Sprint

Google's Nexus One may have gotten off to a rocky start with consumers, but the "superphone" is making fast inroads with wireless carriers. Google this week started selling a Nexus One that will run on AT&T's 3G network, and has also inked a deal with Sprint Nextel. Google previously struck deals with T-Mobile, Vodafone and Verizon Wireless.

Sprint hasn't announced pricing or the availability date, but the carrier is already priming the competitive pump with marketing messages that proclaim its network has twice the coverage of AT&T and 10 times the coverage of T-Mobile.

When Palm launched the Pre smartphone last June, I considered it a close second to the iPhone in the race for best smartphone on the market.

The smartphone market has changed a lot since then. Unfortunately, Palm hasn't kept pace.

The hottest pocket computer for a time last year wasn't an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android device. It was the Palm Pre from Sprint. Despite the raves Pre received upon its debut in June, Palm's smartphone was overshadowed by a new iPhone and phones based on Google's mobile operating system.

Palm aims to reclaim the glitter with the Palm Pre Plus, introduced recently at the Consumer Electronics Show. Verizon Wireless makes it available Monday, along with a fewer-frills version called Palm Pixi Plus.

Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless got the highest ratings in overall satisfaction among the four largest wireless carriers in a survey of business owners released Wednesday by the Yankee Group and Mobile Enterprise magazine. The two carriers also showed the most consistency in categories of satisfaction.

"Among large businesses, these two carriers are neck and neck for both wireless voice and data service relationships, and Verizon holds a slight advantage in the SMB voice space," wrote Eugene C. Signorini, a vice president of the Boston-based Yankee Group.

Here's the thing to know about the Nexus One right off the bat: The much ballyhooed "Google phone" that the search behemoth unveiled this week isn't as cool as the iPhone. Still, it is a very fine smartphone. In some respects it compares favorably to Apple's wunderkind, but it comes up short in other key measures, such as storage for downloadable apps.

It advances the ball compared with previous handsets that run Google's Android mobile operating software, if not dramatically so.

On Wednesday, Amazon debuted a new Kindle DX with global wireless that aims to drive its stateside e-reader success to nations around the world. The new Kindle DX replaces the Kindle DX with U.S. wireless.

The latest version of the popular Kindle offers a 9.7-inch electronic paper display with 2.5 times more surface area than the regular six-inch display. The Kindle DX's larger electronic-paper display offers 16 shades of gray and more viewing area for graphics-rich content.

Over the next decade, systems that track and record our movement through physical space will be woven inextricably into everyday life. Already we operate some location-based systems: dashboard navigation systems, smartphones with GPS features, and electronic tags that help us zip through toll stations. But in the coming years, location-aware tools will become more common, sophisticated, and indispensable.

After a dismal 2008 holiday shopping season, retailers are gearing up early with major Black Friday discount announcements. Best Buy is at the head of the pack with several steals.

Best Buy is selling a limited number of HP G60-507DX laptops, which typically retail for $549.99, for just $197 on Friday. The company is also trying to drive excitement with deals on Android smartphones, Sprint MiFi, Samsung products, and VIP contests.

Palm released its new Pixi smartphone Sunday, hoping to keep its new and well-received webOS mobile platform moving forward. The smartphone, which will be available through Sprint Nextel, comes amid rumors that Nokia is interested in buying the struggling device maker.

Friday could be a landmark day in the history of the smartphone industry. Motorola's Droid smartphone hits the U.S. market after an advertising blitz on the World Series. The phone will be exclusively available through Verizon Wireless, which hopes the phone will woo customers away from AT&T.

To celebrate the launch, some Verizon stores around the country will open at 7 a.m. The phone boasts a physical keyboard, a full web browser, and an open "app store" environment. It runs on Google's Android mobile operating system.