Samsung M930 and LG Optimus Black to arrive on Sprint?

Sprint is really stepping it up lately in the Android smartphone department with the HTC Evo 3D and the Motorola Photon 4G. Now it may have a couple more joining their ranks if this leaked Sprint road map is to be believed. The document lists that among others, the Samsung M930 and the LG Optimus …

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A beginner’s guide to telecom jargon, part 3

The mobile world moves at a breakneck pace, and it’s difficult to keep up–even without the technical jargon most industry insiders throw around. And they do love to toss those terms about. Last week, I dabbled in Wall Street-speak after AT&T and Verizon Communications reported their quarterly financial results. But today, I wanted to get back into some of the …

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Apple approves new store

After removing its Nook app for iPad from Apple’s App Store for a few days, Barnes & Noble’s now has a new, updated iPad app available for download. The new app complies with Apple’s new in-app subscription rules and has no links to Barnes & Noble’s e-book store or Web site. Related links • Apple forces Amazon to alter Kindle …

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Samsung teases U.S. with Galaxy S II sign

Samsung Samsung has already begun revving up U.S. consumers eager for more details about its popular Galaxy S II smartphone. With the GS II set to launch in the U.S. in August, Samsung has set up a sign-up page where potential buyers can fill out a form to receive more info on the phone and learn about special offers. Consumers …

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AT&T says it will throttle heavy data users

AT&T confirmed today that it will begin throttling the heaviest data users of its wireless network starting October 1. The new policy will affect only customers who still have an unlimited data plan, and only apply to the top 5 percent of that base. Throttling is when a carrier will slow down the connection of a device to keep it …

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Windows Phone Mango runs on tasty Toshiba

Say konichiwa to Windows Phone Mango. A new video from Japan shows Mango in action on the Toshiba-Fujitsu IS12T, the first phone powered by Windows Phone 7.5. The Windows Phone 7.5 update, also known as Mango, will reach all Windows phones in the autumn, but the IS12T is the first device we’ve seen with Mango built in from the kick-off. The …

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Verizon Wireless to pay $10B dividend to parents

Verizon Wireless said yesterday it plans to pay a $10 billion dividend to its two parents, Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, early next year. Verizon Wireless The long-awaited payout comes after years of clamoring from Vodafone shareholders, who felt they had received little from the cash-generating machine that is Verizon Wireless. Over the past few years, Verizon, which owns a …

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Wireless carriers looking to tap government spectrum

In their most direct plea yet, U.S. wireless carriers sent a letter to President Obama asking him to clear some government-controlled spectrum for commercial use. CTIA The CTIA Wireless trade association said yesterday that it had sent the letter, asking President Obama to direct the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Association to clear unused and underused spectrum held by …

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Orange and T

T-Mobile and Orange shops are to be renamed and rejigged to Everything Everywhere — but shops will continue to sell Orange and T-Mobile phones and deals separately. Which made us slap our forehead so hard we actually blacked out for a minute. The newly crowned largest mobile operator in Britain has tried the Everything Everywhere brand in six shops, which …

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Is this the iPhone 5? Read our analysis

Apple blog 9to5Mac has found a photo of what could be the iPhone 5 being used in the wild. Snapped in San Francisco, the blurry photo was sent in by a tipster, who spotted someone they reckoned was probably an Apple employee hunched over the mysterious device. The tipster says the person using the phone was covering the Apple logo …

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Google updates Gmail, search for select tablets and smartphones

Honeycomb tablet and iPad users will have a new search results experience. Google A new version of the Gmail Android application arrived last night for Android 2.2 to 2.3.3 that provides enhanced notification and sync options. If you’re like me and use filters and labels to keep your inbox free of clutter, then you’ll certainly appreciate version 2.3.5 of Gmail. …

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Apple wins global smartphone crown, Nokia now 3rd

Apple, followed closely by Samsung Electronics, overtook Nokia in global smartphone market share during the second quarter. Apple controlled nearly a fifth of the smartphone market, or a share of 18.5 percent, as it shipped more than 20 million iPhones, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics. Samsung Electronics wasn’t far behind, with 17.5 percent of the market share and …

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How to copy iDevice video recordings to your PC

At a recent airshow, I used my iPhone to shoot some mighty nice footage of the Blue Angels doing their thing. Later I wanted to show the videos to my kids–not on my tiny iPhone screen, but on my computer’s nice big monitor. Just one problem: how? If you’re new to capturing video with your iPhone, iPad 2, or fourth-gen …

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BlackBerry Messenger 6 puts the chat in apps and games

BlackBerry Messenger 6 is chatting up apps. The latest version of the wildly popular BlackBerry instant messaging client will let you chat in apps and games on your smart phone, tell your friends which apps you love and even challenge them to head-to-head contests. For the first time, BBM chats appear in the apps themselves, so you can chat with …

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Ask Maggie: On Amtrak Wi

Internet access on the go for business travelers is like water to a fish; it’s a necessity. So it’s not surprising that thousands of passengers who travel up and down the Northeast corridor on Amtrak’s Acela Express train are ready to pull their hair out when the free Wi-Fi is so sluggish it brings their productivity to a halt. In …

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