LAS VEGAS - There's almost as many people buying smartphones as there are people buying laptops, and that trend is about to turn the computing industry on its head.

"We do see that gravitational pull of the single-use device being played out in the market," said Nigel Clifford, CEO of Symbian, during the opening presentations of Smartphone Summit here at CTIA 2008. "This is not just about multiple devices, it's about knocking aside some other forms of communication."

At CTIA, smartphones are still a niche product. The Smartphone Summit was held in two generic … Read more

Come and get it! I got your hot, piping pre-CTIA 2008 news for you right here. Today, Verizon Wireless announced that it will deliver the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 to customers starting in May (an exact ship date was not available). It's the first Curve to hit the CDMA carrier and is similar to the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8310 for AT&T in that it offers integrated GPS. The smartphone will work with Verizon's location-based service, VZ Navigator, and also one-ups the GSM version with EV-DO support. Other goodies include Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support, … Read more

CTIA 2008 is still one day away from its official start, but the news is already starting to trickle in. Motorola got a jump-start as it, as well as Alltel and U.S. Cellular, announced the addition of the Motorola Q9c to the carriers' line-ups, including a new lime-green version. Both providers will also offer a more traditional black version if you don't feel like getting too wild and crazy with your phone colors. (And how in the world did Moto settle on lime green?)

Looks aside, the Q9c for Alltel and U.S. Cellular is much like the … Read more

Well, well, what do we have here? Engadget Mobile (via Internet Tablet Talk) caught wind of a WiMax-enabled Nokia N810 Internet Tablet after it was posted on Nokia Europe's Web site. Unfortunately, the link to the product page isn't working at the moment, but you can pretty much figure out that it's like the Nokia N810 we reviewed earlier this year but with WiMax support. Rumor has it that we'll see the debut of this device at CTIA 2008, so check back next week when our show coverage begins to see if this puppy shows its … Read more

Microsoft is getting ready to take the wraps off the latest version of Windows Mobile, according to a report out Tuesday.

Pocket Lint is claiming that Microsoft will release Windows Mobile 6.1 next Tuesday, which happens to be the day that Microsoft's Robbie Bach, head of the Windows Mobile team, is planning to give a keynote address at the CTIA Wireless conference in Las Vegas. Purely a coincidence, I'm sure, although it will be April Fool's Day.

Windows Mobile 6.1 will be the first major update to ship since version 6.0 made its debut … Read more

A Google executive may have inadvertently tipped the wireless industry's hand on the launch time frame for Android phones.

Ever since introducing Android, a mobile-phone operating system, last November, Google has said that Android-loaded phones would be available in the second half of this year. However, on Monday, Richard Whitt, Google's Washington telecom and media counsel, put a finer grain on the launch expectations during a conference call about Google's plans for the "white spaces" spectrum, saying the phones could be out as soon as summer or fall of this year.

After the call, Google … Read more

Mobile applications are turning into big business, and Nokia is looking to launch a few start-ups on their way.

Nokia's developer arm, Forum Nokia, announced the results of its Mobile Rules contest Wednesday night at San Jose City Hall. Nine companies were chosen, representing four application categories, best business plan, and four winners of the best technology innovation.

The winners were judged by a panel of Nokia executives, venture capitalists, and media representatives. They'll get a chance to pitch their ideas to Nokia's higher-ups and the venture capital community. With smartphones and mobile phones growing more and … Read more

This post was updated at 10:15 a.m. PDT to correct the spelling on Anup Murarka's name.

Even though it has plans to release a competing technology, Microsoft has agreed to license Adobe's Flash Lite technology for its Windows Mobile operating system and browser.

The two companies early on Monday announced that Microsoft has signed a license to use Flash Lite and Reader LE in future Windows Mobile handsets as plug-ins for Internet Explorer Mobile. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, such as what the companies plan to do when Microsoft releases Silverlight for Mobile, a … Read more

If CNET News.com's readers are any indication, Microsoft's Windows Mobile has a better base of support than one might think, but all the winds are blowing toward Apple.

The results of our first annual (maybe) smartphone survey are in, and thanks to everyone who left comments here on One More Thing or over on Crave, and those who flooded my inbox with responses. Yes, I know we should have a survey tool, but we're working on other stuff right now that's more important. (You'll have to trust me on that one.)

Between the comments … Read more