Imagine opening your wireless bill and finding a charge for $8,000. That’s exactly what happened to one family, who wrote to Ask Maggie for some advice. These victims of “bill shock” are not alone. The Federal Communications Commission said earlier this week that it gets nearly 1,500 complaints every year about outrageous phone bills. To …

Apple’s iPad will help sales of media tablets around the world hit 19.5 million units this year, according to a Gartner forecast out this week. Hot consumer demand will also prompt tablet sales to jump 181 percent to 54.8 million units next year, followed by 208 million units by 2014, projects Gartner. Gartner North American consumers will account for 61 …

Let’s say I own the box set of TV’s most criminally canceled show, “Firefly.” Now let’s say I want to watch some episodes on my iPhone. Or iPad. Or even just my laptop. Do I really have to spend more money to buy or rent them from Amazon or iTunes? Not if I have a good DVD ripper, which copies …

BlackBerry owners on Verizon Wireless can dance the happy jig today, as Verizon said it’ll push over-the-air software updates to the BlackBerry 9650 Bold, the 9630 Tour, and the 8530 Curve. You should see the updates starting around 6 p.m. Eastern. The updates will bring a number of improvements, but do note that OS 6 is not yet available to …

You don’t need an Apple or Android phone to feast on tasty app treats. Nokia’s Symbian-based operating system will also let you merrily gorge yourself on an app-a-palooza of downloadable delights. From social networking widgets to full-on office suites, they’re all available from the Ovi Store, and many for little or no fee. Be warned, though: not all apps are …

Sky has made a complaint about the upcoming new UK Internet TV service YouView — formerly Project Canvas — to the regulator Ofcom. Like Virgin Media, it claims the service will restrict consumer choice and stifle competition. At least it makes a change from the megacorp’s usual whinging about the BBC’s involvement. It seems odd that Sky would claim YouView …

The Home Entertainment show in Manchester opens its doors to the public tomorrow, making way for a horde of baying audiophiles keen to get their grubby mitts on all the latest hi-fi and home entertainment tech. One of the most interesting things to be showcased will be Apple’s Airplay technology. Here’s how it works — first spend all your cash …

Got yourself an iPhone 4 and iPad and ready for some wondrous Web surfing? You’ll need a SIM card — but hang about; that SIM card slot looks a bit different to anything we’ve ever seen before… The new iPhone and iPad require a 3FF subscriber identity module, or micro SIM. A micro SIM is like a standard SIM, only …

Telco prepaid deals have become more and more complex over time, and trying to compare value between an Optus Turbo Cap and the Telstra Talk ‘n’ Text plans, for example, is a minefield of dissimilar options and value add-ons. The new Optus Dollar Days are something refreshingly different, offering unlimited services for either AU$1, AU$2 or AU$3 per day or …

A look at Android 3.0, a dual-core phone and the top 5 reasons Android is better than the iPhone, on this week’s edition of Android Atlas Weekly join Justin Eckhouse along side guest host, CNET Associate Editor, Antuan Goodwin. Now playing: Watch this: Ep. 20: 5 Reasons Android is better than iPhone 51:35 Podcast Your browser does not support the …

Motorola Droid X Sarah Tew/CNET In the few weeks since Motorola and Verizon started pushing Android 2.2 out to the Droid X, users have noticed issues plaguing their phones. The problems, which range from Wi-Fi connectivity and media issues to a constant reboot loop, don’t appear to be affecting everyone, but Motorola’s support forum has a thread dedicated to the …

HTC Desire owners on 3 have finally joined the Android 2.2 Froyo party, with the update roll-out starting today. The update rolled out from 9am this morning, meaning 3 users can now join O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile customers in upgrading to Froyo. Android 2.2 is a significant upgrade, boosting the phone’s functionality with improved speed and additional features, as …

The number of mobile phone subscriptions has long since surpassed Australia’s total population; in fact, a study in 2009 indicated that there were 1138 mobile phone subscriptions for every 1000 Aussies. What does this mean? It means that you, or someone you know, is bound to sign up for a new phone soon, and we want to know how you’ll …

You may think your fancy new smart phone was expensive, but it’s a drop in the ocean compared to this beacon of bling — the Vertu Constellation Quest. Announced at a glitzy press party attended by stars like Kevin Spacey and Seal, the Constellation Quest is the latest in a line of luxury phones made by Vertu, a British-based subsidiary …

Earlier this month, Ari Jaaksi resigned as head of Nokia’s MeeGo division, citing “personal reasons” as the cause for his departure. Turns out “personal reasons” was actually a euphemism for “I’m joining Palm.” Sources close to the company tell me that Jaaksi has hired on as Senior Vice President of webOS at Hewlett-Packard’s Palm division. He’s to start in November, …