HD channels from the BBC, ITV and others should be freely available to most of the country by the time the World Cup kicks off, so you can enjoy seeing England predictably and pathetically fail in glorious high definition. You’ll need some new kit though, because existing Freeview TVs don’t support HD signals. You can …

Pennywise consumers will soon be able to join the smartphone craze without digging too deep into their wallets. AT&T, the second largest wireless carrier and the only operator offering the iPhone, has cracked. It may not be long before Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless operator, follows suit. The goal for these carriers, and the slew of smaller players already …

When Motorola announced its i1 smartphone at CTIA 2010, the rugged Android device was slated for release with Nextel; however,  barring any last-minute announcements, it now looks like Boost Mobile will be the first carrier to offer the i1. The Motorola i1 will be available from Boost Mobile stores, as well as Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile retail locations, …

Boy Genius Report As iPhone rumors and buzz reach a fever pitch with the approach of the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on June 7–where many believe Steve Jobs will unveil the latest addition to the iPhone family–new pictures of a possible white next-generation iPhone have surfaced online. The recent photos supplement earlier photos of an alleged “iPhone 4G” in white. …

Editors’ note: This is a guest column. See the bios of Robert Hahn and Peter Passell below. A big question these days for smartphone users is whether telecommunications providers will continue to offer “all you can eat” data plans or switch to charging by the megabyte. The more important issue–at least from the perspective of the public-policy community–is whether the …

If you ever wanted to own your own Magic Torch, Nokia is here to help with the new C1. The C1, first in a new C-range, is a dual-SIM phone that flicks between the two cards at the touch of a button, boasts an astonishing battery life and lights up your life with a built-in torch. Nokia claims the C1’s …

A new study finds that educational iPhone apps can increase a child’s vocabulary acquisition by as much as 31 percent within two weeks. The study is part of a larger look at the relationship between technology and education, administered by PBS and funded by a grant from the Department of Education. To glimpse the potential of mobile apps as a …

The DoubleTwist Player for Android that debuted in the Android Market this week is a good-looking alternative to Android’s default media player. The Android app is the mobile arm of the DoubleTwist media library for Windows and Mac, itself an iTunes alternative focused on managing media for a variety of smartphone platforms. As such, the mobile player is tasked with …

Microsoft has been demonstrating a new tablet at Computex 2010. The 8.9-inch concept device uses the Windows Embedded Compact 7 operating system — a cut-down version of Windows 7, designed for tablets and other embedded devices. According to Engadget, the device will feature multi-touch navigation in the browser, support for Flash 10.1, and will play HD movies on its 8.9-inch …

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world. Q: I saw that the long-awaited Interphone study finally came out. I’m concerned about the issue and was looking forward to the findings. Given its mixed results, have you changed your position on cell phone radiation? – Jose A: As …

Now playing: Watch this: Next iPhone days away? 6:40 Just as it has done for the past three years, a new iPhone should play a major role at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next week. And when CEO Steve Jobs takes the stage on Monday to give his keynote address, I’ll be there, along with CNET reporter Erica Ogg, to bring …

DoubleTwist, the desktop music manager software, has launched a new music player app for Android phones. The app currently doesn’t do much more than the built-in music player in Android, except for adding video playback and putting podcasts in their own category. It synchronises your tunage, podcasts and video with your desktop PC too, and keeps your iTunes playlists, ratings and …

Hooray! The Dialed In gang is back together again with Senior Editor Kent German back from his month-long sabbatical, just in time for the next iPhone. On this week’s episode, we make some predictions of what we might see at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and we discuss AT&T’s new data plans. Plus, Motorola announces a new Android phone with a …

People with Web-browsing phones are spending a lot more of their minutes accessing social networks these days, according to a new study from ComScore. The study, released Wednesday, pegs social networking as the fastest growing activity among people with smartphones and other advanced phones that offer Web browsing, which are also known as feature phones. Among the 69.6 million phone …

After a shadowy hands-on at CTIA where we weren’t allowed to take pictures of the thing, the Pantech Pursuit will finally launch June 6. We have a review unit in our hands, and we must say, first impressions are very positive. The Pursuit’s overall design is wonderfully playful, with rounded corners, and a fun toylike appeal. The Pursuit is also …