Remember when Sony Ericsson’s Walkman phones were ubercool? In recent times, the brand has faded from view for early adopters, since it’s remained a feature-phone thing, rather than making the leap to smart phones. That’s all changing now though: the W8 is the first Walkman handset to run Google’s Android software. Hold your horses before …

T-Mobile has temporarily shut down its newly introduced voice-chatting service for Facebook users. The company launched the new VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) chat service, which it calls Bobsled, less than a week ago. The service is embedded into Facebook and allows Facebook friends to call each other through the Facebook Chat window. T-Mobile is suspending the service because the …

Tired of tangled earbud cords? Hey, you’re preaching to the choir. I won’t say they’re the bane of my existence, but there’s definitely some bane there. A company called Applecore International–no relation to you-know-who–has a solution: the aptly named Applecore Small. Shaped like a tiny, well, apple core and available in six bright colors, this little plastic spool is designed …

Apple The Wall Street Journal is reporting that despite Apple’s Location Services being in the off position, iPhones are still collecting your general location data. National media outlets have been analyzing recent reports that Apple’s iPhones and iPads with 3G are tracking location data and storing it in an unsecured location on the iPhone. According to tests performed by The …

As we told you last week, AT&T has formally kicked off its $39 billion bid for T-Mobile by filing the official merger paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission. We don’t have access to the full materials, but AT&T posted a 381-page redacted executive summary (PDF) for public consumption. To save you the bedtime reading–actually, it would take most of the …

If you’ve ever wanted to take a screenshot on your Android phone, you know that it’s no easy task. You usually have to root the phone or install the SDK, which is just way too much of a hassle for something as simple as a screenshot. Curiously, it’s a whole different story with the T-Mobile G2x. Even though the G2x …

Welcome to the 411, my column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have similar queries, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I’m stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at [email protected]. If you …

Motorola Droid Pro owners should get a small present this week with a software update. It’s not the blessings of Gingerbread, unfortunately, but it does bring a number of enhancements. Here’s the full list as supplied by Motorola’s user forums. Enhancements Improved audio on voice calls Improved stability and performance User interface display now refreshes when user switches from GSM/UMTS …

We may still be in the first half of 2011, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start talking about devices rumored for next year. Droid-Life is reporting that it has received preliminary specs for a pair of Motorola handsets that likely won’t arrive until 2012. And, as one might expect, the hardware is leaps above the stuff hitting shelves today. …

According to a few tweeted replies from T-Mobile, the T-Mobile G2X will soon get the coveted Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS update. One reply said that it will be “coming soon,” and another said that it’ll “be here sooner than you’d expect.” Of course, this could be anything from a few days to a few weeks, depending on how you interpret …

Back in February, EA Mobile (along with a few other publishers) held a huge sale on iOS games. Good news: it’s sale time once again, and this time Android users are getting some discount love as well. From now until Monday, April 25, three dozen games in EA’s catalog–including some recent titles that weren’t available last time–are on sale for …

With the Samsung Fascinate finally getting its Android 2.2 update this week, the majority of the first-gen Galaxy S series devices finally have their helping of Froyo. The road to get here wasn’t very short or easy, and with each model having to go through their respective carrier’s certification testing, the updates were rolled out at different times and in …

Apple’s iPhone took center stage this week for its role in helping the company and its partner carriers attain strong quarterly earnings, but it was also the target of criticism for keeping a log of its users’ whereabouts, and is the focus of a new round of patent suits with Samsung. Privacy concerns surfaced earlier this week when researchers announced …

Apple sues Samsung, Samsung sues Apple, the Army uses Android in the battle field, and we get a tour of the latest round of Android Tablets. Join Justin Eckhouse and guest hosts Eric Franklin and JT Tabencki as they dive into the world of Android. Now playing: Watch this: Ep. 45: I sue you, you sue me 52:21 Podcast Your …

The Acer Iconia Tab delivers the specs of the Motorola Xoom tablet, but at a significant savings. Donald Bell/CNET Update: CNET’s full, rated review of the Acer Iconia Tab is now available. Google’s tablet-friendly Android 3.0 OS (aka Honeycomb) is arguably the biggest advancement for tablet computers since the introduction of the iPad. It delivers souped-up versions of Google’s celebrated …