In what we can only term a Sony Ericsson fail, its new Android phone due out next year doesn’t look like it will be coming with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Instead the Xperia X12, also known as Anzu, will hit the market with Android 2.2 Froyo. It will get an update to Gingerbread, but not until …

RIM is turning up the heat on Apple in the big tablet showdown, releasing a video that appears to show that the BlackBerry PlayBook is faster at rendering certain web sites than the iPad. RIM’s film shows an employee from its web browser group testing a PlayBook and iPad side by side. The video concentrates on page rendering speed and …

This week’s episode of Dialed In is brought to you by the letters L and G, as in LG Electronics, because the company has certainly dominated the headlines these past few days. LG looks to be making a big push in the smartphone market, as it continues to release new smartphones for the U.S., including possibly the first Android device …

GreatCall, the mobile virtual network operator that debuted the Jitterbug line of senior phones, announced new monthly rate plans yesterday. The carrier now offers four contract-free options designed for occasional and frequent users. At $79.99 per month, the Simply Unlimited plan is the most expensive option, but it comes with the most features. You’ll get unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited night …

For people who love to read but don’t have a lot of extra cash to spend on books, nothing beats the public library. Love ya, Ben Franklin! In recent years, many libraries have started offering e-books that you can check out for a few weeks, just like the real thing. Unfortunately, despite the plethora of e-book readers in the App …

Any cell phone reviewer can tell you that the period between Labor Day and the second week of December brings a ton of new handsets. Indeed, after the relatively slow days of summer, the industry shifts into high gear and does its best to take advantage of the holiday shopping season. Whether you want a high-end smartphone or just a …

Alright maggot, so you wanted to get three stars on every level of Angry Birds, but you didn’t have the cojones to build up your own skill set and decided to Google for tips instead. Well don’t worry, we’re not here to judge — CNET UK is going to break you down and build you back up again in our …

A modern-day Derek Trotter has been threatened with jail for setting up a business that turns the normal, black iPhone 4 into the fabled, white iPhone 4. 17-year old New Yorker Fei Lam was responsible for setting up WhiteiPhone4Now. The site sells a DIY kit that allows you to take your iPhone 4 apart and replace the black covers with white ones, reports the New …

U.S. Cellular today announced its fourth Android-based smartphone, the LG Apex, for a November 19 release. After last month’s Samsung Mesmerize, the Apex uses Android 2.1 and carries a price tag of $79.99 after an $80 mail-in rebate. Unlike the Galaxy S Mesmermize, however, the hardware details for the LG Apex indicate an entry-level device with a 3.2-inch touch screen, …

Kyocera yesterday released a new cell phone for Cricket Wireless. The Rio E1300 can’t quite match Kyocera’s recent Zio M6000, but it’s no basic handset, either. The candy bar device’s 2.8-inch touch screen will be your primary interface point. Below are a few physical controls including dedicated music player buttons, but there’s no physical keyboard for messaging. Features include a …