ctia

NEW ORLEANS--When Apple introduced the iPhone 4 in 2010, it sported a new radical design with a full sheet of glass on its backside. While striking, the design didn't take kindly to drops on the sidewalk and the wrap-around antenna presented some unfortunate attenuation problems.

Neither scenario was best for consumers, but it also created a boon for anyone eager to make an iPhone case. And at the 2012 CTIA, it was clear that there's a lot of innovation behind such a practical product.

I began my last morning at CTIA visiting with Tech21, a London-based company furiously … Read more

NEW ORLEANS -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton took the stage here on the final day of the CTIA trade show to emphasize the need for cooperation in solving problems domestically and abroad. And he pointed to the wireless industry as a good example of how this cooperative spirit has created an industry that is changing people's lives.

Clinton was the last keynote speaker at the CTIA conference. It was his second appearance at the industry's semi-annual trade show. He came to Orlando, Fla., in 2007 with former President George H. W. Bush.

The primary message that … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--In addition to showing off its V96 tablet this year here at CTIA, ZTE also displayed its AT&T Avail. The device is a prepaid GoPhone that retails for $129.99.

Equipped with a 3.5-inch TFT touch-screen display, the Avail has a 600MHz processor and includes 512MB of RAM.… Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Moshi is taking Apple's magnetic iPad case a step further, with origami.

The hard plastic Moshi iGlaze with Versacover case totally surrounds the iPad, combining both a protective screen that helps minimizes glare (but not as much as the separate iVisor product) with a back panel that wears a microfiber flap like a blanket.

Manipulate this flap along its folds to shape it into pyramidal formation that props up the iPad in both landscape and portrait modes. Fold it a different direction to fashion a stand for typing and viewing movies.

The magnetic cover works like Apple's … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Here at CTIA, you can't go 10 steps without tripping over an iPhone case vendor.

Skinit, which traditionally offers printed stickers to apply to the back and front of your iPhone, is taking a different tack with SwitchPlate, a case system that consists of a decorated cut-out you place on the back of your phone and a black or clear bumper you snap around the perimeter to keep the plastic or aluminum panel in place.

The idea is to buy plates as a three-pack (sort of like department store socks, but cooler) and swap them out at a … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Theoretical speeds are one thing, but the majority of smartphone owners will agree that real-life data speeds are what count.

Comprehensively charting each carriers' data network is the subject of RootMetric's quarterly report.

So far, the company scouts have systematically combed 42 urban and suburban markets to compare 3G and 4G data speeds.

Their methodology includes test calls, data downloads, and texting. Scouts record how easily they could get onto the network and perform tasks, and then run diagnostic speed tests through RootMetrics' automated software. They never use jailbroken devices.

On the LTE front, RootMetrics found that AT&… Read more

NEW ORLEANS--In addition to displaying its recently released Score M at CTIA this year, the small Chinese telecommunications company known as ZTE also showed off its V96 tablet.

Though the device isn't due out yet, it's set for a global launch. Unfortunately, there aren't any plans in place to bring the Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet to the U.S.

The Wi-Fi enabled device has a 10.1-inch touch screen. Powering the V96 is a 1.7GHz dual-core processor.

When I got my hands on the tablet, I noticed it was quite snappy and the animated wallpaper (… Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Cricket subscribers have spoken -- they want more premium phones -- and now the prepaid carrier is ready to deliver.

Cricket customers are beginning to care much more about technical specifications like larger screens, faster processors, and better cameras. Significant sales of the Huawei Mercury, which leaped to an more than10 percent adoption rate in the course of two weeks, proves it.… Read more

NEW ORLEANS--This hasn't exactly been a CTIA Wireless show to remember.

The conference was a virtual snooze fest this year, with the lack of product news and the disappearance of a few key players on the show floor leaving many questioning the relevancy of the show.

Are this week's show, as well as the second enterprise and application-focused CTIA conference in the fall, worth the time and effort? I'm starting to have my doubts, and I'm not alone. Industry executives have privately expressed to me hope that the trade group consolidates the two conferences and move … Read more