u.s

Sprint's network will soon receive a much-needed boost in some Midwestern cities like Chicago and St. Louis, Missouri.

The wireless carrier announced on Friday that it finished inking a deal with regional service provider U.S. Cellular, which is based in the Midwest.

As part of the $480 million agreement, Sprint will gain a total of 30MHz of PCS spectrum, which Sprint says will expand its network capacity in those areas, bringing better service to customers there.

In addition, around 420,000 U.S. Cellular customers will also transfer over to the Sprint family. Sprint and its prepaid arms, … Read more

For those who worry that even 24 hours without the ability to download 3D-printed gun blueprints is too much, fret no more: The Pirate Bay is on the case.

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department successfully demanded the removal of a set of 3D-printed firearm files from Defcad, a file-sharing site run by Defense Distributed, the group at the center of the 3D-printed gun controversy.

The founder of Defense Distributed, Cody Wilson, told CNET on Thursday that he had been expecting the State Department's action, though he felt that the International Traffic in Arms Regulations permitted Defcad to … Read more

The latest governmental attack on 3D printed guns came from the U.S. State Department on Thursday.

In a letter sent to Defense Distributed, a nonprofit advocating for the creation of 3D printed firearms, the State Department demanded the removal from a public Web site of a set of 3D files used to print gun components. The State Department said that the online dissemination of the files could violate restrictions on exporting guns covered by International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)

Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson said he obeyed the federal directive. It followed the announcement yesterday by California state … Read more

Despite politicians lining up to regulate 3D printed guns, and a new directive from the U.S. State Department arguing that disseminating 3D files for such weapons may violate weapons export rules, some think that it may all be much ado about nothing.

On Thursday, Forbes reported, the State Department demanded that Defense Distributed, a nonprofit dedicated to creating 3D printed guns, take down a set of files that theoretically enable anyone to print their own firearm.

"The government says it wants to review the files for compliance with arms export control laws known as the International Traffic in … Read more

The U.S. Navy's X-47B is one step closer to being ready to start making test flights off of aircraft carriers after completing its first-ever arrested landing.

According to the Navy, the X-47B, also known as the Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS), successfully grabbed hold of a special arrester cable with its tailhook, quickly stopping the aircraft during the May 4 test. That marked an important milestone in the development of the UCAS program.

The jet-powered X-47B is a prototype meant to fly autonomously, unlike many drones such as the Predator, which are usually flown remotely by ground-station-based pilots. … Read more

Add U.S. Cellular to the ever-growing list of wireless companies selling the iPhone.

The carrier was rather circumspect about the matter in its first-quarter earnings release Friday, saying only that it "will begin offering Apple products later this year." But it would, of course, seem likely that a wireless company that sells devices like Samsung's Galaxy S3 and the HTC One V would also want to offer the iPhone.

Slashgear earlier reported that U.S. Cellular confirmed it will sell the iPhone. We reached out to U.S. Cellular directly and likewise got confirmation of that.… Read more

I have nothing against entry-level devices. As long as they work well and are priced reasonably, there's nothing wrong with these handsets for people who don't need to be on the bleeding edge of technology.

But while the ZTE Director is indeed priced inexpensively (without a contract, it's $99.99, but with one, the price drops to 1 cent), it's not a great performer. Its screen can be frustratingly unresponsive, its camera takes washed-out photos, and its processor is sluggish. Frankly put, the ZTE Director is more of a Tommy Wiseau than a Steven Spielberg.

Design … Read more

U.S. smartphone buyers looking to grab Samsung's Galaxy S4 finally get their shot today.

Preorders for the next Galaxy-class phone have launched at both AT&T and U.S. Cellular today.

The Galaxy S4 is listed on AT&T's Web site with a ship date of April 30. Earlier today, the S4 was available for preorder in just a select number of U.S. cities. But AT&T has since expanded the phone's reach so that it can be preordered throughout the U.S.

The page confirms $199 as the two-year contract price … Read more

As U.S. Cellular's only rugged device, the Kyocera DuraPro meets military standards for shock, dust, and water resistance. And while it excels at being tough, don't expect to find any high-tech specs in this feature handset: it has only a 3.2-megapixel camera and a low-resolution display, and its 3G data speeds are as fast as a slug on Ambien.

Then again, the DuraPro was never meant to be on the bleeding edge of technology, and what it lacks in powerful specs, it makes up for with clear, reliable phone calls and decent photos. The phone is … Read more