Motorola Mobility was forced to postpone its Cyber Monday Moto X deal after perspective shoppers overwhelmed the purchase page. The handset maker planned to offer a limited number of online shoppers the opportunity to purchase the new smartphone off-contract at a $150 discount. But the crush of consumers quickly rendered the MotoMaker customization site largely …

Wireless carriers in China next month will begin offering 4G LTE service, a potential boon to Apple, which is hoping to gain ground on Samsung’s lead in the country. The speedier wireless network will debut in China on December 18, according to a report Monday in Xinhua, China’s official state news agency. China Mobile, the world’s largest wireless carrier with …

Less than a month after the Federal Aviation Administration approved the use of portable electronic devices on airplanes from takeoff to landing, Southwest Airlines is looking to maximize passengers’ wireless mileage. The airline announced Wednesday that its passengers will have the option of connecting to the aircraft’s wireless Internet service from the time they board the aircraft to the time …

The Federal Communications Commission is getting ready to dial up an Internet update to the nation’s telephone system. New FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced Tuesday that the commission will begin a “diverse set of experiments” next year aimed at replacing the telephone system’s traditional phone lines with networks that are based on Internet Protocol. While many consumers already make phone …

The Federal Communications Commission released an app on Thursday that the agency hopes will help it generate an accurate comparison of wireless carriers’ mobile broadband speeds. The app, dubbed Speed Test App for Android, is designed to collect information about the performance of participating smartphone users’ mobile broadband services nationwide. The four major US carriers have agreed to participate. The …

Tom Wheeler has been the FCC’s chairman for only a few weeks, but he likely already gained a few fans by urging the wireless industry on Thursday to move toward unlocking consumers’ cell phones. Unlocking cell phones allows handsets to be used on a wireless network other than that of the originating carrier. It’s a process that wireless carriers are …

Some Nexus tablet owners can expect to get their first taste of Android KitKat soon. Google announced on Twitter Tuesday that it would begin rolling out an over-the-air upgrade of Android 4.4 KitKat to Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013) and Nexus 10 tablets immediately. Starting today, Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013) and Nexus 10 will be getting a tasty update …

Mobile broadband speeds can vary widely, but now the Federal Communications Commission is turning to the smartphone community to get a more accurate picture of how wireless carriers compare. The FCC is expected to hear a presentation this week on the FCC Speed Test App for Android, which will record smartphone users’ data speeds nationwide for analysis by the commission, …

Tom Wheeler, a former telecommunications lobbyist, was unanimously confirmed as the new chairman of the FCC late Tuesday, according to The Hill. The Senate vote was delayed two weeks by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who expressed concern Wheeler might support additional funding disclosures for political TV ads. Cruz lifted his objection to the appointment Tuesday after a meeting in which …

Motorola has announced a new initiative to help smartphone users take handset customization beyond ringtones, wallpaper, and body colors to its very form and function. The Google-owned handset company on Monday announced Project Ara, a free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones. An endoskeleton, or structural frame, holds the smartphone modules of the owner’s choice, such as a …