Welcome to The 411, my new Q&A 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 the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I’m stumped. Send your questions …

Nokia Siemens Networks will pay $1.2 billion for most of Motorola’s wireless network equipment business, the companies announced Monday. In striking the cash deal, Nokia Siemens hopes to improve its standing in the wireless equipment arena, both in the U.S. and across the world. The company said it expects the addition of Motorola’s business will propel it to become the …

As promised, here is the second part of our Windows Phone 7 preview. This time around, we focus on the more entertaining features the platform has to offer, including the music and video, photos, and Web browsing. For more on the user interface and core functions, check out part 1 of our Windows Phone 7 preview. Web browser Mobile Web …

AT&T just added the Sharp FX to its lineup today, and if it looks a lot like the Sidekick, it’s because Sharp was also the manufacturer behind many of the latest Sidekick handsets. It has a touch screen plus a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, an MP3 player, a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1, the att.net HTML browser, instant messaging, e-mail, and social …

Now playing: Watch this: Windows Phone 7 preview 2:57 It’s been six months since Microsoft introduced Windows Phone 7 at Mobile World Congress 2010, and we still have several months to go before we see any devices hit the streets. At the time, we were excited and hopeful about Microsoft’s revamped mobile operating system, but a lot of time has …

Nokia, Research in Motion and HTC have all released statements refuting Apple’s claim that smartphones designed by these companies suffer similar signal issues to the iPhone 4. (Credit: CNET.com) To explain reception issues relating to the iPhone 4, Apple CEO Steve Jobs pointed to other popular smartphones in the market and told his audience that “most smartphones” have similar antenna …

Apple called an unprecedented press conference Friday to address consumer concerns with the iPhone 4’s antenna. CEO Steve Jobs spent the first part of his presentation playing down the controversy, characterizing it as being “blown way out of proportion,” and denying that the iPhone 4’s attenuation issues are worse than any other smartphone’s. Though Jobs maintained that only a small …

A leaked screen capture from Verizon’s internal system indicates that the days are numbered for the Droid and Devour. Both phones are listed as limited, with no remaining shipments from the vendor, Motorola. It is not known what the inventory levels are for either device or when they might be completely gone. This is not to say the phones won’t …

Apple announced Friday that it will give away free iPhone bumpers to all iPhone 4 owners to help prevent the signal issue plaguing some phones. However, the company doesn’t make enough bumpers for everyone, so it’s working with third-party vendors to give away free cases, as well. We’ve compiled a list of third-party iPhone 4 cases to check out if …

During Friday’s iPhone 4 press conference, Apple CEO Steve Jobs offered a very brief glimpse inside immense padded rooms that make up the company’s antenna testing and design labs. According to Jobs, and to statistics posted later on Apple’s Web site, the labs consist of 17 antenna characterization, or “anecohoic,” chambers that are used to measure overall antenna performance. Various …