Verizon Communications plans to suspend health-insurance coverage and medical benefits for any worker still on strike, applying further pressure on employees who have been off the job for more than a week. It’s the latest escalation in a contract dispute between telecommunications workers facing competitive pressure on its legacy landline business and workers who don’t …

Make no mistake, Google’s acquisition of Motorola is one of the most significant events in tech this year — the effect of which will be felt across the mobile devices landscape for some time. (Credit: Fraser Ntukula, CBSi) In the short term, Google’s purchase buys a swag of patents to protect and extend the Android OS ad its features from …

T-Mobile USA said today that it will begin selling its a prepaid phone and service through discount retailer Family Dollar as the carrier continues to move deeper into the prepaid business. A Family Dollar store in South Carolina. Family Dollar Family Dollar, which has 6,000 locations, is the next retail chain to announce a partnership with T-Mobile following 7-Eleven. Both …

A man has been arrested for using BlackBerry Messenger to arrange a water fight, as part of a wave of social media-related arrests. As those who took part in rioting and looting face stiff sentences, police are also throwing the book at those who incited or encouraged violence on Facebook, Twitter or other social networks. Essex police charged the 20-year-old …

Google has bought Motorola Mobility, for $12.5bn — about £7.6bn. Mobility is the part of Motorola that makes phones. Google says the acquisition will “supercharge” Android. Motorola is certainly no stranger to Google’s mobile OS. It’s the company behind devices such as the Motorola Milestone and the first Honeycomb tablet, the Motorola Xoom. So the purchase does make a degree of …

Search giant Google dropped a massive news-bomb on us this afternoon — it’s bought Motorola Mobility, the part of Motorola that makes phones and tablets, in a £7.6bn deal. But what’s the reaction to the news, and what does it mean? Patent spending There’s strong feeling that the main motivation for the purchase is so Google can own all Motorola’s …

Question: What is Google getting with its planned $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility? Answer: the only major Android handset maker whose share of the smartphone market receded in the second quarter. At a time when the momentum behind Android is exploding, it’s telling that Motorola was the only major vendor that couldn’t capitalize on the growth. The statistic underscores …

Patently Apple A few weeks ago, Chinese accessory makers fired off a Smart Case for the Samsung Galaxy Tab, claiming it was endorsed by Samsung, that looked remarkably similar to Apple’s Smart Cover for iPad 2. Apple has now filed a figurative trademark in China to protect the Smart Cover design. Samsung has since revealed that it did not officially …

Google and Motorola Mobility will make for awkward dance partners to a room full of jilted companies uncomfortably eyeing the pair. Remember the Nexus One? That was supposed to be the end of Google’s aspirations to get into the handset business. But not anymore. James Martin/CNET While Google’s move to acquire Motorola for $12.5 billion is largely motivated by the …

Motorola refreshes the DEFY with a waterproof, scratch-resistant DEFY+ for select markets. Motorola Though there was some other news taking the spotlight, Motorola unveiled its Defy+ handset today, confirming recent rumors of a refreshed take on T-Mobile’s version of the Android smartphone. Expected to launch in early fall across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, the “life-proof” device is capable of …