Verizon Wireless gets smart and opens its network to other phones

Verizon Wireless plans to open its network to devices other than the ones hand-picked by the company, a move that could expand the features available on mobile phones and give the second-largest U.S. wireless carrier a response to a phone software project led by Google Inc.

The decision, announced Tuesday, means that customers would be able to buy devices of their own choosing and run them on Verizon's network. Traditionally, wireless providers like Verizon let customers pick only carrier-approved devices, with carrier-approved software features
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Get smart: a guide to spiffy phones at Yahoo News

Apple Inc.'s iPhone has shaken up the "smart phone" business and set other manufacturers scrambling to add features and make it easier to get e-mail, surf the Web and enjoy music and movies on a cell phone.

Prices also have come down to the point where some of these feature-packed models cost little more than "dumb" phones. Sizes have come down too — gone are the days when carrying a smart phone was a workout.

Remember, though, that you need a data plan to get the most out of a smart phone, which usually adds about $20 to the monthly cost. (Prices below are with two-year carrier contracts unless noted.)

Vist Yahoo To read about all the models listed

LG's iPhone-like phone launched in Europe

San Francisco (IDGNS) - The iPhone-like handset that LG Electronics unveiled at August's Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) trade show is now on sale in Europe, the company said Monday.

The LG-KS20 looks a lot like the recently launched Apple handset thanks to a 2.8-inch touchscreen that dominates the front of the phone but despite this similarity probably won't wow people that same way the iPhone did when it was first unveiled.

This is due in part to the industrial design of the handset and also because it is based on the Windows Mobile 6 operating system. Most observers agree this latest version of Microsoft's mobile OS is not as polished and slick as the Mac OS X inside the iPhone.

More On LG's iPhone-like phone

Google and Sprint are in talks on mobile phone applications.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp, the No. 3 U.S. mobile service, is in talks to put applications from Web search leader Google Inc on its cell phones, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Google is in talks with some of the largest U.S. wireless carriers to make a deeper move into the mobile industry, an area it views as key to future growth.
While the company has not commented on its plans or potential partners, industry experts believe it will soon launch new software and services for mobile phones.
On Tuesday, sources told Reuters that No. 2 U.S. mobile service Verizon Wireless, a Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc venture, is also in talks with Google about putting applications on its mobile phones.

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