fall

The convergence of TVs and computers has been promised for decades, but remains largely unknown for most people outside of the tech world. Fortunately, Google aims to change all that with its Internet-connected Google TV Platform.

Google TV promises to let viewers watch video from a variety of sources--so far YouTube, Vevo, HBO, TBS and even our own CNET TV will have apps available. The big broadcast networks like ABC, CBS and NBC are taking a wait-and-see approach. But Google TV promises you even more, with the ability to search and browse the Web, record your favorite TV programs, and even control the whole experience from your cell phone.

Logitech is holding a news conference today for its own Google TV product, the Logitech Revue, and CNET is at there covering all the news as it happens. Check back again next week when Sony launches its own Google-TV powered box on October 12.

Next up on today's show we're calling BS on an image of a public Twitter booth that recently popped up on Russian Livejournal, aka the premiere site for tech news coverage.

America has its own share of Internet kiosks, but we have a hard time imagining the kind of tweet that would require you to drop everything and pay money to send it out...from a park. We could be wrong, though, so send us a photo if you spot a Twitter kiosk in the wild.

This is the second-to-the-last reminder you're going to get about our official Fall 404 Meetup tomorrow, October 7 at the Frying Pan Bar in New York City.

Join us tomorrow from 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., and an early thanks to the Pan for hooking it up with $15 wristbands good for open beer, well drinks, and wine for the duration of the Meetup!

We'd like to give them an idea of who's coming, so head over to The 404 Meetup page and RSVP for the event (Meetup.com registration required). We'll see you there!

SAN FRANCISCO--AT&T announced the Pantech Laser today, claiming it's the thinnest slider messaging phone the carrier has ever offered at only around 9.95mm (less than half an inch) thick. The super-skinny Laser has a 3.1-inch AMOLED touch screen, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, and a "Drawing Commander" feature that lets you make calls and access messages and apps by tracing a pattern on the screen.

Other features include a 3-megapixel camera, voice recording, access to AT&T Address Book, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Social Net, and AT&T Mobile … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Verizon Wireless provided more detail today about the launch of its long awaited 4G wireless rollout, but the company still didn't reveal pricing or device information.

At the CTIA fall 2010 trade show here, Verizon Communications Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam said the company plans to launch its 4G wireless network in 38 markets by the end of 2010 and it will cover about 110 million people with the 4G service when the service is launched later this year.

Markets that will be in the initial launch include New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and San Francisco … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--We know that Sprint is planning a CTIA press conference at 2 p.m. today, but so far the carrier has kept the exact news under wraps. According to AndoidGuys, however, we should see two new Android handsets that will launch next Sunday, October 10.

Though it will be new to Sprint, the first phone is something we've seen before. The Sanyo Zio, which first arrived at Cricket in late September, will carry a $99 price tag with service.

The Samsung Transform should have an 800MHz processor with Android 2.1 (Eclair). The design looks to be a … Read more

Cricket Wireless continued its dive into Android today with the announcement of the Huawei Ascend. The Ascend is the prepaid carrier's second Android smartphone after the Sanyo Zio, which went on sale last month.

Positioned as a low-cost device, the Ascend won't wow in the features department, but it comes with all the usual Android offerings, such as Wi-Fi, a 3.2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, Bluetooth, a MicroSD card slot, and support for the carrier's 3G EV-DO network. We're glad to see that it runs Android 2.1 (Eclair) rather than the 1.6 version … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO - A recent leak of training documents and screenshots created a swirl of rumors that T-Mobile would make Wi-Fi calling available on its Android phones, and now we have official confirmation from the carrier itself.

On the opening day of CTIA Fall 2010, T-Mobile announced that it will offer its Wi-Fi Calling service on a selection of Android smartphones, including the upcoming T-Mobile MyTouch and Motorola Defy, which will allow you to make calls and send text messages over a Wi-Fi network.

Powered by Kineto's Smart Wi-Fi application, the service is ready to use out of the … Read more

Along with a cavalcade of handsets, Motorola also announced three new Bluetooth accessories at CTIA Fall 2010. They are the Motorola Finiti and Motorola CommandOne Bluetooth headsets, plus the Motorola Roadster, a Bluetooth car kit/speakerphone.

The Motorola Finiti has three microphones, which combine to cancel out wind and surrounding noise. There's also a stealth mode that will help convert your vocal vibrations into speech, which promises to be useful in especially noisy environments. This utilizes the bone conduction technology we saw in the Motorola HX1. With a special MotoSpeak 2.0 app for Android, you can also listen … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO - Motorola is taking on Research In Motion, the maker of the popular BlackBerry smartphone, with its new Droid Pro.

Motorola announced the new Google Android smartphone at a press event here Tuesday on the eve of the 2010 CTIA Enterprise & Applications tradeshow. Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha called the phone, which sports a 3.1-inch touch screen display and a QWERTY keypad, the first Android phone designed specifically for business users.

The company has added several features to the Droid Pro, which could make it a strong BlackBerry competitor. BlackBerry is still the No. 1 smartphone used … Read more

Microsoft sure is drumming up excitement for its forthcoming Windows Phone 7 smartphones. In addition to next Monday's big announcement in New York, a Microsoft team was here in San Francisco, showing off music apps as part of the Billboard Music Entertainment Live event preceding CTIA (see all CNET coverage).

We got a private hands-on tour of Slacker Radio, I Heart Radio, and MusixMatch apps prior to a showcase event.

Each of the apps for Windows Phone is similar to its counterpart on other mobile platforms with a few unique exceptions and additions--Slacker Radio won't launch with offline … Read more