Editors’ note: This is a guest column. See Steve Largent’s bio below. In the last few weeks, I have read a number of op-eds claiming that reallocation of broadcast spectrum for wireless use should be left to the free market. While I am a fervent believer in free markets and limited government, there are rare …

Today’s announcement of the longlist for this year’s Orange Prize for Fiction has been accompanied by the appearance of an Android app for Orange’s Book Club. It’s already available for Java, Symbian and BlackBerry handsets, but the iPhone version is being hastily rejigged, in the face of Apple’s new rules on in-app purchases. Orange says the new Android app has …

It appears that Verizon Wireless won’t be retaining exclusive rights to the Xoom for very long. Late yesterday an image of a Sprint-branded version of the tablet landed in an online forum. Presumably, the device will be largely the same as the Verizon model, but it’s unknown whether this edition will be ready to support Sprint’s WiMax network out of …

Hanging on to find out when a hot handset is coming to T-Mobile here in the UK? The operator has just revealed when it’ll start selling four new smart phones: the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, Motorola Atrix and Samsung Galaxy Ace. According to updates to the network’s Coming Soon page (as spotted by Unwired View), HTC’s Desire …

We expect a fair amount from a phone that represents Sprint’s first investment into Windows Phone 7, is the United State’s first CDMA Windows 7 phone, and is the first of its OS to ship with the long-awaited addition of copy/paste. Thankfully, the HTC Arrive delivers. There are a few points of concern, but for the most part, the Arrive …

AT&T is cracking down on unauthorized smartphone tethering. This week the company has been sending out e-mails and text messages to wireless subscribers who have been using their smartphones as modems to connect laptops and other devices to AT&T’s wireless data network without paying the additional $20 tethering fee. Letters and text messages that have been sent to offending subscribers …

It’s hard to believe another year has flown by since the last spring CTIA 2010 show in Las Vegas. Before we head to Orlando for CTIA 2011, it’s time to reminisce about the mobile devices that dominated last year’s lineup. Sarah Tew/CNET HTC Evo 4G Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G took our prize for best phone, and it’s little wonder why. …

The iPad 2 may be the ultimate device for parents who feel guilty for spending too much time at work. Not only can they now use the FaceTime video-chat feature to talk to their children on a tablet-sized screen, but a new app called Nursery Rhymes with StoryTime will let them remotely read bedtime stories to their kids too. Yes, you can …

The O2 network gets a boost in London today, as the network is the first to offer 3G services on a frequency previously reserved for 2G.  O2 has already trialled the change in Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester. It claims that based on data from those cities, the change will mean a 50 per cent increase in the capacity of its …

We’ve been wary of writing about the question of the current situation in Japan’s effect on iOS devices, because frankly, whether a bunch of westerners have to wait a while to get their iPad 2s is hardly the priority right now, when thousands of people are still missing, hundreds of thousands are displaced, and there’s an ongoing nuclear emergency at …

Just a month after we returned from Mobile World Congress, the wireless trade show marathon continues with CTIA 2011. As the larger of two annual events held by the industry’s trade group, CTIA always delivers a batch of new handsets and a welcome focus on the U.S. market. After a few sessions in Las Vegas, the spring jamboree returns to …

Wireless subscribers looking for the fastest data network available have been waiting with bated breath for Verizon Wireless’s first 4G smartphone. And now the HTC Thunderbolt is here. But one reader wants to know if he should wait for what might be an even snappier 4G phone on Verizon. In this week’s Ask Maggie column, I answer the age-old question …

The latest issue of iPad men’s mag Project is free, pointing the way for publications targeted at the Apple iPad and iPad 2. American Express is footing the bill with advertising for Richard Branson’s lifestyle rag, hoping you never leave home without it — but are iPad magazines actually worth getting excited about? The free issue features Aussie actor Eric …

One of the questions we’ve been pestering Panasonic with for ages is when Viera Connect — formerly Viera Cast — would get iPlayer. The answer, it seems, is straight away. Most of Panasonic’s 2011 TV range isn’t available to buy yet, but we’re currently reviewing the 37-inch TX-L37E30B, which comes with the Viera Connect portal (and a remote labelled with …

Apple didn’t end up putting its retina display in the iPad 2, despite speculation before the device was unveiled. The new tablet’s screen matches the original iPad, which has been portrayed as a disappointment in some reviews of the iPad 2, comparing it to the more impressive iPhone 4. DisplayMate president Dr Raymond Soneira begs to differ. He’s published the …