GigaOM

As the average consumer embraces ever more complex technology, Verizon is offering a series of classes beginning in New York City to show consumers what their PDAs and smartphones can do for them. I’m sure many of our readers aren’t in need of such a class — which will teach users all about texting, syncing [...]

Corporate spin alert: Verizon’s president and COO, Dennis Strigl, in a speech this week suggested that three-quarters of American households have two broadband providers to choose from. He went on to compare the broadband penetration of Massachusetts and New Jersey with that of Korea and Japan. I think his analogy needs a closer look.

A statement released today by Vodafone has confirmed that Verizon Wireless is in advanced talks to buy Alltel for about $27 billion. Vodafone and Verizon jointly own Verizon Wireless.
Update: The deal has been confirmed: $28.1 billion — of which $5.9 billion will be for Alltel’s equity and the rest for Alltel’s projected net debt [...]

A recent report from ABI Research highlights the rise of mobile Linux, estimating that 23 percent of the world’s smartphones will have a Linux operating system by 2013. It appears that much of that growth will come at the expense of Nokia’s Symbian, and that LiMo and Android will be the main beneficiaries. What the [...]

If you’re like me, sick of the double-crossing, bandwidth-capping ways of the in-the-red Sprint, it’s time for you to start thinking about other mobile broadband options. Of course, you can sign up for Verizon and pay premium dollars for the same 5 GB-a-month download cap and restrictions over their EVDO network. Or simply switch technologies [...]

Google continues to rev up its plans for Android, spending liberally on developers, but the other mobile Linux platform effort, LiMo, isn’t keeping quiet and is aggressively adding bulk to what is an unenviable line-up. Today, the foundation got eight new members, most notably carriers Verizon Wireless and SK Telecom, chip maker Infineon and Mozilla. [...]