Breaking up is hard to do, but when you’re slapped with an early termination fee, the sting hurts even more. Then tack on a sales tax, and who wouldn’t be crying in their beer? In this week’s Ask Maggie column, I tackle a tough question about being charged a sales tax on top of an …

Well, this is interesting. A new Verizon phone is on sale, and it’s made by a company we haven’t seen associated with Verizon before. According to the specs we see on Wirefly.com, the ZTE Salute is a vertical slider phone with a 2.4-inch touch-screen display (240×320 pixels; 65,000 colors), and an alphanumeric keypad. Featurewise, it’s a pretty entry-level phone; however, …

The Android mobile platform has scored a big victory in the smart phone war, overtaking the iPhone to become the third most popular OS in the world. In the latest research from Gartner — which looked at global device sales in the second quarter of 2010 — Nokia’s Symbian came out as the top OS, but its market share was …

The man who brought us Doom has showcased a demo of his upcoming game, Rage, which works on the iPhone 4 at a mind-bending speed of 60 frames per second. John Carmack, co-founder of id Software and lead programmer of classics such as Quake and Wolfenstein 3D, showed off footage of the first-person shooter at Quake Con 2010 in the …

O2 has followed Vodafone’s lead and revealed its price for the iPhone 4 on pay as you go. At £495, the price of the phone only ever so slightly undercuts the £500 you can get it for unlocked from the Apple Store, and is £15 more than the price Vodafone is offering. The 32GB version is available at £595, virtually …

Google has added a couple of funky functions to Android, but you’ll have to wait until you get the 2.2 Froyo update before you can enjoy them. If you’re lucky enough to have an up to date Android device, you can download an update that allows you to control the phone with your voice, and another that instantly sends links, …

HTC Lexikon specs 911HTC.com Two new Android devices from HTC, the Lexikon and Bee, surface on the Internet this week. Even though there aren’t any images to go with the specs, we can get a good feel for what the Taiwanese handset maker has up its sleeve. First up is the Lexikon, which comes with an 800MHz processor, 512MB RAM, …

Google defended its Net neutrality proposal that it co-authored with Verizon Communications in a post on its public-policy blog Thursday. Since Monday, when Google and Verizon took the wraps off what the two companies are calling a “legislative framework” for public-policy makers on Net neutrality, it has received a tongue lashing from critics. Net neutrality supporters have called the company …

Looking for something fun to do with your family, spouse, or group of friends? Fire up A Day’s Outing, a terrific little app that helps you find nearby events and activities. The start page lets you quickly search for outings based on a variety of criteria, any of which you can change with just a few taps. For example, by …

The Nokia 5250, the latest instalment in the XpressMusic smart phone range, should soon be with us — a picture of it was accidently leaked on the Finnish firm’s Web site. The Nokia 5250 was offered as a prize for answering a question about Ovi apps, despite the phone having not been officially released. It was quickly withdrawn from the …

Within weeks, Facebook will introduce the geo-location check-in feature popularised by the success of exploration-gaming mobile app Foursquare.Rather than compete directly with Foursquare, Facebook is preparing to allow the start-up — and other services like it — to use an application programming interface (API) to integrate the app into the popular social network, our sister site CNET.com reports. The value …

This post was last updated at 3:05 p.m., PT. The wait for the Samsung Epic 4G is almost over. Sprint announced late Wednesday evening that its second 4G smartphone will be available on August 31 for $249.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. The carrier will take preorders starting August 13 through an online reservation process. …

With its hilly terrain, dense urban population, and plenty of government red tape, San Francisco already is a difficult place for cell phone carriers to build new antennas. But that process could become even more complicated if the city approves new aesthetics restrictions for antenna installation on public property. Under the Personal Wireless Service Facility Site Permits Ordinance (PDF), introduced …

Google releases an expanded voice control app for Froyo, A PSP/Android hybrid gaming device, and the first Android Trojan (if you live in Russia). Plus Justin reviews SwiftKey, and we cover all of the Voice commands achievable with the new Google app. Now playing: Watch this: Ep. 11: Android and a PSP sitting in a tree 44:46 Podcast Your browser …

My Hub, a new mobile phone service from Carphone Warehouse, makes it easier to backup your precious bytes to the cloud and take your music with you. The service has features to sync music, phone contacts and photos between your computer, your phone and My Hub’s servers. Activating the sync for photos and contacts is as simple as installing an …