wireless

Nokia just launched a pretty decent midrange phone for Verizon, dubbed the Nokia 6205. The 6205 is one of the very few CDMA phones Nokia has launched here in the U.S. It comes with a decent array of features, like a 1.3-megapixel camera, EV-DO, voice dialing, a microSD card slot, video messaging, 58MB internal memory, external music player keys, and more. The 6205 will be available in two flavors; a simple blue version, plus a special black "The Dark Knight" edition to coincide with the movie of the same name. The "Dark Knight" edition … Read more

It's not quite the Palm Treo 850 or Treo 800w news we were hoping for, but we're sure Verizon Wireless customers will still be happy to hear that they'll be able to get their hands on a Palm Centro starting Friday, June 13. Like the AT&T and Sprint models, Verizon's version of the entry-level smartphone will carry the same affordable price tag of $99 (with a two-year contract) and comes in a cobalt blue color.

Details are still trickling in as far as what the Verizon Palm Centro will include (Palm was finalizing the … Read more

Being what some would call a phone fanatic--I have multiple lines with multiple carriers--I never thought cell phone companies cared much about old customers. Most ads and gimmicks are geared toward drawing in new business, such as free phones and special plans for new lines of service. Since I'm a longtime customer, I didn't see where any of that applied to me.

Having to wait until my contract is up to negotiate a better plan or newer phone is always draining and time consuming; I wanted to know if there was anything out there for existing contract customers.… Read more

Today, SanDisk announced the acquisition of MusicGremlin. As one of the pioneers of Wi-Fi-enabled MP3 players, MusicGremlin's expertise may help SanDisk resurrect its Sansa Connect MP3 player model, which was partially obsoleted by the demise of Yahoo's subscription music service earlier this year.

SanDisk's MP3 players are second only to Apple's iPod in terms of sales, and are characterized by their low price and wide file format compatibility. The addition of a Wi-Fi-capable portable music player to SanDisk's current product line would help the company stay competitive against new offerings from Haier, Slacker, and Microsoft. … Read more

Verizon Wireless' plan to buy regional cell phone company Alltel will make it the largest cell phone operator in the country with more than 80 million subscribers. But for consumers, is a behemoth Verizon a boon or a beast?

That's the question that regulators will ultimately decide. The biggest fear for consumer advocates when companies merge is that consolidation means fewer choices for consumers, and fewer choices often leads to higher prices.

So far consumer advocates seem split on the issue.

"If the deal goes through, two companies, Verizon and AT&T, will control about 150 million … Read more

The third time must have been the charm for Verizon Wireless and regional cell phone operator Alltel.

Verizon Wireless supposedly has looked at buying Alltel twice in the past three years. And on Thursday it finally pulled the trigger, announcing that it plans to buy Alltel in a deal valued at $28.1 billion. As part of the deal Verizon will pay $5.9 billion and assume $22.2 billion in debt. The acquisition will make Verizon Wireless the largest cell phone company in the U.S., stripping AT&T of that title.

Verizon Wireless expects to close the … Read more

For notebook users, a cordless mouse is essential gear. If your notebook has Bluetooth, by all means go for a Bluetooth mouse. If not, you can't go wrong with the Logitech V320, which Buy.com has on sale for $10 shipped (after a $15 mail-in rebate). Sign up for Google Checkout and the price drops to zero (after a $10 instant rebate).

The V320 relies on a USB dongle for 2.4GHz wireless communication with the notebook, which is a bit of a hassle. But at least you don't have to worry about losing it: The dongle tucks … Read more

Like TiVo, Xbox 360, and Sonos, the Vudu on-demand movie player was one of those home entertainment products with a frustrating lack of built-in wireless networking. If an Ethernet connection wasn't nearby, you were forced to invest in a pair of power line networking adapters or a hard-to-configure wireless bridge to interface with the product's Ethernet-only connection. But that's no longer the case: as of today, a wireless option is finally available. The Vudu Wireless Kit is a dedicated pair of transceivers that creates a plug-and-play 802.11g wireless connection between the Vudu and your home's broadband router. Existing Vudu owners can pick up the kit for $79, while new customers can buy the Vudu/Wireless Kit bundle for $349, for a net saving of about $25. … Read more

Verizon Wireless is taking another look at buying regional wireless operator Alltel, according to a story published Wednesday afternoon by The Wall Street Journal.

The deal, which could be valued at around $27 billion, is at a sensitive stage and could fall through over the next few days, the newspaper reported.

Alltel was sold only last year for $27.5 billion to the buyout arm of Goldman Sachs and private equity firm TPG Capital. And, according to the Journal, the banks that financed the deal, including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Barclays, and Royal Bank of Scotland Group, still owe about $24 … Read more