Carriers

BlackBerry plans Z10 launch event

BlackBerry issued invitations this morning for a March 21 event in New York to launch its new Z10 smartphone and BlackBerry 10 OS.

That timing would place the event the day before the Z10 is scheduled to land in AT&T stores and be available to the carrier's customers. AT&T, which started preorders this week, is the first U.S. carrier to release the device, which runs on the new BlackBerry 10 OS.

With promised performances by Janelle Monae, Young the Giant, and DJ Z-Trip, the event should be more party than press conference. BlackBerry Global … Read more

MVNO carrier Ting says it will get the Galaxy S4

We're still 24 hours from knowing if the Samsung Galaxy S4 even exists, but that hasn't stopped one wireless carrier from bragging about the device to customers.

Earlier today, Ting, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that resells Sprint's network, posted a blog on its site where it promised that not only would it snag the long-awaited Galaxy S4 but also the recently-announced HTC One, and the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.

Join CNET on Thursday, March 14 at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET for live coverage of the Samsung Galaxy S4 event

"In … 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

As Z10 preorders start, BlackBerry nets huge order for new devices

BlackBerry announced today that an "established partner" has ordered 1 million BlackBerry 10 devices. Though a company spokeswoman declined to name the partner in a phone call with CNET, the order is the largest single purchase in the company's history.

The news came just as Verizon Wireless revealed that it would start accepting preorders for the new BlackBerry Z10 beginning at 8 a.m. ET tomorrow. Devices will then arrive in stores and be available for direct purchase online two weeks later on March 28.

Big Red, which promised that it would carry the Z10 moments after … Read more

HTC brings One Developer Edition to America

If you live in America and are passionate about HTC smartphones, the company has a treat in store. HTC just announced via its official blog a special Developer Edition of its hotly anticipated HTC One flagship handset. The device costs an unsubsidized $649 and will ship only to buyers with U.S. ZIP codes. … Read more

Must-have NFC smartphones

NFC technology has been poised to reach critical mass, at least in the U.S., for years now. Touted to bestow upon smartphones a wide range of magical solutions, proponents of NFC (near field communication) have said it will enable everything from using your phone as a digital wallet, serving as a secure and convenient method of identification, to even unlocking your home's front door.

And if the technology's big presence at MWC 2013 was any indication, it seems the long wait for the wonderful world of NFC might actually be nearing an end. Yes, almost all of … Read more

Sprint's Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 goes Jelly Bean

Sprint today announced an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1.

As is the case with other Android 4.1 updates, this version of Jelly Bean will give users new and enriched features such as Google Now and Project Butter. Other noteworthy additions include actionable notifications as well as smarter widget placement and arrangement.

Sprint is also using the upgrade to include a couple of bug fixes and minor details. The device's self activation client is getting a small tweak, and a Wi-Fi Qualcomm driver fix helps automatically connect to most recent … Read more

Sprint eyeing alternative BB10 touch-screen phone

Apparently there's a reason Sprint passed up the BlackBerry Z10. Along with holding out for the BB10-powered Q10, the carrier may have plans for a new touch-screen handset from BlackBerry.

If sources close to All Things Digital are accurate, then Sprint has its eye on an additional all-screen phone other than the Z10, which BlackBerry may have up its sleeve. … Read more

AT&T rolling out Jelly Bean to HTC One X

The upcoming HTC One may be top billing, but AT&T hasn't completely forgotten about the One X. The carrier announced today that HTC One X users on its network can now upgrade to Android Jelly Bean.

This is an update a long time coming since the HTC One X+ already runs a fresh helping of Google's mobile operating system. To be clear, the version of this software is Android 4.1 and not the most recent 4.2 Jelly Bean variant you'll find on LG's Nexus 4. Still, a new infusion of code is … Read more

What the Galaxy S4 needs

One week from today, Samsung is taking over New York's Radio City Music Hall to "unpack" its next Galaxy device. The invitation doesn't get more specific, but the wireless buzz, along with the size and prominence of the venue (even without the Rockettes), suggests that Samsung will unveil the long-awaited Galaxy S4 smartphone.

CNET's live coverage of Samsung's Galaxy S4 event

So for the second year in a row, Sammy is staging quite a coup and ripping a well-written page from Apple's playbook. Like it did with the Galaxy S3, it brushed off … Read more