U.K.-based Synchronica has signed a deal to acquire a Nokia unit that provides e-mail, instant messaging, and other software for cellular carriers. With the deal, announced late yesterday and expected to close in the third quarter, Synchronica will take over 10 operator contracts, including deals with all four major U.S. carriers and Rogers and Telus …

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said that he has increasing confidence the company will ship its first Windows Phones this year, though significant volumes won’t come until next year. “We have shifted our organization,” Elop said, speaking at the Nokia Connections event in Singapore. The event was also broadcast over the Internet. “We have a new strategy and we are focused …

Amid criticisms that Google is grabbing tighter control over Android’s reins, the head of the mobile software effort said Wednesday that he and the company remain committed to keeping the effort an open-source project. The comments come in the wake of Google’s move to delay the release of Honeycomb into the open source until a version of the software that …

In case you haven’t heard, tonight is the start of the second annual “National Day of Unplugging”–a grassroots effort to get people to shut off our precious mobile devices, if only for a day. The 2-year-old project encourages all of us iPhone addicts and CrackBerry enthusiasts to turn off our cell phones for 24 hours in an effort to reconnect …

Both AT&T and Research In Motion decided to choose Friday afternoon to announce shifts in their respective executive ranks. AT&T announced late today that CFO Rick Lindner, a 19-year company vet, will retire as of June 1, to be replaced by Controller John Stephens. Meanwhile, Research In Motion said that its chief marketing officer, Keith Pardy (seen here), is leaving …

Nokia is widely expected to announce some sort of strategy shift when CEO Stephen Elop meets with investors in London on Friday. A new report suggests, however, that several executive departures could also accompany the shift. German weekly Wirtschaftswoche reported on Saturday that a number of executives may leave, citing company sources. According to a Reuters summary of the German …

In the continuation of a long-running arms race, both Apple Computer and Microsoft have seen their music protection technologies come under fire in recent days. In the past month, separate programs have emerged to strip away the digital rights management (DRM) tools that the two technology giants use to protect music from unauthorized duplication. One of the programs counteracts Microsoft’s …

Aiming to better compete with Apple Computer’s iTunes, Samsung on Friday announced that it will develop its own music service in conjunction with a new series of portable players that will debut later this year. Samsung is tapping New York-based MusicNet to power the service, which will offer both download sales and subscription options. The service will initially be available …

Music on the Internet has often been free or legal, but start-up SpiralFrog is looking to offer songs that are both. The 20-person New York-based company has signed a deal with record label Universal Music Group to offer songs for free, hoping to make money by showing ads to users as they download the music. “Essentially they are paying with …

French online music store Virgin Mega has filed a complaint against Apple Computer, claiming that the company’s refusal to license the copy protection technology used in its iPod is harming competition. The action was filed with the French Competition Council in June and disclosed along with several other legal matters on Thursday as part of Apple’s quarterly filing with the …