...because millions of cellphones are being routinely tapped for "quality control purposes:"

Appalling.

it doesn't seem to matter how good Windows Phone 7 is. Microsoft's smartphone market share continues to plummet.

Four decades ago, Intel created the first true microprocessor. We're all still trying to catch up.

Apple has shrewdly avoided the boneheaded arrogance it displayed during the iPhone 4 antenna fiasco, and admitted forthrightly that the new iPhone 4S has distressingly brief battery life. The company says it's a software issue that it will soon repair.

A new study finds that cell phones don't cause brain tumors. Well, all right then.

Fragile or not, the iPhone 4S is selling like wildfire. Wasn't this phone supposed to be a major letdown? Seems only the "experts" felt that way. Other people were too busy getting in line to buy one...

A gadget insurance company stress=tested the new iPhone 4S, with tragic results.

...if you're in California. The governor there just vetoed a bill that would have required cops to get a warrant before viewing the data stored in a suspect's phone. So now, a cop can just take your phone and start skimming through whatever he finds there.

AT&T said it's going to start throttling back cellular data speeds for people with "unlimited" data plans who use too much data. Well, thanks a lot, guys.

If you've got an Android phone on the AT&T wireless network, this new app will help you identify nearby free Wi-Fi hotspots that could take the load off your phone's 3G network and maybe save you some money. Besides, it's just plain cool.

The CEO of Verizon thinks AT&T should go right ahead and gobble up T-Mobile. Wonder why...

The wireless titan faces ferocious opposition to its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. So it's talking to smaller cellphone companies, offering to sell them a few bits and pieces to build them up, and make the deal look smaller and less threatening to the antitrust types.

Will it work? I have no idea.

The telecom giant is racing to catch up with Verizon Wireless, by deploying the hottest wireless data technology around. Not in Boston yet, alas. But just you wait.

AT&T hedges its bets, serves up an ultra-cheap Android phone from Chinese electronics titan Huawei.

Well, duh. The company refuses to test Android apps for viruses and other nasties, with the result that the bad guys are racing to write attack programs targeting Android phones and tablets. I got my Android phone for free, but unless Google gets a handle on this, I may regret it.

That $10-for-1,000-texts deal is officially dead, forcing AT&T users into more costly options. Oh well...I'm using Google Voice for texting. It's free.

Feb. 22 is the release date for Motorola's way-cool new Android phone--the one that can be transformed into a pretty good laptop.

Motorola's mighty new Atrix 4G, part phone, part laptop, is a worthy challenger to Apple's iPhone 4.

AT&T's red-hot new Android phone arrives Feb. 13. I tried it at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, and it looks bad to the bone.

A million sold, so far. I guess many consumers don't share my reservations about the Galaxy Tab--mainly that it's too expensive. Still, it is a nice device despite the price and other limitations.

One analyst says that sales of the Galaxy Tab are falling short of expectations, but so are those of Apple's iPad. Hmmm...

Samsung's Galaxy Tab is a capable rival to Apple's iPad. But its high price and lack of good apps ensure that it won't cost Steve Jobs any lost sleep.

Location-based services like Foursquare really aren't too popular, according to this report. Sure, all the cool kids like to talk about "checking in" and becoming the "mayor" of this nightclub or that coffee shop. But most folks don't see the point. I used Foursquare myself for several months but have lately wiped it from my BlackBerry without regret. Does me no good that I can see, so why bother? Besides, why should I report my movements to Foursquare? Go hire a private eye if you're that interested, but you'll get no help from me.

Pay online bills with your phone, if you're an AT&T Wireless customer. This might be a big deal, especially if it transitions to brick-and-mortar retail. Our phones could become alternative credit cards.

AT&T stores are about to start selling Apple's iPad. No surprise, really. But what about the news from Verizon Wireless? It's becoming an iPad retailer as well. Gives ever more plausibility to the rumors that Verizon will soon offer the iPhone.

Vibrant, the cool new Android phone from Samsung, is on sale at Amazon.com today for one red cent. Wow!

This ties in with the report earlier this week about the price of the BlackBerry Torch falling by 50 percent to $99. I may have read too much into that, as this is the price charged at Amazon, and it seems they've got a habit of slashing prices on new phones. So while I stand by my view that the Torch can't compete with the latest iPhone and Android offerings, the price cut doesn't indicate total desperation. At least not yet.

In a summer where other smartphone makers can't keep their products on store shelves, Research In Motion Ltd. has just slashed the price of its new BlackBerry Torch from $199 to $99, a blunt admission that it's just not selling all that well.

