Nokia is jumping even further onto the NFC bandwagon with plans to support the mobile payments technology in its latest Symbian phones and all future phones. Nokia The Finish phone maker’s current C7 handset and its new 700, 701, and 600 phones already include the NFC hardware and will fully support it by the first …

Sprint Sprint is holding a special event in early October that it’s dubbed “a strategy update,” prompting speculation as to what strategy the carrier will discuss. The invite sent out to the media says the event will take place in New York City on Friday, October 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. But the agenda teases only presentations …

Verizon Wireless is once again the most reliable carrier throughout the U.S., according to a study out yesterday from J.D. Power and Associates. Based on a customer survey, J.D. Power’s “U.S. 2011 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study–Volume 2” ranked Verizon as the top carrier in the Northeast for the 14th time in a row. Compared with other carriers, Verizon saw …

Apple’s iPad blew away several other mobile devices at loading Web pages, according to a recent speed test conducted by Compuware. Although the test was geared toward smartphones and the iPad was used only as a reference point, Apple’s popular tablet proved speedier at Web browsing than the iPhone, HTC Desire, BlackBerry Torch, and several other mobile devices. Conducted in …

Google Google is reportedly in a hurry to unfreeze Ice Cream Sandwich. The company is hoping to take away a little heat from Apple by trying to roll out its next of version Android before the iPhone 5 debuts, says AppleInsider. Dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich, the next flavor of Android was initially slated to appear toward the end of the …

Mobile apps are still not secure when it comes to storing certain personal information, according to a new study from security firm ViaForensics. Dissecting a variety of apps for Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, ViaForensics found that 76 percent of them store user names in cleartext without encryption, while 10 percent store passwords in the same way, making such data …

Android tablets will win over more customers but continue to play second fiddle to Apple’s iPad, according to some recent reports and forecasts. Apple Apple’s tablet will dominate the industry for the next 10 years, predicts Needham analyst Charlie Wolf. In a research note released Friday, Wolf is eyeing an 85 percent share for the iPad this year from nearly …

Make international calls and pay for them through iTunes via Vonage’s Time to Call App. Lance Whitney/CNET iOS device owners can now make international calls and pay for them through iTunes courtesy of a new app from Vonage. Released yesterday, the free Time to Call app is geared toward people who need to make quick calls around the world. The …

Samsung Owners of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet will receive an update starting tomorrow that will deliver the TouchWiz UX interface and a host of other enhancements. Sent OTA (over the air), the update package will include Samsung’s revamped Media Hub service, Samsung Kies 2.0 support for PCs and Macs, and mobile features for the enterprise crowd. The most notable …

Google is launching a series of workshops designed to grab developers who can create high-quality Android apps. Set up by the folks at Google’s Android Developer Relations, the Android Developer Labs (ADLs) will try to show developers how they can optimize their apps for Android tablets, according to an Android developers blog. Dubbed “Optimizing Honeycomb Tablet Applications,” the ADLs will …