Updated 5:10 p.m. PDT with information about the financial details of the deal. Comcast is very close to sealing the deal to acquire NBC Universal, CNBC anchor and reporter David Faber reported Tuesday. The only thing left to do is sign the papers. Faber said in a story posted on the CNBC Web site that …

Verizon Wireless and AT&T have ended their public legal spat over advertising, and have thus agreed to stop complaining about each other’s advertising campaigns. On Wednesday AT&T announced it dropped its suit against Verizon Wireless for allegedly misleading customers by showing its weak 3G coverage. And Verizon said it agreed to drop a suit it filed earlier this year against …

We live in a digital age, so why do business cards refuse to die? They’re a hassle to store and an environmental suck to produce. Plus, who among us has time to manually transcribe contact info into a phone, PDA, or PC? Needless to say, I was geeked to try Business Card Reader, a $5.99 app that turns business cards …

The Federal Communications Commission is shaking up the communications market with bold initiatives to overhaul the $7 billion Universal Service Fund to help pay for universal broadband and reallocate wireless spectrum for new wireless broadband services. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski presented plans for revising the USF program and reallocating spectrum during a speech on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., at The …

AT&T has dismissed its lawsuit against Verizon Wireless for using an advertisement that AT&T complained confused customers about its 3G wireless coverage. Verizon Wireless On Wednesday, AT&T formally dismissed the lawsuit. Last month, the wireless operator suffered a major legal setback when a judge rejected the company’s request to force Verizon to pull its “There’s A Map For That” advertising …

Kent kicks off the podcast this week by reminding our dear listeners that Verizon iPhone rumors are just rumors. Until Steve Jobs says differently, he’s not ready to believe a thing. New New Yorker Bonnie is taking the week off, but Nicole signs on to give her take on Android fragmentation, a costly new LG phone and the quality a …

Universal has unveiled the first Blu-ray/DVD ‘flipper discs’, packing both Blu-ray and DVD versions of a film on the same platter. A flipper disc is a single, dual-sided disc that has Blu-ray on one side and DVD on the other, so you can watch a movie on your fancy Blu-ray player, and then go for a walk and watch it …

General Electric and French media company Vivendi have reached a tentative agreement, which will clear the path for cable giant Comcast to buy NBC Universal, according to reports in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The stories cite unnamed sources who say under the terms of the deal GE will buy Vivendi’s 20 percent stake in NBC …

Pinch, punch, first of the month. December is here, so it’s time to open those Advent calendars, if you haven’t cracked under the pressure and scoffed all the chocs already. Let’s see what’s under door number one. Why, it’s the Samsung S5560 and B3410 (pictured) mobile phones, available exclusively from Carphone Warehouse! That’s a shame — we wanted chocolate. They’re …

Android Market 1.6. Screenshot by Scott Webtser/CNET As I said last week, fragmentation with the Google Android operating system is beginning to frustrate Android developers. And according to a recent report by Skyhook Wireless, the issue isn’t going away. Though developers are excited about the future of Android, the platform may face significant challenges if it does not soon improve …

Three developers made it past thousands of community voters and a panel of judges Monday to emerge as the winners of Google’s second Android Developer Challenge (ADC2). The top overall prizes went to SweetDreams, What the Doodle, and WaveSecure. These winners took home between $125,000 and $250,000 for their efforts. Smaller cash prizes were awarded to the top-three applications in …

T-Mobile and Motorola have begun pushing a software update to the Moto Cliq. Google Android release 1.1.31 will offer the following changes. Motorola offers more information about the update on its support page. Longer battery life New battery management Feature Better Bluetooth Touch-screen accuracy TTY option Better business connections Improved caller connectivity Quick Office 2 Accelerometer enhancements We haven’t received …

India has blocked service to all mobile phones without a valid identity code, as part of antiterrorist measures being implemented by the Indian government. On Monday, any handset without a valid International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) code had its connection cut off, according to the Indian Cellular Association (ICA), which represents mobile operators in the country. The mobile industry is …

Shortly after we posted our Motorola Droid review, we received quite a few e-mails from CNET readers who were concerned about the phone’s inability to support hands-free voice commands and dialing. Indeed, the readers were correct and Motorola’s support forums continue to buzz with user complaints regarding the issue. As part of our original Droid review we did not test …

Motorola’s and Verizon Wireless’ $100 million marketing campaign for the Motorola Droid seems to be paying off with strong sales that will likely result in more than 1 million devices being sold by the end of the year. The Droid, the only smartphone currently on the market that uses Google Android’s 2.0 operating system, is Motorola’s second Android device and …