SmartPhones

'Tis the season to buy tech products -- almost. If you're looking to upgrade, it's probably best to wait till Black Friday. Computers, high-end smartphones, HDTVs and tablets will see sharp discounts for the holidays.

The entire tech world is anxiously awaiting Tuesday's iPhone launch event. The hope: that the iEmpire's holiday lineup impresses enough to reverse a 7% stock slide that began two weeks ago. We'll have to wait until 10 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday to find out exactly what the Mac maker has up its sleeve. In the meantime, here are five things to watch for as the event unfolds.

When you're buying a new phone, the price can be dramatically affected by your choice of a cellular plan. But what do you really get for your money in this shotgun wedding? Is a two-year contract a fair trade for the discount? Read on for background info on some plans you may be considering.

When Apple rolls out its next-generation, high-end iPhone 5 this fall, one analyst is predicting the company will also shoot for the low-end market by introducing a second, inexpensive iPhone model that's capable of working with prepaid phone plans.

Symantec is the global leader in the security software market, but its share of that market has been declining. Can its Norton Everywhere initiative leverage the companies strength in the PC world into the domain of smartphones and tablets?

Macy's is bullish on e-commerce. Online sales for the department store chain grew more than 30% in 2010, and it's investing heavily in infrastructure upgrades, such as e-commerce product fulfillment centers, to accelerate its transformation into an "omnichannel" retail company.

Amazon (AMZN) boss Jeff Bezos doesn't take the usual approach to sales, technology or even competition. At this week's ShopSmart summit, he spoke with candor about his idiosyncratic strategies, growth opportunities, and how digital technology is still reshaping retailing.

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet computer debuts Tuesday, and for the many folks in the corporate world already armed with BlackBerry phones, the addition of a PlayBook may make sense. But there are a host of reasons why the average consumer may find the device not quite ready for the spotlight.

The re-weighting of the Nasdaq-100, which is expected to be announced today, could harm Apple's share price. But that may be the least of the tech giant's problems right now.

Many major companies are hoping that consumers will use their smartphones as a credit or debit card, and Google may be preparing to join in with its Android phones. But is the trend, which has grown popular in Japan, finally ready to take off in the U.S.?