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Follow-Up: How France's "Free" Cell Phones Really Did Disrupt The Industry

Last week a new French effort to shake up the cell phone industry began when Free.fr launched an all-but-free, unlimited cell phone service. It was expected to wake up the bigger industry players--and now we know it has.READ»

Mobile Apps That Reward Impoverished Students With Food, Medicine

In exchange for taking small actions that might break the cycle of poverty--like going to school--mPowering's users earn points that can be exchanged for important goods. The company was founded by veterans of Apple and Salesforce.com. READ»

Are You A Victim Of Phantom Vibration Syndrome?

That's right--when you reach for your cell phone, though you are unprovoked by a beep or a hum, you are a slave of biology. And of our modern-day dependency on gadgets.READ»

PayPal Buys Zong To Ensure Its Mobile-Payments Future

PayPal has handed over nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to buy Zong, a leading provider of mobile payments. It's safe to say PayPal is serious about future innovations in mobile-pay tech.READ»

The (Real) Smartphone Wars Have Only Just Begun

Pre-pay cell phones globally dominate 70% of the market. As Android explodes and Apple ponders an iPhone Lite, prepare yourself for the true smartphone skirmish. READ»

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iFive: Google Offers Debut, Cell Phones And Cancer, Nokia Shuts Online Stores, Schmidt On Macs vs. PCs, Lodsys Sues Developers

A four-day work week seems to speed by, doesn't it? To help it on its way here's iFive, our super-speedy roundup of the early news:READ»

Are Cell Phones Killing The Bees? [Updated]

New experiments find that cell phone signals may confuse bees. What does this mean for our food supply?READ»

Apple Earnings Appetite Whetter: Verizon Not Cannibalizing AT&T's iPhone

AT&T's smartphone business is booming--with the iPhone in the lead. Verizon's iPhone seems not to be cannibalizing AT&T's sales in the way some thought.READ»

AT&T and T-Mobile: All About the iPhone 4G in 2012?

AT&T's deal to buy T-Mobile USA has already caused plenty of discussion. But is there a simple secret at the heart of the deal? Is this really all about the iPhone 4G in 2012?READ»

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iFive: AT&T Buys T-Mobile, China Hacks Gmail, Nexus S 4G Leaked, Facebook Snaps Up Snaptu, Sony's Thunderbolt MacBook Air Rival

The week's just starting for most of us; but for others it's already well underway. So here's the early news, to get you up to speed:READ»

Please Mr. Scandinavian Postman: Text Me!

Messages to replace stamps in Denmark and Sweden. What will stamp collectors there do now? (Probably find another hobby.)READ»

China Looks to Control Traffic Congestion With Cell Phones

Beijing's unfortunate history of traffic jams provides just the motivation the government needs to start tracking vehicles more closely.READ»

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Could Charles Manson Friend You on Facebook?

Don't worry: The short answer is probably not. But the killer was caught with a cell phone last month, and smartphones with Internet access are increasingly popular prison contraband. Now California and other states are fighting back with a tech idea called "managed access."READ»

$39 Billion Mobile Phone Scam Threatens to Destabilize Indian Government

In the biggest government scandal in years, Indian politicians are accused of taking kickbacks to sell $39 billion worth of mobile phone bandwidth licenses at bargain-basement prices.READ»

Smartphones Are Cool for Kids, Dumbphones Doomed: Global Survey

A new Nielsen report on cell phone use by young people around the world reveals a wealth of data, but tells us two main things: price is the main drive and smartphones are the must-have gizmo.READ»

Analyst: Smartphones in "Race to the Bottom," Except for Apple

The smartphone market may start to copy the e-reader's "race to the bottom" business model next year, with commoditization leading to low profits. The one exception: the iPhone.READ»