Verizon has introduced new tools that make life easier for parents — even if their kids won’t be thrilled about it.  The nation’s largest wireless carrier on Thursday unveiled its Smart Family service, an enhanced version of its former parent monitoring program, FamilyBase.  Smart Family will let parents set boundaries like content filters and limit …

One of Apple’s key suppliers is calling for a rough next few months.  TSMC, the Taiwanese semiconductor giant responsible for building the chips that go into Apple’s iPhones and iPads, warned that its upcoming second quarter would be worse than expected due to “continued weak demand from our mobile sector.” That’s in spite of the fact that there’s an uptick …

T-Mobile is rolling out the red carpet for members of the military, veterans and their families.  The nation’s third-largest wireless carrier on Wednesday launched T-Mobile One Military, a program that offers its largest discount to anyone associated with the armed forces, including current military, veterans and their families. The discount knocks 20 percent off of the standard $70-a-month plan ($55) …

On this podcast, we talk about: ZTE potentially losing the right to use Android thanks to a US Commerce Department ban. Amazon partnering with Best Buy to sell smart TVs.  California’s net neutrality bill taking one more step toward becoming a law. Our uber-profile of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.  The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top …

Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant perennially in the crosshairs of the US government, is shaking up the team responsible for its relationships here. The company let go of several American staffers in DC, according to a person familiar with the situation. Among them is William Plummer, a nearly eight-year Huawei veteran who was the man most responsible for establishing the …

T-Mobile injected fake ringtones into rural calls that it couldn’t actually connect. That’s according to the Federal Communications Commission, which fined T-Mobile for the practice, as well as for failing to correct its ongoing problem of connecting calls in rural areas. The nation’s third-largest wireless carrier agreed to pay $40 million to the US Treasury and entered into a settlement …

In the race to get to 5G wireless technology in a real way, China is poised to lead the world.  That’s according to a study conducted by Analysys Mason, which found that China had the best combination of wireless carriers committing to the technology, government backing for research, a clear rollout plan by 2020 and government commitment of spectrum, or …

The smartphone business may not have peaked after all.  Smartphone sales fell year over year for the first time in the fourth quarter, leading industry watchers to ponder if it had passed its prime. It’s a lot harder to get excited about phones nowadays, with each subsequent version coming with a slight tweak to design and better internal specs.  But, …

The American Civil Liberties Union is pointing to a potential savior for net neutrality: your local municipal government.  The ACLU published a report titled “The Public Internet Option,” calling for more municipal governments to offer their own internet service, potentially competing for subscribers with the likes of telecommunications and cable companies.  “In offering public broadband service, local governments need to …

Perhaps this is a new Apple, one that’s kinder and gentler to your wallet. The Cupertino, California, consumer electronics on giant on Tuesday unveiled a new iPad. While the $329 price tag (£319, AU$469) is identical to last year’s model, the new version comes packed with more features — notably support for the Apple Pencil stylus. As CNET editor Scott …