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Are you thinking of giving up your Apple iPhone for a new Google Android smartphone?

If the answer is yes, there are a few things you should consider. In this week's Ask Maggie, I explain how iPhone users can transfer iTunes music to a new Android phone, and why you can't take your apps with you.

Also in this week's column, I explain why most of Verizon's current 4G LTE phones won't support the new Voice over LTE technology expected next year. And I explain the difference between 3G HSDPA and HSPA+ on AT&… Read more

Verizon Wireless said that its 4G LTE smartphones aren't likely to run on AT&T's upcoming 4G LTE network, PC Magazine reports today.

While the two carriers will be using the same underlying technology, called Long-Term Evolution, both will be using different frequencies of spectrum, the radio airwaves necessary for transmitting cellular signals. Verizon Wireless representative Brenda Raney confirmed to PC Mag that its phones will run on different frequencies than what AT&T plans to use when it launches LTE in five cities as planned this summer.

LTE was supposed to bring this promise of … Read more

Motorola Mobility isn't quite in the clear yet.

That's the opinion of RBC Capital analyst Mark Sue, who says there are still a lot of issues surrounding the manufacturer of handsets and television set-top boxes. His biggest complaints: a slow move into the white-hot 4G LTE segment, too little product diversification at major customers Verizon Wireless and AT&T, and a slow product-development cycle.

Delays in Motorola's LTE devices and its reliance on an aging product portfolio may be contributing to market share losses within the growing Android ecosystem," he said in a research note … Read more

WALTHAM, Mass.--Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless provider, is sprinting ahead of its competitors to get a leg up in the 4G wireless market.

Verizon has already spent millions of dollars building the 4G LTE network, and it has stopped investing in older 3G technologies to get the newer services rolled out. It launched the first LTE service in 38 markets in December with only a few laptop card products. And today it's shipping LTE phones and Mi-Fi devices in addition to its PC laptop cards in nearly 100 markets.

The company is way ahead of its … Read more

Sprint Nextel will confirm its network-sharing agreement with LightSquared in conjunction with its earnings announcement on July 28, according to people familiar with the situation.

The agreement, in which Sprint's network will be used as the infrastructure backbone to LightSquared's upcoming 4G Long-Term Evolution network, will shed some light on where Sprint wants to head with its own 4G ambitions. The company was supposed to have provided an update on plans for its next-generation network by the middle of the year, but has pushed back its announcement.

While Sprint came on to the 4G scene early with partner … Read more

Verizon Wireless will hit the century mark with its 4G LTE next week, covering 100 markets with its speedy next-generation network.

Tulsa, Okla., will be the 100th market covered by Verizon's new network, which will officially be announced on July 21. The carrier will have hit the milestone after only eight months of network rollouts, compared with the 25 months it took to cover 100 markets with its 3G network.

The speed of the deployment and contrast with the slower 3G rollout is indicative of the surging demand by consumers on wireless data services. Consumers are increasingly gravitating towards … Read more

AT&T is jumping into the actual 4G game with its first two LTE products.

The telecommunications giant plans to show off a laptop card called the USBConnect Momentum 4G and a mobile hot-spot device called the Elevate 4G--the first two devices that are compatible with its upcoming next-generation wireless network. The two products will be on display at an annual company showcase later today.

The two devices shouldn't be confused with AT&T phones and products that currently carry the 4G tag. The two new products will be compatible with a flavor of 4G called Long-Term … Read more

Verizon Wireless is expected to end up as the carrier with the most momentum in the second quarter when the dust settles after earnings reports, which will begin in earnest in two weeks.

An impressive quarter for Verizon's version of the iPhone 4, along with strong interest in the company's speedier 4G wireless network, helped it add an estimated 1 million customers. Best of all, they're the kind of customers willing to sign up for long-term contracts. A recent study by Localytics showed that Verizon already accounts for a third of all U.S. iPhone 4s, an impressive statistic considering the phone's February debut.

Certainly, Verizon can thank the iPhone for its expected strong showing. But there's another factor: an established, speedy 4G network. Sprint Nextel saw similar benefits from its 4G network in past quarters and, no surprise, AT&T has moved up its timetable for deploying its own next-generation network, which uses a technology called Long-Term Evolution.

Verizon's shiny new wireless network unsurprisingly drew in a lot of curious consumers. By comparison, Verizon's rival carriers saw only modest customer growth, while a few lost customers in the period. Sprint, which also has a 4G network--that doesn't look quite so superior anymore with Verizon in the game--is expected to lose contract customers.

Regardless of whatever losses Sprint might experience, 4G networks remain crucial to the carriers' efforts to lure customers, particularly customers who are willing to sign up for long-term contracts. Such customers are highly coveted because they're less likely to leave the carrier and more willing to spend additional money each month for the best smartphones and service plans. Prepaid customers, on the other hand, aren't bound by contracts and can leave anytime, and they're more likely to look for the best price regardless of carrier. … Read more

Research In Motion has reportedly put the brakes on a 10-inch PlayBook tablet and is instead focusing on a new BlackBerry "superphone," according to enthusiast site N4BB.

Previous rumors had pointed to RIM launching a 10-inch follow-up to its current 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. But N4BB said yesterday that it had received "word" that the company has changed its mind and has stopped development on the new tablet, citing the focus on the new superphone as the reason.

Though the alleged superphone has no name or launch date at this point, N4BB listed some of its … Read more