Verizon Wireless has slashed the price of the Xperia Play in half, now offering the phone to customers for $99.99 with qualified two-year service agreements. The carrier contends that the new price point is part of a “back-to-school” promotion, but I suspect otherwise. I don’t know about you, but I’ve yet to see anyone in …

The Samsung Nexus S is slowly but surely making the rounds, and the latest carrier to land the Android smartphone is AT&T. Samsung announced today that the AT&T version of the Nexus S will be available through Best Buy online on July 21 and in stores on July 24. Presales start today, and the cost is $99.99 with a two-year …

commentary Apparently, there is life after being the exclusive iPhone carrier. Smartphones such as the Motorola Atrix helped AT&T diversify its product offering after Verizon Wireless began selling the iPhone. Motorola So how did AT&T fare following Verizon Wireless’ first full quarter selling the iPhone? Pretty well, actually. The wireless business was a highlight of the company’s second-quarter results, as …

9to5Mac Using a credits-based system, Apple is proposing (via a new patent filing) an option for offline purchasing of iPhone and iPad games and apps. When you do not have a network connection, you will still be able to purchase items using the credits you purchase from Apple (much like an iTunes Gift Card currently), except the credits would be …

Editors’ note: Until Friday, 10 CNET personalities are showcasing their 10 personal favorite Android apps as part of the CNET 100. With each post, you can read why they hold the apps so dear and you’ll get the opportunity to vote for your own favorite title. Then after the series ends, we’ll collect the full list of 100 apps and …

After strong releases last year, the flagship models for HTC and Samsung were always going to be this year’s most-wanted Androids. (Credit: CBSi) Not that we’re dismissing the excellent handsets produced by Motorola, LG and Sony Ericsson, but we’re guessing that most people walking into a phone shop in Australia, who are not intent on buying an iPhone, will probably …

Now playing: Watch this: HTC Wildfire S 1:10 T-Mobile announced today that the HTC Wildfire S will be joining its lineup on Wednesday, August 3. The compact handset, which features a 3.2-inch display and 5-megapixel camera, runs $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with qualifying two-year service agreements. While the 600MHz processor and 512MB memory won’t turn heads for …

It may not be good enough for the likes of AT&T or Verizon Wireless, but the U.S. government is giving a thumbs-up to Research In Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook. RIM RIM said today that its PlayBook has received Federal Information Processing Standard certification, which means it can be deployed within U.S. federal government agencies. RIM said no …

Apple’s iPad is still the top tablet in terms of shipments, but its share has dropped lately against a crowd of competing devices, according to a report out today from Strategy Analytics. Apple For the second quarter of the year, Apple grabbed 61 percent of the global tablet business, shipping a record 9.3 million iOS-based tablets. Though still a healthy …

When carriers announce exciting new phones, rarely do they also reveal exactly when that new handset will go on sale. We usually hear promises like “summer” or “second half of the year” and then we wait for the actual release date to drop. More often than not, it can take a while and cell phone fans and tech journalists begin …