Personal Technology

With sights set on Apple's iPhone, the opening weekend for Motorola's Droid smartphone was watched carefully. Although some initial reports indicated a less-than-overwhelming reception, it now appears that Verizon Wireless may have done well, selling about 100,000 units.

Users who want the Mac OS X experience on a netbook budget have figured out how to hack the Mac OS X operating system to force it to work on netbooks based on the Intel Atom processor. The latest update to the Snow Leopard update removes support for the Atom processor and puts an end to the 'hackintosh'--at least for now.

When Apple released its updated laptop line in the fall of 2008, there were oohs and ahhs at the shiny new unibody enclosure and buttonless trackpad, but there were also groans and eye-rolling over what appeared to be yet another new display connector, Mini DisplayPort, which replaced the Mini-DVI and Mini-VGA connectors formerly found on Apple's computers.

If the Zune HD had a leg-up over the iPod touch in any department, it was in the area of radio playback. Unlike the iPod touch and the iPhone, the Zune HD comes with the built-in capability to tune into HD radio channels.

Amazon released a Kindle for PC app, available as a free 5.17MB download for Windows 7, Vista, and XP. Much like the Kindle for iPhone app, Kindle for PC syncs your Amazon e-book downloads and shows them on your computer for convenient reading either when you're away from your svelte e-book reader or if you chose not to buy it in the first place. A Mac version, Amazon says, is "coming soon."

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The world's two largest cell phone makers, Nokia and Samsung Electronics, have unveiled their latest attempts to keep pace in the battle with smartphone rivals like iPhone and Blackberry.

Samsung appeared to announce a new mobile-phone OS today, but it didn't really. Bada is an extension of Samsung's long-time, proprietary feature-phone OS, but it's also open to developers.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia has started deliveries of its new top-of-the-range model N900, a key product for the world's top phone maker in its battle against rivals iPhone and Blackberry.

SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian student sparked fears of a new era of computer viruses on Tuesday after creating a worm which infects Apple's iconic iPhone with pictures of 1980s pop star Rick Astley.

At Research in Motion's BlackBerry Developer Conference Monday, the company made a slew of announcements that aim to boost the platform's appeal to developers. But more APIs, a better advertisement service and new Adobe and Eclipse toolsets don't seem too exciting to the average consumer. Fear not, faithful BlackBerry user--there are some enhancements that will directly benefit you. Read on:

Well, that didn't take long: Just three days after the Droid dropped, and we already have our first leaked-document-style rumor. What is this, the iPhone or something?

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc said on Monday that it was acquiring of AdMob, one of the largest mobile advertising networks, for $750 million, widening its bet that cell phone advertising could become the Internet's next-big money maker.

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Research In Motion (RIM) on Monday announced it is making Blackberry devices friendlier to game applications, as the business-oriented smartphones try to show a more playful side.

Has Google found the final piece of its voice-calling puzzle? Rumors have it that the acquisition-happy search giant has acquired Gizmo5, a Skype-like VoIP startup.   TechCrunch is reporting that Google has plunked down $30 million in cash for Gizmo5, which offers a software app that lets you make free phone calls to other Gizmo users, as well as inexpensive calls to landlines and cell phones. It supports SMS and instant messaging, too.

Well, that didn't take long: Just three days after the Droid dropped, and we already have our first leaked-document-style rumor. What is this, the iPhone or something?

On Monday, Apple released Mac OS X 10.6.2, the latest update to its Mac OS X operating system. As you might surmise, it contains a number of fixes and feature enhancements for the newest big cat. Apple, as always, recommends 10.6.2 for all users running Snow Leopard.

The focus of smartphone development is moving, at least to some extent, from the hardware to software and applications. The 2009 BlackBerry Developer Conference, which is being held Nov. 9-12 in San Francisco, is centered on ensuring that the applications for the BlackBerry are as useful and flexible as those for Apple's iPhone, Palm's Pre, the Droid from Motorola, and other smartphone platforms that are competing for market share.

You a fan of Mad Libs? Try this one on for size: Apple on [day] rejected an iPhone app devoted to [phrase] for [ridiculous reason].

Nothing in life is ever free—or perhaps it's best said that nothing's free forever. Shazam, makers of the free iPhone app that single-handedly ruins song-guessing quiz games, has unveiled a new $5 app for the iPhone: Shazam Encore.

A mischievous iPhone worm that targets Australian jailbroken phones is changing the phone's wallpaper to an image of Rick Astley.

Finnish mobile-phone maker Nokia is recalling millions of phone chargers. The Espoo, Finland-based company on Monday said chargers made by a supplier have shown some defects.

SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. is buying mobile advertising network AdMob for $750 million, underscoring the Internet search leader's determination to ensure its marketing machine reaches the growing number of people surfing the Web on phones.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion is making it easier for software developers make money from the applications they develop for its popular BlackBerry smartphone as the company falters in the face of stiff competition from rivals like Apple Inc.

Browse the App Store for developer Storm8’s many popular iPhone games, and you’ll encounter the same message over and over again: “The item you’ve requested is not currently available in the US store.”

Ever tried to take a self-portrait with the iPhone’s camera?

Ever tried to take a self-portrait with the iPhone’s camera?

Apple iPhone owners Down Under are reporting their jailbroken iPhones have been hit with a worm that hijacks their wallpaper, changing it to an image of 1980s pop star Rick Astley, and eats up their bandwidth. Although the worm may have spread beyond Australia, there are no confirmed reports yet.

Getting into the spirit of the season, Verizon is enlisting the aid of elves, Elvis, and stop-motion puppets in its holiday offensive against AT&T. In a new set of ads (which you can see below), Verizon continues to highlight its superior nationwide 3G coverage as an argument for going with the carrier and its handset lineup, including HTC's Imagio and Droid Eris, instead of Apple's iPhone on AT&T. The new ads are stirring a lot of debate online, and may also be fodder for a rumor that never really goes away.

Research in Motion ramped up its API offerings for BlackBerry Monday with the announcement of new advertising and payment services, general availability of content and alert push to apps, and three new location-based services.