Techmate: Everyone vs. Apple

• Ringtones' requiem

  Customized cellphone rings are so 2004. But the music industry has a new source of revenue – it's all about the ringback tone.

  Remember the ringtone? Just two years ago consumers were spending $1 billion a year on song snippets for their cellphones. Established musical acts recorded ringtone versions of their songs, and some composers set out to write tunes that had hooks and melodies that would lend themselves to tones. MORE

  Kim Thai, contributor - Jan 18, 2010 8:30 AM ET
  Posted in: cellphone, music industry, Ringtones, Smartphones

• Staying connected

  Let's face it, landlines are out.

  The sale of home phones is expected to fall again this year and next — just like it has for the past four years. In 2005, more than 55,000 home phone units were sold, totaling about $1.14 billion. Compare that to next year's projected sales of a measly $369 million, according to the Consumer Electronic Association.

  Consumers have been dropping their landline for years now — MORE

  Aug 4, 2009 6:00 PM ET
  Posted in: cellphone, telecommunication

• Building a better touchscreen

  Jennifer Lai - Jul 22, 2009 12:36 PM ET
  Posted in: cellphone, human interface, mobile devices, smartphone, Synaptics, touchscreens