Features

• Motorola Xoom: To buy or not to buy?

  To buy or not to buy? That's the question right now as the Motorola Xoom, Google's first Android Honeycomb tablet, gets ready to make its grand debut.

• iPhone 4 vs. Droid X: Spec smackdown

  On Wednesday today, Motorola introduced the Droid X -- the company's response to the Apple iPhone 4.

• First look: Verizon Droid with Google Maps GPS

  After weeks of ads teasing us with glimpses of a handset that could do what iPhones don't Verizon Wireless finally unveiled the Droid by Motorola. This is an impressive phone that flexes its raw data and graphics processing muscle as much as its does its smart features such as Google's new turn-by-turn 3D Maps Navigation service. The Droid is the first mobile phone to sport the Android 2.0 (previously code-named Éclair). The Droid will cost $300 (with a two-year contract), but a $100 mail-in rebate drops the price to $200. Monthly voice plans start at $39.99 and the monthly charge for e-mail and data services such as Web browsing start at $29.99.

• On the road: Testing wireless voice and data on the highways

  Marc Lefevre is the up-to-date, real-life equivalent of the "Can you hear me now?" guy from the Verizon Wireless TV ads that grew popular in 2004.

• iPhone on more carriers? Look out AT&T

  Many iPhone customers have already decided to switch carriers, if AT&T wants to keep them the time to act is now. AT&T cannot wait until Verizon and others appear at its door.

• Sprint: Defend yourself against Verizon's Palm Pre

  In its latest attempt to show some smartphone muscle, Verizon Wireless says it will offer the Palm Pre in early 2010.

• The 10 dumbest mistakes network managers make

  When you look at the worst corporate security breaches, it's clear that network managers keep making the same mistakes over and over again, and that many of these mistakes are easy to avoid.

• Verizon's public cloud aimed at enterprise

  Verizon has rolled out its first cloud-computing service aimed at giving enterprise customers a secure way to host applications not only on virtual resources but also on physical, dedicated network servers.

• Is AT&T preparing a Google Android offensive?

  AT&T has been keeping quiet on its plans to adopt the Google Android platform so far. But with rumors that Verizon might steal its iPhone exclusivity and several high-end handset manufacturers already set to deliver Android phones, the wireless carrier is now on track to spread some Google love to its customers.

• Cell-phone service surprises & portion sizes

  For the past 10 years I've expected three constants when visiting the U.S.: friendly people, large portions of food and bad cell-phone coverage.

• 7 reasons MPLS has been wildly successful

  The IETF last Thursday threw a birthday party for one of its most successful standards: Multi-Protocol Label Switching.