3g

InterDigital is taking aim at Nokia, Huawei, and ZTE, claiming the companies are illegally using its 3G wireless technology.

The developer of wireless technologies said today that it has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission, seeking a ban on the importation of 3G phones, USB laptop sticks, mobile hot spots, tablets, and other wireless components from the three companies. The company separately filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court in Delaware.

The complaint is just the latest in a myriad of legal entanglements between technology companies, including scuffles between Apple and HTC and Samsung Electronics, … Read more

Not too long ago, Amazon was offering the 3G version of its Kindle With Special Offers for $164. Now, thanks to a sponsorship from AT&T, that price has dropped to $139.

"Kindle 3G is more convenient--customers never have to hunt for or pay for a Wi-Fi hot spot--they simply download and read books anytime, anywhere. Kindle 3G customers read 20 percent more books, and take advantage of twice as many special offers," says Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos is a press release. "A big thank you to AT&T for helping to make the … Read more

Rumors about what Apple is doing with its iPod line have been on the quiet side over the past few months, but a new report suggests that the iPod Touch is due for a genuinely exciting upgrade later this year.

Dutch blog AppleSpot.nl claims that Apple's next-generation iPod Touch will sport 3G connectivity, giving people a way to access data while out on the go without needing to find a Wi-Fi hot spot, just like they do on the iPhone.

A translation of the AppleSpot report from a reader on 9to5mac has the source outlet saying it will … Read more

If T-Mobile's recently reviewed T-Mobile Rocket 3.0 4G Laptop Stick doesn't have what you want, you might want to consider the USBConnect Force 4G modem, which AT&T announced today.

This is a 4G USB modem that enables a computer to access the Internet via either a 4G or 3G network. Similar to the Laptop Stick, the USBConnect Force 4G also includes a card slot and works as a card reader when coupled with a microSD card (not included). It supports cards of up to 32GB of storage, which is a decent amount in case you … Read more

Sprint invited media to visit its "M2M Collaboration Center" in Burlingame, Calif., to show off how the company's network is being used to enable machines to talk with other machines.

Among the applications for M2M are ATMs that can be put anywhere there's an electrical outlet (or solar energy source) and bathroom scales that use the network to transmit your weight to a loved one or health practitioner. There are a lot of M2M applications for security ranging from 4G-connected cameras to alarm systems connected to Sprint's older and slower 2G network. One innovative though … Read more

Sony, you baffle me. I'm sitting down with an Xperia Play, the PlayStationesque Android phone released earlier this year. The one I had been awaiting, for a year, the so-called "PlayStation phone." CNET's already reviewed the Xperia Play, but I was sent the unit to play with a little for myself, at long last. After this year's E3, the Xperia Play sits in my hands like an afterthought. I'm underwhelmed, unexcited, bored. Partially, it's the software: a depressing suite of PlayStation 1 games and choppy frame rate Android titles. Partially, it's the hardware: the Xperia Play has its own buttons, the build quality is impressive, and the device feels good to hold, yet it lacks physical analog sticks.

Yet, what bothers me most of all, strangely, is the branding.

The Xperia Play doesn't say "PlayStation" anywhere on it. A small square with square, triangle, X and circle icons on the lower-left corner of the control pad are the only indication of any PlayStation relationship. "Sony Ericsson" and "Xperia" appear once each, and "Verizon" appears twice.

Even in the software menus or apps I could find, not once did the "PlayStation" word or logo appear. It's a branding white-out.

Does that matter?

Not really. But it's a critical statement. I can't help but be reminded of the MotoRokr E1 phone. The first phone to play well with iTunes, it predated the iPhone as a music phone by two years. However, the device lacked any clear Apple branding or iDevice labeling, or even a look that matched the iPod. The MotoRokr died a quiet death in the shadow of the iPod Nano, a precursor to all that happened after with the iPhone.

I wonder if the same story is inevitably true for the Xperia Play.… Read more

Apple will start making its next iPhone before the end of August and launch the device late in the third quarter, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty.

Following meetings in Taiwan last week, presumably with Apple suppliers, Huberty said in an investor's note yesterday that she expects Apple to start ramping up production of the iPhone "aggressively" in mid- to late August and on into the fourth quarter.

Following the August push, the analyst believes, Apple will launch the iPhone in September and ship 2 million units in the fourth quarter, a shift from her previous … Read more

Editors' note: This post was updated August 2, 2011, to reflect that the app is now publicly available.

Skype for iPad got off to a rocky start. It was meant to be available in the App Store in June, languished until August 1, was introduced, pullled for a few hours, and then, finally, settled in. Here's our original hands-on review from June; we'll continue using the app now that the final version is in.

The new iPad-optimized Skype client takes advantage of the tablet's larger screen real estate, making for crisp and clear video chat over Wi-Fi, … Read more

Confused about which 4G wireless broadband service really is the fastest? U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) wants wireless operators to disclose the true speeds of their self-proclaimed "4G" services.

The congresswoman today introduced a billed called the "Next Generation Wireless Disclosure Act," which, if passed, would require carriers to inform consumers at the point of sale of the minimum data speeds, network reliability, and coverage of their advertised 4G services.

"Consumers deserve to know exactly what they're getting for their money when they sign-up for a 4G data plan," Eshoo, said in … Read more