Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET School is back in session, meaning students have folders full of syllabi, schedules, and other paperwork you’re likely to reference as the semester goes on. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to carry all of it around with you all the time, without overloading your backpack? Thanks to a handful …

Mobile-phone owners are not just spending money on their phones and monthly subscriptions. Sales of mobile-phone accessories shot up 32 percent during the first half of 2012 compared with the same period last year, says a new report from NPD Group. Cases proved the most popular accessory, with sales soaring 70 percent over 2011 despite an average 25 percent increase …

Verizon Wireless is reportedly getting ready to give Microsoft another chance. The carrier is plans to offer a new Windows Phone 8-powered Nokia smartphone this year, its first Windows device since May 2011, a person with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. Nokia and Microsoft have scheduled a press event for September 5 in New York, and although Verizon won’t …

Finding a satisfying Android phone on a prepaid carrier is getting easier every day. Case in point, the new LG Motion 4G for MetroPCS. This pint-size $149.99 handset features Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 3.5-inch screen, and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, plus 4G LTE data. The pint-size yet potent LG Motion 4G (pictures) +7 more See all photos Design …

Though we’ve already heard that the Apple’s next iPhone may land in stores September 21, today more fuel was added to that rumor fire. Citing a “trusted Verizon employee,” TechCrunch reported today that Big Red has imposed a staff vacation blackout from September 21 to 30. The source didn’t reveal the reason for the blackout or to which employees it …

AT&T has temporarily disabled a frequency emitted by 16 towers that were found to be interfering with police and firefighter radio communications in Oakland, Calif., the San Francisco Chronicle reported today. The towers were causing radio failures, particularly when a police car was within a quarter to half a mile of one of them, said David Cruise, Oakland’s public safety …

Apple pundits love to claim that they’ve predicted the future. But claiming that the next iPhone won’t be called the iPhone 5? Obvious prediction is obvious. (Credit: Apple) Quite fundamentally, the next iPhone is not the iPhone 5. It’s not the fifth iPhone. That was the iPhone 4S. So why hasn’t anyone been referring to the next model as the …

MetroPCS Wireless stands alongside T-Mobile USA as one of the two carriers on the outside looking in when it comes to offering the iPhone. When the prepaid carriers — from Leap Wireless (aka Cricket) to Sprint Nextel’s Virgin Mobile prepaid arm — began offering the once-exclusive iPhone, a notable exception was MetroPCS. Turns out the company never got serious in …

Skype users can now send and receive photos via the latest update to the Internet communication service’s iOS app. Available in Apple’s App Store as of today, Skype version 4.1 kicks in a few enhancements. But the most notable one is Photo Share. You can grab an existing photo from your iPhone or iPad gallery — or snap a new …

Android and Apple dominate the smartphone market in Japan just as they do elsewhere in the world. Looking at Japanese smartphone ownership in the three months ending June, ComScore found that Android took home the lion’s share with a 64 percent share, up almost two points from the prior three months. Apple’s iOS grabbed a 32 percent share. That left …

RadioShack may be doubling down on the wireless game. An alleged internal memo has started floating around the Web indicating that RadioShack will launch a No Contract Wireless service on September 5. According to Engadget, which obtained the alleged memo and posted an image of it, the service will be powered by Cricket, a wireless provider offering no-contract service. Cricket …

Ofcom has given Orange and T-Mobile owner Everything Everywhere the green light to start doling out 4G services in the UK earlier than expected, the regulator announced in a statement. Other networks will need to wait until early next year, when fresh bits of spectrum will be auctioned off to the likes of O2, Three and Vodafone. Everything Everywhere has …

With features like Passbook already announced, Apple seems set to add near-field communication (NFC) to the iPhone. But how far can Apple go to sell NFC like no one has sold it before? When Apple launches something new, it loves to bang the gong. Its focus is on refinement, but it sells new features like it just kicked off a …

The first batch of details have emerged for the Galaxy Nexus successor, starting the rumor mill up all over again. With a code name of Superior, it sounds like we would have a considerable step forward over last year’s model. But will we? Based on the early specs, it appears the device may only represent a moderate upgrade. According to …

With T-Mobile USA poised to offer its own truly unlimited data plan, Sprint Nextel is no longer the only game in town. The move underscores the competitive environment in the wireless industry, with T-Mobile and Sprint required to go the extra mile in their struggle against larger rivals AT&T and Verizon Wireless, both of which have piled more limitations and …