Apple is developing a new iPhone to debut this summer; it's said to be thinner with a faster processor... but will it give customers what they really want: a new carrier? According to the Wall Street Journal, the company is working on producing a new iPhone that would make the gadget available through Verizon, and other CDMA carriers. The question is when will it be available to the public (some say this summer, some September, some 2012). Their exclusive arrangement with AT&T is coming to an end—which will certainly make many users happy; their service has been iBysmal in New York (for real) and other metro areas. more ›

Police have released photos and surveillance footage of three men accused of stealing cellphones from 16 AT&T and T-Mobile stores. NY1 reports that the trio has been cutting security cords and running away with the phones since December in a crime spree that spans across Manhattan and Queens. According to 1010WINS, the perps have displayed a knife in some incidents and used force, though no injuries have been reported. The three men were last spotted robbing an AT&T store on Broadway in SoHo on Tuesday. The suspects are described as between 19 and 25 years old, and about 5'8'', 5'10'', and just over 6' respectively. If you have any information, call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, text TIP577 to CRIMES, or visit NYPDCrimeStoppers.com. more ›

The Natavia Lowery trial continues, and today the jury heard a voicemail message the alleged killer left for her former boss Linda Stein just hours after she may or may not have bludgeoned her to death. Surveillance footage showing Lowery coming and going from Stein's apartment that day in 2007 has already been seen—in it, no one else is seen leaving or entering the apartment. However, Lowery maintains Stein went for a walk that day (something the doorman who testified said that wasn't true). The Daily News has a recording of the voicemail, in which Lowery makes a point to mention Stein's walk. One problem? The message was left at 6 p.m. that dayThough the voicemail was left at 6 p.m., Lowery tells Stein she is planning to leave work at 5:30 that day, and "If you get this message before 5:30 you can just call me." more ›

AT&T has realized that the first step towards recovery is admitting it has a problem. The phone giant has confessed that its New York City iPhone service is not up to par, according to a presentation slide published on Tom's Guide noting that the company's 3G Voice Composite Quality in the New York metro area—particularly in Manhattan—is below its performance objective. more ›

Verizon announced today that it will waive long-distance fees on all calls to Haiti. That means that whomever you're calling—rescue workers, earthquake victims, or Scientologists—you won't have a hefty phone bill. "We want to help alleviate some of the agony being experienced by our customers trying to reach loved ones in Haiti," said Susan Retta, a Verizon executive, in a statement. The offer works on both cell phones and landlines, and the phone company will even give refunds for past calls after January 12th. Okay, it's only good up until the end of the month, but Haiti's sure to be back on its feet in a couple weeks, right? more ›

A new area code will soon replace 718 and 347, which serve Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. Thanks to the ever-growing number of cellphone accounts, officials must establish a new three digit code before existing numbers run out for the boroughs in 2012, according to NY1. The digits themselves have not yet been selected. The new area code would be instated on an "overlay plan," meaning old numbers won't be reassigned to the new code. Oh 347, we hardly knew you. more ›

The recently-engaged street artist Posterchild has an idea for the city's payphone network. He declares since the payphones have basically become nothing more than an "adverting-revenue generating platform, then they should make all local calls free." more ›

It's already illegal for cab drivers to use cell phones while driving—even hands-free—but that law's even more scoffed at than the city's futile jaywalking prohibition! So now the Taxi and Limousine Commission is taking on the seemingly impossible task of separating hacks from their phones, by proposing heavy new punishments for gabby cabbies. more ›

While the rest of us were watching Lindsay Lohan give the new Project Runway contestants the up-down, she was right here in NYC losing her mind at Mott Corner Deli. TMZ reports that the actress/singer/part-time lesbian "went ballistic last night after she 'lost' her precious cell phone in a NY deli—a situation so dire, she dragged the NYPD to the scene." Here's the timeline: After making her purchase around 7:30 p.m. at the Mott Corner Deli, she left and soon realized her phone was no longer with her; "But when Linz went back, the deli worker insisted on checking the security tape to make sure it was hers before handing it back—this sent LiLo into a rage. Linz was so angry the deli man wouldn't just hand over the phone, that she got someone to call the NYPD for backup"—but by the time they got there, the situation was "diffused." The deli employee maintains that he had no idea who she was. more ›

A Brooklyn man can't sleep at night knowing that the bizarre inter-gadget relationship between his Sony Erickson PDA and his Maytag Magic Chef stove might leave him burned. Last Monday Andrei Melnikov discovered that his cellphone was turning on his stove when he got a call in the kitchen. The phone had been on the kitchen counter when it rang, and as he answered it and walked away, he recalls hearing a faint beep. Minutes later, he smelled smoke, and discovered that some plastic cookware left in the oven was on fire. The incoming call had somehow turned the broiler on high, a phenomenon which Melnikov demonstrated for his landlord and 1010WINS. They believe this is the first time this has happened in the three years since Melnikov has owned the stove and the phone, but since neither device is talking, nobody really knows how long this hot affair's been going on. Melnikov and his girlfriend have put a stop to it by unplugging the oven, and they're afraid to plug it back in because of their pet chinchillas. Maytag is sending someone to "fix" the problem, but will the lonely old Maytag man really have the heart to stand in the way of such fiery passion? more ›

As the classic song goes, 911 is a joke—but calling police precincts is even more of a laugh, according a little survey conducted by the Daily News. Over the course of a month, reporters called all 76 neighborhood precinct stationhouses across the city at least seven times and found that many of them need to work on their telephone manners. The tabloid gave 40% of them a ranking of "unacceptable" because nobody picked up within 10 rings on at least five out of seven calls. At one Bronx stationhouse, a uniformed officer twice picked up the phone and immediately hung it up after a reporter called from the waiting area. At the 104th Precinct stationhouse in Ridgewood, Queens, when a reporter asked to be transferred to Community Affairs, the phone rang 175 times before the caller finally gave up. And on two occasions at the 66th Precinct, the stationhouse's phone rang at least 50 times—then went to a busy signal. One anonymous cop explains that officers simply dread answering the phone, because "if you pick up the phone you are stuck with whatever ... is coming out of the receiver." NYPD commissioner Paul Browne says New Yorkers should just call 911 during emergencies. more ›

The NY Post's police blotter brings us back to the days of Mugger Money. They report a suspect confronted two 20-something females on East 59th Street near Park Avenue at 4:10 a.m. on Saturday wielding a large knife. After taking their cash, "the thief then asked to see their cellphones, but, when the women produced them, he uttered, 'I don't want that,' and ran off." Aside from sounding like something that would happen to Liz Lemon, perhaps this can serve as a warning that it could be time to start carrying around your old rotary telephone as a decoy! Or install Google Latitude for tracking purposes. [via NY Mag] more ›