Mobile phones stolen in London, Birmingham and Manchester will be blocked in a matter of hours. Phone retailers and networks have confirmed they will block stolen phones, as normal, so we recommend you look carefully at the deal if you’re considering buying a second-hand phone or any kind of gadget in the wake of the …

Facebook now has its own instant messaging app, called Facebook Messenger. The app, which is available for Android and iOS devices, lets you send messages instantly to anyone in your Facebook friends list. The app will also let you send messages to people on your mobile contacts list, and send out group messages too. We suspect that could come in …

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, …

The Logitech keyboard case for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Donald Bell/CNET Logitech is putting a new spin on its Zagg wireless keyboard case by offering a version made specifically for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The handy case/keyboard combo is currently available for preorder, and is due out in September for $99. I’ve had some hands-on time with the …

It seems August 21 might turn out to be a pretty busy day for Sprint. Not only is the carrier releasing the Samsung Conquer 4G that day, it might be also be launching the BlackBerry Bold 9930 and the BlackBerry Torch 9850, according to a leaked document spotted on SprintFeed. The document claimed Sprint priced the Bold 9930 at $249.99 …

With all of these high-end smartphones coming out, it’s easy to get the impression that joining the smartphone revolution has an entry fee of anywhere from $200 to $500. And though there are plenty of awesome devices in that price range, not everyone can afford to spend so much on a handset, especially in this economy. Fortunately, carriers and handset …

Don’t look for a slew of 4G LTE phone announcements out of the AT&T camp anytime soon. Instead, the carrier plans to devote the next few months to building up its LTE network. Speaking at a Oppenheimer Technology and Communications Conference today, Peter Ritcher, senior vice president for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, indicated that the company still expects to …

Verizon today pumps up its supply of durable phones with the addition of the Samsung Convoy 2, a rugged, push-to-talk handset that follows up on the original Convoy, released in November 2009. Meeting military specifications for shock resistance, altitude, temperature, humidity, and sand and dust, among other elements, the Convoy also features Bluetooth, a 3.2-megapixel camera, a microSD card slot …

In preparation for honoring its commitments to make Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 operating system Nokia’s primary OS going forward, the Finnish cell phone maker will stop selling Symbian smartphones and feature phones in the U.S. and Canada, according to All Things D. In addition, Nokia will apparently wave goodbye to its traditional model of selling many of its higher-end phones …

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 …

MetroPCS is making good on its Android commitment by announcing today the Samsung Admire, a mid-tier Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone. The Admire comes equipped with a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera and camcorder, a Swype virtual keyboard option, and an 800Mhz processor. It also includes a microSD card slot that takes up to 32GB expandable memory. Those who …

London awoke today to more smashed and burned streets after a third night of violence. As looters took to the streets of Hackney, Peckham and Croydon, services such as Twitter, BlackBerry Messenger and even the PlayStation Network were once again in the spotlight, with a rumour spreading across social networks that BlackBerry Messenger would be shut down. Through a combination …

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. …

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 …

Consumer-rights law firm Hagens Berman has taken out a class-action suit against Apple and five major publishing houses over ebook pricing. (Credit: Apple; Dollar Sign image by Anonymoususer, public domain) The firm alleges that the agency model of pricing used by Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster is illegal price fixing, and violates various US federal and …