You finally know which gadgets you’re buying for friends and loved ones this holiday season. But now you’re stumped about whether to shell out the extra bucks for features like 3G on the Kindle Touch or higher resolution on the Roku video-streaming box. Have no fear; Ask Maggie is here to help. Kindle Touch: 3G …

The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that states ban the use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices while driving. The five-member board unanimously agreed to the recommendation today, according to a press release. Specifically, the agency is recommending that the ban apply to both hands-free and handheld phones. Several states have already passed laws restricting text messaging …

AT&T and the U.S. Department of Justice have asked a federal judge to delay any more legal proceedings in the antitrust case against AT&T and T-Mobile. On Monday, AT&T and Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s parent company, requested that Judge Huvelle, who is overseeing the case, stay any further court proceedings until January 18, 2012. AT&T said that the companies need time …

Sprint Nextel customers had been waiting for years for the iPhone to come to the carrier. And it finally arrived this fall. But will the iPhone be the only important device Sprint promotes from now on? Is Sprint a one-trick pony with the iPhone? Hi Maggie, I see Verizon Wireless and AT&T releasing new phones like crazy. I’m a Sprint …

A spectrum bill has passed through a subcommittee in the House of Representatives that authorizes FCC incentive auctions and also allocates spectrum to public safety. On Thursday, the communications and technology subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the Jumpstarting Opportunity with Broadband Spectrum Act (JOBS Act). The legislation authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to create an auction …

Verizon Wireless’ move to buy 20MHz of AWS wireless spectrum from cable operators has caused a seismic shift in the wireless industry. The deal announced today will give Verizon access to spectrum licenses that cover about 259 million potential customers. The company plans to pay the cable consortium SpectrumCo–which consists of Comcast, Time Warner, and Bright House Networks–$3.6 billion for …

Clearwire made good on a $237 million interest payment due today and announced it has finalized a funding and resale agreement with Sprint Nextel worth up to $1.6 billion to keep the company afloat. For months, Clearwire’s future has been anything but clear as the company scrambled to line up cash to fund daily operations and finish a nationwide 4G …

AT&T and Deutsche Telekom may form a partnership to share wireless resources if federal regulators reject AT&T’s $39 billion bid to buy T-Mobile USA, The Wall Street Journal reported today. The Journal cited unnamed sources who said that the companies are discussing a joint venture that would pool resources from AT&T and T-Mobile, which Deutsche Telekom owns. The exact nature …

More than 90 percent of Americans own a cellphone today, and a growing number of those cellphone users are children. But how young is too young for a cellphone? Cellphone or smartphone for kids? Dear Maggie, This is a two-part question. I’m considering getting a cellphone for my 11-year old daughter for Christmas. A lot of girls in her class …

AT&T’s chances of completing its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA are quickly fading as regulatory opposition to the deal mounts and the wireless giant’s efforts to keep the deal on track smell of desperation. The merger, announced in March, has been in trouble since this summer when the U.S. Department of Justice sued AT&T to block the deal. But …