phone

Verizon bringing HTC One into the fold

Looks like speculation of the HTC One hitting Verizon this summer is true. The carrier just confirmed that it will bring the superphone into its lineup in a couple months.

Rather than issuing a formal press release, Verizon spilled the beans via its official Twitter account and cryptically stated that the phone "will be available on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network later this summer."

Regardless of the lack of a firm launch date, this is huge news for loyal HTC One fans since the handset has gained quite a following in recent months as it has begun … Read more

Windows Phone wins 5.6 percent of U.S. smartphone sales

Microsoft's Windows Phone continues to gain traction in the competitive smartphone arena.

For the three months ending April 13, Windows Phone captured 5.6 percent of all U.S. smartphone sales, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reported Monday. That figure proved a healthy gain from the 3.8 percent share of sales for the same period in 2012.

Windows Phone is even winning former Android users, according to Kantar. Among people who bought a Windows Phone in the last year, 23 percent jumped ship from Android, while 25 percent upgraded from another Windows Phone and 42 percent moved up from a … Read more

Man jumps on tracks to get cell phone, killed by train

It's never worth it.

And yet this isn't the first time someone jumped down onto rail tracks in order to retrieve a cell phone.

As New York's 1010 Wins reports, a 22-year-old man is said to have dropped his cell phone on the tracks at White Plains Road and East 241st Street, in the Wakefield section of the Bronx.

Eyewitnesses said that it seemed like a crazy thing to do. One even speculated whether he was trying to commit suicide.

What is clear is that he was struck by the No. 2 train and killed. His identity … Read more

Top 5 features Apple needs in iOS 7

With Apple's WWDC right around the corner, it's time to put together our wish list of features and fixes we want in the company's next mobile operating-system update, iOS 7.

For some ideas, I consulted the excellent lists already published by my colleagues Zack Whittaker from ZDNet and Luke Westaway of CNET UK. The actual ranking is rather arbitrary, so have fun complaining about that one -- though with a hot-button topic like this, I think it will be the least of your concerns.

Subscribe:

iTunes (HD) | iTunes (SD) | iTunes (HQ)

RSS (HD) | RSS (SD) |&… Read more

U.S. Cellular gets into the 'Home Phone' biz for $20 a month

U.S. Cellular is the latest wireless service provider to make the jump into your home.

On Friday, the carrier unveiled its U.S. Cellular Home Phone service, which goes on sale in retail stores on June 7 and online a couple of weeks later on June 20.

Similar to its wireless plan for cell phones, this new $19.99 monthly home phone service gives customers unlimited nationwide calling over your landline phone, as well as the standard calling features of voice mail, caller ID, and call waiting.

The carrier also throws in call forwarding and three-way calling.

If you'… Read more

Top waterproof iPhone 5 and iPhone 4/4S cases

Waterproof smartphone cases used to be bulky, ungainly contraptions, but they've been trimming down lately.

That said, building a truly waterproof case is not easy (a waterproof case is defined as one that can be fully submerged underwater for at least 30 minutes). Often there are tradeoffs in creating a waterproof design, the biggest of which usually involves access to the headphone jack on your phone. They also tend to be pricey, usually costing more than $50.

In boiling down the best of what's currently out there, I tried to provide a good mix of well-designed cases with … Read more

Want a free iPhone 5? Try Best Buy's limited trade-in program

Got an old iPhone lying around? For one day only, you can trade that for a free iPhone 5 at Best Buy.

Best Buy on Saturday will give customers a $150 trade-in credit for any working iPhone 4 or 4S, making the iPhone 5 free. The only out-of-pocket costs for the customer will be any applicable sales tax on the new phone and any applicable carrier activation fees.

Customers must be eligible for an upgrade and activate the iPhone 5 on a two-year contract with Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint to take advantage of the offer. The deal isn'… Read more

Crave giveaway: Rugged Incipio Atlas case for iPhone 5

Congrats to Thomas W. of Dayton, N.J., for winning a Boombotix Boombot Rex portable speaker in last week's giveaway. Got an iPhone 5 that you'd like to take camping or swimming? This week's prize is for you.

We're giving away a rugged waterproof Atlas case from Southern California device accessory maker Incipio. The adventure-ready case for iPhone 5 has been engineered with a hard-shell exterior and water-resistant enclosures while maintaining access to all ports, buttons, and controls. It meets U.S. military standards for drop protection and water and dust resistance and is waterproof up to 6.56 feet for an hour. … Read more

Eight things the Moto X needs

Motorola needs a smartphone hit badly, and it should have happened already. Its last innovative smartphone was the Droid Razr Maxx, way back in January 2012. While its battery lasted a phenomenal 15 hours, a number that newer handsets can't yet match, this is an inexplicable handset drought for the company. Motorola has a long and storied history of shaking up the market with earth-shattering products. That's why I know the company has what it takes to craft the Moto X, now officially due by October, into a hit. And with such stiff competition in the mobile space, … Read more

Are you suffering from smartphone fatigue? (Poll)

There are days when it's so challenging to be a technology writer, I can only imagine what it's like to be a technology consumer.

For example, and I'm just ballparking here, there are some 37,000 smartphones you can buy today. Whoops, hang on, just got a press release from HTC; make that 37,001. Oh, and here comes Android 4.3 -- wonder when I'll be able to load that on my S3. Hey, Best Buy took $50 off the iPhone last weekend. Must mean Apple's announcing a new model at next month's WWDC, … Read more