Next stop for the 5G hype train: Reality? The next generation of cellular technology promises a massive boost in speed, more ubiquitous coverage and a responsiveness quick enough to handle remote surgery or autonomous vehicles. It’s supposed to be the fuel that drives all other innovations at CES 2018. Despite the numerous company announcements and …

Unlimited data returned to the mobile world in a big way this year. T-Mobile’s move in 2016 to offer only an unlimited data plan initially drew a lot of scorn. But instead of withdrawing, the company raised the ante, announcing at CES in January of this year that it would shave off taxes and fees. Its momentum dragged Verizon and AT&T …

Apple bills the iPhone X as “the smartphone of the future.” But we’re sitting here tinkering with the iPhone X now, and can’t help but to wonder what’s next. Fortunately, the new features of the iPhone X — the TrueDepth camera, Face ID and even the new, bezel-less design — offer hints of where the iPhone may go next. This …

Instagram is taking a page out of parent Facebook’s playbook.  The photo-centric social network is testing a standalone app devoted to messaging called Direct, a company spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday. The tests were first spotted by The Verge. The move is potentially the first step to Instagram shutting off the messaging part of its core app.  “We want Instagram to be …

Free just isn’t as appealing as it used to be.  On today’s podcast, we talk about: Why people are subscribing to more services and paying for stuff they could get for free.  T-Mobile bashing Verizon over its 5G plans.   Net neutrality champion Sen. Al Franken resigning after allegations of inappropriate behavior. Now playing: Watch this: People are throwing money …

T-Mobile is getting into the holiday spirit — by laying into rival Verizon. On Monday, T-Mobile CEO John Legere used Twitter to call out Verizon for its plan to speed up wireless broadband service, using a next-generation cellular technology called 5G. Specifically, he criticized the rival for missing a self-imposed deadline of deploying commercial service by 2017 (which CNET first reported). …

AT&T and the US Department of Justice will meet in court Thursday to determine when they need to meet in court later.  The Dallas-based telecommunications giant is looking to kickstart its legal fight against the Justice Department, which sued to block AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner. AT&T was aiming for the trial to begin on Feb. 20, according to Reuters, while …

It took a little more than a year for AT&T’s DirecTV Now streaming video service to reach its first million.  The Dallas telecommunications provider said Tuesday that more than 1 million consumers have subscribed to its service, which offers a mix of live television channels and on-demand content over the internet to your phone, tablet or TV box like a …

The legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm just went retro.   The same day that Apple filed a countersuit against Qualcomm, alleging that the chipmaker illegally used Apple battery management technology in Snapdragon processors that went into rival phones, Qualcomm filed three new complaints relating to 16 additional patents against Apple, including asking for the iPhone X to be banned.  But Qualcomm is bringing …

Apple’s “root” problem has a solution. The company said on Wednesday that it has issued a software update for the High Sierra version of its MacOS that closes up a glaring vulnerability. The flaw let you log in to any Mac running on High Sierra by simply typing in “root” in the username field and leaving the password blank. The …