You should care about Apple's collection of geodata on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices, because the method is flawed.  I was recently in Fort Knox, Kentucky, to visit my nephew in Army Basic Training, where my sister gave him a basic Tracphone so he could call home more easily.  Verizon announced Thursday that it activated 2.2 million iPhones during the quarter, helping the company more than triple its profit from a year ago.  After the rumor that Apple won't announce the next-generation of iPhone in June or July (which was the case with all previous iPhone announcements), comes a report that the new iPhone is actually coming in the fall.  Apple says it's sick and tired of Samsung ripping off the iPad and iPhone, and the Cupertino, California, company is filing papers.  Cisco is shutting down a business unit that it bought for over half-a-billion dollars: the Flip camcorder division.  It doesn't take much to get the tech world talking about the iPhone.  To control costs and increase flexibility, more and more U.S. mobile users are choosing no-contract plans (month-to-month or prepaid) for cell phone service.  If you access Facebook via the Web browser on a "feature phone" -- a simpler, less powerful cousin to the smartphone -- your experience might improve significantly over the next few weeks.  By the end of 2011, Android will be the most popular smartphone platform worldwide. At least that's what the International Data Corporation predicts in its latest worldwide quarterly mobile report.  Predicting trends in the technology field can be a fool's errand, but forecasting the rapidly changing wireless space is particularly perilous.  Once the most popular smartphone, the BlackBerry has been losing ground in the past year to iPhone and Android models. So Research in Motion is trying to carve out a new market with the PlayBook (the upcoming BlackBerry tablet) due to hit stores in the U.S. and Canada on April 19. Prices start at $499, same as for the iPad 2.  When you're shopping for an iPad 2, you have a dozen configurations to choose from, and some recent discoveries will make this decision much easier for you.  From the results of the Pwn2Own hacking competition, it looks like Android and Windows Phone 7 are tough nuts to crack.  For decades -- dating back to the 1980s -- Apple and Adobe Systems have had a deeply troubled relationship. The most recent phase of their ongoing struggle has been over whether Flash (Adobe's hugely popular proprietary format for adding animation, video, and interactivity to web pages) would run on Apple mobile devices.  If apps were taken out of the equation, would you consider buying a Palm Pre? What about a BlackBerry Torch? Or a Windows Phone?  It's no longer the era of the BlackBerry -- or the iPhone. According to a market research report released this week, Google's Android operating system now is the most popular smartphone platform in the United States.  Android is now the most-used smartphone operating system in the United States -- a stunning race to the top from a platform that didn't exist just 27 months ago.  The smartphone market is pretty competitive, which can make choosing a phone challenging for consumers who just want a clear answer on which of these pricey devices they should buy.  Coke and Pepsi. McDonald's and Burger King. Wal-Mart and Target. In many industries that cater to consumers, there's a clear number one and a strong number two.  Consumer Reports' made waves last week with its decision not to recommend the Verizon iPhone 4 because of the same "death grip" antenna problem that plagues AT&T's iPhone 4. But the magazine may have made the wrong call: Tests show that Verizon's version is significantly improved over its rival's.  A new survey from casual gaming company PopCap shows that an incredibly high percentage of adults in the UK and U.S. is into mobile gaming.  Love ETFs? Love your smartphone? Well break out your iPhone, Droid or BlackBerry. Starting today, you can buy a smartphone ETF.  It was a fateful day back on Feb. 16, 2009. That's when LG Electronics' then-vice chairman and CEO Nam Yong met with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in Barcelona, Spain. There, at the world's largest mobile industry trade show called the Mobile World Congress, LG Electronics and Microsoft inked an agreement for strategic collaboration. LG wanted to use Microsoft Windows Mobile OS as its platform for some 50 types of smartphones by 2012. The decision by the world's third-largest handset manufacturer to select Microsoft as the operating system for its smartphones was one of the most puzzling announcements to come out of the confab.  It was a fateful day back on Feb. 16, 2009. That's when LG Electronics' then-vice chairman and CEO Nam Yong met with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in Barcelona, Spain. There, at the world's largest mobile industry trade show called the Mobile World Congress, LG and Microsoft inked an agreement for strategic collaboration. LG wanted to use Microsoft Windows Mobile OS as its platform for some 50 types of smartphones by 2012. The decision by the world's third-largest handset manufacturer to select Microsoft as the operating system for its smartphones was one of the most puzzling announcements to come out of the confab.  