CTIA 2013

SAN DIEGO--CNET has spent enough time with LG's new flagship, quad-core LG Optimus G to portend great things for LG's image, especially now that the Android 4.0 powerhouse will come to both AT&T and Sprint.

There's just one early snag. Yesterday, I spent some time with the 13-megapixel camera. The controls all looked fantastic, and are part of a redesigned OS. However, I wasn't happy with some of the photos I took for practice.

It definitely didn't help the camera's cause that I shot all photos in a closed demo room … Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Though a significantly smaller show than January's Consumer Electronic Show and February's Mobile World Conference, MobileCon 2012 still kicked off its first day with a handful of new phones. However, hardware companies didn't hog all the fun; there was plenty of carrier news as well.

T-Mobile T-Mobile introduced its first Windows Phone 8 handset, the Nokia Lumia 810. Available withiin weeks, the Lumia 810 has a 4.3 inch touchscreen, an 8 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss technology, and interchangeable back plates that enables the device to charge wirelessly.

Another T-Mobile device, the LG Optimus L9, … Read more

Sprint Nextel expanded its lineup of 4G LTE devices, nabbing the LG Optimus G quad-core smartphone, the LG Mach QWERTY slider, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablet, and a 4G USB stick.

Apart from the previously announced LG Optimus G, Sprint announced the new devices at the MobileCon wireless trade show today. No pricing or availability information was available.

The brand-new LG Mach features a full QWERTY keyboard and is expected to be a more affordable device. The smartphone runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, has a 5-megapixel rear camera and VGA front-facing camera, and is … Read more

T-Mobile added another Windows Phone 8 handset today by announcing the Nokia Lumia 810. A variant of the previously announced Lumia 820 that's optimized for T-Mobile's network, the Lumia 810 will be available "in the coming weeks."

The Lumia 810 will deliver a 4.3-inch display, interchangeable covers in cyan and black, an 8-megaixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, a 1.2-megapixel front-facing shooter, Nokia Music and Nokia Maps, and support for T-Mobile's HSPA+ data network. The carrier did not announce pricing, but like the earlier Lumia 710, it should come in at under $100 … Read more

The day before MobileCon kicks off in San Diego, T-Mobile and LG prime the mobile pump by unveiling the LG Optimus L9.

Running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the midrange handset also features a 4.5-inch qHD display made with Corning Gorilla Glass 2, a 1GHz dual-core processor, and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and 1080p HD video recording.

There's also a large 2,150mAh battery onboard, and LG's Quick Memo app. There's no pricing or availability information yet, but we're hoping to learn more when we (hopefully) see the phone tomorrow at MobileCon.… Read more

MobileCon, the rebranded mobile show that used to be known as Fall CTIA, runs October 9 to 11 in San Diego, CA. As before, the show will have a strong IT and enterprise focus, but we'll still see consumer goodies crop up in the form of new handsets.

What we won't see is the mass press conference spectacle of January's CES or the absolute circus of February's Mobile World Congress at the quieter MobileCon. Instead, expect news generated in private meetings and unexpected press releases for new smartphones.

Although AT&T already announced its fall lineup … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Decked out with big signs, a large lighted panel, and a red halo banner hanging up top, the 3,500 square foot booth from Plum caught the eyes of many CTIA attendees this year.

Then again, that's the point--because most people in the U.S. have hardly heard of this telecommunications company, even though it's based in Miami, Fla.

Popular in Latin American countries including Columbia, Ecuador, and Guatemala, Plum achieved success from selling dual-SIM phones. By attending CTIA this year (its first trade show in the U.S.), it's looking to duplicate that success and expand into this market.… Read more

NEW ORLEANS--When Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg used his Consumer Electronics Show keynote to demonstrate the company's Connected Me concept, which turns the human body into a bridge between gadgets, he was met with lackluster applause.

Part of the problem was the audience didn't fully grasp what Vestberg was trying to show. He was on stage holding a smartphone in one hand and the sensor for an audio system in the other. The data signal shot through his body, playing an MP3 from the phone on the speaker system. In effect, he became a replacement for a USB cord … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--We didn't come to CTIA expecting a flood of new handsets as in years past, but what we did see imparted a taste of things to come for carriers, phone makers, and the wireless industry as whole.

Big guns The big guns were few. HTC was the most prolific, with the Droid Incredible 4G LTE as its top new device, plus a pair of older 4G WiMax phones repackaged with ICS for Sprint's no-contract carriers, Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile. Both 4G and ICS are Virgin and Boost firsts.

HTC had one more surprise up its sleeve, … Read more