Google’s next version of the Android software for mobile phones will officially be called Ice Cream Sandwich. The multi-layered chocolatey treat will absorb the new features in version 3.1 of Honeycomb, the next version of Android used in tablets, so there’s one version of Android whatever device you’re using. Ice Cream Sandwich will include Honeycomb’s …

Up to half a million T-Mobile customers have been charged for calls they didn’t make thanks to a month-long glitch in the mobile network‘s billing systems. Users who called their voicemail service, which should be free, were instead lumbered with call forwarding charges. T-Mobile identified the problem, which lasted from 31 March to 28 April, and has promised to credit …

Now playing: Watch this: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 2:00 Editor’s note: The full review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 can be found here. If there’s one thing I’ve realized in my short stint covering tablets, it’s that apparently there can never be too many Honeycomb-based products in the wild. Today, at Google’s I/O conference, the company gave away 5,000 …

With Google I/O 2011 less than two weeks away, I wanted to take this opportunity to round up a few potential Android-related announcements. The annual Google developer event has grown to include more Android news each year, and this event will follow suit. Indeed, Android is listed in at least 21 of the sessions scheduled for May 10-11, with topics …

There’s no denying that Amazon’s new Cloud Drive is pretty awesome–especially if you routinely buy music from Amazon’s MP3 store. Among other things, you can get 20GB of online storage (for a year) for the price of one dirt-cheap album. Alas, until now, only Android users could listen to their Cloud Drive tunes on the go. The iOS camp has …

Welcome to the 411, my column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have similar queries, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I’m stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at [email protected]. If you …

Samsung has overhauled Nokia as the best-selling phone maker in Western Europe with almost 30 per cent market share, according to research firm IDC. After selling more mobiles than Nokia in the first quarter of the year, Korea’s Samsung officially holds the number one spot, defeating the Finnish king, which has dominated since the 90s. Let’s crunch some numbers. Nokia’s …

You can write on it, bend it or use it as a touchscreen. An electronic paper smart phone created by researchers in Canada could be a glimpse into the future of mobile tech. Ultra-slim and physically flexible, the PaperPhone is the result of a collaboration between Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Arizona State University in the US and researchers from …

Chuggers beware: we now have another reason not to succumb to your intimidating clipboard of direct debit forms. We can now give to charity from the comfort of our mobile phone keypad, no bank account details required, with JustTextGiving. Vodafone, fresh from painting the town red, white and blue, has partnered with the online donation service JustGiving to make giving …

Barely a day has passed since Apple updated iOS to 4.3.3, but the iPhone Dev Team has already published its latest jailbreaking software. It seems the team hasn’t had to work as hard as normal on this one. Apple usually makes a point of closing down the exploit holes with each new version of its software, forcing a new strategy from …

It’s possible to prove anything with statistics, but only painkillers or a couple of cold pints make the headache we get from new market share data go away. Regardless, the news is that Apple has taken second place for the number of mobile phones shipped worldwide during the first quarter of 2011, according to IDC analysts. Though Nokia still leads …

Fisticuffs erupted at the Beijing launch of the iPad 2 this weekend. Several people were injured and a glass door was smashed as tempers flared among tablet-hungry Chinese punters. The fracas took place outside the Sanlitun Apple Store in China’s capital city, and while a definitive version of what happened is hard to track down, a witness said the punch-up …

The Nexus S 4G Sprint Smartphone buyers who’ve been waiting for the 4G version of the Nexus S can now pick up the new model. Making its actual debut yesterday, the Samsung Nexus S 4G is available directly from Sprint for $199 with a two-year contract or for $549 without a contract. But Best Buy is offering an even better …

Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on a deal to buy Internet phone company Skype for between $7 billion and $8 billion, and a deal could be announced as early as tomorrow, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The report cited people familiar with the matter who said negotiations were ongoing and could still fall apart. Microsoft representatives did …

The strange tale of San Francisco’s “Right to Know” ordinance finally came to an end last week when city officials permanently shelved the legislation in its current form. Indeed, it was a quiet end to a groundbreaking law that drew not only worldwide interest, but also the fervent opposition of the wireless industry. Passed almost a year ago, the ordinance …