T-Mobile USA is replacing the outlets that will be lost when RadioShack switches to Verizon Wireless, and early today announced that its first new partner is 7-Eleven. T-Mobile and 7-Eleven said that, as of yesterday, consumers can buy prepaid handsets at the convenience store chain. The partnership signals T-Mobile’s increasing presence in the prepaid area; …

Otterbox remains king of the rugged smartphone case arena, but there are plenty of alternatives, including Speck’s new ToughShell for iPhone 4. Like other rugged cases, this one has multiple layers of protection (three to be exact) and it comes with the requisite detachable holster with rotating belt clip that doubles as a viewing stand. Speck, which makes some of …

Virgin Media is holding its mobile tariffs upside down and agitating them by the ankles, shaking loose a slew of new bolt-ons and — joy of joys — some 12-month contracts. Contract lengths have crept ever upwards in recent years, like some kind of expensive spider, with 24-month contracts sadly now the default. That’s annoying, because advances in the mobile …

Ain’t no party like a Nokia and Microsoft party! The software giant behind Windows Phone and the financially troubled Finnish phone flinger are getting together for a soiree in Germany — but will the guest of honour be a Nokia Windows Phone? Nokia plans to launch its first smart phones using Windows Phone software before the end of the year. …

When will Steve Jobs deem the iPhone 5 ready for launch? Apple As the rumor mill surrounding the impending release of Apple’s iPhone 5 continues to churn, wireless carriers find themselves in the mix, reportedly testing the latest version of the iPhone for network compatibility and stability. The Guardian (U.K.) has filed a report saying that its sources claim that …

HTC’s legal ruckus with Apple is coming to the UK — the Taiwanese phone maker is suing JobsCo in our own back garden, with a lawsuit filed in London, Bloomberg reports. The nature of the lawsuit isn’t yet clear, but this latest strike comes just a few weeks after Apple scored a major win in the US, with the International …

In late June, rumors started to fly that Motorola and Sprint were working on another portrait QWERTY Android device, and now, there’s even more evidence that such a handset exists. Last night, This is My Next published new images of what’s being called the Motorola “Pax.” Though we originally thought it might sport a slider design, the Pax looks to …

Sprint Nextel said today that it will begin offering 4G services on a wholesale basis, allowing other companies and smaller carriers to resell a 4G connection to their customers. As part of the announcement, Sprint said it would offer up the HTC Detail, which is similar to the Evo Shift smartphone, and a Sierra Wireless data card to companies looking …

We may have a new window into Verizon Wireless’ short-term Android plans thanks to a document obtained by Droid Life. Though leaks like these aren’t completely reliable, a pair of HTC handsets and an LG device should join the Droid Bionic on the carrier’s smartphone roster. The HTC ADR6425, also known as the Vigor, could prove to be one of …

Psst. Over here — did anyone follow you? Are you sure? Good, then we can reveal more details on the Sony S1 and S2 tablets, Sony’s forthcoming Android-based rivals to the iPad. Our transatlantic chums at CNET News in the US chatted with a deep throat who knows the ins and outs of Sony’s tablet plans. There will be four …

T-Mobile USA inched into the mobile payments arena today when it said it would allow customers to purchase goods and services through their phones. The carrier said it would extend its carrier billing to digital content such as music and games which can be bought with the browser on the phone. Instead of entering credit card information, a customer would …

A new phone network has sprung up for tariff-hungry Brits. Alpha Mobile offers unlimited international calls with a £30 pre-pay SIM card. Your 30 squids will let you make unlimited calls to more than 75 countries, for 30 days. You can make unlimited calls to landlines in almost all of those countries, and unlimited calls to mobiles in some countries, …

Good news for U.S. broadband customers: On average major Internet service providers are delivering up to 80 percent of advertised broadband speeds, according to a study by the Federal Communications Commission. This is a big improvement over 2009 when the FCC noted as part of its preparation for the National Broadband Plan that actual download speeds for broadband service were …

For this month’s MyGear we travel to Melbourne. David Penman is a home theatre enthusiast and gadget fan, and he’s built up an impressive system that includes motorised chairs! Read what he has to say. My life revolves around movies, so right from the word go I wanted to build a system that can play pretty much anything, anywhere in …

Samsung Electronics has agreed to halt sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Australia until it resolves its patent fight against Apple. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 won’t be coming to Australia any time soon. Samsung Bloomberg reports that Apple and Samsung came to an agreement during a hearing in a federal court in Australia today. Samsung agreed to stop …