Shortly after CNET first heard that iOS 4.3 would bring the new hot-spot feature to all iPhones, Apple confirmed the rumor when it released the update’s beta version to developers. iPhone Atlas’ Joe Aimonetti will follow up with a list of new iOS 4.3 features shortly, but the hot-spot option is sitting pretty inside the …

Sure, Verizon customers can now order an Apple iPhone, and they even get the perk of preordering it a week before everyone else. But Verizon will also end its “New Every Two” program on January 16–the program offered a $30 to $100 credit on a new phone every two years–so existing customers won’t be able to get their new smartphones …

Samsung may be holding a digital hostage; Android gains ground on Apple, but may soon lose it to the Verizon iPhone; and the announcement of the next iteration of Android raises questions about version numbers. Join Antuan Goodwin and Justin Eckhouse for all that and more in the world of Android. Now playing: Watch this: Ep. 31: Hostages, surges, and …

T-Mobile and Samsung appear to be prepping the release of a follow-up to last fall’s Vibrant. Dubbed the Vibrant 4G, the Galaxy S device should feature a handful of improvements on its predecessor, most notably support for 21Mbps on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network. Other new details include a front-facing camera, Android 2.2 (Froyo), and the inclusion of Qik (video chat) …

Alltel has just announced the LG Axis, the carrier’s version of the LG Ally that was previously released on Verizon Wireless. Like the Ally, it has a 3.2-inch touch-screen display in addition to a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It unfortunately ships with Android 2.1, which is a little behind current firmware. Features include a 3.2-megapixel camera and of course the usual …

This post was updated at 5:27 p.m., PT with comment from T-Mobile. There’s a story circulating the Web today that’s causing an uproar among Samsung Vibrant owners and putting Samsung in the hot seat. According to AndroidSpin, they received a tip from a reliable source that claims that Samsung is preventing T-Mobile from releasing the Android 2.2 Froyo update to …

First Direct has launched a free banking app for the iPhone and iPod touch that will let you pay your eye-watering bills on the move.  While not the first banking app for Brits with iPhones, it’s the first such app we’re aware of that will let you actually make transactions. You can check your balances, view your 20 most recent …

Brian Tong/CNET Apple has released to developers a beta of iOS 4.3, the newest operating system update for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. iOS 4.3 will include several feature upgrades including the addition of personal Wi-Fi hot spots, new multitouch gestures for iPad, and customizable messaging alerts. Also included in the first beta of iOS 4.3 is the return of …

Now playing: Watch this: Tablets (Winter 2010) 3:37 Editors’ note: Updated January 12, 2011. As manufacturers rush to capitalize on the attention given to the Apple iPad, there’s seems to be a new tablet announced every week. We can’t keep track of every slate thrown into the wild, but if you’re curious to know what options are out there, we’ve …

It’s not every day a large company calls me to admit that its customer service was rubbish, but that’s what Vodafone did today. The representative’s opening gambit was to ask if there was any way I’d consider going back to Vodafone. He admitted that the company’s customer service had been woeful in the period I left — and he also …