Beginning today, the Huawei Ascend II is now available for Cricket customers. We first saw the successor to the original Huawei Ascend at CTIA last March, and immediately noticed some differences. Huawei’s second Android smartphone with Cricket is sleeker, without the physical buttons and trackball. It’s also slimmer, lighter, and more up-to-date, running Android 2.3 …

WALTHAM, Mass.–Verizon Wireless is looking to help tech companies large and small leverage its 4G LTE network and it’s dedicating resources to make it happen. Verizon Wireless opened a new facility in Waltham, Mass., to work with partners to develop new products for 4G LTE products and services. Verizon Wireless On Tuesday the company officially opened its Verizon Innovation Center …

Australian DVD rental company Quickflix has announced a new partnership with Sony where it will provide its first movie downloads service on compatible Sony devices by the end of 2011. The Sony Qriocity deal marks Quickflix’s first movie streaming service. (Credit: Quickflix) As part of the deal, Quickflix will stream movies via Qriocity to all Sony Bravia Internet Video televisions, …

Omar Khan, the face of many of Samsung’s U.S. mobile events, is leaving for Citigroup. Samsung’s Omar Khan, head of strategy and product management, leaves for Citigroup. Samsung Khan, who was the head of products and technology for Samsung’s U.S. mobile division and the main pitchman for its many smartphones and tablets, will help develop Citigroup’s global mobile services. He …

Almost a year ago, we offered our list of the best iPhone apps as chosen by CNET editors. Picks from the CNET 100 series included titles of almost every kind from the insanely addictive (like Angry Birds) to the strictly practical (Still Tasty, anyone?). Of course, Apple’s iOS can’t have all the fun so this year the CNET 100 gives …

Hewlett-Packard has reshuffled the team responsible for its mobile ambitions, bringing in a veteran executive to expand the reach of its WebOS platform. Stephen DeWitt, the new head of Hewlett-Packard’s WebOS business. Hewlett-Packard HP said today that it has appointed Stephen DeWitt to run the WebOS business. Jon Rubinstein, who joined HP through the acquisition of Palm and previously ran …

Telstra today added two new Android smartphones to its line: HTC’s Sensation, and the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, filling out an impressive trio of new Android releases for the month of July. Both phones are available on Telstra’s Freedom Connect contract plans, with the Neo free on an AU$59 plan, and the Sensation $0 on an AU$79 contract over …

Confused about the two tablets named Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1? Ditto. With the iPad fighters tipped to arrive in shops on 4 August, we knew it was time to sort out these wily tablet twins before they trick us into taking each others’ GCSEs. Galaxy Tab 10.1, meet Galaxy Tab 10.1v Back in March, Samsung slimmed down its Galaxy Tab 10.1 …

The iAngle stores your earbuds and props up your iPhone. iAngle Tired of tangled earbuds? Of course you are; they’re one of life’s biggest hassles, right up there with newspaper ink that gets on your fingers and highway traffic jams that seem to happen for no reason. The iAngle is a triangular cord-wrap designed to keep earbud cords neat and …

Consumers are downloading more apps–and spending more for each one–for their iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Apple, Inc. That’s the conclusion of Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. CNN Money, citing Munster’s report, said that iOS device owners will download 83 applications this year, compared with 51 a year ago, a 61 percent increase. More importantly for Apple and the app …