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Palm has plans to halt production of the Pre and Pixi models due to excess inventory. It is no secret that sales have not met expectations, and since they were probably producing at or near expected levels, their inventory has grown past levels necessary to service the customer.

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Sprint is joining Verizon in taking advantage of the iPhone and iPad's wireless networking weaknesses. Sprint is advertising a "4G" iPhone. How does it work? Well, it doesn't involve new hardware from Apple, I can tell you that much.

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Today Apple sent a letter to iPad developers letting them know that they are now free to send in applications they've written for the iPad. Hurry up, though. Only those who submit before March 27 will be considered for the launch of the iPad Apps Store.

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If you're a user of Google's Buzz social networking service, creating posts from your Android smartphone just got a whole lot easier. Rather than accessing Buzz from the browser, Google has created a widget that lets users share directly from their home screen.

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For a second time, Motorola Droid users were teased with the possibility that the Android 2.1 system update was on the way. And, for a second time, the update has apparently been put on hold, burning Droid users anxious to get the new software.

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You may be able to deposit checks to your bank account soon just by snapping a picture of the check and sending it to your bank. In fact, if you bank at USAA, a bank primarily for military personnel, you can do it already. This will be one less reason to have to go to an ATM or local branch.

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Apple has yet to share official numbers for iPad pre-orders, but the Wall Street Journal says that in one week "hundreds of thousands" of them have been pre-ordered. Additionally, Apple hasn't finalized all the content deals it was hoping to by launch.

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Google recently provided a significant refresh of Maps for the Android platform. Maps for Mobile 4.1 now has an updated results page, a trick swipe-to-see-more feature, live wallpapers and a new latitude widget. Oh, and Google is now serving ads in Maps.

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Today HTC made its first official response to the lawsuit Apple filed against it earlier this month. In the response, the company throws down its gauntlet with a long list of "firsts" that it has brought to the industry. That includes mobile computing products that reach as far back as 1998.

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Yesterday I wrote about Microsoft's decision to leave clipboard functionality out of Windows Phone 7. That isn't the end of the story though. AT&T also announced a new green charger that uses no electricity when your phone is not plugged into it. Let's hit the news about Microsoft first.

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Today the Wall Street Journal reports that Sprint plans to launch its first WiMax smartphone next week at the CTIA trade show. The device will be made by HTC and is called the Supersonic.

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Developers looking for a better -- or at least a faster -- way to deliver content to end users just got a big boost from Research In Motion. Starting today, RIM is making its Push Services free to all developers.

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Users of older Android devices were given access today to Google's recently enabled Gesture Search Lab. Gesture Search lets users search the contents of their phone by drawing letters on the touch screen with their finger.

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Owners of the Motorola Droid have been waiting for Verizon to update the device to Android version 2.1 since January. The update must be near, because Verizon has posted a full changelog for the system update. Reports suggest Droid users will see over-the-air updates arriving as soon as March 18. Updated with statement from Verizon.

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More info came out of Mix10 today and while some is good - a lot of it actually - some is bad, and at least one thing is downright awful. Microsoft confirmed today in a Q&A session that Windows Phone 7 has no support for a clipboard. That's right, that means that Cut, Copy and Paste are missing in action in Microsoft's new platform. Huh?

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In a move no one expected, today Google made the Nexus One available with support for AT&T's 3G network. The phone, which has been available directly from Google since January, is now available for AT&T and T-Mobile. Verizon will offer it soon.

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Microsoft's MIX conference was a goldmine of data regarding its new Windows Phone 7 platform. Some of the news was exciting, such as the story for developers. But there's a lot of bad news, too. In fact, Windows Phone 7 is so much like the iPhone, Microsoft is now the new Apple.

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It was strongly rumored near the end of 2009 that the HTC HD2 would get an upgrade to Windows Phone 7 since it seemed to have all of the hardware required by the OS. Microsoft has now confirmed that the HD2 won't be getting the upgrade. Is Microsoft being too rigid just to say that all Windows Phone 7 Series phones have a single hardware spec?

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Today during its MIX developer conference, Microsoft shared more details about Windows Phone 7 and the tools developers can use to write applications for it. In a shocking revelation, Microsoft admitted to a decidedly Apple-like approach to how it will distribute Windows Phone 7 apps. All apps must be approved by Microsoft, and can only be distributed via the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

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Today the Federal Communications Commission unveiled its broadband plan for the U.S. Some of its goals include reclaiming 500MHz of wireless spectrum for broadband use and making sure every American has access to 100Mbps downloads

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Early estimates say that the number of people who ordered the iPad starting on Friday may have topped 120,000. The pace dropped off sharply over the weekend, though.

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Most written content accessed on the web is free. You can read almost any newspaper in the US for no cost right from your screen. You only need to put up with a few ads to do it. Will online media companies use the popularity of mobile phones to try the paid content model again?

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Today Apple began accepting pre-orders for its iPad tablet device. Based on analyst estimates, approximately 50,000 were pre-ordered during the first two hours of availability. At that rate, Apple will sell one million by tomorrow. Also, plenty of new details about the device have surfaced.

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Comments made by a Verizon Wireless executive indicate that the company plans to debut its first Long Term Evolution handset by the middle of 2011. The bad news is that Verizon is pretty sure LTE will usher in the era of tiered data pricing.

