ctia

Sprint could be the next wireless carrier to offer the Samsung Galaxy Note, at least according to one image found online.

TechnoBuffalo discovered the massive 5.3-inch smartphone prominently displayed in one of the provider's online marketing tools. Although the handset is advertising a link for Mobile Controls, TechnoBuffalo surmises that the image strongly resembles Samsung's titanic device.

Of course, this singular graphic is far from proof of any Samsung and Sprint announcements. On the other hand, after seeing this, I wouldn't be shocked if they did.

Samsung has a history of releasing the same model across … Read more

Though Samsung has yet to even release the phone, LG could be prepping a new flagship smartphone to rival Sammy's upcoming Samsung's Galaxy S III. According to a source close to Korea's Digital Daily, the LG D1L will offer comparable features and will make its debut in May.

The early specifications for the D1L aren't that remarkable when compared with other recent LG products like the Optimus 4X HD. It will bring a 4.7-inch, 1,280x720-pixel display, and a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor (the Galaxy S III also may have a 1280x720-pixel display, though Samsung could add a quad-core Exynos chip). Expected to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream and support 4G LTE, it's difficult to forecast why this particular model is a would-be killer. … Read more

The annual CTIA Wireless show usually brings us a host of shiny new cell phones. And given the event's U.S. focus, we have the pleasure of knowing that all the handsets introduced eventually will end up stateside.

Yet, when the 2012 show beings May 8 in New Orleans, CNET has learned that Sony won't be in attendance. In an e-mail, spokeswoman Chelsea Alexander didn't offer a reason for the company's absence, but she did confirm that it won't be landing in the Big Easy. So not only does that mean no press conference or … Read more

The Sprint version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone has been given its FCC approval papers and is one step closer to release. … Read more

With the passage last week of legislation authorizing the FCC to conduct new spectrum auctions, you might think that the looming spectrum crisis has been averted.

Nothing could be farther from the truth--or more dangerous to the continued health of the mobile ecosystem.

To avoid severe service interruptions or outright collapse of mobile networks, the FCC's 2010 National Broadband Plan estimated that mobile users will need an additional 300MHz of spectrum by 2015 and an additional 500 MHz by 2020. Many industry insiders believe these estimates are actually low.

The FCC now has the authority to conduct auctions to … Read more

Smartphone-app makers have a new way to classify age-specific ratings for their software using an already-popular program, but some of the biggest players in the mobile-app business are not on board with its launch.

Wireless-industry trade group CTIA and the Entertainment Software Rating Board today formally announced a system that lets developers assign a rating to their game, letting users and parents get an idea of its content before download or purchase.

Under the free program, developers designate what types of content are in the software. That information is turned into an age-specific rating assigned by the ESRB, which the … Read more

Amazon is selling many smartphones for just a penny through Cyber Monday, Microsoft uses bacon to entice potential employees to its Kinect for Windows group, and Facebook may be working on a smartphone with HTC codenamed Buffy after the TV show.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Next week brings the unveiling of a new rating system for mobile applications, akin to what the video game industry has used for the past 17 years.

The CTIA-The Wireless Association today said that it's taking the wraps off a new mobile application rating system early next week with with the help of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). That's the self-regulating body that reviews and assigns age appropriate ratings to video games.

The original initiative (PDF) behind a mobile apps rating system was launched by the CTIA near the end of March and calls for "voluntary self-certification of apps." The program seeks to have app-makers define the content within their creations based on a specific set of ratings and guidelines. The end result is a system the CTIA hopes will give consumers "more informed choices" when using applications on mobile devices.

On the docket to talk at the unveiling, which takes place on November 29, are U.S. Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), alongside CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent and ESRB President Patricia Vance. … Read more

San Francisco may have gone too far in mandating warnings about the radiation coming out of cell phones, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.

The ruling, reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, called for San Francisco to tone down its message and to remove the requirement for retailers to post warnings on their walls.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup said the warnings created an "untrue and misleading" perception that cell phones are dangerous and "somehow escaped the regulatory process." He added that the rule overstates the risks posed by cell phones.

The ruling is part … Read more