mobility

Cricket announces Samsung Admire 2 for summer (hands-on)

LAS VEGAS--Cricket Wireless has big plans for this year. In addition to announcing that it will be offering the Galaxy S4 in June, and its new "Half is More" ad campaign, the prepaid carrier also reported that it will sell the Samsung Admire 2.

Though no specific availability date and pricing information was given, the Admire 2 is scheduled to come out this summer. Its predecessor, which was originally offered on MetroPCS, launched with an initial price point of $129.

Design During the press conference, Cricket did not release any specs. But what I could gather from handling … Read more

Walmart exec: Mobile can revive personal touch for shoppers

LAS VEGAS -- Walmart believes smartphones can deliver the same kind of personalized service that founder Sam Walton embraced with his first store.

Where e-commerce brought the store to the Web, smartphones are bringing the Web to physical stores, with each consumer able to access data from their phones, according to Gibu Thomas, head of mobile for Walmart.

"The future of retail is the history of retailing," he said during a keynote address at the CTIA Wireless trade show on Wednesday. "It's about a personalized experience for each shopper delivered through the smartphone."

Critics fear … Read more

Samsung buys 10 percent stake in Pantech for $48 million

Samsung has inked a deal with fellow Korean phone maker Pantech for an equity stake in the company.

In a statement on Wednesday, Samsung confirmed an earlier report from Yonhap News, saying that it has acquired a 10 percent stake in Pantech for $48 million. The company said that the investment is designed solely to enhance the relationship between the firms.

As expected, the move has raised some eyebrows in Korea, where Samsung and Pantech are competing most heavily in the mobile device market. Elsewhere around the world, Pantech's devices are decidedly second- or third-tier and don't amount … Read more

Review: Mobile Document Viewer (Free) is an ad-heavy, basic reader app

If you just need to view (not edit) documents, Office Documents Viewer is a free download that lets you read just about any sort of Office file. It's ad-heavy, but it certainly works in a pinch.

The most prominent aspect of the reader is that it sticks animated ads in any file you try to read with it. They usually don't get in the way, but it's still annoying. Office Documents Viewer displays text and HTML files smoothly, but it has to convert other files before they show up. This can take a long time if the … Read more

Review: OneNote Mobile lets you easily grab your notes from your device

If you need to grab your notes from your smartphone or tablet, you can try OneNote Mobile. It's not as useful as other unofficial Office apps, but it has a layout that you're used to. If you're tied deeply into that ecosystem, it's probably the app you should use.

In order to access this app, you have to log in with a Windows Live account. Once you do, the app only controls stuff saved to your Live account's SkyDrive. It won't open files sent as e-mail attachments. You can create a new note from … Read more

Clearwire board OKs Sprint's revised, $3.40/share bid

Just a day after Sprint upped its bid to acquire Clearwire, the latter's board has said that it's the right deal for the company.

In a statement released Wednesday, Clearwire's board announced that it has approved the new deal with Sprint. The board has also asked shareholders to vote in favor of the acquisition when they meet to place their ballots on May 31.

Sprint made a surprising announcement Tuesday, saying that it would up its initial offer to buy the remaining 50 percent of Clearwire that it doesn't own from $2.97 per share to $… Read more

Hook up your smartphone's music to your car with the Cobra AirWave (hands-on)

LAS VEGAS -- Cobra Electronics announced on Tuesday that it has launched AirWave, a wireless music receiver that uses Bluetooth technology and costs $39.95.

Though it's not entirely wireless (it still requires either an auxiliary cord or a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable), the device lets you effortlessly connect any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone to car stereos, stereo docks, or home audio receivers.

Design Weighing in at a little over an ounce, the device is extremely lightweight and portable. Its square black body runs just 2.2 by 2.2 inches, and it would have no trouble finding space in your car.… Read more

ZTE showcases Aio Wireless handset, the Prelude (hands-on)

LAS VEGAS -- In conjunction with the news that AT&T will be launching its own prepaid network called Aio Wireless (which the company actually announced earlier this month), the ZTE Prelude made an appearance at this week's CTIA tech show.

Available for $49.99, the device is a compact, entry-level smartphone that surprisingly runs the more recent Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.

Design Measuring in at 4.6 inches tall, 2.4 inches wide, and 0.43 inch thick, the Prelude is small and compact, and weighs 4.4 ounces.

Its design isn't anything to … Read more

Google+ rolls out a redesign for mobile Web similar to desktop

After unveiling an extensive revamp for the Google+ news stream on desktop, Google is now updating what users see when accessing the social network with their cell phones.

The Web giant announced Tuesday that it's working on "improving the look and feel of Google+ on the mobile Web."

The redesign includes making posts now appear as "cards" in the stream, which is supposed to make them easier to read and share. The social network also changed the way Profiles and Pages look to include cover photos and larger tap targets.

This mobile Web redesign mimics … Read more