Is there a smaller, cheaper version of the iPhone on the way? Rumors abound, but now the Wall Street Journal has found "people familiar with the matter" who have actually laid hands and eyes upon it:  Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced Friday that the Finnish mobile phone maker would make a radical shift in its business strategy, highlighted by a switch to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 smartphone platform.  With Thursday's release of the iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless, now is a pretty good time to buy a cell phone.  This week comScore published its 2010 Digital Year in Review report, which covers topics ranging from e-commerce to consumer electronics.  Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday unveiled a long-awaited new tablet device called the TouchPad, alongside two new smartphones.  After years of anticipation, relatively few people waited in line Thursday morning to buy the new Verizon Wireless iPhone 4, according to anecdotal reports.  After years of rumor and speculation, the Verizon iPhone is finally on sale to the general public.  A long-anticipated milestone was hit late last year: Smartphone shipments overtook PCs.  AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile are fighting a losing battle.  The Verizon iPhone train started rolling this week, but Apple's main smartphone competitors aren't about to be left at the station.  If you bought a smartphone within the past year, you might already have noticed that your once-cool superdevice is feeling outdated.  As Google prepares to add a new category to its arsenal of portable devices with tablets, the company's mobile team is deploying ways to better tie its different systems together.  Lately, Verizon and AT&T have been sending confusing signals to current and would-be iPhone users about how much data service for this trendy device will cost.  If you're one of the estimated 2.5 million iPhone customers looking to switch to Verizon next month, you're probably furiously pounding away on your calculator to see if defecting is worth the money.  AT&T locked in 4.1 million iPhone customers last quarter ahead of a looming battle royale with Verizon over Apple's iconic smartphone, the carrier reported Thursday.  Take that, AT&T! Well, sort of.  Visit any Apple Store, or one of those phone-accessory kiosks in the mall, and you'll find a wide selection of iPhone 4 cases.  Well, it's not like we didn't see this coming.  Brennan Stehling's phone looks just like an iPhone, but his bill is nothing like the ones most smartphone customers get in the mail each month.  Now that Verizon is about to start selling the iPhone 4, there's a lot of buyer's remorse in the air.  The Nielsen Company gathers lots of useful and interesting statistics about all kinds of media. Recently it compiled statistics from several recent studies into an intriguing visual map of the U.S. media universe as of 2010.  With a rush of iPhone sales on the horizon, Verizon Wireless is getting stingier with the discounts it offers those who want to upgrade their smartphone.  AT&T has been slow to adopt a feature that lets customers share a smartphone data signal wirelessly to other gadgets and computers.  Just a few days after Verizon announced a slew of new 4G phones and built hype for its recently launched 4G network, executives from the largest U.S. cell carrier announced that it would finally get the iPhone.  Forget what's in your wallet -- beware your smartphone. It's becoming one of your most dangerous possessions.  Fans of the iPhone are practically foaming at the mouth at the idea of being able to use the popular Apple device on Verizon's network, which many consider the nation's most reliable.  After years of speculation and rumor, the big day is here: The anxiously awaited unveiling of a Verizon iPhone is expected to take place Tuesday morning -- at 11 a.m. on 1/11/11, to be exact.  Verizon is about to deliver a blow to AT&T when it ends the network's exclusive hold on the iPhone, but it definitely won't be the end of the world for the second largest carrier in the U.S.  Google doesn't have a booth at the Consumer Electronics Show, but the company's Android software is practically everywhere.  If you thought Apple would be absent from the news during CES (which it traditionally doesn't attend), you were wrong.  Apple's iPhone is widely expected to come to Verizon Wireless next year. Here's the surprise twist: That won't spell disaster for AT&T.  The second generation of the Google Phone, better known as the Nexus S, officially went on sale Thursday in Best Buy stores across the United States. Is its presence in a major retail chain enough to avoid the sad fate of its predecessor, the Nexus One?  The adage "size matters" doesn't seem to apply to smartphones.  Three things became clear by the end of Research in Motion President Mike Lazaridis' time in the spotlight at a mobile tech conference.  AT&T's customer satisfaction rating tumbled this year, ranking dead last among U.S. wireless carriers, according to a Consumer Reports survey released on Monday.  