SMARTPHONE

Developed by Detroit-based Marxent Labs, the app is available for a free download from Android and iPhone app stores on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Technology investors and experts are asking whether Research in Motion (RIM) needs to ditch its BlackBerry handset business to survive.

iPad 3 may be here before Spring, but that doesn't mean you have to wait to grab a speedy, lightweight tablet computer like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Featuring a screen slightly larger than the iPad, and possibly the same size as the iPad 3, Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a bright display and good resolution.

The most powerful group at Google Inc. used to be known simply as The OC, short for operating committee. Now, it goes by a more telling name: L Team, short for Larry's Team. The change is more than a mere rebranding after Google co-founder Larry Page returned to the CEO spot nine months ago.

To understand what ails BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd in the U.S. market, just ask eBay Inc Chief Executive John Donahoe.

It might seem like corporate heresy but an increasing number of technology investors and experts are asking whether Research in Motion needs to ditch its BlackBerry handset business to survive.

Verizon Wireless has finally started sales of the eagerly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the first mobile device in the U.S. to run on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, on Dec. 15. The flagship Android smartphone is selling at Verizon stores and through its online network for $299.99 with a two-year contract and will on its 4G LTE network.

If you've already done the bulk of your holiday shopping, congrats to you, but we've put together our Holiday Gift Guide 2011: Top 10 Must-Buy Gadgets for anybody still procrastinating, or even if you need a few final items.

The most powerful group at Google Inc used to be known simply as The OC, short for operating committee. Now, it goes by a more telling name: L Team, short for Larry's Team.

2012 promises to be another year of promising, if not exciting developments for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and CEO Tim Cook, the man who replaced Jobs. Apple has the world's bestselling tablet, the iPad, and the bestselling smartphone, the iPhone, and the company wants to keep it that way.

Siri, the voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant, is the most striking feature of the iPhone 4S. However, it might meet its nemesis soon as Internet search engine giant Google will reportedly launch Android version of Siri.

Cox Communications announced Friday it has entered into an agreement to sell its Advanced Wireless Service spectrum licenses to Verizon Wireless for $315 million. In addition, the two companies will also have the opportunity to sell each other's products and services through respective company sales channels.

Apple has reportedly been receiving its A5 chips from a Samsung factory based in Texas. If the relationship holds, there's a great chance Apple's future chips will also be Texas-made.

Sony is launching Vita in Japan on Saturday, hoping the company's first new handheld video game system in seven years will get the company's game business going again now that many consumers have turned to Apple's iPhone, the world's bestselling smartphone, for entertainment.

Already, several firms have downgraded RIM on the news. BMO Capital downgraded the company Friday morning to Market Perform from Outperform over concerns related to BlackBerry 7.0 sales and the delay for BlackBerry 10.0 devices. The price target was lowered to $15 from $26. And Citigroup lowered its price target to $12 from $15 Friday morning.

Apple iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy are likely to stand out in this holiday season's smartphone sales which will otherwise be clouded by global economic uncertainty.

Apple Inc's share of China's booming smartphone market has risen sharply in the past two years, but for now the company that sells the iconic iPhone is being outpaced by nimble rivals.

Buying a smartphone for somebody else is no different than buying any other gift, except for the pesky carrier data plans and limited availability of many devices. Luckily, both the Samsung Galaxy S2 and iPhone 4S are available on multiple carriers, and that makes comparing them much easier. You aren't forced to go to only one carrier, although that wasn't the case with previous iPhone versions.

RIM showed a profit in the quarter, ending November 26. RIM earned an adjusted profit of $667 million, or $1.27 a share. But that figure does not include, according to Reuters, a large write down on unsold PlayBook tablets or charges associated with the company's global services outage.

Galaxy Nexus finally went on sale Dec. 15 at Verizon, and it's $300 on contract with a bonus data deal available for a limited time from Verizon's Web site. That $300 is the highest price you can expect to pay for a subsidized smartphone in the U.S. right now (only exception is the 64GB version of iPhone 4S). It's also on par with Verizon's other flagship phones. Droid Razr, HTC Rezound and the 32 gigabyte version of iPhone 4S.

Verizon Wireless began selling the much-awaited Samsung Galaxy Nexus for $299.99 on its network from Thursday, triggering an interesting competition within the Samsung devices.