Research In Motion, struggling to keep its BlackBerrys relevant in the smartphone game, could still make an attractive prize for the right acquirer. RIM is considering hiring a banker to explore its “strategic alternatives” — often code word for putting itself on the block — according to a Bloomberg report today. The move is in …

LOS ANGELES — Like most people, I hate waiting in line. But with all the advances in technology, we haven’t really been able to get rid of the old-fashioned queue. From fun roller coasters to mundane drug stores, I often find myself wasting time standing in line. And it bugs me to no end. So it was music to my …

Apple said today that its new iPad will hit a dozen new markets, including South Korea, on Friday. Along with South Korea, the new iPad will be available in Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela. The following Friday, it will be available in Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South …

Sprint Nextel plans to sell its own version of the Galaxy Nexus smartphone on April 22, further fleshing out its own lineup of 4G LTE products. That, of course, comes as Sprint races to build out its 4G LTE network, which isn’t truly available yet. Samsung’s Android phone will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract. Customers can preorder today. Related …

If Nokia has any shot at a comeback, its Lumia smartphones will need to make a real dent in the Chinese market. Nokia is currently working with one Chinese carrier, China Telecom, but plans to expand to others, CEO Stephen Elop said during a conference call today to discuss its first-quarter warning and second-quarter outlook. “We plan to broaden it …

commentary When it comes to mobile devices — specifically tablets — size certainly matters. Toshiba has apparently forgotten this concept with its new Excite 13 tablet. The new tablet comes in at a whopping 13.3 inches. And it has the price to match its supersize frame: $650 for the lower-end 32GB model and $750 for double the capacity. Related stories …

Nokia is taking extreme measures to rectify a glitch found in some Lumia 900 smartphones, offering new and existing customers a $100 credit for their troubles. Some early Lumia 900 customers found that their phones failed to get a data connection, an issue Nokia confirmed and said it is fixing. As a peace offering, the company is offering this promotion …

AT&T’s marketing clout for the Lumia 900 isn’t quite as hefty as initially thought. The budget to push Nokia’s smartphone is significantly lower than the $150 million that Ad Age had reported yesterday, according to a person familiar with the situation. The Verge reported that the actual budget is more in line with a typical high-profile launch. Related stories Your …

At least Best Buys still has its cell phone business. On the heels of a disappointing quarterly report and today’s resignation of CEO Brian Dunn, it’s easy to think the entire company is doomed to follow in the steps of fallen electronic chains Circuit City and CompUSA. Yet its mobile devices business — cell phones in particular– has been impressively …

Angry Birds players tend to skew Republican, while Words with Friends players tend to make more money. That’s according to a recent study by JumpTap, which provides targeted mobile advertising and collects trending data. Another finding: the new iPad has exceeded sales expectations, even if its traffic levels are lower than prior versions of Apple’s hit tablet. The results — …