mobile phones

Talks between Apple and China Mobile didn't go so well back in 2009, but Steve Jobs apparently wants to take another stab at getting his wildly popular iPhone onto the world's largest network. And Apple may be more accommodating about terms now that Google's Android is gaining share globally.

When Nokia's CEO presents the company's strategy to investors in London on Friday, it could announce plans to use an outside operating system -- namely, Microsoft's , Google's or both, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

They've waited years for this. Today, Verizon customers can pre-order their iPhone 4s. The phones should arrive on or before Feb. 10. So far, the supply is holding up, though some frustrated customers were greeted with an error message.

Handsets based on Google's Android mobile operating system accounted for 32.9% of worldwide smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter, compared with Symbian's 30.6% market share, according to a new report from market researcher Canalys. Apple's iOS was a distant third, with 16%.

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.

At last, a Verizon iPhone. Verizon Wireless made its long-awaited announcement Tuesday, ending years of speculation over when it would carry Apple's world-beating smartphone on its CDMA network. Worth noting: It'll come with an unlimited data plan for $29.99 a month.

Nokia has announced that its high-end flagship E7 smartphone will miss the 2010 holiday season. Without explaining what the exact problem was, a spokesperson says Nokia wants to "allow the best possible user experience." Making sure the phone works is a good start.

After quickly failing with its Nexus 1 smartphone, Google is back with a Samsung-made device. This time, though, it'll depend on Best Buy to deal with customers, set up contracts and attend to all the other details that tripped up Google's first attempt.

Vodafone Group (VOD) was ordered by an Indian court to put up a deposit of 25 billion rupees ($554 million) while it challenges an Indian tax bill. Vodafone, the world's largest mobile-phone company, has to set aside 25 billion rupees with the court within three weeks and submit bank guarantees...

Apple's iPhone operating system software stumbled in the third quarter, losing year-over-year quarterly market share for the first time, as Google's Android mobile operating system pulled further ahead, according to a Gartner Research report released Wednesday.