No surprise here. it's a very good BlackBerry, maybe the best yet. But compared to the latest iPhone and Android phones, it's not so hot.

Somebody had to take the fall for the notorious antenna problem and the difficulties in making white iPhones, yes? And it sure as shooting wasn't going to be Steve Jobs. So instead, it's this guy.

Free trial versions of new iPhone apps are available at last, thanks to a new Try Before You Buy feature at the App Store. And about time too.

The new BlackBerry Torch is a fine phone, but...have you seen the new iPhone 4, or the Droid X or the EVO 4G or the Samsung Vibrant?

There's a tidal wave of really fine new smartphones hitting the market this summer, and compared to the rest, the Torch is merely good. And that's no longer good enough.

Most iPhone users are fine with AT&T, according to a new survey from Boston's Yankee Group. So am I, most of the time. But earlier this year, in Las Vegas, I found the company's service atrocious. I guess it depends where you are.

This guy stole the wrong iPhone.

...and in timely fashion. A couple of weeks from now, this whole iPhone 4 antenna thing will be forgotten.

...about a problem with the iPhone 4 antenna, according to this report.

Steve Jobs holds a press conference on Friday--my day off! He must have known!

Wonder what he'll say? A full recall of iPhone 4s? No way. Maybe free rubber bumpers to fix the antenna problem, coupled with a groveling apology. That sounds about right.

Recall, schmeecall, say some Apple defenders, who argue the iPhone's not really so bad.

AT&T vows to "move heaven and earth" to fix its cellular network problems.

PR experts say they'll issue a recall of the defective iPhone 4...or else.

Depends on the photographer. Here's what a fashion photographer managed to pull off with this cell phone camera.

And quit complaining about the bum antenna. That's Steve Jobs' message, according to this e-mail exchange posted at the Boy Genius Report.

Hire engineers first, release product later. Makes sense to me. But now that iPhone 4 users are buzzing with discontent about reception problems, Apple is in the market for a few more antenna engineers. Smart move, guys, but a little late. Unless the lads in the lab have finally perfected that time machine...

So says Bloomberg. Massive bad news for AT&T, if true, and a major boost to Verizon and Apple. Millions who've held off buying the iPhone because of AT&T's reputation will now sign on.

On the other hand, couldn't this cause a short-term hit to iPhone sales? Some people will put off signing contracts with AT&T, and wait for Verizon Wireless to start offering the phone next year. Hmmm...

Here's an interesting summary of the fuss over the new iPhone's antenna. Is it really all that defective? Maybe not...

For the time being, Verizon Wireless is not jumping on the AT&T bandwagon, and will keep offering unlimited cellular data plans. So buyers of the upcoming Droid X superphone will be able to do all the data-shifting their hearts desire and their batteries can stand.

Earlier today there was a hoax message supposedly from Steve Jobs, indicating that Apple might recall the iPhone 4. Now there are reports of a Jobs e-mail claiming there's nothing wrong with the new phone, despite all the claims of poor reception. Maybe that message is a hoax too?

Besides, Steve, if iPhone 4 users could "stay tuned" there wouldn't be a problem, yes?

"Well, don't do that!" This vaudeville routine brought to you by Apple, which admits that their new iPhone 4 loses signal if you hold it a certain way. Doesn't this mean the phones are defective and should be repaired? Oh no...you've just got to develop a whole new way to hold your phone. Maybe you buy a hat with a really wide brim, hang a string from the front of it and tie the phone to the string so it sort of dangles in front of you. Yeah. That'll do it.

There've been lots of reports of defective antennas and shabby screens, but the one I tested worked just fine. And it's a mighty nice phone; Apple will sell millions of them.

It seems that the new iPhone operating system collects real-time data about the phone's location--and of course, your location too.

Apple says the data is anonymized, and customers can refuse to provide the info to any given app from any particular company. Still, this is a development that bears watching...

Apple's major overhaul of the iPhone operating system is now available for downloading. This is the one that's supposed to enable multitasking--if you've got multitasking-capable apps. I'm getting it now and will check in later with early impressions.

The US government is dominated by BlackBerry users, right up to President Obama. But that's starting to change, as a tidal wave of smart new iPhone apps far surpasses the software available for BlackBerries.

Looks like Verizon Wireless will abandon unlimited data plans when it switches to 4G technology, just as AT&T is already doing on its 3G network. You'll pay by the megabyte. This could be good news for those who don't use all that much data, but lousy for people who can't get enough.

Ever since the first iPhone, the relationship between AT&T and Apple has seen plenty of turmoil. Will Apple eventually throw in the towel and start seeing others? Count on it. But don't ask me when.

