Mobile Phone

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.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. is cutting 2,000 jobs as part of a cost savings plan announced last month and is shuffling some senior executives. The job cuts amount to about 10 percent of the company's work force. The company said Monday it will notify affected employees this week. It...

The news that the U.S.'s No. 2 wireless carrier, AT&T, is buying No. 4 carrier T-Mobile has squelched hopes that T-Mobile would join forces with Sprint. What else does this deal mean for the No. 3 carrier?

Worldwide mobile-computer owners will buy about $1.5 billion worth of augmented-reality applications in 2015, up from less than $2 million last year, U.K.-based Juniper Research said in a recent report.

SprintNextel and T-Mobile USA are reportedly discussing another tie-up, as both companies seek to stop the flow of customers defecting to larger cell-phone service providers. In the past, the carriers have mulled a merger but haven't been able to agree on who would acquire whom.

Google's smartphone platform, Android, has overtaken that of Research in Motion's BlackBerry as the most popular in the U.S., according to a ComScore report released Monday. It also may be gaining on Apple.

No wonder President Obama is visiting an Intel plant as he stumps for U.S. innovation and high-tech jobs. After all, Intel is a clear industry leader. Indeed, some analysts argue that for investors seeking entry in the global growth of technology, Intel is the one-stop answer.

From a strategy standpoint, there's some sound reasoning behind CEO Stephen Elop's thinking: Most likely there's room for a third player at Apple and Google's poker table. But Nokia's new deal with Microsoft will be all about how well it's executed.

Buying a new cell phone next year? Odds are it'll be a smartphone, according to a new report from research firm In-Stat. The company predicts that smartphones will overtake regular cell phones, making up more than half of U.S. cell-phone shipments, in 2012.

Verizon customers will likely flock to the Apple iPhone 4 when the largest U.S. carrier starts selling it in February. But many industry-watchers expect an iPhone 5 a few months later. And that could create a quandary for folks on the fence about their next smartphone move.