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Verizon CTO predicts 'toll free' data

NEW ORLEANS--It was Verizon CTO Tony Melone's turn today to talk about adopting an 1-800-like service for over-the-top media providers.

During a panel here at the CTIA trade show, Melone said that there is a more than 50-50 chance that carriers will adopt a business model that allows destination services, such as Google or Netflix, to pay for clear access for their customers.

"As we move away from flat rate pricing, there is room for an 1-800-type of service where certain destinations could offset the cost of the network to get customers to those destinations," he said. &… Read more

Samsung Galaxy S III hands-on: Oh yes, it has wow factor

NEW ORLEANS--Samsung's newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S III, crossed the pond and landed in my hands at CTIA 2012.

Quite a few commenters on CNET's live blog expressed their disappointment, saying that the Galaxy S III is an evolution, not a revolution, that they wish it had a better camera, that it came in ceramic material, and that the design wasn't that compelling. I must respectfully disagree on all three counts, and here's why.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S III hands-on: Oh yes, it has wow factor.

ZTE plays the long game on building consumer awareness

NEW ORLEANS--ZTE is virtually unknown in the U.S. and, at least for now, that seems to be OK with the company.

The Chinese company, the fourth-largest handset vendor despite its minimal presence in the U.S., is focusing on building up its relationship with the carriers and supporting their needs, said Lixen Cheng, president of ZTE's North American business, in an interview with CNET today.

"We do plan on building our consumer brand by working more closely with our carrier partners," he said.

While relatively unknown, ZTE is an up-and-comer in the U.S. handset business. … Read more

FCC chairman defends decision to squash AT&T/T-Mobile deal

Last updated: 10:47 a.m. PT

NEW ORLEANS--The Federal Communications Commission's decision to block the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile isn't going to hurt the industry's spectrum position and is in line with the free-market principles promoting competition, Chairman Julius Genachowski said today in a defense of his agency's actions.

Genachowski delivered a keynote speech at the CTIA Wireless conference here, which unofficially kicked off yesterday. The FCC chairman led with platitudes to the CTIA and the wireless industry on issues such as the environment and the prevention of mobile-device theft before moving … Read more

Boost Mobile's first 4G phone: The HTC Evo Design 4G

Boost Mobile is getting into the 4G mix with the launch of the HTC Evo Design 4G.

The smartphone, which will launch on May 31, comes with a 4-inch qHD, or 960x540-pixel resolution, touch screen and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). In addition, the handset boasts a 1.2GHz processor, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera to complement its 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and Wi-Fi hot-spot functionality.

The big news of the day, however, is that the smartphone will become the first 4G-ready device to hit Boost Mobile's service by operating on Sprint's 4G (WiMax) network. According to Boost … Read more

Sprint Guardian takes on mobile security for the whole family

NEW ORLEANS--Sprint cares about the safety of your smartphone, which is why they teamed up with security companies like Safely and Lookout to offer safety and security app bundles.

The new initiative is called Sprint Guardian. The new section within the Sprint Zone app will launch with two bundles of tools -- Family Safety, which is powered by Safely, and Mobile Security, powered by Lookout.

The Family Safety bundle includes Sprint Family Locator, Sprint Mobile Controls (think parental controls), and Sprint Drive First which targets texting while driving. It'll cost $9.99 per month for coverage on up to … Read more

Qualcomm offers support for Clearwire-billed LTE

NEW ORLEANS--The carrier networks aren't the only 4G LTE game in town.

Qualcomm today announced its intention to support Clearwire's forthcoming TDD-LTE network in a select line of chipsets that power mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Qualcomm already has what are called multi-mode, multi-band LTE chipsets, which enable devices to ride more than one LTE frequency.

Mobile device-makers that use Qualcomm's chipsets to power their products will be able to offer their customers other solutions for LTE, since their products will be able to ride the data network provided by Clearwire's wholesale service.

"We … Read more

AT&T Mobility CEO: Family data plan coming soon (scoop)

NEW ORLEANS--AT&T's version of the family data plan may be coming sooner than you think.

The company has a firm hold on what type of plan it will offer and intends to offer one soon, said Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T's mobile business, in an interview with CNET here yesterday. A family data plan would allow consumers to buy one bucket of data, which can be used by multiple devices, a move industry observers believe could spur the sale of non-traditional cellular devices like connected tablets.

"I'm very comfortable with … Read more