Now playing: Watch this: Toshiba Excite 13 2:17 NEW ORLEANS–We heard about the massive 13-inch Toshiba Excite 13 back in April, when we declared the thing too large to really be considered a portable device. Now that I’ve seen the so-called tablet in its footlong glory, I can say with complete authority: as a tablet, …

NEW ORLEANS–When you’re stuck in the tornado of a cell phone conference, it’s sometimes hard to savor what you see. I had sought out the Nokia 808 PureView at Mobile World Congress. I mean, a 41-megapixel camera — how could I not investigate? However, it wasn’t until I had spent some time digging into the mechanics behind the phone camera …

Oh, RIM. Things must really be bad. Not content with hiring a load of stooges to descend upon Apple Stores with signs reading ‘Wake Up’, it’s now followed this up with a website setting out what it means to be in business nowadays. It’s like someone at RIM snapped, Jerry Maguire-style and tried to rewrite the rulebook, without really thinking …

NEW ORLEANS–It was Verizon CTO Tony Melone’s turn today to talk about adopting an 1-800-like service for over-the-top media providers. During a panel here at the CTIA trade show, Melone said that there is a more than 50-50 chance that carriers will adopt a business model that allows destination services, such as Google or Netflix, to pay for clear access …

Samsung is planning to charge future generations of Samsung Galaxy phones without the aid of wires. It’s teamed up with chip-maker Qualcomm to develop a method of charging your phone or tablet every time you put it down. The Alliance for Wireless Power — or A4WP, if you’re under 14 — is a group of companies coming together to find …

Samsung has been showing off the Focus 2 at CTIA in New Orleans this week. It’s the most exciting feature? It’s going to be running Windows Phone. Most of Samsung’s range — like the new Galaxy S3 — run Google’s Android operating system, with only a small handful making use of Windows Phone, so it’s nice to see that the …

Now playing: Watch this: HTC Evo V 4G, Virgin Mobile’s first 4G phone 1:59 NEW ORLEANS–Offering 4G access and hardware essentially identical to last year’s Sprint HTC Evo 3D, the HTC Evo V 4G looks even better up close than it does on paper. Meet Virgin’s first 4G phone, HTC Evo V 4G (photos) +4 more See all photos With …

Last updated: 10:47 a.m. PT NEW ORLEANS–The Federal Communications Commission’s decision to block the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile isn’t going to hurt the industry’s spectrum position and is in line with the free-market principles promoting competition, Chairman Julius Genachowski said today in a defense of his agency’s actions. Genachowski delivered a keynote speech at the CTIA Wireless conference here, …

Nokia has cooked up deals with a host of developers to lure more apps to the Windows Phone Marketplace for Lumia smartphone owners. Announced at CTIA Wireless 2012 today, the new partnerships with several leading app developers are aimed at offering more relevant apps for Lumia users. Games are hot on the list, with Angry Birds Space soaring onto Lumia …

NEW ORLEANS — Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead defended his company’s plan to buy wireless spectrum from cable operators during a keynote here Tuesday. Mead emphasized the need for more wireless spectrum in the market to keep up with growing demand for wireless data services among consumers. He said it will take years for the Federal Communications Commission to auction …

NEW ORLEANS–From a user point of view, ZTE’s head of the North American business, Lixin Cheng, prefers the Windows Phone OS over Android. “In my personal experience, the iPhone, of course, has a well-polished user interface experience,” Cheng told CNET. “And then Windows, and then Android.” But for the small-time phone manufacturing company, which has been steadily trying to plant …

Now playing: Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S III is a looker 3:54 NEW ORLEANS–Samsung’s newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S III, crossed the pond and landed in my hands at CTIA 2012. Quite a few commenters on CNET’s live blog expressed their disappointment, saying that the Galaxy S III is an evolution, not a revolution, that they wish it …

NEW ORLEANS–What if there were an accurate way for your phone to help you time your commute on a given morning? “Take Highway 280 today instead of 101; there’s an accident” for instance, or “It will take you 10 minutes longer than usual today, so you’d better leave by 7:30 in order to make that 8:30 meeting.” Unfortunately, our phones …

NEW ORLEANS–As you may already know, I’m a big sucker for Bluetooth gadgets. That’s why when I spied the Monter ClarityHD Micro from a far at CTIA 2012 I couldn’t resist checking them out. Squarely targeted at the same audience who think the Jawbone Jambox is groovy, this wireless speaker is small, super-portable, yet built to belt out loud tunes. …

Now playing: Watch this: HTC Evo V 4G, Virgin Mobile’s first 4G phone 1:59 NEW ORLEANS–As Sprint readies its 4G LTE launch, the unveiling of the HTC Evo V 4G spreads the 4G WiMax love to Virgin Mobile, one of its no-contract brands. The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich handset has some high-flying features not often seen on no-contract networks, …