virgin

Virgin Atlantic will soon allow passengers to use their cell phones during flights, but don't expect your phone-free fuselage to be replaced with coffeehouse clatter.

The airline announced today it will allow passengers to make in-flight phone calls, send and receive texts, check e-mail, and surf the Web via general packet radio service (GPRS) from inside A330 Airbus planes on flights between New York and London. The airline expects to offer the service in 20 planes by year's end, it said in a press release. Boeing 747s are also being retrofitted for the service.

"We have listened … Read more

In today's show, Google takes us for a spin, ultrabooks are no longer ultra-pricey, and the iPad isn't just for humans anymore:

Hewlett-Packard announced several new thin and light laptops under the Envy brand. Some are officially called ultrabooks, equiped with Intel's latest Ivy Bridge processors, while less-expensive ones are called sleekbooks. But regardless of the different labels, it means high-quality thin and light laptops are moving into the $600 to $700 price range. (There's even a rumor that the MacBook Air -- the computer that kickstarted the ultrabook craze -- will drop its price to $… Read more

NEW ORLEANS---It feels like August in New York down in the Big Easy, but as far as HTC's concerned there's still a lot of frost to go around. All the cool breezes though are blowing toward the future of 3D technology on smartphones. … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Offering 4G access and hardware essentially identical to last year's Sprint HTC Evo 3D, the HTC Evo V 4G looks even better up close than it does on paper. … Read more

T-Mobile USA isn't a prepaid carrier, but it might as well be.

While the company's base of contract subscribers -- still a majority of its business and greatest source of revenue -- has been shrinking over the past few quarters, its prepaid business continues to sign up new customers.

In fact, it's been one of the rare bright spots at a carrier that is struggling to get back on its feet after a failed takeover attempt by AT&T. With higher-end customers looking to the other national carriers for better phones (read: iPhone) or 4G LTE … Read more

When Spaceport America makes international news, it's often in conjunction with names like "Richard Branson," "Virgin Galactic," and "Ashton Kutcher." That celebrity shine is hard to ignore, but it's not the only thing happening at the spaceport.

Virgin Galactic has already sold 520 tickets for its suborbital space tourism flights, expected to start in late 2013. I'm standing in front of the epically named Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space. It's a massive building that blends into the New Mexico desert from one side and reflects Spaceport America's 10,000-foot runway from the other.

A uniquely New Mexico venture I'm a part owner of the spaceport that is sprouting up out of the Jornada del Muerto (remember the Trinity Site location). As a tax-paying New Mexican, some of my state dues have gone to the $209 million price tag for this facility's first two phases of construction.… Read more

Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile customers will be getting 4G -- albeit the older WiMax variant -- in the next quarter.

Sprint Nextel is keeping its older 4G standard alive and plans to bring it to its two prepaid arms next quarter, said Steve Elfman, president of network operations for the carrier. He made his comments during the company's earnings conference call today.

Bringing WiMax to Virgin and Boost gives prepaid customers access to a faster wireless network. Prepaid continues to be a vital part of Sprint's business. In the first quarter, Sprint added 489,000 net prepaid … Read more

When I first encountered the Virgin Mobile Motorola Triumph last July, I called it the best no-contract phone you could buy. And that was when it was priced at $299.99.

Right now, Wal-Mart has the Motorola Triumph prepaid Android phone for $188, plus $2.97 for shipping (unless you opt for site-to-store, which is free). Sales tax also applies.

Unlike a lot of prepaid Android phones, the Triumph pulls no punches in the features department. Granted, specs alone don't tell the whole tale, but they tell a lot. The Triumph features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 32GB of onboard … Read more

A pair of newly leaked renders arrived online this week, providing a clear look at the next LG smartphone, aimed for both Sprint and subsidiary Virgin Mobile. Despite its name -- the LG Optimus Elite -- early details suggest that the smartphone is anything but fancy.… Read more