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Mix10 starts Monday in Las Vegas. It is the end-all be-all event for Microsoft to tout its tools for Web developers. It is also when the veil of secrecy is lifted on the Windows Phone 7 Series so developers will finally know what has to be done to get apps running on the platform.

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This week Twitter unveiled a new tool that allows users to share their location information when they send tweets. The new feature is accessible from mobile browsers and desktop browsers, though some smartphone apps already offer location sharing.

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The Apple iPad will be available to pre-order starting Friday, March 12. If you're in the market for Apple's "magical" device, here are five reasons why you should sign up early and buy on the very first day.

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One of the chief complaints of iPhone users since the debut of iPhone OS 2.0 and the apps store is the iPhone's inability to multitask (run two or more programs simultaneously). New information suggests that iPhone OS 4.0's biggest upgrade will be multitasking. Also, purported images of iPhone 4G have been spotted.

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Today Opera Software made its Opera Mini 5 browser available to the Android platform for the first time. As with its performance on the iPhone, Opera Mini 5 is much faster on Android handsets than the native Android browser.

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Palm caught a second wind last year when they released the long awaited successor to Palm OS 5. WebOS got an immediate fan base before the first device shipped and investors cheered the handset maker. A year later though, things aren't looking quite as bright.

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Late Tuesday, Apple made a new version of the software developers kit available for iPhone OS 3.2 for the iPad. As per usual, developers have made some interesting discoveries buried in the code, including some support for new finger gestures.

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ComScore issued its latest report on smartphone usage in the United States for the three months ending January 2010. Google moved up significantly, while Palm dropped a few (more) percentage points. RIM, however, remains champion.

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Listen up, employers of mobile workers. The results of a new CareerBuilder survey should scare you. More than half of all mobile workers admitted to using their smartphones to check emails and perform other tasks while driving for business.

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Since Windows 7 entered public beta in early 2009, Microsoft has garnered praise for getting so much right with its cash cow. This is in stark contrast to the complaints it got over Vista. After announcing Windows Phone 7 Series last month at Mobile World Congress, the accolades just keep coming in for it.

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Facebook is preparing to add a location-sharing feature to its popular social networking site. Can Facebook escape the bad buzz generated by Google's Buzz?

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Obsess much? According to a study undertaken by Stanford University, the iPhone can be addictive. My favorite nugget from the study? Seventy-five percent of respondents admitting to falling asleep with their iPhone in bed.

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Google promised to change the way cell phones are sold with its direct-to-consumer approach. The only problem is, nothing has really changed -- unless you count the Nexus One sales estimates that Goldman Sachs reduced from 3.5 million down to 1 million.

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Nokia has applied for a patent that will charge your phone while you walk. It sounds similar to those self winding watches that renew their energy as you swing your arms. Certain components inside the phone are on a movable frame that moves up and down or side to side depending on your motion. This is the basis for energy generation.

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AT&T's first Android handset went on sale March 7. Based on several factors that have come to light since the device's launch, there are some serious drawbacks to the Backflip. Chief among them? No Google, and a lock-down on apps compatibility.

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This morning Verizon Wireless issued a press release noting that its trials of Long Term Evolution were producing data speeds much faster than expected. How does that really compare to what's available today?

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Despite its flashy debut in January and the recent television spot that aired during the Oscars, there's still a lot we don't know about the Apple iPad. Steve Jobs did, however, take the time to respond directly to one user email about tethering the iPad to the iPhone.

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Recently Google announced that it will upgrade all US users to Android 2.1. Devices are currently shipping with four versions, so moving to one will help, but that may not be enough to save the platform from fragmentation.

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As much as Microsoft has attempted to keep information about its Project Pink devices secret, details have been leaking all over the place. The latest leak came in the form of an advertisement that showed not only the two new phones, but Verizon Wireless's red swoosh, as well.

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This morning Apple announced that its iPad tablet device will be available for pre-order starting March 12, and it will ship by April 3. That's for the Wi-Fi version, mind you. Apple said the 3G version won't be available until some time later in April.

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Even though the real nitty gritty on Windows Phone 7 Series development will be at the 2010 Mix event in Las Vegas in just over a week, Microsoft has released some information late Thursday that should shed some light on things. As has been rumored, Silverlight and XNA will be big players in WinPho 7 development, but they aren't the only game in town. .NET and others have been invited to the party too.

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SiliconRepublic quotes a Google Europe exec saying "desktops will be irrelevant in three years." CIOs can only dream that some device, any device, would actually go away.

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Sony doesn't like losing. That's why the company has decided to go all in and bring a real "PlayStation" phone to market. According to those in the know, the smartphone from Sony will be able to access downloadable games, movies and music, just like the iPhone.

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On the heals of releasing webOS 1.4 for the Pre and Pixi, Palm has made an updated Facebook application available to all webOS devices.

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Imagine being able to find something on your smartphone just by drawing the letter "B" on the screen. Google hopes you'll do just that with its new Gesture Search application for Android handsets, which lets users search for items by drawing gestures on the display.

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AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson said in an analyst conference on Tuesday that he thought the wireless in industry is headed towards a usage based billing system where those consuming more data will have higher bills than those using less data. Time to say goodbye to the all-you-can-eat data plans.

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