First AT&T stopped taking orders for the iPhone 4, citing its inability to keep up with demand. Now the company says customers who've pre-ordered will have to wait till July 14 to get their phones.

AT&T, which already has trouble delivering wireless phone service, also seems incapable of taking orders for the upcoming iPhone 4. And it gets worse. The company's order system may also be compromising its customers' personal data. Goody.

How'd the company manage to expose the e-mail addresses of iPad 3G users? Here's AT&T's explanation.

And here's a comment from the hackers who uncovered the problem.

Thousands affected, according to the tech website Valleywag.

The version of Apple's iPad which that connects to AT&T's 3G network was affected a security flaw that exposed the e-mail addresses of many prominent owners, including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel tells me the breach is closed and that it doesn't affect any other devices on the AT&T 3G network, like the iPhone. Still, this isn't going to do much for AT&T's reputation. And Apple 's been given one more reason to consider offering its products through rival carrier Verizon Wireless

By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff

The newest version of Apple Inc.'s hugely popular iPhone features a built-in videoconferencing feature - the most eye-catching of several major upgrades unveiled today, as Apple tries to stay a step ahead of rival smartphones powered by Google Inc.'s Android operating system.

Speaking at the company's annual conference for software developers in San Francisco, Apple chief executive Jobs called the new iPhone 4 "the biggest leap since the original iPhone." Set to go on sale in the US on June 24, the new iPhone will include a camera on the front of the device as well as on the back, allowing the user to capture and send self-portraits in stills or video. The phone will also include FaceTime, a free videoconference program that will work over home or office WiFi wireless networks, and eventually, over cellular data networks.

Jobs said that Apple is still working with cellular carrier AT&T Inc., the exclusive US provider of the iPhone, to allow videoconferencing over the carrier's phone network, but ABI Research senior analyst Michael Morgan doubts that AT&T's data network has the capacity to handle millions of FaceTime users. "Right now, with a 3G network, it's not going to be a very good signal," Morgan said. Cellular videoconferencing won't catch on until carriers launch faster data networks. AT&T plans to offer the next generation of network service, called 4G, in 2011.

The iPhone 4 will also feature an upgraded screen with sharper resolution; a new processor chip similar to the one in Apple's popular iPad tablet computer; and a built-in gyroscope that measures rotary motion, allowing for more sophisticated video games.

FULL ENTRY

Steve Jobs is to address Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference today at 1 pm Boston time, and he's expected to unveil a certain much-anticipated new cellphone.

The company's new multi-tiered pricing plan includes a $15-a-month tier that could make data service cheap enough for entry-level users. Smart move.

UPDATE: Oops. Turns out that under the new AT&T pricing plan , the $30-a-month unlimited option.goes bye-bye, except for existing customers who've already signed up for it. Now that is a bummer.

I try to wear comfy shoes during my rare trips to shopping malls; just finding the right shop often requires a good hike, made more strenuous by the difficulty in figuring out where you're going. The mall developers never put up enough maps to suit me; I suspect they want us wandering around aimlessly, in hopes we'll be suckered into a few more impulse purchases.

Well, here's a smarter impulse for Android and iPhone users. Before heading to the mall, download Point Inside, a handy free app that puts the mall map in your pocket. Point Inside uses the phone's GPS feature to identify nearby malls. Tap the icons, and you'll see a map showing the location of every store in the mall. Many stores will have built-in links that provide the shop's phone number and a link to its website.

Point Inside features maps for hundreds of malls throughout the US, and also features maps of major airports. You may still have to walk quite a bit, but at least you'll know where you're heading.

From $175 to $325.

What? You thought that iPhone really cost $99? Silly rabbit....

According to this Reuters story, next generation cellphones and 4G Internet service may become widely available faster than you might have expected. Consumers have fallen in love with high-speed wireless, and carriers are eager to cash in.

By now, we're supposed to be able to use iPhones as data modems for laptop computers--a process known as "tethering."  That way, you could use the iPhone's 3G data connection as a wireless link for your laptop when on the road.  A host of smartphones allow this, but the iPhone doesn't, even though AT&T promised to deliver the feature last year. 

So where's tethering?  Seems AT&T's network just isn't robust enough to allow it.  That's the clear implication of this message. 

No doubt about it, there's a price to be paid for tethering.  It would likely cause a big surge in demand on the AT&T wireless data network, with iPhone owners putting their notebooks and netbooks online and downloading masses of text, video and music.  AT&T's basically admitting that their network can't handle it.  Which doesn't exactly come as a surprise.