Divvying Up the Global Airwaves

Why? Because many of us need a phone and a tablet

(NEWSER) - For every person, a mobile device … or two. In the United States, wireless devices now outnumber people, according to a new survey by trade group CTIA. That’s possible because so many people own more than one such device, for example a smartphone and a tablet. There are now 327.6 million mobile devices in the country and its territories (a 9% increase during the first six months of the year), compared to 315 million people. More from the Washington Post : More»

Gadget $180 on 2-year T-Mobile contract

(NEWSER) - Google’s upcoming phone will cost users $530 unlocked and unsubsidized—or $180 with a 2-year T-Mobile contract, Gizmodo reports from leaked documents. The tech firm will sell its new gadget itself, and sources tell TMO News that it will go on sale January 5 at 9am, There’s just one rate plan on T-Mobile: $79.99 a month. More»

Makers stifled by hardware too advanced to leave country

(NEWSER) - Able to surf the internet, stand in for credit cards, and check body fat, Japan’s smartphones make ours look primitive—yet we’re sticking with what we have. That’s because Japan’s phone makers have been “a little too clever,” writes Hiroko Tabuchi in the New York Times. Thanks to standards no other country can handle, Japan's manufacturers have created an insular market. More»

New offerings can be used as hammers, soaked, dropped

(NEWSER) - The iPhone might be pretty, but it’s probably best not to use it as a hammer. If you’re looking for a phone that can handle such treatment—and can be thrown, showered with, or plunged into beer—your best bet may be one of the rugged models from firms such as Nokia and Sonim. “Some people just want a device that is built to last,” Sonim’s CEO tells Wired. More»

3-D TVs, wristwatch cellphone are among the excellent gadgets

(NEWSER) - The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show is full of “incredible technology,” Larry Magid writes for CNET. Problem is, it’s all “in search of a practical purpose,” making this year the “year of the gimmick.” Magid runs down a few wowee gadgets of dubious usefulness.

• Casio EX-FS10 camera: Shoots 30 frames a second and superimposes the video on another picture, doing "by itself what used to require post processing." But will anyone use the feature?