Personal communications

BlackBerry issued invitations this morning for a March 21 event in New York to launch its new Z10 smartphone and BlackBerry 10 OS.

That timing would place the event the day before the Z10 is scheduled to land in AT&T stores and be available to the carrier's customers. AT&T, which started preorders this week, is the first U.S. carrier to release the device, which runs on the new BlackBerry 10 OS.

With promised performances by Janelle Monae, Young the Giant, and DJ Z-Trip, the event should be more party than press conference. BlackBerry Global … Read more

Mozilla yesterday announced the launch of a new Firefox OS Simulator.

Mozilla acknowledged that the third version of the simulator is "a bit rough around the edges," but decided to release it to give users the chance to give feedback and contribute fixes.

Firefox OS is Mozilla's upcoming mobile operating system. Since late last year, the organization has been offering simulators showcasing its functionality and giving users the chance to try it out. As with previous versions, Firefox OS Simulator 3.0 is available to Windows, Linux, and OS X users, and runs as an extension in … Read more

We're still 24 hours from knowing if the Samsung Galaxy S4 even exists, but that hasn't stopped one wireless carrier from bragging about the device to customers.

Earlier today, Ting, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that resells Sprint's network, posted a blog on its site where it promised that not only would it snag the long-awaited Galaxy S4 but also the recently-announced HTC One, and the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.

"In … Read more

Cricket Wireless this week announced a new Android smartphone with the Engage LT. Manufactured by ZTE, the handset is now on sale for $179.99 at the no-contract carrier.

You'd be forgiven if you thought this new model sounded similar to a current offering; it's nearly identical to the ZTE Engage announced in late 2012. In fact, it's hard to imagine how Cricket plans to position the two devices considering just how closely they resemble each other.

The Engage LT runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and features a 4-inch display, a single-core 1GHz processor, 1GB … Read more

BlackBerry announced today that an "established partner" has ordered 1 million BlackBerry 10 devices. Though a company spokeswoman declined to name the partner in a phone call with CNET, the order is the largest single purchase in the company's history.

The news came just as Verizon Wireless revealed that it would start accepting preorders for the new BlackBerry Z10 beginning at 8 a.m. ET tomorrow. Devices will then arrive in stores and be available for direct purchase online two weeks later on March 28.

Big Red, which promised that it would carry the Z10 moments after … Read more

If you live in America and are passionate about HTC smartphones, the company has a treat in store. HTC just announced via its official blog a special Developer Edition of its hotly anticipated HTC One flagship handset. The device costs an unsubsidized $649 and will ship only to buyers with U.S. ZIP codes. … Read more

NFC technology has been poised to reach critical mass, at least in the U.S., for years now. Touted to bestow upon smartphones a wide range of magical solutions, proponents of NFC (near field communication) have said it will enable everything from using your phone as a digital wallet, serving as a secure and convenient method of identification, to even unlocking your home's front door.

And if the technology's big presence at MWC 2013 was any indication, it seems the long wait for the wonderful world of NFC might actually be nearing an end. Yes, almost all of … Read more

Sprint today announced an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1.

As is the case with other Android 4.1 updates, this version of Jelly Bean will give users new and enriched features such as Google Now and Project Butter. Other noteworthy additions include actionable notifications as well as smarter widget placement and arrangement.

Sprint is also using the upgrade to include a couple of bug fixes and minor details. The device's self activation client is getting a small tweak, and a Wi-Fi Qualcomm driver fix helps automatically connect to most recent … Read more

Sprint quietly revealed its second ultra-tough Sonim handset with the XP Strike IS. Available for $599.99 after users sign a two-year contract (without an agreement, the price jumps to $1,099.99), the feature phone sports a hefty 1,960mAh battery and 2-inch QVGA screen.

Though Sonim devices are indeed tough -- this one can reportedly survive a 6.5-foot fall on concrete and a dunk under 6.5 feet of water for 30 minutes -- they are bulky, and the Strike IS is no different.

For example, its battery physically bulges in the back, and the phone tips … Read more