The strange tale of San Francisco’s “Right to Know” ordinance finally came to an end last week when city officials permanently shelved the legislation in its current form. Indeed, it was a quiet end to a groundbreaking law that drew not only worldwide interest, but also the fervent opposition of the wireless industry. Passed almost …

San Francisco officials have indefinitely delayed implementation of the city’s Right to Know ordinance, which would have required retailers to display a phone’s Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) at the point of sale and distribute materials educating consumers on cell phone radiation. A revamped version of the legislation is likely to be introduced in its place, but no further details have …

We couldn’t see any difference between the two iPhones in this photo. James Martin/CNET Few companies other than Apple can inspire such burning questions in the tech world. And until they’re answered, those questions orbit around the blogosphere at tremendous speed. When will Verizon get the iPhone? How much will the next MacBook weigh? Will the iPad ever get Flash? …

A little red birdie has passed on possible release dates for some of Verizon Wireless’s most-anticipated smartphones. And since that birdie gave us reliable information before (mainly, the HTC Incredible 2’s April 28 debut), we’re inclined to believe that the following dates will hold up. So here’s what we know. The HTC Trophy is scheduled to arrive May 12. Verizon …

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world. Next Monday, the Environmental Quality Committee of the California State Senate will hold its first hearing on a bill that would require retailers in the state to inform consumers of the possible health risks of cell phone use. SB 932, …

A bill that would require California retailers to inform consumers of the possible health risks of cell phone use received its first reading this week in the Rules Committee of the state senate. Following minor amendments, the legislation now proceeds to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee for initial consideration. Sponsored by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), SB 932 would require …

Verizon Wireless planted a bigger flag in prepaid this week with the announcement of its new “Verizon Unleashed” plans. Though only available in Southern California and most of Florida for the time being, the plans offers unlimited services for $50 per month. Verizon Unleashed will offer subscribers unlimited calling minutes regardless of time of day, unlimited calls to other Verizon …

Verizon Wireless says it has identified the cause of a nationwide outage that’s affected its 4G LTE network for most of the day. In a statement originally released to Engadget, the carrier said, “We have determined the cause of our issue and are working with our major vendors to restore connections.” The statement went on to say that until problem …

As we told you last week, AT&T has formally kicked off its $39 billion bid for T-Mobile by filing the official merger paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission. We don’t have access to the full materials, but AT&T posted a 381-page redacted executive summary (PDF) for public consumption. To save you the bedtime reading–actually, it would take most of the …

Motorola Droid Pro owners should get a small present this week with a software update. It’s not the blessings of Gingerbread, unfortunately, but it does bring a number of enhancements. Here’s the full list as supplied by Motorola’s user forums. Enhancements Improved audio on voice calls Improved stability and performance User interface display now refreshes when user switches from GSM/UMTS …