Smartphones

Samsung and InterDigital reach 3G and 2G settlement

Samsung and wireless technology provider InterDigital have reached a settlement in their long-running patent dispute involving 3G and 2G technologies, InterDigital announced Monday.

Under the agreement, Samsung will receive a royalty-bearing license to cover all of its 3G products through 2012. The agreement, which also resolves a dispute over Samsung's royalty obligations for its 2G sales, will also include products built on WCDMA and cdma2000 standards and related extensions.

The parties did not disclose the terms of the agreement, however, a report in the Wall Street Journal cites a telecom analyst who puts a value of $400 million to $… Read more

Verizon Wireless snags Samsung Omnia

Well, Verizon Wireless is certainly kicking off the holiday season with a bang. In just the past couple of weeks, we've seen the release of the RIM BlackBerry Storm, the Samsung Saga, the HTC Touch Pro, and now, the Samsung Omnia.

The Samsung Omnia will cost $249.99 with a two-year contract and will be available online and through business channels first starting November 26. The Windows Mobile smartphone will then make its way to stores on December 8.

Verizon's Omnia offers a lot of the same great features as the unlocked GSM version, which we reviewed in … Read more

Mystery smartphone set to debut

OK, we hate to be teases, but heck, why not? The holidays are just a couple of days away, and we're feeling a little frisky.

On Tuesday morning, a new smartphone is set to debut, and we've had a couple of weeks to check out the device. Unfortunately, we can't say much since we're bound by secrecy by the manufacturer and carrier. However, if you check back on Crave and CNET on Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. PST/9 a.m. EST, you'll get all the details, including a full review and photo gallery. … Read more

White T-Mobile G1 on sale now

On Monday, T-Mobile set free the white version of the T-Mobile G1, joining the previously released black and bronze models. The white G1 will cost the same as the others at $179.99 with a two-year contract and is available online and in stores.

According to Silicon Alley Insider and DigiTimes, HTC, the manufacturer of the first Google Android smartphone, expects to ship 1 million G1s by the end of 2008, which is 67 percent more than its original estimate of 600,000. It's unclear how the sales break down in terms of region and demographics, but it's … Read more

Verizon gets its own HTC Touch Pro

Without much fanfare, the HTC Touch Pro popped up on the Verizon Wireless Web site on Monday, complete with specs and pricing. The Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone is available for purchase online and through telephone sales now and in stores on December 1 for a pricey $349.99 with a two-year contract and after a mail-in rebate.

Verizon's version of the Touch Pro costs about $50 more than the Sprint model and AT&T's HTC Fuze, but offers many of the same features including a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 3.2-megapixel … Read more

Customers line up for new BlackBerry Storm

Hundreds of people lined up outside some Verizon Wireless stores to buy the new BlackBerry Storm on Friday, but many walked away empty handed.

The Storm, which has been hyped for months, went on sale Friday morning. The device is the first BlackBerry phone to have a touch screen, making it a strong competitor to the Apple iPhone on AT&T's network. Since Verizon Wireless announced it would be the exclusive U.S. carrier for the Storm, the wireless operator has been expecting it to be a hit. In fact, it's the only new phone the company … Read more

Analyst: 'big 'bang' to hit PC and handset industry

A clash is brewing as PC and cell phone chip suppliers vie for new designs that fall outside traditional product categories, an analyst said in a research note Wednesday.

Doug Freedman, a chip analyst at AmTech Research, said the "line between cell phones and PCs is clearly blurring" and that consequently "PC and cell phone food chains will battle for market share in these new classes of devices." He calls this the "big bang between PCs and handsets."

This will happen as more tweener products emerge. "New product categories such as Netbooks, MIDs (… Read more

Eve of the storm: RIM BlackBerry Storm reviewed

It's been a little over a month since the RIM BlackBerry Storm was officially announced for Verizon Wireless and ever since then, we've all waited with baited breath for the first touch-screen BlackBerry to arrive. Well, dear friends, the day is nigh.

On November 21, the BlackBerry Storm will be available for mass consumption and with an enticing price of $199.99 (with a two-year contract and after rebates and discounts), the Storm looks to be barreling down the path to success. But is it? Is the SurePress touch screen truly functional or is it too weird? What … Read more

Verizon finally has its answer to the iPhone

Verizon Wireless may have found its iPhone killer.

On Friday, Verizon will be the first and only wireless carrier in the U.S. to offer Research in Motion's new BlackBerry Storm. The device, which costs $199 with a two-year contract and a $50 mail-in rebate, is the first phone that could give Apple's iPhone--offered exclusively on AT&T's network for the same price--a run for its money.

I checked out the new touch-screen phone this week and have been playing around with it for a few days. My first impression is that it's pretty … Read more

Dialed In 58: It's a touch-screen explosion!

In case you haven't noticed, touch-screen phones are red hot this season. In this episode of Dialed In, we run through the latest touch-screen phones, including the LG Delve and Samsung Eternity. We also dish on other new handsets including the BlackBerry Storm and the AT&T Quickfire.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Rumor of the week LG Prada 2

News Samsung Saga, Renown debut for Verizon Wireless AT&T launches Samsung Eternity Alltel launches the LG Swift and the Samsung Hue II HTC Touch Diamond for Alltel LG Incite is LG's first U.S. smartphone … Read more