RIM clearly intends the Torch 9810 to be the budget-friendly handset in its BlackBerry OS 7 handset lineup. AT&T has just e-mailed us to let us know that the Torch 9810 will retail for a very affordable $49.95 after the usual rebates and two-year contract. It will be on sale on August 21. The Torch 9810 is essentially a successor …

How does a cell phone become a cell phone? More than just processors and plastic, most cell phones in the U.S. owe their existence to the behind-the-scenes collaboration, and sometimes conflict, of the carriers and manufacturers that create a concept and design long before a smartphone or flip phone emerges from the factory. How do phones wind up in a …

In what looks like an attempt to help guard against a legal patent assault by its large tech rivals, Google is spending $12.5 billion to buy mobile handset maker Motorola Mobility. The Motorola Droid family of smartphones on Verizon Wireless helped Motorola Mobility stage its comeback. Motorola Early today, Google dropped a bombshell on the technology industry with its announcement …