Articles by Jeff Kagan

AT&T just announced it will be getting into and improving the in-flight WiFi business. It will be next year before this service is available, but if it's better than the current GoGo WiFi service, I think it will be a big success Back in the days before in-flight WiFi, stepping onto an airplane meant we were pretty much cut off from the rest of the...

The story of Square mobile-payments may surprise you. Imagine swiping customer credit cards on your iPhone, iPad or Android. We have all heard the magical stories about a brilliant idea sketched on a napkin that turned into the next big success in business. While these things do happen, more often the bubble bursts. It's just a matter of when. Is that what is starting to happen with Square? ...

Want to watch a new tech race? Keep your eyes on the new 1 Gbps ultra high-speed Internet race. Over the next few years, this will continue to grow and become one of the hottest races around. So who will the leaders be? Today, entrants like Google, AT&T, C Spire and CenturyLink already have started their race for the gold First, it's important to ...

Every couple of years, it's time to buy a new wireless phone -- and every couple of years, we go through the same decision-making process. What should be the most important part of that process? The answer is not in the advertising. It's not about choosing a phone. Rather, it's choosing the right network -- and there is a difference between major carriers.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen is trying to turn the company's fortunes around, and something it has in common with Coca-Cola could help. This is something very important, if BlackBerry realizes it. It's something that if done correctly could help the company succeed once again. I have followed BlackBerry for many years, watching its ups and predicting ...

HTC this week announced the HTC One M8, a new model of its flagship smartphone. When the HTC One made its debut last year, AT&T Mobility sent me one to test drive. I thought it was very well designed. However, what it had in substance, the HTC One lacked in brand recognition, marketing, advertising and public relations. Let's face it, HTC is not a well known and loved brand that customers walk in and ask for. Will it be different this year?...

There has been quite a bit of media speculation on the loss of Malaysia Flight 370. However, many important questions simply are not being answered yet. One that many people are wondering about is this: Why didn't anyone on board that plane call or text message anyone? During the last week I have appeared on many news shows -- NBC, CNN with Wolf B...

I received a call from NBC News on Monday about an interesting angle on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 mystery. Relatives of passengers on the missing aircraft apparently said they had dialed the cellphone numbers of loved ones on the flight and reported that the phones rang -- several times in fact. Then the calls were terminated. What could ...

What is going on with Sprint Softbank? What will the company look like when it finally emerges from its cocoon? Who else will it merge with? Where will it be based? There has been quite a bit of transformational work going on. Sprint and Softbank won U.S. government approval after months of vigorous debate and got together last summer. It once see...

The Comcast Netflix deal represents a completely new and refreshing direction for the industry. It clears away much confusion and illuminates a clearer path for growth for all companies in the battle. This deal represents a watershed moment for Web content providers Congratulations to both Comcast and Netflix on reaching this agreement. It may inde...

What's most unexpected about the acquisition of Time Warner Cable is that the buyer is Comcast. Will the regulators give their blessing or block the deal? If approved, what changes can we expect as investors, customers and workers? If it is not approved, then what comes next? The cable television industry is completely different today from 10 years...

Quality and reliability problems have been increasing with the new digital services from the cable television industry. I am a customer of both Comcast and Time Warner Cable and have noticed the issues, and it's safe to assume other cable-TV providers are having similar problems. This may cause further harm to the cable TV industry. Can it fix what is broken in time?...

I get a kick out of reading the media coverage of news events in the wireless sector. Sometimes reporters understand what is happening -- sometimes they don't. AT&T Mobility just reduced the price of its Mobile Share Value Plan. Many wrote about it, but few really understood the issues involved This is more about a broad industry shift than a singl...

AT&T just said it would not bid for Vodafone -- at least not within the next six months. Over the years, we have seen the wireless and telecom sectors change dramatically in wave after wave of mergers and acquisitions. As U.S. carriers look for new areas of growth, will they start looking to expand overseas? I think so -- and not just AT&T, but Verizon as well, and then others. So what will this mean? ...

AT&T just said it would not bid for Vodafone -- at least not within the next six months. Over the years, we have seen the wireless and telecom sectors change dramatically in wave after wave of mergers and acquisitions. As U.S. carriers look for new areas of growth, will they start looking to expand overseas? I think so -- and not just AT&T, but Verizon as well, and then others. So what will this mean? ...

We used to choose our next car based on brand, previous experience or recommendations. However, the automotive industry is reinventing itself -- and new reasons to buy have little to do with the car itself. Now decision making revolves around new technologies and innovations, especially wireless. While this could indeed strengthen automakers' relationships with many customers, it also could weaken them with many others if the auto industry is not careful.

What's up with T-Mobile? It reminds me of that old Rip Van Winkle tale. Rip fell asleep for 20 years, somewhere in the Catskill Mountains, and then woke up with a long, white beard. Except for the facial hair and the length of time, his story sounds a lot like T-Mobile USA's, right? It too has awakened from its long nap and has come out swinging. So what can we expect next?...

International CES 2014 in under way in Las Vegas this week, surprising and delighting us with all the innovation on display CES is a great place to see how wireless fundamentally changes and works its way deeper into the consumer electronics industry. That's been true year after year, and this one is no exception.

It looks like 2014 will be a very exciting year as the wireless industry continues to transform not only itself but other industries as well. Have you noticed how things are changing, thanks to the wireless industry, smartphones and all those apps? We will see wave after wave of change. Over the next few years we will see industries like healthcare...

Lately I have been reading several very interesting stories in the media about both Verizon and AT&T. It looks like things are starting to change. AT&T quality and reliability reportedly are getting better. At the same time, Verizon seems to be losing its grip in those same areas. So what's up? Over the last decade or two, Verizon and AT&T have bee...