Mobile

Earlier today, Sprint announced the first four smartphones (the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy Mega, HTC One Max, and LG G2) that will be compatible with the carrier's new ultra-fast LTE service called "Spark".

But during a press event in Burlingame, Calif., Sprint displayed two more devices that will join the Spark lineup in time for the holidays. Unfortunately, the handsets' names were not given, and they were kept under glass with cloth covered over them.

Sprint representatives did drop some hints, however. One of the phones will be unveiled "in the coming days," and … Read more

It was a Hail Mary pass that badly missed its mark: the release of BlackBerry 10 and its first cellular vessel, the Z10.

And in the ensuing series of downs, BlackBerry suffered injury after injury. These included a failed promise to bring BlackBerry 10 to the Playbook, delays in delivering BBM to iOS and Android, and T-Mobile's yanking of BlackBerry from its US retail stores. In the space of about six months after the Z10's debut, the company was in free fall, having lost nearly a billion dollars, having sought far and wide for a potential white knight, … Read more

Sprint wants to get back into the network speed discussion badly.

The company on Wednesday unveiled Sprint Spark, its brand for the ultra-fast LTE service that eventually will offer a wireless connection capable of delivering data at a blazing 1Gbps. But initially, Spark will be able to deliver peak speeds of 50 to 60Mbps.

Sprint, which has fallen behind in its deployment of a faster 4G LTE network, is in desperate need of catching up with the competition. Sprint has been hampered by the shutdown of its Nextel network and complications with business deals, including the acquisition of former partner … Read more

An e-mail survey is not a pretty thing. For Mixpanel founder Suhail Doshi, it's downright insulting.

"It's a giant form," he explained. "There's 13 questions, text inputs, no great incentive." It's the standard way companies get user feedback at the moment, using services like SurveyMonkey. But Doshi is hoping Mixpanel's new tool, exclusively for mobile, will help developers see the light and seek out a more pleasant way of polling their users.

Bundled into its people analytics package -- a suite of tools Mixpanel offers at tiered pricing based on a … Read more

Despite all the promises, smartwatches remain an acquired taste. Yes, there's a market but one that largely caters to the likes of health junkies and early adopters.

Fitness bands are cheap and light but too minimalist. Samsung's Galaxy Gear is all brawn but lacks device compatibility and email support. And the Pebble, one of the first true-blue smartwatches, is still trying to build an app ecosystem the way that Google and Apple did for their smartphones. It's an uphill battle for Pebble, the smartwatch darling, and it won't get any easier when those tech titans join … Read more

BlackBerry's messaging platform had a strong first week on Android and iOS.

The company announced on Tuesday that 20 million new users have signed up for BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), bringing its total monthly active users to more than 80 million. According to BlackBerry, it defines monthly active users by those who "send or receive any data through the BBM service within a given 30-day period."

It's important to note that while BlackBerry's announcement was tied to last week's launch of BBM on Android and iOS, the company didn't say that those 20 million … Read more

AT&T has rolled out the 4G LTE welcome mat to another six markets.

The cities included in the latest LTE expansion are Red Bluff and Redding, Calif.; Gallipolis and Marion, Ohio; Point Pleasant, W.V.; Albany, Ore.; and Watertown-Fort Atkinson, Wisc. The additions bring AT&T's LTE total to 447 markets, covering almost 250 million people.

The carrier plans to reach 270 million people with 4G LTE by the end this year and 300 million by the end of 2014.

Buyers of certain Samsung smartphones can now get a free Samsung tablet courtesy of AT&T.

As of Wednesday, October 30, AT&T will dole out a free 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablet to anyone who buys a Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy Note 3, or Galaxy Note 2. The deal is good for people who opt for the carrier's usual two-year agreement or choose AT&T's Next installment plan. It also requires that customers add the Galaxy Tab 3 to an existing AT&T Mobile Share plan for an extra $… Read more

One year after Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on the Eastern Seaboard, Google has donated tablets to the victims.

Google donated 17,000 Nexus 7 tablets, valued at over $2.7 million, to New Yorkers who were affected by the storm, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday. The tablets are being placed in libraries, senior centers, business, and community centers, according to the governor's office, and will support a range of programs:

• Libraries will use the tablets in job training, work skills and English-for-Speakers-of-Other-Languages classes, and as e-reader loaners in the areas where libraries are not yet reopened.… Read more