AT&T filed a response to the Justice Department’s lawsuit to block the merger with T-Mobile USA today, claiming the agency fails to understand the benefits of the deal and isn’t painting an accurate picture of the competitive environment. The Dallas telecommunications giant largely brought up the same arguments it first made to regulators: that the …

Samsung Electronics says it isn’t buying MeeGo. In fact, Samsung says it couldn’t even if it wanted to. “Meego is an open-source project which cannot be a target of acquisition,” Samsung representative James Chung told CNET today. The response dashed hopes that MeeGo might be saved through an acquisition, which was spurred this week by a Mobiledia report that Samsung …

If Sprint Nextel sells the next iPhone with an unlimited plan, snap it up while you can, because it may end up as a limited time offer. Apple According to a Bloomberg report, Sprint plans to offer the next iPhone with an unlimited data plan, which would be consistent with its offering for other smartphones. Such a plan, however, can’t …

Samsung Electronics and Microsoft may be showing off a tablet powered by Windows 8 next week. The Inquirer, citing a Korea Economic Daily report, said the tablet would be revealed at Microsoft’s Build developers conference in Anaheim, Calif. The report said the tablet marks Samsung’s first collaboration with Microsoft for its hardware devices. Representatives from Microsoft and Samsung weren’t immediately …

If you’re a heavy data user, Sprint offers the most bang for your buck, according to a study released today. For $1, you get 12.5 megabytes of data, which breaks down to 8 cents per megabyte, by far the best among the national carriers. Surprisingly, T-Mobile offers the worst deal at 4.3 megabytes for every dollar spent, or 23 cents …

Android is expected to surpass Apple in application downloads for the first time, according to research firm Ovum. CNET / Jaymar Cabebe Android could notch 8.1 billion app downloads this year, compared with 6 billion for Apple’s iOS devices. That marks an explosion of growth for both platforms; Apple had 2.7 billion downloads and Android recorded 1.4 billion last year. …

T-Mobile USA may look to split itself into pieces for multiple buyers if its deal with AT&T falls through. That’s according to Mizuho Securities analyst Michael Nelson, who said in a research note issued today that companies such as MetroPCS, Leap Wireless, and U.S. Cellular have significant interest in picking up new markets. T-Mobile could also break itself up into …

Samsung Electronics may be considering a purchase of the increasingly defunct smartphone operating system Meego as its own proprietary platform. That’s according to a report today from Mobiledia, which cites industry sources. A Samsung representative declined to comment to CNET. The platform chatter highlights the increasing dilemma that Android handset manufacturers face now that Google plans to buy Motorola Mobility …

HTC fired another legal salvo against Apple, but this time it’s armed with patents it received from Google, according to Bloomberg. HTC employed nine patents that originally came from Palm, Motorola, and Openwave Systems, which Google bought within the past year, Bloomberg said, citing U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records. Google transferred the patents to HTC on September 1. The …

McAfee/Wind River Think of it as carjacking for the Digital Age. The increasingly sophisticated systems running a car may lead to new vulnerabilities, according to a study (PDF) released today from security software provider McAfee in partnership with mobile software provider Wind River and embedded security provider Escrypt. Those systems could allow hackers to take control of the car, track …