Stories by Matt Hamblen

Windows Phone 7 has been finalized and released to manufacturers, Microsoft announced in a blog today.

The price tag for e-readers will drop below the $100 threshold Wednesday when Borders starts selling its Aluratek Libre eBook Pro device $US99.99.

Palm's WebOS 2.0 beta is now available in limited release to developers, with a full public release planned for later this year.

Remember wristwatches? With the surge in smartphones and their instant access to time and other information, fewer people seem to wear a watch these days.

As smartphones and tablet computers infiltrate medical operations, doctors are finding new applications to provide shortcuts for their busy work days. That includes a new voice-enabled medical search app for the iPhone announced by Nuance Communications.

An HTC tablet running Google's Chrome operating system will be sold by Verizon Wireless in late November, according to an unnamed source cited by the blog Downloadsquad.

Barnes & Noble released free Nook e-reader software for the iPhone and iPod touch today, along with updates to Nook for the iPad that provide content rating and more.

Research in Motion today called reports that Amazon.com has cut the price of RIM's new BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone to $US99.99 "inaccurate and misleading."

Apple could be making plans for a big role in mobile Near Field Communications (NFC) with the recent hiring of Benjamin Vigier as its product manager of mobile commerce.

Samsung is expected to show off an Android-based tablet dubbed the P1000 Galaxy Tab at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin next month, according to multiple reports. The tablet is said to feature a 7-inch touchscreen and offer live video chat capabilities.

The Samsung Epic 4G will debut Aug. 31 for $250 after rebate and with a Sprint Nextel two-year agreement, the carrier announced today.

Hewlett Packard definitely plans to be in the tablet business, but questions remain about whether it will create different hardware for each of three expected tablet operating systems -- Android , Windows 7 and WebOS.

The Samsung Epic, an Android 2.1 smartphone with a physical slideout keyboard that will run on Sprint's WiMax 4G network, could ship by Aug. 21, based on various reports citing unnamed sources.

Don't ask Matt Carter, president of 4G at Sprint Nextel, about LTE, a competing wireless technology. He wants to focus on Sprint's use of WiMax for 4G wireless networks.

Amazon.com is reportedly considering building prototypes of gadgets other than its Kindle e-reader. But one analyst questioned the value of such devices unless they can be tied to Amazon-provided services and content.