Smartphones

Selecting text, particularly entire paragraphs in Notes and other text-heavy apps can be tricky, if not somewhat difficult.

If you need to select an entire paragraph, the first intuition most iPhone and iPad users have is to double-tap a word and drag the text selection handles to cover the entire paragraph.

Though this is an effective method of getting all your text selected, there's an easier way.

Next time you have to select a paragraph to copy and paste somewhere else, try using two fingers and swiping across the paragraph you wish to copy. The text will be selected … Read more

Even as Nokia makes its deal with Microsoft, it still has older Nokia phones to sell. This Nokia X2, for example, is a candy bar QWERTY phone that still runs on Series 40, and has just showed up on T-Mobile USA's prepaid site. Features include a 2.4-inch display, text and multimedia messaging, e-mail, Opera Mini, a microSD card slot, and only a VGA camera. It will go on sale for $79.99 without a need for a contract.

Microsoft and Nokia may have spent much of Mobile World Congress trying to convince attendees of the merits of their fresh, new partnership, but the harder step will perhaps be urging Nokia's loyal Symbian developers to shift alliances.

There's nothing like free stuff to help change one's mind. To that end, Nokia will be giving away one E7 smartphone and one Nokia-made Windows Phone to each developer in Launchpad, it's program for mobile app developers, according to information procured by SlashGear.

In addition, Nokia will waive its tech support charges for developers for the next three … Read more

Steve "The Gut Man" Guttenberg's age remains a mystery in today's 404 Podcast preshow, but he's definitely younger than Wilson, who will celebrate his 39th birthday this year. Steve heads up the Audiophiliac blog on CNET and today he's making sure that younger generations, specifically teenagers, know the importance of actually listening to music, instead of just letting it play in the background of a million other digital activities.

A big part of Steve's life is reviewing headphones and home theater technology, but before we get to all that, Steve is curious about something else: women's obsession with shoes.… Read more

After a less than perfect start to its Android efforts, Sony Ericsson has hit the ground running in the new year. The company already has introduced four new smartphones since January and CEO Bert Nordberg told CNET at Mobile World Congress that Sony Ericsson is aiming to be the No. 1 Android player in the world.

That's a lofty goal for any company, but especially for Sony Ericsson. Can it really put the Xperia X10 and its software problems behind it and start anew? And, more importantly, what are the tools it needs to claim that top spot?

Given … Read more

Ford Sync took an early lead in providing advanced integration with cell phones and MP3 players, but now Chevy is catching up, announcing a new technology called MyLink, which will offer many similar features.

Last year OnStar started testing app integration, using Pandora and Facebook. Chevy MyLink refines this functionality, incorporating Pandora and Stitcher, a podcast streamer. These apps are resident in the car, but use a paired smartphone's data plan for connectivity. Ford recently expanded Sync with AppLink, a service that integrates apps on a paired phone with the car's interface.

Beyond apps, MyLink provides the same … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Later this year you'll be able to pay for clothes, taxi fare, and dinner with your mobile phone and leave your credit cards and cash at home.

Visa is planning a commercial rollout in the U.S. in the second half of this year of a service for allowing allow people to turn their existing smartphones into electronic wallets. It uses Near Field Communication (NFC) short-range wireless technology and includes real-time anti-fraud alerts and other features designed to protect consumers from fraud, Bill Gajda, global head of Visa Mobile, told CNET in an interview at Mobile World Congress 2011 … Read more

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 nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

Question: My question is regarding RIM and their BlackBerry line of phones. They seem to be getting a lot of bad press lately. One item that keeps coming up is that they stick to their "stoic" candy bar style design and how it's out of style (they keep mentioning that it doesn't draw in the younger generation).

I am 23 years old and I find their signature BlackBerry design to be perfect and really somewhat unique. I say unique because everyone is either doing a slider or a touch-only slab. There are many young people who don't like sliders and still want a physical keyboard. The other thing that comes up is their lack of respectable specs (processors etc.) and their OS. I for one have always questioned why their OS is considered "antiquated" especially since it does all of the same things that other OSes do.

My question is: Why is RIM getting so much heat for their BlackBerry line, even when the new versions coming up have touch screens and updated processors? Is there too much hype over Android and iOS? Aren't people aware that Android is fragmented? Isn't the overall user experience more valuable to people? Let me know your thoughts and thanks for reading this. -- Adam, via e-mail

That's one meaty question, Adam. You are right that RIM has been on the receiving end of some bad press, particularly in comparison with the other smartphone operating systems like Android and iOS. While many people like yourself consider themselves hardcore BlackBerry fans, the fact is that BlackBerry has been around for much longer than Android and iOS, and is therefore seen by many as a dinosaur in the mobile space. It also doesn't help that BlackBerrys have long been seen more as corporate gadgets than consumer ones. As other smartphones gained more consumer mindshare, BlackBerry seems to have lagged behind in that space.

However, I actually agree with you that the strength of the BlackBerry lies in its iconic candy bar style.… Read more

It's been so long since Natali has been on The 404 Podcast that we almost forget to call her NM instead of NDC! Fresh from her honeymoon vacation, she stays with us for the entire episode and denounces all those anti-lactivists out there! If we can eat ourselves into a studio infestation, babies should certainly have the right to do so as well.

Moving on, the city of Detroit is finally getting the RoboCop statue it deserves! The idea was spawned after residents felt they needed better representation than rapper Eminem and his ridiculous Chrysler 200 commercial.

So the city started a crowdsourced Kickstarter funding project and reached the $50,000 goal with 37 days left in the contribution window! Everyone that contributes to the fund will receive a personalized digital badge and a name placard on detroitneedsrobocop.com. "I'd fund that for a dollar!" It's the best idea we've heard in a while.

The iTunes Music Store dominates digital music sales, but Sony is taking aim at Apple with its new distribution service called Music Unlimited by Qriocity. Qriocity will feature music from all four major labels, with over 6 million tracks available to stream off Sony's music servers.… Read more