smartphones

Smartphone sales are expected rise 49% this year to 450 million units, according to a new survey from electronics research firm IDC.

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?

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.

Gartner has lowered its laptop-sales forecast for this year and the next, predicting that the popularity of tablets and smartphones will slow laptop sales. Gartner expects worldwide laptop sales to increase 11% this year and and 14% next year, down from a previously forecast 16$ and 15%, respectively.

Sprint and Nextel stocks climbed Thursday on word that the two companies are on the verge of resolving their five-month pricing dispute.

Production problems could delay the release of Apple's new iPad version until June -- the same month that the company was expected to launch the iPhone 5.

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.

Verizon sold out of its iPhone 4 pre-order allotment after only 17 hours. But don't despair, they'll be available soon online again and in Verizon, Apple and a few other stores. It's starting to look like it'll be another all-night camp-out for those who want to score day-one phones.

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%.