AT&T revealed today that its first 4G smartphone, the HTC Inspire 4G, will be available starting February 13 for a rather attractive price of $99.99 with a two-year contract. In addition of being the carrier’s first 4G device, the Inspire also holds several other distinctions. It has the largest touch screen (4.3-inch super LCD) of …

Wireless carriers will see mobile data traffic increase 26 times between 2010 and 2015 according to Cisco’s latest Visual Networking Index Forecast. Will wireless operators be ready for it? That’s the big question. The prediction of steep increases in traffic load are not entirely unexpected. Wireless carriers have been preparing for traffic increases by adding more capacity not only to …

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 …

Apple’s decision to get tough on companies whose iPhone apps bill users directly has its highest-profile victim yet: Sony. The company says its Sony Reader app has been rejected by Apple, because it let users buy ebooks from Sony’s own store without using Apple’s in-app payments. “It’s the opposite of what we wanted to bring to the market,” Sony’s ebooks …

Some mobiles running Windows Phone 7 have been the victim of a ‘phantom data leak’, with phones chugging down 3G data even when they’re not supposed to. Microsoft has admitted there is a problem, which was causing many WP7 users to rattle through their data allowances in no time at all, CNET News reported last month. Now the company has …

Love is all you need. Love will find a way. What is love? Baby, don’t hurt me. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and lovebirds can celebrate with a Valentine-themed version of Angry Birds for Android. There’s no love lost between irritated avians and their porcine opponents in the smash-hit mobile game, even at this fluffiest time of year. A new …

BlackBerry PlayBook tablets are rolling off the production lines in Taiwan in advance of the device’s launch in the first half of this year. But with speculation that fewer units may be available for the PlayBook’s debut than previously announced, we’re worried the UK may lose out. Between 150,000 and 200,000 PlayBooks are currently being made every month by Research …

Android and 4G figure to play a huge role in AT&T coming year. Phandroid After two years of lightly treading in the Android waters, AT&T is finally ready to start swimming for the deep end of the pool. And almost as if it were pure coincidence, the carrier’s broader ambitions come into light as it prepares to lose exclusivity of …

One of the biggest problems that consumers have faced with mobile phone billing in recent years is that there’s really no way of independently measuring the amount of data that’s being consumed by a mobile Web session. Consumers are at the mercy of the wireless carriers and have put their trust in these providers to accurately bill them. Now, AT&T …

Previously announced in December, the rugged Motorola Brute i686 is now available from Sprint for $119.99 with a two-year contract. The i686 is an updated version of the Brute i680 and keeps the same flip phone design but adds the ability to be immersed in a meter of water for up to 30 minutes. The handset also meets Military Specification …

Last October I called Chillingo’s Cut the Rope the best game since Angry Birds. And it appears the world agreed with me, as evidenced by its current number-three spot on the iTunes Top Paid Apps chart. If you’re looking for the next big thing in Cutesy Physics Puzzlers (or CPPs, as I like to call them), look no further: it’s …

BlackBerry’s first tablet targets business types. Research In Motion RIM has taken a lot of flak from CNET and others for its decision to pair the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with a BlackBerry smartphone (via the BlackBerry Bridge software) to access native e-mail, contacts, and calendar features as well as a 3G data connection. Today, RIM released a video aimed at …

As we speculated last week, LG is indeed going to unveil a 3D smartphone at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Much like the Nintendo 3DS, the LG Optimus 3D won’t require glasses for 3D viewing. LG promises a “complete platform for a one-of-a-kind experience” as well as HDMI and DLNA connections for content sharing, presumably to a 3D-capable …

If you’re familiar with Shazam or SoundHound, then you’re already halfway to understanding IntoNow, a new Silicon Valley startup and iPhone app that launched today. Like the music-tagging apps, the new IntoNow app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch uses an algorithm to pattern-match a TV show’s audio output–its sound–to the right show. Unlike SoundHound and Shazam, chances are that …

Good news for Angry Birds fans: a new game in the feathery franchise will flutter our way in March, with a Hollywood twist. Angry Birds Rio will be based on 20th Century Fox’s new animated 3D flick, Rio. Judging by the teaser artwork above, the game will star characters from the film, alongside the angry birds we have come to know, love and regularly fire into …