For developers looking for that extra leg up, there are few better places to start than with the wireless carriers. AT&T’s developer contest is one avenue for app developers looking to break out. AT&T Last week, I wrote about the critical importance of finding the right partners. And for many, getting the blessing of a …

Google said today it has agreed to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, giving the search giant valuable intellectual property and getting it directly into the handset business. Google will pay $40 a share in cash for Motorola, a 63 percent premium over the company’s closing stock price on Friday. The acquisition will “mildly” add to earnings once the deal …

Google and Motorola Mobility will make for awkward dance partners to a room full of jilted companies uncomfortably eyeing the pair. Remember the Nexus One? That was supposed to be the end of Google’s aspirations to get into the handset business. But not anymore. James Martin/CNET While Google’s move to acquire Motorola for $12.5 billion is largely motivated by the …

Question: What is Google getting with its planned $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility? Answer: the only major Android handset maker whose share of the smartphone market receded in the second quarter. At a time when the momentum behind Android is exploding, it’s telling that Motorola was the only major vendor that couldn’t capitalize on the growth. The statistic underscores …

The mobile world moves at a breakneck pace, and it’s difficult to keep up–even without the technical jargon most industry insiders throw around. And they do love to toss those terms about. This week, I attempt to explain one of technology’s favorite buzzwords, no small feat given its broad use and different interpretations applied to it. So for some light …

AT&T’s deal to buy T-Mobile USA could end up being even costlier than originally thought. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the telecommunications giant has hired bankers to advise it on the potential sale of customers and spectrum–assets that may be worth $8 billion or more. It’s no huge surprise that AT&T will need to make concessions. AT&T CEO …

From a Verizon worker-created page on Facebook listing companies to boycott. Verizon Communications workers on strike are taking to Facebook to organize demonstrations and call out companies and individuals who cross the picket lines, CNET has learned. Workers have set up a Facebook page that has already garnered more than 5,400 members of the Communications Workers of America and International …

AT&T is getting serious about security. AT&T plans to offer more security offerings to consumers and businesses through its partnership with Juniper. AT&T The Dallas telecommunications giant said today it is partnering with Juniper Mobile to offer a new security platform and additional services designed to protect its mobile customers. AT&T will begin selling the platform to businesses later this …

Verizon Communications’ dispute with its landline workers is getting uglier as it moves from the bargaining table to the courtroom. The company is seeking injunctions to limit the picket lines, as well as stop what it claims are acts of sabotage, harassment, and blocked access to its facilities. It has been granted statewide injunctions in New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, …

HTC CEO Peter Chou is joining up with the Beats team to improve the audio quality of its mobile devices. HTC HTC’s acquisition of a majority stake in Beats Electronics amounts to nothing but a lot of white noise. The Taiwanese smartphone maker said yesterday that it would acquire a majority stake in the famed headphone manufacturer–best known for its …