4g

Top prepaid phones (roundup)

Two years is a long time. In that amount of time you can finish a master's degree or, uh...raise a baby into a 2-year-old child. OK, that latter example wasn't the most illustrative, but what I'm trying to say is that for some mobile phone users out there, two years is too long to be locked down in a carrier agreement. That's why I've gathered a few top-notch, recently released phones on prepaid carriers that are ideal for those who want to be contract-free.

Samsung Galaxy Reverb (Virgin Mobile), September 2012 Though it doesn'… Read more

How Verizon kept wireless service going after Sandy hit

With Hurricane Sandy due to hit the East Coast in a couple of days, Verizon Wireless executive Mike Haberman tested his house's back-up generator and ended up finding a faulty circuit that he quickly fixed. So when the outage hit his house in Morristown, N.J., he was able to get enough power to his laptop and phone to work from home last week.

That's a good thing, because Haberman was one of the key people coordinating the carrier's efforts to keep service going at a time when massive power outages wreaked havoc on the East Coast. … Read more

iOS 6.0.1 already jailbroken -- for some devices

iOS 6.0.1 users can now jailbreak their devices, but there are some bumps in the road.

The latest version of the iPhone Dev Team's Redsn0w can jailbreak iOS 6.0.1 devices, Redmond Pie confirmed today after testing the update.

However, not everyone can take advantage of the effort at this point.

The jailbreak works only on iOS devices powered by an A4 chip or lower. People who own the iPhone 5, the newest iPads, or the latest iPod Touch are out of luck. The jailbreak takes advantage of the Limera1n exploit, which can't handle the … Read more

iPad Mini, 4th-gen iPad reviews

While CNET's New York office works to get power back after the storm, we're bringing you the Update show from our San Francisco office. Wednesday's top tech stories include:

- Apple judgement day: Read CNET's reviews of the iPad Mini and the latest full-size iPad. The Wi-Fi versions of the Mini and updated iPad arrive in stores on Friday.

- Give 4G connection to an iPod Touch with a $99 Freedom Pop sleeve.

- If you're buying the deluxe Wii U game console bundle, Nintendo has a perk for downloading games: 10% of every dollar … Read more

With no 4G LTE support, new Nexus devices irk early adopters

For all the wonderful hardware and software that comes with the new Nexus 4 and the rejiggered Nexus 7, there's one glaring feature that keeps them from being truly leading-edge: lack of 4G LTE support.

That means that as of today, early adopters who want the latest and greatest in Android will have to be content with an HSPA+ network. Yes, T-Mobile's HSPA+ can sometimes be as fast as LTE, but unlike with the iPhone, Android has always been good about including cutting-edge features. That's why this one hurts. Cue snickering from the Apple crowd.

Google did … Read more

LTE Spectrum 2 joins Verizon's $99 Android portfolio

Starting today, Verizon will offer the LG Spectrum 2, an LTE Android phone. Priced at $99.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $50 mail-in rebate, the Spectrum 2 packs quite a punch for the money.

The phone boasts a 4.7-inch HD IPS display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 16GB internal storage, and up to 32GB in microSD expansion. What's more, the Revolution 2 also comes with an 8-megapixel camera, NFC (near-field communication), Bluetooth 4.0, wireless charging capability, and a host of other Android requisites.

If there's one knock against the budget-friendly Android, it'… Read more

MetroPCS Q3: 1 million LTE subscribers, strong profit

MetroPCS, the fifth largest cellular network in the U.S., has posted strong third-quarter earnings, along with more than 1 million LTE subscribers on its network.

The cellular network today reported third-quarter net profit of $193 million -- more than double the $69 million profit it recorded a year ago -- on revenue of $1.3 billion, or 52 cents a share. Revenue was up by 4 percent year over year.

Analysts had expected revenue of $1.25 billion for the third quarter.

MetroPCS did have a net loss of 312,000 subscribers during the quarter, dropping its total subscriber … Read more

FreedomPop's $99 sleeve brings 4G to iPod Touch

After a long wait, FreedomPop is now shipping the iPod Touch 4G Sleeve.

The sleeve can be attached to any fourth-generation iPod Touch, and allows you to connect to the firm's 4G network and make free calls via Skype and any other voice-over-IP application. Users can connect to 4G anywhere that is on the startup's 4G coverage map -- including the East Coast, Florida and California.

Currently, a sleeve-equipped iPod Touch can stream video, make VoIP calls, and serve as a hot spot for up to eight devices. The startup began taking preorders in May for the $99 … Read more

Sprint unveils new no-contract data plans for 4G LTE tablets

One day after Apple finally announced new iPads that would run on Sprint's network, the wireless carrier announced a set of new data plans it says offers up to 20 percent more data than Verizon or AT&T at the same price.

Beginning November 11, Sprint customers will be able to choose among four no-contract rate plans for 4G LTE-enabled tablets, Sprint announced this evening. Plans start at $14.99 for 300MB of data per month and increase to $34.99 for 3GB, $49.99 for 6GB, topping out at $79.99 a month for 12GB of data. … Read more