HTC has given mobile app developers a treat, opening up its HTC Sense software and allowing applications to be designed specifically for its phones and tablets. HTC pleased users last week when it said it would be unlocking the bootloader on its devices, allowing them to be rooted. Now it’s hoping to appeal to developers …

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world. Here is the coverage map that’s currently on Sprint’s Web site. Sprint Last month, a CNET reader named Greg told me in an e-mail that the coverage map currently on Sprint’s Web site shows a dramatically changed voice and data …

The Boy Genius Report has reported that the latest handset from RIM, the BlackBerry Bold 9900, will be delayed until September even though the initial launch was slated for summer of this year. We’ve yet to hear back from RIM to confirm this, however, so stay tuned for any updates. The Bold 9900 has a similar design to the older …

A new Apple patent could put an end to users photographing and filming live events with their iPhones. By fitting its mobile devices with an infrared receiver, Apple could allow venues to block certain functions based on location, our sister site CNET News reports. Ultra-paranoid rock bands could require that IR beams shower the audience, preventing enabled phones from taking …

ComScore Google’s Android retained the top spot of the U.S. smartphone operating system market over the three months ending in April, gaining 5.2 percentage points to capture 36.4 percent of all smartphone users, said ComScore today. In second place, Apple’s iOS also managed to win over more of the market, eking out a 1.3 percent gain to grab 26 percent …

The Samsung Chrono may not stray much from the well-worn path tread by Samsung’s flip phones before it, but we will say one thing: the phone can make calls. Large dial pad buttons keep it simple, and a call quality so unclouded we had to ask several times to make sure our callers were still on the line is a …

Were you heartbroken when Microsoft scrapped the Courier tablet? A computing metaphor based on scrapbooking and journal keeping, the Courier was supposed to deliver the ultimate portable productivity tool before it ended up in the scrapheap. Benjamin Monning and his development partner Ricky loved the Courier concept so much that they plan to develop an iPad app to replicate the …

Stephen Elop, CEO of Nokia, at Mobile World Congress 2011 Stephen Shankland/CNET Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has once again stepped to the forefront to defend and define the Finnish cell phone manufacturer’s decision to run Windows Phone 7 as its primary mobile platform. The most recent in a series of appearances came today at Qualcomm’s Uplinq conference in San Diego, …

Microsoft is rumoured to be considering a purchase of Nokia for a cool $19bn. That works out at about £11.6bn. With the ink on the Skype deal barely dry, an industry insider has claimed a Microsoft offer for Nokia is already on the table. Eldar Murtazin correctly called Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 deal, so his claims carries some clout, despite a Nokia …

eBay claims UK retailers are missing out on £1.3bn of annual revenue because dodgy coverage and high data costs are stopping people from using mobile phones to make online purchases. The auction site is calling on Ofcom to ensure that next-gen LTE networks rectify those problems. eBay’s research suggests that 16 per cent of the UK is an ‘m-commerce not-spot’. The research also claims that one-in-three mobile …

Orange’s new ‘Connected’ 24-month contract is designed for Apple fanatics who want to use a 3G iPad 2 and an iPhone 4 together. Sounds useful! That must save you some money, right? Er, no. It’s £65 per month on top of upfront fees. But if you can’t live without an active data connection on two devices at once, Orange’s new …

Just a couple of days ago, J.K. Shin, Samsung’s president of mobile communications, said an LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was in the works for later this year, but it looks like it’s going to be sooner rather than later. Verizon Wireless announced today that it will start taking preorders for the 4G Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 …

Despite significant setbacks, the Sony Ericsson team will deliver the Xperia Play handsets to stores across Australia on 8 June. The Xperia Play is the first PlayStation-certified smartphone. (Credit: Sony Ericsson) In an announcement today, Sony Ericsson confirmed the arrival of its first PlayStation-certified handset to both Telstra and Optus next week. It also finalised the list of games that …

AnandTech HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou took the stage at Qualcomm’s Uplinq conference in Sad Diego today to talk about Android and Windows Phone 7, but not before tooting HTC’s own horn. The Taiwanese phone-maker shipped 25 million smartphones in 2010, Chou said, and continues its growth in the opening quarter of 2011 with 9.7 million smartphones. On the strength …

We’re loving the recent push of Android 2.3 Gingerbread updates, and the latest group to get a sweet taste of the Gingerbread will be HTC Evo 4G owners. Sprint announced this morning that it will begin rolling out an over-the-air update on June 6 to deliver the latest software release. As usual, the update will come in batches and users …