We met up briefly with HTC on Tuesday to check out all of the company’s latest smartphones and had a chance to snap a few photos of the Sensation XL, one of the most attractive devices in the bunch. The Sensation XL has a massive 4.7-inch display, which was excellent for viewing photos and browsing the web. We also love the overall design of the phone; it is built with glossy white plastic and aluminum. The metal definitely adds a premium feel and certainly kicks the overall build quality up a notch. Th...

AT&T senior vice president of mobility and consumer markets Pete Ritcher took the stage during the Oppenheimer Technology and Communications Conference on Wednesday, where he confirmed that AT&T will launch its first 4G LTE smartphone by the end of this year. Ritcher reaffirmed AT&T’s intention to deploy its LTE network in 15 markets covering 70 million people by the end of 2011, and it hopes to continue its roll-out on a market-by-market basis, Fierce Wireless reported. AT&T will initia...

Verizon Wireless and American Express announced on Monday that Verizon Wireless will begin to integrate American Express’ “Serve” mobile payment solution into its phones and tablets. The agreement will allow Verizon Wireless customers to make mobile payments from their phones, provided that they have an existing Serve account. “Our collaboration with Verizon highlights the speed at which Serve is evolving to reach a wide audience,” said Dan Schulman, group president, Enterprise G...

Verizon Wireless announced a new partnership with Payfone on Monday that will soon allow its customers using phones, tablets, and PCs to make online purchases easier. Once the partnership’s new service is deployed, customers will be able to make more secure purchases online and charge them to their Verizon Wireless bill or use other standard forms of payment. “Our relationship with Payfone complements the part of the mobile payments equation we’re already working on with our Isis joint venture,&...

HP is working on phones and tablets with built-in near-field communication (NFC) technology for mobile payments, Bloomberg reported on Monday. Much like Google Wallet, which will soon launch for the Nexus S and eventually other Android devices, HP hopes its customers will be able to use the company’s products to make mobile purchases in retail outlets. Similarly, HP has a plan to create an entire ecosystem where users will be able to to receive coupons or other benefits, such as loyalty points, from NFC...

Motorola has produced several iconic handsets during its storied existence. The DynaTAC, the Vader, the v60 and of course, the Motorola RAZR. What Nokia did for the candy bar-style mobile phone in the 1990′s, Motorola did for the flip phone in the early 21st century. Thin, sleek and stylish, the RAZR was initially brought to market in early 2005. The handset was light, easily fit in the pocket and packed a flat, backlit keypad that proved itself to be a formidable text messaging obstacle. The device w...

In an interview with Reuters, Verizon Communications’ chief financial officer, Fran Shammo, reaffirmed several details about his company’s next iPhone offering. “Verizon’s [next iPhone] version will also work in as many countries as AT&T’s iPhone, which has global coverage,” writes Reuters, paraphrasing Mr. Shammo. The executive also noted that the inclusion of LTE in the next CDMA iDevice is not something Verizon has control over. “I think it’s a bigger iss...

On Tuesday T-Mobile introduced its ‘Trade-in Program’ that will allow users to take used handsets to T-Mobile stores and exchange them for credit towards a new device. Potential customers can offset the price of a new phone by as much as $300, T-Mobile said, although devices will need to be fully functional, have an intact and working display, and be free of any liquid damage or corrosion. To participate, simply head over to your nearest T-Mobile store and a representative will provide you with a ...

A Verizon Wireless spokesperson has shed some light on the fate of the HTC Merge — an Android 2.2 handset first discovered last September. The device, which was officially announced by HTC in February, has fallen in and out of obscurity for months. Now, according to the latest report, users may finally get a chance to purchase the handset. Speaking with blog Phone Scoop, a Verizon representative explained, “The HTC Merge was approved for use on the Verizon Wireless network and is being sold by thi...

Famed Russian technology blogger and analyst, Eldar Murtazin, thinks he has a beat on global Windows Phone sales figures, and the results are grim. Murtazin notes that although the company has shipped 1.5 million handsets worldwide, it has only sold 674,000 to end-users. The article’s author never indicates where his information originates from, but Murtazin has a proven track record when it comes to providing accurate insider information in the mobile space. Selling 674,000 smartphones certainly isn...

Reuters is reporting that Verizon Wireless is still debating whether or not to distribute Research In Motion’s new tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook, via its sales channels. “We’re still evaluating the BlackBerry Playbook and have not made a determination as to whether we’re going to distribute it,” said a Verizon Wireless spokesperson speaking to the publication. The new tablet, which runs RIM’s QNX-based software, launched in U.S. and Canadian markets yesterday. The Water...

Nokia on Wednesday released an update to its Nokia Software Updater client for the Macintosh platform via its Nokia Beta Labs portal. The new bits will allow Mac users to update their Nokia phones’ firmware directly from their computers — as opposed to over-the-air. Nokia warns that the software is still in the development phase and that it will keep the trial going until further notice. The company hopes that users will provide feedback as they use the software, paving the way for future optimization...

In response to last week’s tsunami, AT&T has announced that its wireless customers, in the United States and Puerto Rico, can call or text Japan for free through March 31st. AT&T has also said it will not charge its wireless postpaid customers for international long distance calls or texts to Japan that were placed after March 11th.  Similarly, AT&T wireline customers can seek credit for up to 60 minutes of direct calls placed to Japan during the March 11th to March 31st time period. Anyone...

U.S. wireless carrier Sprint has launched a new promotion that aims to ease the financial pain of cellular defectors. Through April 16th, the company will offer a $125 service credit to users that port their number to Sprint from another carrier and sign a two-year smartphone contract. If a smartphone is not in your future, Sprint will offer a $50 service credit to those users porting to a non-smartphone plan. After moving your number over, apply for the credit, and 60 days later an service credit will appea...