ZTE

Get into Cricket's ZTE Groove

Though "new" to the market, the entry-level ZTE Groove from Cricket Wireless feels dated already.

First, it's called Groove -- which no one says anymore except when referring to that Madonna song. Second, it ships natively with the outdated Android Gingerbread 2.3.

Other than that, it features Muve Music, Cricket's music subscription service that lets you stream thousands of albums and songs.

The 3G handset also has a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen with a 480x320-pixel resolution.

It's powered by a 1,500mAh battery that has a reported … Read more

ZTE's Sprint Flash launches, has 12-megapixel camera

Sneaking under the radar, Sprint is offering a ZTE handset, known as the Sprint Flash, for $129.99 after users sign a two-year carrier agreement and send in a rebate.

The 4G LTE device ships natively with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and sports a 4.5-inch HD touch screen.

Under its hood is a 1,780mAh battery, which roughly translates to 8 hours of reported talk time. It's also equipped with NFC.

Perhaps most notable, however, is the Flash's 12-megapixel camera, which features single-motion panoramic shooting as well.… Read more

U.S. panel labels China largest cyberspace threat, report says

China poses the largest threat in cyberspace, with its hackers increasingly targeting U.S military computers and defense contractors, according to a draft of a Congressional report obtained by Bloomberg.

The report, produced by the U.S.- China Economic and Security Review Commission, found that China's persistence and its advances in hacking activities over the past year poses an increasing threat to information systems and users.

The risks include attempts to blind or disrupt U.S. intelligence and communications satellites, weapons targeting systems, and navigation computers, Bloomberg reported, citing an anonymous U.S. intelligence official.

While the attacks … Read more

Huawei caught up in legal mess over cell equipment sales to Iran

Huawei, the embattled Chinese telecommunications equipment maker, has been caught in a convoluted tale over Iranian cellular sales.

Earlier this year, Huawei purchased cellular antenna equipment from a U.S.-based company, called Andrew LLC, and then through a partner in Iran, attempted to sell those products to a carrier in the Middle Eastern country, Reuters is reporting today, citing documents it obtained from unidentified sources. The carrier apparently cancelled the sale for fear of violating U.S. sanctions.

CNET has contacted Huawei for comment on the Reuters report. We will of course update this story when we have more … Read more

New wave of complaints hound Huawei, ZTE in U.S.

Huawei and ZTE, two of China's largest and most successful mobile companies, are once again under fire in the U.S.

Over the last couple of days, the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee has received "dozens and dozens" of calls complaining about Huawei and ZTE, Reuters is reporting today, citing sources. Many of those calls reportedly came from current and former employees, as well as customers, who report odd behavior in the companies' equipment. It's not clear what sort of "odd" behavior they were witnessing.

Earlier this week, lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee issued a 52-page report … Read more

SpaceX rocket engine shut down at launch

Monday's CNET Update finds a few problems:

Although it appeared to be a flawless launch, there was a problem with one of the engines of the SpaceX Falcon 9. About a minute after takeoff, one of the engines detected a drop in pressure and shut down. Video posted on YouTube shows debris falling off in what some have called an explosion. SpaceX said the engine did not explode, but rather the protective fairing for the engine ruptured due to the pressure change. The other engines compensated for the failed engine, as was designed to happen if there was a … Read more

Vringo sues ZTE for alleged patent infringement

Vringo, a company that offers ringtones, but has increasingly relied on licensing its patent portfolio, is the latest to take aim at ZTE.

The company announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the Chinese telecommunications equipment company, saying that it has violated three of its patents. According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.K. High Court of Justice, Chancery Division Patents Court, Vringo alleges that ZTE's cellular network technologies, as well as its GSM/UMTS multimode wireless handsets, are violating its patents.

ZTE has suffered through an awfully tough day. In addition to getting … Read more

Huawei, ZTE face new hurdles to their U.S. phone ambitions

Congress just made Huawei and ZTE's goal of winning over U.S. consumers a whole lot tougher.

A report released by the House Intelligence Committee today claimed the two Chinese telecommunications manufacturers pose a risk to national security and urged U.S. companies to avoid working with them.

While the report deals mostly with the companies' large-scale networking equipment and corporate customers, the trickle-down effect on their consumer-facing handset businesses can't be good. Huawei and ZTE have long been dogged by concerns that they could snoop on companies and individuals, and today's report only solidified those fears. … Read more

Cisco cuts ties with ZTE

Cisco Systems has washed its hands of Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE, Reuters reports, after Cisco determined that ZTE was selling Cisco-branded networking equipment to Iran.

This year, the China-based firm had been reported as selling restricted and banned computer equipment developed by Cisco and other U.S. companies to Iran's telecom firms. According to the publication, ZTE agreed to ship U.S. products -- including Cisco switches -- to firms based in that country last year.

Following investigations conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Commerce Department and the companies that allegedly uncovered the sales, the general counsel … Read more