The big industry news today comes from Verizon when they announced that in 2008 that they would offer wireless service plans open to any application or device.
[Verizon] said it will publish early next year technical standards for the development community, which are necessary for designing software, applications and devices that can run on its network. The carrier said that any device that meets the minimum technical standards will be activated on the network. It hopes to have new devices and applications available to customers by the end of next year.
Verizon expects the new service to open up new services and devices and encourage innovation. The service is also aimed at smaller players who would otherwise be unable to offer similar services. Indeed, per Arstechnica, one Verizon exec claimed that even "if someone builds a device in their basement on a breadboard, Verizon will test it and activate it." Pricing is claimed to be reasonable, with no specific restrictions on usage.
This news comes in the wake of Google's Android wireless platform announcement, but is not associated with that initiative. Meanwhile, Verizon still uses a CDMA network, while the iPhone is a GSM device. As a result, it's unlikely this announcement will necessarily have any affect on Apple's iPhone.
Google today announced that Waze is getting a handful of new features, including some Gemini-powered personalization enhancements for Conversational Reporting.
Conversational Reporting already uses Gemini when users report traffic incidents like slowdowns, but now you can use it to suggest map updates like road closures or outdated addresses. Saying something like "The road is closed here"...
Wednesday July 15, 2026 11:48 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's annual Back to School promotion is now live in select countries in Asia, including China, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The offer provides college students and educational staff with a free item with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad model. The exact offer varies by country, with options including a pack of four AirTags, AirPods 4,...
Wednesday July 15, 2026 3:20 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Carrier-financed iPhones purchased from Apple will soon be locked to the carrier, ending a workaround customers used to purchase an unlocked iPhone on a payment plan.
Until the rule change, buying an iPhone from Apple and opting for financing through Verizon or T-Mobile meant you would get an iPhone not locked to either carrier's network. That's no longer the case, and now iPhones financed...
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
