Cell phones

Samsung is one of the most prolific handsetmakers out there, with almost a new phone every month. In this gallery of new Samsung phones, we take a look at just a few that have come out in recent months.

The Samsung SGH-T139 is a basic flip phone for T-Mobile that doesn't offer much, but it does deliver when it comes to making phone calls. Similarly, the Samsung Stunt for MetroPCS is a relatively lightweight candy-bar phone but at least it's affordable and has simple features like Bluetooth and a speakerphone. On the higher end, the Samsung Trill … Read more

Just to be clear, this is not an April Fools' joke, though we wouldn't blame you for thinking so because this deal is a bit ridonkulous.

Verizon Wireless announced on Thursday that customers who buy or upgrade to the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus will get the carrier's Mobile Hotspot feature for free, while current owners of the smartphone will find a big fat $0.00 for the service on their next bill.

Mobile Hotspot lets you turn the devices into a mobile Wi-Fi router that can provide a mobile broadband connection using Verizon's EV-DO … Read more

It's a very special day at Dialed In. For a limited-time engagement, our very own Bonnie Cha graces us with her presence on her way back to New York City from CTIA. Bonnie had a little business on the left coast, which included a visit to her old stomping grounds at the San Francisco office. She's even back in her old cubicle so it's like she never left.

But as exciting as her visit is, today's show is all about CTIA. We saw a lot happen last week in Vegas, from America's first commercially available (… Read more

Motorola has promised a deluge of smartphones in 2010, and so far the company is on track to complete that goal. Within days of each other, Moto introduced the Devour for Verizon Wireless and the Cliq XT for T-Mobile. Both smartphones run Google's Android operating system and both are related to previous models. The Cliq XT, of course, is a successor to the Moto Cliq. It lacks a physical keyboard, but it offers Swype technology, and it runs MotoBlur. The Devour, on the other hand, is a little brother of the Motorola Droid. It's smaller and has fewer … Read more

We've already told you about the Samsung Corby and the CorbyTXT and CorbyPro, but now Samsung has added the Corby Mate. Also called the GT-B3310, the Corby Mate has a slider design with a full QWERTY keyboard. You can get it in two color schemes: teal and black or silver and black.

Features on the unlocked quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) world phone include Bluetooth, a personal organizer, USB mass storage, a speakerphone, a Web browser, messaging and e-mail, a microSD card slot, a music player, and a VGA camera.

Remember the LG Rumor Touch that was announced at CES earlier this year? Well, Sprint is finally ready to release it out into the wild. The Rumor Touch was made available starting March 28 and will cost $79.99 with a new two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate. It is available in blue to start, but will be available in red and purple starting April 18.

The Rumor Touch is the first touch-screen phone in the Rumor line of messaging handsets. It has a 3-inch WQVGA touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 2-megapixel camera and camcorder, a … Read more

As we pack our bags to leave Las Vegas, It's time to reflect on the CTIA that was. After a sleeper of a show last year, 2010 was quite eventful. The show floor was busier, the announcements were bigger, and there was more of a buzz permeating the Las Vegas Convention Center. It can be hard to keep track of it all, so here's a summary of what we saw.

4G Sprint and HTC grabbed most of the spotlight when they announced their new HTC Evo 4G. The Evo is more than just hype; it's slick and powerful and Sprint has a growing WiMax network (it might switch to LTE, however). Indeed, we liked it so much that we named it the top phone at CTIA. Yet, Sprint was not alone in pushing 4G; MetroPCS and Samsung announced the LTE-equipped SCH-r900 for Las Vegas and other markets later this year. Read Maggie Reardon's recent take on 4G for a great perspective on how the technology could develop. T-Mobile tried to counter the 4G news by promoting its 3G network and AT&T execs advocated for more spectrum.

Android Just like at CES and Mobile World Congress, Android went big at CTIA this year. We saw the first Android phone from Nextel, Kyocera's first Android handset, a Dell Android device, and the promising Samsung Galaxy S. Oh, and did we mention that the Evo 4G runs Android 2.1? Nice.

… Read more

Late last year I told you about CNET's new tool to accurately rate wireless coverage across the United States. With our partner Root Wireless, we're able to show average signal strength, data throughput, dropped calls, and failed data connections for the four major carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless) in great detail, even down to a city block.

Though we've received positive reader feedback about the service since its launch, we also know that you've wanted more coverage (no pun intended) beyond the current 16 metro areas. Well, the good news is that … Read more

Another CTIA has come to an end, so it's time for CNET to pass out our Best of CTIA awards. We had to make a tough choice this year and break away from our traditional categories; because most of the major handset announcements in Las Vegas this year were smartphones (you can blame Android for that) we consolidated the traditional Best Phone and Best Smartphone categories into a category for Best Phone, plus a runner-up. We also couldn't find a worthy nominee for Best Software/Service so we did away with that category completely. So now, on to … Read more