Is BlackBerry maker Research in Motion on the verge of becoming obsolete, or is it the next big thing in tech? Investors can't seem to make up their minds.  Nokia is still the Titanic of the cell phone world, but in the past few years the Finnish company is having to steer around a lot more icebergs.  Konami is aiming to make its games available on every platform, especially on phones, and to let those games network together.  Will smartphones replace personal navigation devices?  Around the world, smartphones are gaining ground fast. But they're not yet the norm.  Gadget Lab editor Dylan Tweney is posing the question: What is the perfect phone to tether an iPad?  Stretch out those fingers, because a new breed of touch-screen smartphones hits the U.S. and Canada on Monday.  Windows Phone 7 goes on sale today, and Microsoft is holding its breath to see how its new, hyped-up smartphone software sells.  Not forgetting Sunday morning's time change is hard enough.  A problem with iPhones and iPods could make you late on Monday, CNN tech expert Mario Armstrong shows you how to fix it.  Android smartphone market share trails iPhone market share by a scant 9 percentage points in a recent study from analysis giant Nielsen.  Android smartphones can do a lot, but unless you're already an Android power user or enjoy configuring a sophisticated device, getting set up on your first Android phone is probably a bit of an ordeal.  No matter how much you love your smartphone, it can't reach its full potential unless software developers like it too.  Our weeklong series on the emergence of smartphones, Our Mobile Lives, prompted plenty of discussion from our readers.  As the cell phone market is flooded with smartphones, CNN.com helps you narrow down which works best for you.  The iPhone 4 helped drive AT&T's wireless division to soaring growth in the past quarter, but Verizon may ultimately be the big winner.  In the ever-growing world of smartphones and smartphone users, one thing has become fairly clear: We all love our own phone, but we hate yours.  Hewlett-Packard is releasing a sequel to one of the biggest disappointments in the short history of smartphones.  Doug Wilson takes his smartphone everywhere.  The term "smartphone" may sound cool and hip, but it's actually been around since at least the mid-1990s.  Forget about using your smartphone in the car. Your next car might be one.  Editor's Note: This is part of a five-day CNN.com series about smartphones and their impact on our lives and culture.  CNN's Errol Barnett shows us a tech analyst's demo of the iPad and discusses the device's pros and cons.  Apple's Steve Jobs gave quite a monologue Monday, dressing down competing makers of smartphones, tablets and software.  Skim through the photos on Flickr or Photobucket, and you'll find pictures of cats pawing at living-room sofas, children playing in backyards and mothers gardening at home.  When Microsoft and Facebook announced that they were partnering to integrate Facebook and Bing for social network-powered search, it confirmed something I thought Monday: Windows Phone 7 is the real Facebook phone.  How Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 fares over the next year will help answer a high-stakes question: Will manufacturers still pay for the software at the heart of their smartphones?  The iPhone 4 may be an attractive gadget, but keeping it looking good can be a high-maintenance task.  While the Android mobile operating system is free, the smartphones and tablets that use it have generally been rather pricey and thus out of reach for many consumers.  Microsoft on Monday unveiled its plan to battle the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones with its new Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system.  Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's man in charge of mobile, has a favorite word when he talks about Windows Phone 7: "holistic." The company's mobile infrastructure underwent a sea change to make an operating system based on what users want, which required retooling its entire phone manufacturing and design strategy.  CNN's Errol Barnett reports on the resumption of Blackberry usage in the UAE.  The United Arab Emirates will not implement a planned ban on all BlackBerry services that was to have gone into effect next week, the state news agency said Friday.  Apple likes glass. A lot. You can tell that much from its many retail stores, and in its products where glass is used in displays, notebook trackpads, and both the front and back of the iPhone 4.  Google has made its famous search algorithm into a $20 billion business, but for years, investors have asked, "What's next?"  Motorola is taking on Research In Motion, the maker of the popular BlackBerry smartphone, with its new Droid Pro.  Microsoft Corp. filed a lawsuit against Motorola on Friday, saying the smartphone maker had infringed on nine patents in its Android-based devices.
If you're a mainstream Apple fan, you probably got all hot and bothered on Thursday when an e-mail hit your inbox saying the "amazing iPhone 4" is now available in white. Previously the phone only came in black, and tech blogs have been drooling over the possibility of this white whale of a phone for months.