Pop quiz: When is a phone not a phone? When a company is trying to tap into the ever-increasing hype over cutting-edge 5G wireless technology. That’s what ZTE tried to do on Sunday with the debut of its “Gigabit Phone” at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. ZTE touts the device as the world’s first phone …
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The pitch has always been a simple one: Place your phone down and watch it charge automatically, without the fuss of finding an outlet or connecting a power cord. The reality of wireless charging, however, has been anything but. Differing technologies and incompatible standards have hindered broader adoption of wireless charging. It was good enough to work in Oral-B electric …
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Amazon has the Moto Z’s back. Lenovo’s Motorola unit on Sunday unveiled a number of new Moto Mods — replaceable backs to the Moto Z that add new capabilities like extra battery life, a projector or better audio. One of the more notable additions is one coming from Amazon, which plans to build a Moto Mod with Alexa. Jon Kirk, …
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Meet the BlackBerry KeyOne, the latest iteration of the BlackBerry comeback phone. Chinese phone maker TCL on Saturday pulled the curtain back on the KeyOne, previously known by its codename, “Mercury.” The company showed off an early version of the KeyOne at CES 2017, but it dived into all the details of the device today. The KeyOne is the latest …
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Reviving BlackBerry is the mobile equivalent of chasing unicorns — it’s a Sisyphean task that’s gotten only more mythical with time. Four years ago, then-CEO Thorsten Heins tried to reinvigorate the company’s flagging sales with the BlackBerry 10 operating system and the Z10, a modern phone designed to take on the iPhone and Android handsets. Eleven months and several misfires …
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It’s going to get crazy in Barcelona. Just about every heavy hitter in the wireless industry is bringing a shiny new phone to Mobile World Congress — held this time each year in Spain’s hippest metropolis — each trying to out-wow the others with its latest wares. But we won’t see any new phones from Samsung. The Korean electronics giant …
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We’re slowly inching toward a super-connected 5G world. Verizon said Wednesday it plans to offer “5G” service to some customers in 11 US markets by mid-2017, boasting that this rollout will be the largest proving ground yet for the next-generation wireless technology. Certain “pilot” customers in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta; Bernardsville, New Jersey; Brockton, Massachusetts; Dallas; Denver; Houston; Miami; Sacramento; …
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The wireless industry has fallen in love with unlimited data all over again. It’s happened in just a matter of weeks. In January, T-Mobile went all-in on unlimited, eliminating all other options except for its T-Mobile One plan. Sprint rolled out a promotional $50 unlimited plan for singles, and $90 for a family of five (the rates go up after …
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Now playing: Watch this: T-Mobile strikes back in battle for best unlimited plan 2:26 Verizon is offering a new wireless plan with unlimited data for $80 per month. Verizon Verizon is jumping back on the unlimited data bandwagon. The wireless carrier launched a new plan Monday that offers unlimited data, talk time and texts for $80 per month for the …
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You gotta give it to Google for its persistence. The search giant’s software for smartwatches, Android Wear, hasn’t really inspired people to take a chance on high-tech fashion. A handful of companies have either scrapped or delayed their own watches, and it looks like enthusiasm has waned for the software. But not at Google. The company is back with Android …
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