Verizon Communications Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo acknowledged today that he doesn’t really know what will happen once the next version of the iPhone comes out, but said he had expected it to launch sooner. The iPhone 4 has been a successful draw for Verizon, but the company expects a bigger boost when the next …

Sprint Nextel plans to enter the cloud services business in the fourth quarter, an executive told CNET today. The Overland Park, Kansas, company will offer small and medium-size businesses and large corporations “hosted collaboration services” such as software, security applications and Internet hosting, and also will sell its infrastructure as a service, which can be purchased on an on-demand model, …

Apple and Samsung Electronics’ legal tussle has extended to Europe, where Apple scored a preliminary injunction banning the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from nearly all European Union nations. Samsung’s 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab Samsung Foss Patents reported today that Apple has been granted a preliminary injunction by a German court. The ban includes all nations in the EU except for the Netherlands. …

ZTE may not be a recognizable brand in the U.S., but it is quickly becoming a major player in the handset arena. ZTE’s Blade is looking for a U.S. home. Jessica Dolcourt/CNET The Chinese telecommunications-equipment manufacturer said today that it sold 35 million handsets in the first half of the year, representing a 30 percent increase from a year ago. …

Heartland Payment Systems, which processes payments across the country, is the latest company to jump on the mobile-payment bandwagon. Heartland Payment Systems The Princeton, N.J.-based company said today that it was launching a system to allow merchants to accept payments through smartphones and tablets, similar to Square or Verifone. The system, called Mobuyle, includes an Android application and an encrypting …

The Federal Communications Commission said today that it will take a “coordinated” look at AT&T’s proposed acquisition of both T-Mobile USA and spectrum controlled by Qualcomm. CBS/AP TechCrunch reported that the FCC had informed AT&T that the reviews would be done together, which would put the telecommunications giant in the position of justifying the acquisition of such a large amount …

Research In Motion is slated to launch its first QNX-powered BlackBerry, code-named Colt, in the first quarter, according to a report today. BGR The timing of the launch is still conditional on the testing process, according to Boy Genius Report. Also of note, the blog reports that the first phone won’t feature support for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server because of …

When it comes to the mobile world, it’s all about apps. Screenshot by Nicole Cozma More than ever, people are using apps to augment the capabilities of their smartphones. They can remind you of your next meeting, play the latest Lady Gaga song, and make catapulting virtual birds into evil pigs a family pastime. Likewise, they’re increasingly important to the …

The battle over prepaid between T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel’s Virgin Mobile just got a little uglier. T-Mobile and its ever-present spokeswoman, Carly, were the targets of a new commercial from Virgin, which argues that it offers the best value for a smartphone customer looking to avoid long-term service contracts. The advertisement underscores the growing importance of the prepaid wireless …

T-Mobile USA customers who purchase digital goods online and opt to have the charge show up on their phone bill are vulnerable to fraud, according to Consumers Union. The consumer advocacy group said today that the carrier’s mobile-payment plans aren’t covered by standard protections that guard against fraud with credit or debit card charges. “Mobile payment products promise a new, …