Want the ZTE Grand S? Americans on hold until 2014

LAS VEGAS -- ZTE's quest to launch a flagship smartphone in the U.S. has hit a temporary snag.

The ZTE Grand S, one of the more impressive smartphones shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, won't arrive here until next year, Lixin Cheng, head of the company's North American division, told CNET on Tuesday.

ZTE had grand plans for its Grand phone, and the company said in January that it was confident that the flagship device would make its way to U.S. shores soon. Cheng attributed the delay to the extra time needed … Read more

Windows that double as cell signal boosters? Yes, please

LAS VEGAS -- Windows that only let in sunlight and provide a view to the outside world? That's so yesterday's news.

Ericsson believes it can do more with windows, and it had on display here a few windows enhanced with different modifications. One had a transparent cellular antenna embedded in the glass, potentially improving smartphone reception. Another was outfitted with infrared sensors around the frame, allowing it to detect swipes and taps. … Read more

Quantenna's new chip turns 802.11ac Wi-Fi up a notch

There's more to 802.11ac than we've seen so far.

Quantenna Communications announced today the first 802.11ac chipset, called QSR1000, with a ceiling speed of up to 1.7Gbps, which is 400Mbps faster than the current cap of any 802.11ac router, such as the Asus RT-AC66U or the Trendnet TEW-812DRU.

The QSR1000 achieves this new speed by supporting the new 4x4 MU-MIMO 802.11ac standard. In other words, it's the first quad-stream Wi-Fi chipset. Up to now, all existing Wi-Fi devices have only used a single-stream, dual-stream, or three-stream setup. (Read more about Wi-Fi standards here.) … Read more

Nokia brings LiveSight to Here Maps on Windows Phone 8

LAS VEGAS -- You won't see a new phone from Nokia at CTIA, but the company did reveal it was expanding its already impressive Here Maps for Windows Phone 8 devices.

Available today is an update that will integrate the company's LiveSight augmented reality feature. Previously available only through the CityLens app, LiveSight pulls up nearby locations and displays relevant information like the type of business or attraction, the hours, the address and phone number, and customer ratings.

You access LiveSight mode through a dedicated control in the Here interface. Once activated, you'll see the points of … Read more

What we know about the Xbox One

CNET Update explains the Xbox One:

Microsoft has revealed its new console, the Xbox One, and it aims to be the one system to handle all home entertainment. This episode of Update gives you the quick roundup of Xbox One's features. Not all these features will be good news for gamers -- such as the requirement to pay a fee to play a used game.

Dive deeper into CNET's coverage of the Xbox One with these stories:

- Details on Microsoft's Xbox One

- The games revealed for the Xbox One

- Details about the Kinect sensor improvementsRead more

Sprint says more to come from BlackBerry

LAS VEGAS--Sprint Nextel is planning at least one more BlackBerry to join its line up this year.

"We're not done with BlackBerry," said Lois Eichelberger Fagan, director of product portfolio for Sprint Nextel, in an interview with CNET on Tuesday here at the CTIA Wireless conference. "There's more to come."

Sprint plans to launch the Qwerty keyboard-equipped BlackBerry Q10 late summer. The company opted not to sell the flagship BlackBerry Z10, which was the debut product for BlackBerry 10.

Sprint has teased another product from BlackBerry by the end of the year, but wouldn'… Read more

Acting FCC Chairwoman: We're still focused on spectrum

LAS VEGAS -- Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn said that the agency is not slowing down when it comes to getting new spectrum on the market, even though the commission is down two members.

Clyburn, who made her first appearance as the interim head of the FCC at the CTIA Wireless Association's opening keynote, reassured the wireless industry that the FCC will continue to make more spectrum available, even as the agency prepares for a new full-time chairman and awaits the nomination of a Republican commissioner.

"The FCC wireless agenda remains focused," she said. "… Read more

Galaxy S3 arrives at Boost, Virgin Mobile armed with LTE

LAS VEGAS -- Though the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been out in the world for a few weeks, its immediate predecessor continues to make the carrier rounds.

Today at CTIA 2013, Sprint announced that it is bringing the Galaxy S3 to its prepaid Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile brands next month. The device will operate on 3G and LTE networks for both operators.

The design and features of the reborn GS3 will be unchanged from the original version. Expect the same slim profile and 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, while inside you'll find Android 4.1.2 Jelly … Read more

Boost Mobile wants to be its customers' digital wallet

LAS VEGAS -- Sprint Nextel's prepaid arm, Boost Mobile, is taking its own stab at the digital wallet.

The company on Tuesday unveiled its Boost Mobile Wallet program, which is an Android application that allows its prepaid customers to manage their funds, transfer funds, send money overseas, and pay bills.

While the heavy-hitters such as Google and Isis -- which is a joint venture between Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile -- are going after the high-end, tech-savvy user with their own digital wallets, Boost is going the opposite route. The company is instead targeting customers who tend … Read more

Opera's Android browser leaves beta stage

Opera Software's new and improved Android browser has gone gold.

The company announced the news on Tuesday, saying that its browser for Android, which was available as beta software in the Google Play marketplace, is now complete and officially launched. Getting it out of beta means that Opera is confident that most of the bugs are gone and the software is ready for wide use.

Opera announced the initial browser overhaul in February at Mobile World Congress. Rather than base the software on its Presto engine, it decided instead to move to the open-source Blink engine used in Google … Read more