mobile applications

Given the craze surrounding the iPhone, Motorola Droid, Palm Pre and Nexus One, it may seem that nearly everyone has a smartphone.

But most consumers in the United States use simpler, much lower-cost phones.

According to data from the Nielsen Co., about 82 percent of cell phones in use in the United States are limited-function phones, the kind that typically sell for less than $50 or are given away with two-year service contracts.

Given the craze surrounding the iPhone, Motorola Droid, Palm Pre and Nexus One, it may seem that nearly everyone has a smartphone.

But most consumers in the United States use simpler, much lower-cost phones.

According to data from the Nielsen Co., about 82 percent of cell phones in use in the United States are limited-function phones, the kind that typically sell for less than $50 or are given away with two-year service contracts.

The growing lineup of Android-powered devices has a new entry arriving Oct. 19. That's the date the Motorola CLIQ will be available to current customers, T-Mobile announced Tuesday. Others will be able to buy Motorola's first device for the Android open-source operating system on Nov. 2. The price is $199.99 with a two-year contract.

Automatic Syncing

Google on Tuesday updated its Gmail and Calendar offerings for Apple's iPhone and Android-based mobile devices. When users access Gmail and Calendar through mobile browsers, Google promises an improved experience.

In Gmail, Google has improved the mobile user interface to make it easier to "message on the go." The search giant also unveiled what it is calling a Floaty Bar so common actions -- such as archive and delete -- are only a click away. Messages got a face-lift so labels look more like the Gmail labels users see on a desktop.

T-Mobile and handset maker HTC are taking the cover off the first Android-based cell phone Tuesday at a press conference in New York. The Open Handset Alliance, a group that includes Google, T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola and others, is billing Android as the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices.

What will a Google Android-based HTC look like? And how will it shake up the market? Here's what we can discern from leaked photos: It's a touchscreen device with a full, slide-out keyboard. Pricing rumors peg the device at $199, in line with Apple's iPhone 3G.

A month after Apple launched its App Store online, the iPhone-maker is reporting eye-popping results.

Users have downloaded more than 60 million programs for the iPhone, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Even though most of those applications are free, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told the Journal his company sold an average of $1 million a day in applications. That's a whopping $30 million in the first month.

The hype that began with Apple's iPhone 3G launch Friday continued through the weekend and was almost as loud on Monday, with Apple adding to the fire. The company said it sold more than one million iPhone 3Gs and users downloaded more than 10 million applications from its App Store.

Fiber to the desktop, Wi-Fi networks and copper prices affect plans. "The enterprise network is undergoing a major shift in emphasis that impacts cabling," according to Jim Hayes of the Fiber Optic Association, the international non-profit professional society for the fiber-optic industry that develops educational programs and certifies fiber-optic technicians.