cells

Is this the death of voice mail?

Whenever cultural behavior changes, we cast a wistful eye or simply don't notice.

So today's question is: Do you bother to leave voice mails any more? And when people leave them on your phone, do you bother listening to the message, or do you just see who called and then call them back?

I'm not prying -- any more than usual. I'm just wondering if the evidence presented today by Vonage might conceivably be true.

According to USA Today, Vonage has declared that humanity just can't be bothered with all that voice mail nonsense any more.… Read more

How many pixels can Apple pack into a 4-inch screen?

A bigger screen on the iPhone 5 means more pixels in order to maintain the Retina branding. So, what can we expect exactly?

I asked Paul Semenza, senior vice president of analyst services at NPD DisplaySearch.

"To the best of our knowledge, the display will be 4 inches, with the same 326 ppi [pixels per inch] resolution, which would make it 1,136x640," he said, confirming current speculation.

That would keep the ppi ahead of popular phones like the 4.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S III (306 ppi at 1,280x720 resolution) and the 4.7-inch HTC One X (… Read more

Why shop via your phone? To keep your spouse in the dark

Some people just cannot stop buying.

They wander into stores during their lunch hour, they're constantly attuned to online shopping. Who can wonder that the wise people at Amazon decided to name their online clothing store MyHabit?

And yet, as everything goes mobile, is it really quite as easy to shop through your phone, as it is on your cute little PC or iPad? Everything is a little smaller, for example. It's harder to zoom out and imagine.

However, new research has entered my laptop that offers a far more rational perspective on mobile shopping. Apparently, a substantial … Read more

Making sense of Samsung's infringing devices

Now that (some of) the dust has cleared from the Apple v. Samsung trial that wrapped up on Friday, wherein a jury awarded Apple more than $1 billion in damages for Samsung's patent violations, CNET takes a look at the 26 devices cited for infringements.

The carriers

AT&T (4) - Captivate, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Infuse 4G Sprint (5) - Epic 4G, Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy Tab, Nexus S 4G, Transform T-Mobile (4) - Exhibit 4G, Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S II, Vibrant Verizon (4) - Continuum, Droid Charge, Fascinate, Galaxy Tab 10.1 … Read more

Man infected after stealing phone from Ebola patient?

Some stories defy your emotions, making it hard to decide which part is paramount.

In this one, for example, how does one react to a gruesome version of paying it forward?

A man in Kyakabugahya LCI in Kagadi Town, Uganda, allegedly needed to steal a cell phone so badly that he went into a hospital -- where, perhaps, the marks are easy.

Gawker directed me to Uganda's Daily Monitor, which describes an unparalleled twist.

The alleged thief, aged 40, reportedly got past security at the Kagadi Hospital in the middle of the night and stole the phone from a patient who was fighting the Ebola virus. Yes, this was the isolation ward.

T-Mobile announces contract-free T-Mobile Concord

Today, T-Mobile unveiled its no-contract, entry-level Android device tailored to first-time smartphone users. Manufactured by ZTE, the T-Mobile Concord will sport a 2-megapixel camera, ship natively with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and will be equipped with a 3.5-inch touch-screen display.

Interested users can get their hands on it now at Wal-Mart, for $99.98, along with a Wal-Mart Family Mobile no annual contract plan. Starting August 26, the Concord will be sold at Target for $99.99, with a Monthly4G plan. Unfortunately, the Concord is not a 4G-enabled device.

LG starts making 4-inch display maybe destined for iPhone 5

LG Display has begun to make a display that could be slated for the iPhone 5, according to a Reuters report.

"We just began mass production and we don't expect any disruption in supplies," Han Sang-beom, chief executive of LG Display, told reporters Wednesday, according to Reuters.

LGD, along with Samsung, are the two principal display suppliers for Apple's marquee products, such as the iPhone and iPad.

Other reports, however, have Sharp making the displays for the iPhone 5. And Toshiba has also been rumored as a display supplier for the iPhone 5.

It's not … Read more

Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro to power LG quad-core device

Qualcomm announced today that a yet-to-be-unveiled LG quad-core phone will be powered by its own Snapdragon S4 Pro.

Though the company told CNET that it can't comment on the device until LG makes its an official announcement, it did say that the handset is "currently in production" and will be sold in Korea in September. It will launch globally sometime afterward.

Despite how little there is to know about the handset, we're excited nonetheless. And if it's going to be anything like LG's first quad-core phone, the LG 4X HD, it'll be sure … Read more

AT&T cuts frequency on cell towers that jammed police radios

AT&T has temporarily disabled a frequency emitted by 16 towers that were found to be interfering with police and firefighter radio communications in Oakland, Calif., the San Francisco Chronicle reported today.

The towers were causing radio failures, particularly when a police car was within a quarter to half a mile of one of them, said David Cruise, Oakland's public safety systems adviser.

After the U.S. Federal Communications Commission confirmed the interference, AT&T shut down the 850MHz frequency for 2G customers on the towers last Friday, but the carrier left the 1,900MHz and 700MHz … Read more

Only AT&T Mobile Share plan users can FaceTime over its cellular network

Amid speculation that AT&T may charge its iPhone users for running the video chat feature, FaceTime, over its cellular network, the carrier sent an official statement to CNET confirming that those who are on its Mobile Share plan will be able to access FaceTime without Wi-Fi, at no extra cost.

AT&T will offer FaceTime over Cellular as an added benefit of our new Mobile Share data plans, which were created to meet customers' growing data needs at a great value. With Mobile Share, the more data you use, the more you save. FaceTime will continue to … Read more