Even Consumer Reports finds smartphone ratings are tough
Consumer Reports rated the iPhone 3GS as its top choice among smartphones but recognized that personal taste about which features matter most comes into play, as well as testing methodology. Read more...

Update: Apple patching serious SMS vulnerability on iPhone

Palm Pre hardware glitches hard to evaluate, analysts say

'Jailbroken' iPhones leave users more vulnerable

Cisco to expand mobile collaboration features

Users complain about poor Pre hardware

Medical center seeks 'Holy Grail' of mobile devices

Sprint to put Tour on sale for $200 on July 12

Dell ordered to sell 19-inch LCD displays for $15 in Taiwan

Advocacy group pitches Linux for free netbooks

More Mobile Devices Stories

Sync Your iPod to Your PC With iPodRobot
IPodRobot is a utility that's designed to get around one of Apple's most annoying limitations. When you plug an iPod or iPhone into a computer that has iTunes, you're able to sync the PC's playlist onto the device--but you can't go the other way. You can't copy what's already on the device to the PC. (Photos are an exception, as newer iPods and iPhones store these separately and they are accessible as if the device were an external drive.) Hence the need for a utility like iPodRobot ($20, 7-day feature-limited demo), which lets you copy everything on an iPod or iPhone to a PC.

Deathmatch: Palm Pre versus iPhone
There's been one promised iPhone killer after another, but none has given Apple's popular smartphone worthwhile competition to date. Now Palm has its Pre, a device that looks to be a serious contender for the best next-gen mobile device crown.

iPhone 3GS Gets Jailbroken, Hack Available Online
The first jailbreaking application for the iPhone 3GS is now available. The tool, called purplera1n, will only allow the installation of unofficial third-party applications, but will not unlock the iPhone 3GS.

Deathmatch rematch: BlackBerry versus iPhone 3.0

The carrier coup must be stopped
Wireless carriers have made plans for connecting consumer gadgets to the Internet very complex, but it doesn't have to be that way, writes columnist Mike Elgan. The best and simplest plan is what Amazon.com is using with the Kindle.

Bluelounge CableDrop
Whew! If you've been paying attention to the Mac Gems Weblog for the past six weeks, you know that it's been home to GemFest 2009, a Gem-a-day marathon of over 50 Gem reviews. We ended GemFest 2009 on Tuesday with a quick rundown of some of our all-time-favorite Gems, and today marks our return to the regular two-Gems-each-week schedule. I'll get back to reviewing great, inexpensive Mac software next week, but today I'm going to tell you about an accessory Gem that I've been wanting to cover since I saw a prototype at Macworld Expo back in January.

10 hot touch-screen phones compared
Keeping tabs on the latest cell phone models can be a full-time job, especially given the number of cell phones announced over the past few months. But thanks to PC World, you don't have to hunt down and compare the various touch-screen smartphones yourself.

Mobile deathmatch: Can the Pre knock out the iPhone?

Samsung Jack
The Samsung Jack ($100 with a two-year contract from AT&T, as of June 22, 2009) handles work and play somewhat better than its predecessors, but the mobile-phone landscape has changed significantly in the 18 months since the BlackJack II came out. For a smartphone today, it doesn't do much to attract newcomers to the Samsung fold, especially when matched against the impeccable design of the iPhone 3GS or the refined utility of the BlackBerry Curve 8310--both of which AT&T offers at the same price.

Firmware and you: A guide to updating your hardware
An easy-to-perform firmware update can add functionality, stability, and features. Here's what to do.

Editors' Picks

Don't trash your tired old desktop PC -- pump it up with a few inexpensive upgrades. Microsoft's Windows 7 pricing plans may derail efforts to make users move away from XP and forget Vista. Also see Preston Gralla: Don't believe the $120 Windows 7 pricetag. Trademark owners say cybersquatting on the Web has gone too far -- and they're pushing back. The goal is to have all the original Lunar Orbiter image files processed by February, producing a moon atlas with a resolution higher than anything previously seen.

hot topics

Get the latest news, reviews and more about Microsoft's newest desktop operating system.

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General Mills, Genentech, San Diego Gas & Electric, University of Pennsylvania and Monsanto top the list.

Airport Insecurity: The Case of Lost Laptops (Source: Dell) Business travelers lose more than 12,000 laptops each week in U.S. airports, yet most admit they don't take steps to protect sensitive data. Check out this Ponemon Institute study to learn what steps you can take to protect the information on your employees' laptops while they are on the road. Ponemon Study: The Business Risk of Lost Laptops Impact of the Dramatic Increase in Devices on the Cost to Support File Integrity Monitoring: Secure Your Virtual and Physical IT Environments The Tripwire HIPAA Solution: Meeting the Security Standards Set Forth in Section 164 Keep it Clean: Maintaining the Integrity of your CMDB through Change Detection Sustaining SOX Compliance: Best Practices to Mitigate Risk, Automate Compliance, and Reduce Costs IDC White Paper: CCM for IT Compliance and Risk Management Configuration Assessment: Choosing the Right Solution Beyond PCI Checklists: Securing Cardholder Data with Tripwires Enhanced File Integrity Monitoring Addressing Compliance Initiatives with Tripwire and the Center for Internet Security Accelerate SSL Encrypted Applications The CIO's New Guide to Design of Global IT Infrastructure 2007 Gartner Magic Quadrant Report Extreme Savings: Cutting Costs with WAN Optimization An In-Depth Look at ROI The True ROI behind WAN Optimization Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World Case Study - Psomas Centralized Data Backup and Your WAN IBM Lotus Notes Performance Brief More White Papers

Laptops and mobile devices continue to go missing due to poor visibility once they leave the network. Absolute Software can help by giving you a complete view of mobile computers from a single web-based interface along with powerful anti-theft capabilities to keep your data safe. Success Story: Grant Thornton LLP Grant Thornton needed to reduce computer loss rates and streamline IT asset management across 49 offices. The company used Computrace by Absolute Software to recover and wipe data from laptops before end-of-lease. With Computrace, the company has reduced costs by increasing asset visibility to 100%. Endpoint Security: When Encryption Isn't Enough Missing laptops and mobile devices continue to be the number one cause of data breaches. Research indicates that over 60% of data breaches are caused by careless employees or insider theft. This white paper provides a case for endpoint security that remains effective regardless of end-user reliability. The Human Factor in Laptop Encryption This Ponemon Institute whitepaper examines the behavior of non-IT employees when it comes to encryption policy. It shows that many employees may not be taking the most basic precautions to protect their company laptop. View Entire Zone

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"I was ready to buy a netbook. Instead I found a full-sized notebook - for less than $300...." Read more "Talk about your digital divide. Boston will soon offer an iPhone app allowing residents to easily notify City Hall about..." Read more "As I pointed out a few months ago, Nokia already builds a device that runs Android. The Guardian this weekend..." Read more "Nineteen year old George "Geohot" Hotz has done it again. Only two weeks after launch, the iPhone 3GS is jailbroken...." Read more More Mobile & Wireless Blogs See all Computerworld Blogs

Visit the Absolute Mobile Security Zone
Laptops and mobile devices continue to go missing due to poor visibility once they leave the network. Absolute Software can help by giving you a complete view of mobile computers from a single web-based interface along with powerful anti-theft capabilities to keep your data safe.

Columnist Bert Latamore digs deep to analyze the latest networking trends. Click here to read the latest column by Bert Latamore