Apple, Blackberry | featured news

Research In Motion shares were sharply lower Friday, after the company issued a steep first-quarter earnings warning late Thursday, heightening fears that the BlackBerry maker is buckling amid competition from Apple and Google.

Politicians and privacy experts demanded answers of Google and Apple Friday following the discovery that smartphone software from the tech giants regularly transmits information about a user's whereabouts back to the companies.

Verizon reported on Thursday that it activated 2.2 million iPhones during its first fiscal quarter for 2011. The cell service provider revealed the information as part of its quarterly earnings report, a day after Apple and AT&T shared their quarterly earnings data.

Apple Inc's quarterly results again smashed Wall Street's expectations, fueled by record iPhone and Mac sales, offsetting lower-than-expected sales of its iPad tablet computer.

So, it might be a while before Apple fans can get their hands on the iPhone 5. But the elusive white iPhone 4 might finally be on the way.

Apple will remain firmly in control of the tablet market through 2015, according to market research by Gartner, which also shows Google’s Android will take the baton from Nokia’s Symbian to dominate the smartphone market through the same time period. Experts agree, though, that it will be strong ecosystems, allowing for tablets and smartphones to deliver a combined experience, which will take the day, possibly weakening Research in Motion’s capacity to deliver in a new environment.

How is it that a company that's been making electronics in white for at least a decade can't produce an iPhone 4 in that color?

A new report predicts that revenues from downloadable applications will reach $38 billion by 2015. It may be hard to remember, but when the Apple iPhone had its debut in early 2007 there were only a few apps available for the device — no Angry Birds, Doodle Jump or Netflix.

The iPhone 5 is about 3, 3 1/2 months away if the annual refresh cycle runs true to form, and rumors are beginning to ramp up, just as production will in a few months. The latest appears to have shown up on a Chinese site that resells iPhone parts, as of Feb. 24. The purported part shows what looks to be the iPhone 5's digitizer panel.

Verizon Wireless CEO said the carrier sold more iPhone 4s during its initial launch than any other product, adding that short store lines were result of online purchases.