Android OS

Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility -- its largest acquisition ever -- paves the way for the search giant to enter the smartphone business directly. Here, we survey the likely outcomes of the deal, telling you who will benefit and who stands to lose.

Google's shares have fallen 15% in the last three months while the S&P 500 has traded flat. This share price decline seems odd when contrasted with the spectacular success Google has been experiencing with its Android mobile OS. But there are good reasons Wall Street isn't impressed.

Check-in service Gowalla was always prettier than mobile social network leader FourSquare, but it still could never catch up with its rival. Its new version, Gowalla 3, could change that: It allows users to easily check in on multiple social networks and track friends across them. Goodbye, check-in fatigue; hello competition.

Nokia released its long-awaited and previously delayed flagship N8 smartphone on Thursday. With the ability to run multiple applications at once and a 12 megapixel camera that shoots HD-quality videos, the device is intended to by Nokia's answer to Apple's iPhone.

Despite widespread speculation that the BlackBerry is on its way out, Research in Motion yesterday reported quarterly profits that beat analysts' expectations, and the company said it expects a strong third quarter. RIM's stock has taken a beating this year, losing more than 30 percent as the...

Motorola is snapping up location-based software maker Aloqa as part of its strategy to differentiate its smartphones with the help of software. Aloqa's technology pushes information to smartphone users about events or special offers from merchants near their locations.

Google's Android mobile operating system continues to make major inroads in the cell phone market, and will shoot from a mere 3.9% global market share in 2009 to an estimated 17.7% this year, ahead of RIMM and Apple, according to a new report from research firm Gartner.

Remember Beta vs VHS? Windows vs Mac? Once again, competing global standards are preparing to do battle, this time over smartphones and other mobile devices. A flood of new tablets is coming on a number of platforms, but only two or three are likely to win.

Samsung provided the missing piece to its tablet computer puzzle on Friday, announcing the soon-to-be-released Galaxy Tab will run on Google's Android operating system, just like its Galaxy smartphones.

Lenovo is developing a new tablet PC that relies on Google's Android operating system, becoming the latest computer maker to jump into what is becoming a crowded market for tablet computers, according to a Reuters report.