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You know things are going from bad to worse for BlackBerry farmer Research In Motion when some of the stodgiest companies on the planet start trading in their BlackBerry smartphones for shiny new iPhones. The most recent defector from RIM: Halliburton, the fuddy-duddy oil-field services giant that critics associate with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, Dick Cheney, and no-bid contracts in Iraq.
Active smartphone users better get used to an ugly buzzword: throttling. AT&T has begun slowing down the most voracious 5% of its data users. And while cell carriers may feel they have to push back against the bandwidth hogs, the customer response may be more than they bargained for.
Far too many customers aren't paying their phone bills on time, if you ask the phone companies. Three of the top four submitters to third-party collection agencies are major telephone carriers. And the reasons why should come as no surprise.
The latest news on the video game front isn't pretty. Media tracker NPD Group's data reveals that industry sales plunged 21% last month. It's clear that the industry is undergoing a radical shift, but for investors, the more important issue is why.
With patent infringement accusations going every which way in recent months, we're certainly familiar with Apple/Samsung banter. Now Apple has thrown yet another punch at the Korean smartphone maker, targeting its Galaxy S II, Galaxy S Plus and eight other handsets.
Major tech companies including Amazon, Microsoft and Nokia have been eyeing BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, according to recent reports. True, we shouldn't jump to any conclusions based on the words of "unnamed sources." But all of the attention RIM's getting does make sense.
It's not paranoia -- you really are surrounded by Androids. Google's mobile OS is now running on 200 million activated gadgets, matching the number running Apple's iOS. And recently, the 10 billionth Android app was downloaded.
Cellphones are ubiquitous, and smartphones have basically put hand-held computers in our pockets. Sadly, though, our must-have mobile devices include a built-in, terrible component: human suffering.
It's hard to imagine two companies more different than Apple and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion: Apple's on top of the world, and RIM has fallen off a cliff. But the RIM of today bears a striking resemblance to the Apple of 1997.
The NFL has something broadcasters lust after: a reliably strong source of ratings. So as its football games migrate onto smartphones, iPads, and anything else with a screen, its no surprise that CBS, Fox and NBC -- not to mention Sirius, Westwood One Radio and Verizon -- are all lining up to pay billions to carry them.

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BAC
Bank of America Corp
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ALU
Alcatel-Lucent (ADR)
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122.18M
GE
General Electric Company
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-1.33%
109.55M
F
Ford
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52.49M

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CIE
Cobalt International Energy
31.68 +7.78
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18.42M
LNKD
LinkedIn Corp.
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ALU
Alcatel-Lucent (ADR)
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3.07M

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NBG-A
National Bank of Greece SA (ADR)
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188,505
OSG
Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc.
10.18-1.65
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1.88M
AB
AllianceBernstein Holding LP
14.35-2.16
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1.30M
OC-B
Owens Corning (Warrant) 'B'
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26,436
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