September, 2012

• 19 September

  Verizon gets back on board with Windows Phone

  

  Verizon has never been a staunch supporter of Windows Phone OS, at least in deed. But now, after a long hiatus, the U.S.’ largest carrier is offering its first Windows Phone device in over a year. Verizon’s sale of the HTC Windows Phone 8X is a move that could give both Microsoft and HTC the …

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• 19 September

  Tablet shipments now expected to hit 117 million this year

  

  New products and growing consumer demand could trigger a surge in global tablet shipments to 117 million for 2012, according to IDC. The new forecast is an increase over IDC’s previous prediction, which was looking for tablet shipments of 107 million for the year. Peering over the horizon, the research firm now expects shipments to reach 166 million next year, …

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• 19 September

  ZTE’s first Firefox OS devices to launch in first quarter

  

  ZTE, one of China’s most prominent handset makers, plans to launch smartphones running the new Firefox OS early next year. Speaking today to reporters in China, the company said it will launch handsets running Firefox OS in the first quarter of 2013. According to the Wall Street Journal, which was in attendance at the press event, the company didn’t say …

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• 19 September

  Sony Xperia T James Bond Skyfall version exclusive to O2

  

  Sony’s Bond-endorsed Xperia T smart phone is speeding its way to our shops, but for the truly dedicated secret agents, O2 is offering exclusive Bond extras for you to enjoy while sipping a Martini in your Monte Carlo penthouse. The Xperia T replaces the Xperia S as Sony’s flagship smart phone. Its 4.6-inch screen offers a resolution of 720×1,280-pixels, which …

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• 19 September

  Apple’s Lightning connector and you: What you should know

  

  What is the new Lightning connector? Unveiled at the press conference announcing the iPhone 5 and 2012 iPod lineup, the proprietary Lightning connector replaces the 30-pin connector found on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod since 2003. Like the 30-pin connector, the Lightning connector is used for charging the device as well as syncing content and data and audio and video …

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• 19 September

  Quad

  

  The first quad-core LTE smartphone in the U.S. is almost here, and it comes to our shores extra-large. In launching the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung is hoping to repeat its own success with sales on the Galaxy S3 just a few months before, while also setting a record for the first quad-core smartphone to reach U.S. retail shelves. The …

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• 19 September

  HTC Trade

  

  HTC, hoping to attract new Android and Windows Phone buyers, is now offering cash back for old smartphones. A new HTC Trade-Up page has gone live online to lets users calculate how much their aging handset might be worth. Related stories HTC Windows Phone 8X hands-on A closer look at HTC’s Windows Phone 8S Verizon back on board with Windows …

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• 19 September

  $199 Kindle Fire HD’s display puts Retina iPad on notice

  

  Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD display is good enough to challenge the pricier Retina iPad’s display and “decisively” beat Google’s Nexus 7, said display testing firm DisplayMate. In an article posted Wednesday, DisplayMate compared the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD with the third-generation iPad Retina and got a surprising result. “It is much better than the iPad 2 and almost as good …

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• 19 September

  HTC’s ‘what’s next’ event: Join us Wednesday (live blog)

  

  What exactly does HTC have up its sleeve? Find out all of the details right here. HTC is holding a product event in New York, which kicks off at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT on Wednesday. CNET’s Brian Bennett and I will be there bringing you all of the action live. You can tune into the live blog …

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• 19 September

  Sprint may boost plan prices when LTE network gets stronger

  

  Sprint Nextel has been rolling out its high-speed LTE network, but the faster network could come with a downside for customers — higher prices. Chief Executive Dan Hesse, speaking at an analyst conference today, said Sprint may consider raising prices once it has made more progress with its 4G LTE network upgrade. The company lags Verizon Wireless and AT&T in …

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