SMARTPHONE

The U.S. copyright office issued exemptions to a copyright law, giving legal protection for people who unlock their smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone.

Dutch navigation device maker TomTom reassured investors by keeping its 2010 outlook intact in the face of stiff competition from free navigation on smartphones.

Samsung Electronics Co said on Monday that it has received no significant complaints related to smartphone signal reception after Apple said the issue was shared by the entire smartphone industry.

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson pinned its hopes on further growth in the smartphone segment on Friday as it posted a second consecutive quarterly profit, driven by sales of the more expensive gadgets.

Top global cellphone makers are set to report a disappointing quarter, hit by euro zone debt problems and the roaring success of smartphone heavyweight Apple, and new launches may determine how they fare in the year's second half.

Apple Inc has called a surprise press conference for Friday to talk about the iPhone 4, as the company continues to deal with fallout from reported reception problems on its popular smartphone.

Borders Group Inc launched its long awaited electronic bookstore on Wednesday, along with applications for the store on several leading smartphones in a bid to catch up to rival booksellers and generate sales in the fast growing e-book segment.

Samsung Electronics , the world's No.1 memory chip maker, is set to see slower growth in the second-half as the euro zone crisis weakens demand for flat screens and chip prices are likely to ease.

Samsung Electronics, the world's No.1 memory chip maker, said it was on course to report a record quarterly profit, powered by robust sales of memory chips and flat screens in a strong consumer electronics market.

Samsung Electronics' second-half performance might be hit by weak European markets, and the launch of its new smartphones is key as the world's No. 1 memory chipmaker is set to report a record quarterly profit.

Nokia is committed to get back the No.1 position in smartphones and plans to use no other software than Symbian and Linux MeeGo, head of its mobile solutions unit said on Friday. It's my aim to ensure Nokia stays as the market and intellectual leader in creating the digital world, Anssi Vanjoki wrote in a blog on Nokia's website.

Microsoft Corp has pulled the plug on a new generation of smartphones less than three months after the company unveiled the devices in an attempt to catch-up with Apple and Google in the fast-growing mobile market.

Apple Inc had sold 1.7 million units of the iPhone 4 worldwide by Saturday, June 26, its most successful product launch yet, the company said on Monday.

Nokia Oyj will use Linux MeeGo software in its flagship N-series smartphones, hoping the new platform will give it a better chance to battle rivals such as Apple Inc and Google Inc.

With its technology already in smartphones like Motorola Inc's Droid X, startup Swype is setting its sights on helping consumers type more easily on billions of phones, including iPhones.

Hundreds of fans flocked to stores in Tokyo to be the first buyers of Apple's iPhone 4 and some lined up in San Francisco as the red-hot smartphone rolls out on Thursday in five of the world's six largest economies.

Verizon Wireless plans to start selling Droid X next month, launching the latest phone from Motorola Inc based on Google Inc's Android software.

Apple Inc has sold 3 million iPads in less than three months, a faster-than-expected pace that boosted its stock days before the company's newest iPhone hits store shelves.

Research in Motion investors want to know one thing above all when the BlackBerry maker reports quarterly results this week: when will RIM's long-promised iPhone killer finally hit the market?

Netherlands-based Layar, a provider of augmented reality software, signed deals to be distributed on a third of smartphones worldwide and predicted a boost in the use of its technology, which combines real-world images with computer-generated images on a screen.

Japan's Fujitsu Ltd and Toshiba Corp unveiled plans on Thursday to merge their mobile phone businesses in October to create Japan's second-biggest cellphone maker in a rapidly shrinking market.