nextel

commentary The "S" in iPhone 4S can't possibly stand for network speed, can it?

Despite a "never-been-done" redesigned antenna, other smartphones can still leave the iPhone 4S in their dust. For all of Apple's advances with the iPhone, the network speed is one area where the company has fallen short.

(Related: iPhone 4S First Take)

The connection speed is an increasingly critical issue for consumers, who rely on zippier networks to ferry streaming videos, music downloads, complex Web sites, and online games on to their devices. That the iPhone 4S can not ride on … Read more

Apple's much-anticipated new iPhone was unveiled today at the company's headquarters in California. And for the first time in iPhone history, three of the four major U.S. operators will be offering the latest version of the device.

AT&T, Sprint Nextel, and Verizon Wireless will each begin selling their version of the iPhone 4S on October 14. Apple and its carrier partners will begin taking preorders for the device on Friday. Even though the announcement of the new iPhone 4S may have disappointed some fans because it was not the hoped for redesign known as the … Read more

The iPhone 4S may not be wowing the blogosphere, but Android handset manufacturers probably should start to worry.

By adding a new carrier partner in Sprint Nextel and keeping its older--and less expensive--iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 models alongside its newly unveiled iPhone 4S, the company is poised to take a major chunk out of its rivals.

"It'll be able to eat into share of other (original equipment manufacturers)," said Matthew Thornton, an analyst at Avian Securities.

Just what personal information does your mobile carrier store about you, and for how long? A memo from the Department of Justice sheds some light on this question.

Obtained from the Department of Justice by the ACLU through the Freedom of Information Act, the memo entitled "Retention Periods of Major Cellular Service Providers" reveals the data retention policies of six major U.S. mobile carriers. Dated August 2010, the memo says it's directed for "Law Enforcement Use Only," so it was written specifically for police and legal authorities in cases where they need to obtain … Read more

There is plenty of wireless spectrum available to meet the demand for wireless data services, but the problem may be that too much of it is in the wrong hands, according to a recent report from Citigroup.

A recent report from analysts at Citigroup, titled "Wireless Data: Supply and Demand Spectrum Control, Not Availability, Is the Real Constraint," suggests that the wireless industry already has a significant amount of wireless spectrum available. The problem, the analysts argue, is that the operators that control the greatest amount of unused spectrum may be under-capitalized or unwilling to build out networks … Read more

The mobile-payments joint venture between three of the national wireless carriers has gotten the support of nearly all of the major handset manufacturers in its bid to enable consumers to make purchases by waving their phones.

Isis--which is made up of AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile USA--said today that HTC, LG Electronics, Motorola Mobility, Research In Motion, Samsung Electronics, and Sony Ericsson will ship devices using the joint venture's technology standard for near-field communication, which enables the tap-and-go payment capability. The alliance, however, is missing a key player in Apple.

A spokesman for Isis said the venture … Read more

When writing a weekly column about the apps business, it's easy to get caught up in the new opportunities, capabilities, and trends emerging in this burgeoning area. It's equally easy to forget they come with new threats.

These threats, which include rogue apps that can swipe your personal data or steal passwords for your bank accounts, are real and growing.

A recent study conducted by security software provider McAfee found that that amount of malicious software, also known as malware, targeting Android had jumped 76 percent since the previous quarter, a remarkable rise in just three months. At … Read more

Clearwire is in talks with a number of carriers, including AT&T and Verizon Wireless, about eventually providing wireless capacity with its planned 4G LTE network.

"We're talking to everybody," Clearwire Chief Executive Eric Prusch said in an interview with CNET today.

Prusch didn't specifically name the two, but only said the company was talking to multiple companies when asked about AT&T and Verizon. The company's decision to move to LTE, a more widely accepted standard of 4G used by other U.S. carriers, has helped spur new discussions.

"The level … Read more

The emergence of one--or even two--additional carriers selling the iPhone shouldn't change the competitive dynamics for AT&T, according to the company's chief executive.

"Anytime there's another competitor launching Apple's hit device, the expectations for what would happen to the carrier that had it before is overblown," AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson told investors today during a conference hosted by Goldman Sachs. "The competitive dynamic will be no different than the last time."

AT&T faces the prospect of not one, but potentially two rivals selling the next … Read more