Mobile

Why Verizon 4G LTE smartphones are a bad choice for world travelers

Verizon's latest line-up of 4G LTE smartphones is impressive, but there's one feature these cutting edge smartphones lack: global roaming.

For years, Verizon Wireless customers were unable to use their cell phones while traveling in many parts of the world, because Verizon's technology was incompatible with most of the world's wireless carriers. Then the company started offering a handful of "world phones," which finally allowed Verizon subscribers to roam onto most carrier networks overseas. But now as the carrier pushes its new and existing customers to sign up for 4G LTE service, Verizon is once again more

HTC One X delay benefits Lumia 900 at AT&T

Nokia may not admit it, but the company is likely jumping for joy that the HTC One X is having trouble getting into the U.S.

Nokia's own Lumia 900, which has enjoyed its flagship smartphone status at AT&T for the past few weeks, could see its preeminent position at the carrier extended as a result of the One X's delay. U.S. customs officials have held up imports of the One X because of a patent dispute between Apple and HTC.

A few extra weeks as AT&T's top dog could do wonders for sales more

Verizon to kill unlimited data plans for existing subscribers

Verizon Wireless subscribers who have held onto their $30-a-month unlimited data plans will soon be forced to upgrade to a new tiered offering the company plans to launch this summer, according to the Web site Fierce Wireless.

Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Technology Media and Telecom conference today, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo told investors that the company's 3G unlimited data plans that customers were allowed to hang onto last year when Verizon switched to a tiered offering will soon go away entirely. Instead, the company will migrate its existing and new 4G LTE customers to a new "more

Why Lumia, Siri? The perils of sorting a 27-way smartphone tie

There has been a disturbance of late in the Appledome.

For Siri has been accused of believing that the Nokia Lumia 900 is better than the iPhone 4S in which she resides.

Even though she changed her mind -- some might say mysteriously -- the stain on her character would not go away.

Well, now the vast and objective brains at Wolfram Alpha have churned their cogs in order to put a stop to this nonsense.

I am grateful to Search Engine Land for having the patience and fortitude to listen to Wolfram Alpha's deep and complex analysis.

However,

Nielsen: 1 in 2 own a smartphone, average 41 apps

One out of every two mobile subscribers owns a smartphone of some kind, and those smartphone owners average 41 apps per device, according to the latest report from Nielsen.

If those numbers sound staggering to you, consider where the mobile phone customer landscape was just one year ago. Nielsen reports that back then, just 40 percent of mobile subscribers had smartphones and that apps per device were at 32.

The study, labeled the State of the Appnation, also found that Android and iOS users make up the bulk of smartphone owners, accounting for 88 percent of people that have downloaded

Apple on Siri lawsuits: Throw them out and be done with it

Apple has been smacked with a host of Siri lawsuits charging the company with overstating the abilities of its virtual personal assistant. And now, in a recent court filing, it has fired back.

In a motion filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple asked the court to dismiss the consolidation class-action complaint against its Siri offering, saying that the plaintiffs used "only general descriptions of Apple's advertisements, incomplete summaries of Apple's Web site materials, and vague descriptions of their alleged -- and highly individualized -- disappointment with Siri."

"Tellingly, although Plaintiffs more

Samsung top cell phone maker, though Apple's no slouch

Samsung has been crowned the king of mobile phones by yet another research firm.

The Korean handset maker sold 86.6 million mobile phones in the first quarter, according to the latest stats from Gartner -- a 25.9 percent jump from the year-ago quarter. That gave Samsung a 20.7 percent share of the market and helped it win back the top spot for smartphone sales from Apple.

Samsung sold 38 million smartphones last quarter, accounting for more than 40 percent of all Android phones around the world. That figure was by far in the lead since no another more

LG unveils new user interface for ICS devices

One of the nicest things about Android is that vendors can place their own user interface on top of it to deliver a unique experience to customers. And LG is taking advantage of that.

The company today introduced the Optimus UI 3.0 for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) devices it sells. A key ingredient in the new user interface is an enhanced Quick Memo feature, allowing users to use their finger to quickly take notes. In addition, Quick Memo information can be shared via social networks, or sent as a text message or e-mail.

The update is by more

Here's what Android fragmentation really looks like

Open Signal Maps is a nifty free Android app and Web site that crowdsources where the strongest and weakest cell signals are. But along the way, it's also managed to amass a ton of data about what kind of Android devices are out there in the wild and they pulled it all together into some visualizations that dramatically show the extent of Android fragmentation.

OSM started logging the Android devices that download the app six months ago and created the above visualization -- the interactive version on the site is a little more informative -- from a sample size more

Virgin Atlantic launches in-flight cell use

Virgin Atlantic will soon allow passengers to use their cell phones during flights, but don't expect your phone-free fuselage to be replaced with coffeehouse clatter.

The airline announced today it will allow passengers to make in-flight phone calls, send and receive texts, check e-mail, and surf the Web via general packet radio service (GPRS) from inside A330 Airbus planes on flights between New York and London. The airline expects to offer the service in 20 planes by year's end, it said in a press release. Boeing 747s are also being retrofitted for the service.

"We have listened to more