox's marketing team adds that "a cushion of air" surrounds the … Read more

CES: Cricket delays Muve Music, Samsung Suede

LAS VEGAS--Cricket Wirless has delayed the launch of the Muve Music service and the Samsung Suede. The service, which offers all-you-can-eat music playback, downloads, ringtones, and more as part of a $55 plan, was meant to launch in Las Vegas today at CES 2011.

Instead, Cricket Wireless told CNET the new service and the availability of its debut phone is delayed until later in January. While phones and plans are temporarily on hold, Cricket's street campaign in Las Vegas is still in effect. We glimpsed a bus stop advertisement touting the rocking new phone plan.

When asked what caused … Read more

CES: For T-Mobile, it's all about the 4G network (live blog)

Editors' note: This live event has concluded. For a brief rundown of what was announced, check out our summary post here. You can also replay our live blog in the Cover It Live module below.

T-Mobile's Android plans as well as their 4G strategy could come into play during Thursday's press conference, and you can find live coverage here.

T-Mobile's press conference is set to kick off around 11 a.m. PT Thursday from the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. We'll provide news and analysis of the press conference, part of a full day's supply … Read more

Verizon plays up Android angle (live blog)

Editor's note: This live event has concluded. For a brief rundown of what was announced, check out our summary post here. You can also replay our live blog in the Cover It Live module below.

LAS VEGAS--Verizon Communications CEO Ivan Seidenberg will take the stage Thursday morning to deliver a keynote address here at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Rumors have been swirling for months that Verizon Wireless, the largest wireless operator in the U.S., will introduce its own version of the Apple iPhone. Will Seidenberg use his CES keynote to make the big announcement? It's unlikely, but … Read more

CES: Hands-on with the Motorola Droid Bionic

LAS VEGAS--Motorola kicked off the Verizon 4G extravaganza that was promised this week when it introduced the Droid Bionic, one of the first few phones to run on Verizon's 4G LTE network. If that wasn't enough to have the tech enthusiasts drooling, it even boasts a dual-core processor, with each core running at 1GHz for a total of 2GHz. And from what little we saw of it, we have to say we're impressed.

The 4.3-inch qHD display, for example, was quite stunning from our brief moments with it. It's bright, crisp, and the viewing angle … Read more

CES: One shot of the Samsung Infuse 4G

LAS VEGAS--Though Samsung has officially unveiled the Infuse 4G for AT&T, the company is remaining very tight-lipped as to what the device will offer. We don't know much beyond what we told you already, and Sammy isn't responding to our appeals for more details.

Believe us when we say that's all very frustrating at the gadget extravaganza that is CES, particularly when the product has been announced. We didn't even get to hold the Infuse 4G in our hands when we saw it tonight and Samsung would only show us one side. All we … Read more