With a filing at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today, AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile is now in the hands of federal regulators. The paperwork, which spells out AT&T’s intention to acquire T-Mobile’s spectrum licenses, is the first official step in its quest to become the country’s largest wireless carrier. AT&T also used …

The BlackBerry PlayBook finally arrives at CNET for review and Dialed In picks it apart to see what makes it tick. Sure, we’re grumpy about a few things (like AT&T fudging on the BlackBerry Bridge app), but we did like the new tablet’s browser. We also go 3D with the LG Slate, Nicole talks of her love for the LG …

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world. Though you probably know that Friday is Earth Day, I’d wager that you weren’t aware that it’s also National Cell Phone Recycling Week. Created two years ago by the Environmental Protection Agency, the week encourages U.S. wireless subscribers to recycle …

SAN FRANCISCO–Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said earlier today that the proposed merger between T-Mobile and AT&T will create a duopoly in wireless that will slow innovation and move America backward. “Competition will be stifled, growth will be stifled and wireless innovation will be jeopardized,” he said while speaking at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. “We just can’t let this …

Monday we brought you more details on the upcoming HTC Droid Incredible 2, and now it appears that the smartphone will land at Verizon Wireless on April 28. According to a tipster, there’s a 99 percent chance that the upgrade to the Droid Incredible will go on sale two weeks from today “barring any unforeseen complications.” We still don’t know …

Josh Miller/CNET When a phone can grab attention at the hand-set frenzy that it is Mobile World Congress, you know it must be pretty special. And last year, at least, that’s what’s happened with the Puma Phone. Though it competed with flashy Andorid smartphones from HTC Samsung and Sony Ericsson, most everyone we talked to managed to find time to …

Now playing: Watch this: Kyocera Echo 4:27 Though cell phone carriers like to boast that their devices are “one of a kind” and “industry firsts,” the claims are usually nothing more than marketing speak. With the Kyocera Echo, however, Sprint wasn’t just feeding us a line. It’s almost been two months since Sprint launched the Echo at a very over-the-top …

It’s been almost a month since AT&T dropped the $39 billion bomb that it was intending to acquire T-Mobile. And since that time, the wireless world had talked about little else. Indeed, the news of the potential merger dominated the CTIA show last month, and my CNET colleagues and I have fielded many reader questions over the marriage. Your concerns …

In addition to mandating that carriers allow data roaming, the Federal Communications Commission used its regular meeting this week to propose tighter regulations for cell phone signal boosters. The decision, which actually came yesterday, is part of an ongoing discussion within the wireless industry over whether cell phone signal boosters interfere with carrier networks. Rather than approving a request by …

Minutes after they gave preliminary approval to a payroll tax break to keep tech companies like Twitter in San Francisco, the city’s Board of Supervisors used a closed-door meeting yesterday to discuss a lawsuit by the CTIA. The board also decided not to disclose what it discussed during the session. It was the second time in three weeks that the …