wireless

Apple eyes wireless charging via the iPad's Smart Cover

iPad owners may one day be able to wirelessly charge their tablets without the need for a separate charging station.

Published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple's patent application called "Integrated Inductive Charging In Protective Cover" describes a method of using the iPad's Smart Cover itself as the wireless charger.

The cover would be built with inductive power coils and possibly a battery, both of which could provide juice to the iPad. Charging the tablet this way would be a simple matter of closing the cover, which would then power the iPad … Read more

Cricket Wireless dials up Engage LT as next Android phone

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

Verizon to use cable spectrum for LTE starting this year

Verizon Wireless will soon put to use spectrum it bought from the cable companies last year, according to its chief technology officer, Nicola Palmer, who was interviewed by Fierce Wireless.

Palmer told the blog in a one-on-one interview published today that the company will soon complete deployment of its 4G LTE service in the nationwide 700MHz spectrum it bought in a Federal Communications Commission auction in 2008. Verizon covered about 90 percent of the U.S. with its 700MHz spectrum last year, Palmer said. And starting the middle of this year, Verizon will add capacity to the network using the … Read more

Verizon will reportedly sell the HTC One after all

It appears HTC got all the major U.S. wireless carriers to play ball.

Verizon Wireless, initially the lone carrier that skipped carrying the flagship HTC One phone, will actually sell the phone after all, according to a report by AllThingsD.

A representative from Verizon declined to comment. An HTC representative declined to comment, saying that this falls under rumor and speculation.

HTC had been attempting to get all carriers to sell its single high-end smartphone in a bid to follow Apple's iPhone and Samsung Electronics's Galaxy S3. It's part of the company's strategy to simplify … Read more

AT&T outshines Verizon in 4G LTE speed tests

AT&T may not have the largest 4G LTE network but it has the fastest, at least according to new data from Root Metrics.

Among the top four U.S. mobile carriers measured by Root Metrics, AT&T took the top spot with an average LTE-only download speed of 18.6 megabits per second and an average upload speed of 9Mbps. Its maximum download speed averaged 57.7Mbps, while its fastest upload speed averaged 19.6Mbps.

Root's researchers were able to connect to AT&T's LTE network 81.7 percent of the time, a rate … Read more

Apple, Samsung to offer wireless phone charging, claims report

Owners of the iPhone 5S or Galaxy S4 will be able to charge their phones wirelessly, claim the folks at DigiTimes.

Based on "industry sources," Taiwan-based DigiTimes said today that the next-generation iPhone will use wireless charging technology developed by Apple. But the sources couldn't say whether the phone would be built with the wireless charging feature or rely on an attached accessory.

Samsung's Galaxy S4 is expected to support the Qi wireless charging technology, which already is used by Nokia and other mobile vendors. The S4 may not include the capability itself but instead require … Read more

DOJ lets important deadline pass in T-Mobile/MetroPCS deal

The Department of Justice seems to be giving the green light to T-Mobile USA in its bid to buy MetroPCS.

On Tueseday, MetroPCS announced that the DOJ has allowed the waiting period to lapse on the planned merger between the two companies. The waiting period was required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. This indicates that the DOJ doesn't have any objections to the merger. There are still other regulatory approvals the companies must get in order to close the deal. The Federal Communications Commission must approve the transfer of spectrum licenses.

There has been some opposition … Read more

Verizon explores merger with Vodafone, report says

Verizon and Vodafone want to square away their long-standing relationship -- tied together by Verizon Wireless -- this year, according a report from Bloomberg.

Verizon Wireless, which is jointly owned by Verizon and Vodafone, has long been a source of questions over when the two telco giants would resolve the arrangement. Verizon has for years sought to buy out Vodafone's stake in Verizon Wireless, while Vodafone has agitated for a better return from the fast-growing asset.

Verizon and Vodafone now are exploring a range of options, from ending the joint venture to merging the two companies. The two have … Read more

Verizon to sell Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Thursday for $600

The LTE version of Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 will be available at Verizon Wireless this week, expanding the Korean electronics giant's reach with its tablet.

The device will hit online and in Verizon stores Thursday and will cost $599.99 for 16GB of internal flash storage. That compares to the retail price for Wi-Fi-only versions of $499.99 for 16GB or $549.99 for 32GB.

Verizon customers can use the device on a prepaid plan or connect it to a "Share Everything" plan, Verizon said. They can add or remove the Galaxy Note 10.1 … Read more