Blackberry, Cell Phone | featured news

With many wireless carriers feeling threatened by the growing prominence of Apple and Google, those companies’ success could provide the foundation of Research in Motion’s recovery.

A quarter of smartphone users rely mainly on their phones for internet access, according to a new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, that also found that more than one-third of all American adults have taken the smartphone plunge. In the center’s first stand-alone examination of smartphone use, it found that 33 percent of users said their phones were smartphones and 39 percent said their phones operate a smartphone platform such as iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone or Palm.

In the past year, mobile payment systems have picked up steam and are now becoming mainstream. Could our wallets be replaced one day soon by our smartphones?

Verizon Wireless plans to scrap its unlimited data plan for new smartphone subscribers beginning Thursday and replace it with monthly packages that range from $30 to $80.

Research in Motion announced last week that cost cutting efforts will include layoffs following a sluggish start to the year and continued new product delays. Shares sold off sharply as investors bailed on lowered guidance and delayed new Blackberry launch.

Apple Inc plans to launch a new iPhone with a faster chip for data processing and a more advanced camera in September, Bloomberg said in a report late Tuesday.

For the first time ever, the numbers of minutes spent each day using mobile apps has surpassed the number of minutes spent surfing the Web, both on the desktop and mobile devices. Read this blog post by Lance Whitney on Digital Media.

Research in Motion has lost another senior marketing executive as it struggles with a product transition that has triggered profit warnings and a sharp share-price drop.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion saw investors abandon the company in droves amid fresh concerns about its future.

Oracle is seeking between $1.4 billion and $6.1 billion in a patent lawsuit against Google over the lucrative smartphone market, according to a court filing.