Excuse us for not getting to this yesterday–E3 and Apple’s WWDC keynote kept us a tad busy–but MetroPCS sneaked out a little announcement of its own yesterday by unveiling a visual voice mail service. Like the services available on other carriers, MetroPCS’ visual voice mail will enable customers to listen to individual voice messages without …

Apple’s WWDC keynote is now behind us and if they’re not at E3, tech journalists around the blogsphere are taking a rest. We didn’t get a new iPhone or any new hardware, but Apple rolled out the company’s new iCloud service, its Lion OS, and iOS 5, the latest version of its mobile operating system. We’ve detailed the full list …

After showing up in search results and being teased by a Sprint employee in a blog post last week, the 16GB BlackBerry PlayBook finally went on sale on Sprint’s Web site today for $499. As the Wi-Fi-only version, Sprint will not be offering any additional services and the tablet won’t require a contract. Sprint announced last January at CES that …

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world. Here is the coverage map that’s currently on Sprint’s Web site. Sprint Last month, a CNET reader named Greg told me in an e-mail that the coverage map currently on Sprint’s Web site shows a dramatically changed voice and data …

Just a day after it announced release dates for the HTC Sensation 4G, T-Mobile is back for more Android fun with the new Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart. Both smartphones carry a budget price tag and will be out in June. The Exhibit 4G sports a slim candy bar design in violet or black. The touch screen takes up most …

Throughout my seven years of reviewing cell phones and covering the wireless industry for CNET, the issue of a possible link between cell phones and brain cancer has surfaced every few months. And as my colleague Marguerite Reardon explains in her comprehensive feature, the debate isn’t going away anytime soon. Indeed, research abounds on the subject, and there are plenty …

Sprint today formally asked the Federal Communications Commission to block AT&T’s $39 billion bid to acquire T-Mobile USA on the grounds that it has “no public interest.” The “Petition to Deny” request was filed in Washington D.C. on behalf of Vonya B. McCann, Sprint’s senior vice president for government affairs, and other carrier execs. In the 377-page petition (PDF), Sprint …

Google I/O is mostly for developers, but the show can offer a lot of interesting sights for your average smartphone geek. Between robots, a Switch Pitch ball, and giant Android figures that doubled as device charging stations, the conference can be a visual feast. That’s provided, of course, that you like the color green. My biggest attraction, though, is the …

It was a very special Dialed In this week, and not because of Google I/O. Rather, smartphone genius Bonnie Cha returned to San Francisco for a visit and we got to host her in the studio. So instead of us fumbling to make the connection to New York, Bonnie herself (and not Bonnie Bear) was in the chair. Google I/O, …

Kent German/CNET Last week, I received a notice from the San Francisco Planning Department that AT&T Mobility is proposing to install a “wireless communications facility” (read, cell phone tower) within 500 feet of my house. The notice says it will consist of 12 panel antennas and won’t be visible from the street. I’m also invited to attend an “informational community …