OnCall

On Call: 5 tiny things the new iPhone needs

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

As you've heard many times over, a new iPhone is due from Apple by the end of the year. Depending on who you talk to, it will come in September or October, and it will be a small upgrade or a complete revamp, which means that only one thing is certain at this point: we won't know exactly what we'll get until CEO Steve Jobs takes the stage to tell us.

In the meantime, though, we can … Read more

On Call: What we'd really lose in an AT&T-T-Mobile merger

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

By now I'm sure that you're familiar with the arguments against the proposed AT&T-T-Mobile merger. As critics see it, the deal will put too much power in the hands of one carrier (and one GSM carrier, at that), it will reduce customer choice and innovation, and it will lead to higher prices and poorer customer service.

Those all are valid points, but I'm more worried about something that hasn't received a lot of attention. … Read more

On Call: Lost iPhones, unlimited data plans, and Nokia's device strategy

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

It's been a few months since I've used On Call to answer reader questions, but this week offered the perfect opportunity. Being that tomorrow, June 29, is the fourth birthday of the original iPhone, I wanted to tackle a great query on replacing a lost Apple device. Plus, the ongoing AT&T-T-Mobile merger has produced a lot of reader questions on the status of unlimited data plans, and the recent introduction of the Nokia N9 has cause … Read more

On Call: Civil rights groups line up behind AT&T-T-Mobile merger

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Immediately after AT&T announced its intention to acquire T-Mobile last March, opponents and supporters began to weigh in. And now, three months later, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the wireless industry who doesn't have an opinion on the $39 billion transaction.

Choosing teams For the most part, the two camps are lining up about how you'd expect. Consumer watchdog organizations are against the deal, while pro-business groups and rural broadband proponents are … Read more

On Call: The right to end your carrier contract early

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Last month, a CNET reader named Greg told me in an e-mail that the coverage map currently on Sprint's Web site shows a dramatically changed voice and data network than a similar map from a couple of years earlier. Since carrier maps are never reliable, I didn't think much of it at first. But as this Sprint user forum shows, Greg wasn't exaggerating. Sprint's home coverage area (look for the green areas) on the newer map … Read more

On Call: Are you carrying your phone wrong?

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Next Monday, the Environmental Quality Committee of the California State Senate will hold its first hearing on a bill that would require retailers in the state to inform consumers of the possible health risks of cell phone use. SB 932, which was introduced by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), would add notices on product packaging and at the point of sale explaining that phones emit radio frequency (RF) energy. If it passes, it would be the first statewide law of … Read more

On Call: Best carriers for recycling your phone

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Though you probably know that Friday is Earth Day, I'd wager that you weren't aware that it's also National Cell Phone Recycling Week. Created two years ago by the Environmental Protection Agency, the week encourages U.S. wireless subscribers to recycle and reuse old handsets rather than discarding them into a drawer, or worse yet, throwing them away in the trash.

It's a noble effort, indeed, particularly when you consider how often we're encouraged to … Read more

On Call: No more Mr. Nice Android?

Last week, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Google was beginning to take a firmer hand in controlling how partners use the Android operating system on their devices.

Writers Ashlee Vance and Peter Burrows didn't get too specific--they mostly relied on background interviews--but they described a few ways that the Googleplex is taking control. For example, Google now must be involved in all partnerships, developers won't be able to make random tweaks to the software, and developers who get early access to new OS updates will need to inform Android chief Andy Rubin himself. Also, companies that abide by the … Read more

On Call: A bridge for T-Mobile and Sprint

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Bloomberg today revived a long-simmering story in the wireless world when it reported that Deutsche Telekom is considering selling its T-Mobile USA subsidiary to Sprint Nextel. A deal is nowhere near definite, sources told Bloomberg, but the two companies are debating a valuation for the country's fourth-largest carrier.

More merger mania Mergers between wireless carriers do happen--remember that Sprint and Nextel got hitched almost six years ago--and the possibility of a T-Mobile/Sprint marriage has been bounced around since 2009. … Read more