We already knew that mobile broadband demand was on the up and up, and now we’re seeing yet another US carrier get into the game. Unlike the Big 4 (Sprint, AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA), Virgin Mobile USA’s approach is significantly different. With those other guys, you’re forced into a 2-year agreement that only allows you 5GB of throughput per month. A tough pill to swallow, for sure. Virgin Mobile USA, on the other hand, is going against the grain by offering a pay-as-you-go plan, which in

Intel already holds a strong position in the personal computer and server market. But, like other companies, Intel wants more. Moving forward, Intel’s executives believe there’s a good potential to increase Atom’s traction in adjacent markets by targeting these low-cost, energy-efficient chips at various multifunctional consumer gadgets including smartphones and other portable devices that access the Internet. “Atom is Intel’s growth engine,” said Intel spokesman Bill Calder.Breaking into the smartphone market

Yep, this is it, folks — the planet’s very first “portable” Blu-ray Disc player. While the DMP-B15 was initially introduced at CES in January, Panasonic has yet to ship the unit here in the United States. This month, however, the company will begin to move units onto retail shelves, promising eager consumers a portable BD experience that was thus far only available via Blu-ray notebooks.Of note, this player is also DivX certified, so it’s certainly good for more than just BD movies. As for specs, it features

We doubt this will do much to close the budget deficit, but who knows? The Internal Revenue Service is considering taxing the use of work-issued mobile phones, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. According to the report, the IRS has proposed that employers assign 25% of an employee’s annual phone expenses as a taxable benefit. In other words, take the service plan costs for an employee, and use 25% of that as taxable income. As many of these workplace-issued devices have data plans, the cost per

It’s a real pet peeve of ours. You know, the inability to install Windows XP onto an optical-drive-less netbook without all sorts of funky workarounds on a USB flash drive. Thus, we couldn’t help but smile when we heard that the all new SD card slots on the new line of MacBook Pro notebooks allows for users to boot directly from their Secure Digital card. A huge convenience, for sure.While Apple was pushing the addition of an SD card slot as useful for digital camera owners, hackers and enhusiasts have another

Designed by an orthopedic surgeon, ergoBeads provide optimal ergonomic comfort at the computer. The unique design works with any mouse while completely supporting your wrist in an ergonomically correct position. Read on to see how the Imak Mouse Cushion does in the real world!

All full-power television stations in the United States will have ceased analog transmission and will broadcast only in digital by the end of today. The Federal Communications Commission has been coordinating the transition and will be updating the news media on its status and the latest information related to consumer questions tomorrow morning. Guess when we all wake up we will see how the change went!

The switch from analog to digital broadcast television is referred to as the digital TV (DTV) transition. In 1996, the U.S. Congress authorized the distribution of an additional broadcast channel to each broadcast TV station so that they could start a digital broadcast channel while simultaneously continuing their analog broadcast channel. Later, Congress set June 12, 2009 as the final date that full power television stations can broadcast analog signals. As of June 13, 2009, full power television stations will only broadcast digital, over-the-air signals. Your local broadcasters may make the transition before then, and some already have.

Engineers from Apple have applied for a patent on an “emergency” mode for cell phones that would squeeze every last drop of energy out of the batteries.The phone would recognize emergency calls when the user dialed an emergency number, such as 911 in the United States. But a number also could be stored as an “emergency number” on the phone (a spouse, child, parent, for example) or the user could manually put the phone in emergency mode.The process would do a variety of things. First off, it would disable “non-essential

Alltel introduced a new phone from LG that somewhat resembles the form factor of the T-Mobile G1 / HTC Dream. This phone features a 3-inch touchscreen, 3 megapixel camera, a full QWERTY keyboard, EVDO Rev A, and GPS via Alltel Navigation. To take full advantage of the 3G speeds supported by the phone, the phone also has a full Internet browser. This phone will be available for $99.99 after $100 mail-in rebate for new and existing eligible customers who sign-up for a qualifying one-year Smart-Choice Pack service

Some may view smartphones as a necessity, but that doesn’t mean users are happy about the costs associated with the phone’s monthly data plan. iPhone users are especially among this group who don’t like the pricey data plans required for the phone. As the wireless industry continues to address the downturn in customer spending by offering lower priced service plans and phones, AT&T is holding its ground with the iPhone and required data plan that accompanies the phone despite increasing pressure from the