Now playing: Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S II (T-Mobile) 1:57 Samsung, more than any other phone maker, knows how to run with a good thing. T-Mobile’s version of the Samsung Galaxy S II is the fourth of this family we’ve seen, after the unlocked version, and iterations for Sprint and AT&T. The good news is …

The Nexus S is one of the first smartphones to have NFC, which enables mobile payments in stores. But it’s being used by Google as its flagship device for its own payment system. Josh Miller/CNET The mobile-payments joint venture between three of the national wireless carriers has gotten the support of nearly all of the major handset manufacturers in its …

There is plenty of wireless spectrum available to meet the demand for wireless data services, but the problem may be that too much of it is in the wrong hands, according to a recent report from Citigroup. A recent report from analysts at Citigroup, titled “Wireless Data: Supply and Demand Spectrum Control, Not Availability, Is the Real Constraint,” suggests that …

Now playing: Watch this: Toshiba Thrive 7″ Tablet 1:34 Toshiba is tossing a new 7-inch Honeycomb tablet into the fray this December, hot on the heels of the 10-inch tablet it launched in July. Pricing is yet to be determined, but with the original Thrive floating out there at around $400, let’s hope this little guy comes in under that. …

If there was any lingering hope that T-Mobile USA would start offering the iPhone soon, the carrier’s marketing chief just killed it. T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman posted a letter to customers on the company’s blog yesterday, saying that while he would love to carry the iPhone, the company is currently focusing on “the best that Android has to …

HTC really needs to find a way to plug these leaks somehow. But we’re rather glad it doesn’t, as it means we get all the juicy info early, such as the specs of the HTC Vigor. A shot of the Hardware Information screen leaked to Pocketnow tell us pretty much everything we could want to know. Such as? How about …

Don’t be confused. The Iconia Tab A501 is not the A500, it just looks exactly like it. Josh Miller/CNET The Acer Iconia Tab A501 is the Acer Iconia Tab A500 with 4G and a no-commitment price of $480 (16GB) and $550 (32GB); about $100 or so more than the A500. For the price of a two-year contract, AT&T offers the …

The countdown to the new iPhone 5 has begun, and antsy Apple fans want to make sure they are among the first to get the phone. Today, Apple e-mailed invitations to reporters asking them to join the company on October 4 at 10 a.m. PT for a special event at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. Apple didn’t specifically mention the iPhone …

Could billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn be the answer to Research In Motion’s woes? Wall Street apparently thinks so, as RIM’s stock rose nearly 7 percent today on speculation that Icahn may have taken a stake in the company, BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis, citing traders, told Reuters today. “We believe that, if true, this would be viewed positively, as …

Verizon Wireless introduced its latest world phone today, the Pantech Jest 2. Available on September 29 for $79.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate, the Jest 2 offers quad-band GSM support so you can make and receive calls, as well as access data, in more than 200 countries. As a feature phone, you don’t get all …

This morning, Microsoft relaunched its online catalog for Windows Phone Marketplace, a move that gives Microsoft’s nearly year-old OS a little more life, even as it turns our attention to the spotty state of Windows Phone apps. Like it or not, the number and quality of apps in a platform’s on-device marketplace can just as easily defend an operating system’s …

Earlier this year, we told you about the National Geographic-themed Samsung B2100 Xplorer. If you don’t remember, it was the durable handset in bright red that was packed with features for travelers and outdoor enthusiasts. This time around, Huawei is tackling the general theme while taking a slightly different route for getting there. The manufacturer announced today that it was …

It’s no secret to iPhone and iPad users that watching movies and listening to streaming audio consumes the bulk of their wireless data plans, but what may surprise them is how much data they eat up looking for and downloading apps from Apple’s iTunes App while on the go. Onavo compiled a report of the apps that consume the most …

Feast your eyes, lovers of fast internet. Telstra has announced that its first 4G smartphone will be a mysterious HTC monster known only as the HTC 4G, but we know better. Yesterday at the telco’s 4G launch event, we snapped a pic of the phone’s own ID, outing it as the HTC Holiday. Excuse the camera phone photography, but this …

Huawei announced its next Android endeavor yesterday, unveiling the Gingerbread-powered Honor and putting it on track for a fourth-quarter release. Ask an average Android user to name one item they’d like to improve on their handset and you’ll likely hear battery performance. That’s why Huawei is really hoping to impress by adidng a 1900 mAh battery with a promised three …