NEW ORLEANS–After three furious days, CTIA 2012 has come to a close. Though a visit to the Crescent City always is enjoyable, this year’s event was a little quieter than in past years. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t see some very cool stuff. Here’s what the CNET team picked as the Best of CTIA …

Now playing: Watch this: Phone News: Galaxy S3 arrives 3:08 Another week, another dose of PHONE NEWS. You waited a whole year for the sequel to the Samsung Galaxy S2 — a phone so perfect Mel Gibson cries like a baby when he sees it. You ran a patience marathon, hurdling every leaked Photoshop job and pole vaulting the wildest …

Samsung has started to roll out Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) to Galaxy Notes in Europe, according to several reports. News of the rollout originated from Devin Balentina, a Netherlands-based Galaxy Note owner. Balentina, whose tweet was first discovered by The Verge, posted an image of the software update alert, which includes mention of a host of upgrades, including the …

Mobile phones weren’t the only exciting tech that dazzled me at CTIA this week. Bluetooth gizmos put on a show as well. Here are a few of the devices that piqued my interest whether for having a neat skill, good looks, or for being very well priced. I love Bluetooth accessories, not just for their gee whiz factor, but because …

NEW ORLEANS–Theoretical speeds are one thing, but the majority of smartphone owners will agree that real-life data speeds are what count. Comprehensively charting each carriers’ data network is the subject of RootMetric’s quarterly report. So far, the company scouts have systematically combed 42 urban and suburban markets to compare 3G and 4G data speeds. More stories Should You Upgrade to …

Now playing: Watch this: Galaxy S2 vs Galaxy S3 2:18 If you were following last night’s unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and wondered how this new phone differed from the Samsung Galaxy S2, hit play on the video above and wonder no more. In it I explain the top five things that separate the two phones from each other. …

Verizon today announced that the Motorola Droid Razr Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone will be available in select Verizon stores with a blue finish. If you don’t see it in a store near you, just wait until May 17 to see it in all Verizon retailers and online at Verizon.com. While we haven’t seen the blue phone in the real world, …

NEW ORLEANS–In addition to showing off its V96 tablet this year here at CTIA, ZTE also displayed its AT&T Avail. The device is a prepaid GoPhone that retails for $129.99. A closer peek at the AT&T Avail by ZTE (photos) +2 more See all photos Equipped with a 3.5-inch TFT touch-screen display, the Avail has a 600MHz processor and includes …

Now playing: Watch this: Huawei Ascend Y200 starter smartphone 1:01 NEW ORLEANS–Huawei issued forth no formal product announcement at CTIA 2012, but I did find this new Android smartphone quietly sitting at Huawei’s booth. The Ascend Y200 is part of Huawei’s latest strategy in naming families of phones. The “Y” stands for youth, which also typifies mass market, entry-level phones …

The Nokia Lumia 900 lands in shops today. Powered by colourful and fun Windows Phone software, can the Lumia 900 send Nokia back to the top of the mobile phone tree? The Lumia 900 is the 4.3-inch, top-of-the-range sequel to the Lumia 800. It’s every bit as chic as the 800, sporting a sleek and seamless body and gorgeous Gorilla …

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has arrived, and with it a slew of accessories. If you want to fancy-up your phone, there’s a range of covers, docks and chargers, as well as a C-Pen stylus. The S3 sports a giant 4.8-inch screen, so Samsung is giving you the option of a stylus for writing, browsing, and playing Draw Something — a …

A sneaky shot supposedly showing Carphone Warehouse’s inventory system suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will be available in blue or white colour options. The image, sent to GSMArena by an anonymous tipster, lists two products, ‘Samsung Galaxy S3 Blue’ and ‘Samsung Galaxy S3 White’, bearing product codes ‘SAMSGHGLYXBLUE’ and ‘SAMSGHGLYXWHI’. Intriguing stuff. Those of you concerned that Samsung could be …

NEW ORLEANS–You know all that typing on your phone’s virtual keyboard? Snapkeys says that so long as you’re using a QWERTY layout, you’re doing it wrong. The company believes that there’s little logic to the traditional way a keyboard’s arranged, and instead offers up an onscreen virtual keyboard that uses only four buttons. The buttons are organized by letter types: …

NEW ORLEANS–Cricket subscribers have spoken — they want more premium phones — and now the prepaid carrier is ready to deliver. Cricket customers are beginning to care much more about technical specifications like larger screens, faster processors, and better cameras. Significant sales of the Huawei Mercury, which leaped to an more than10 percent adoption rate in the course of two …

Just because you have an HDTV and what you’re watching is advertised as being HD, doesn’t mean you’re watching or seeing HD video. Not all HD is the same. For that matter, just because you have an HDTV doesn’t mean you’re actually watching high-definition video. A variety of factors could be conspiring to create an image that’s not nearly as …