Sprint Nextel

Phil Falcone hedges his mobile bet

Could the beleaguered financier's wireless company, LightSquared, be a 21st-century Nextel?

By Scott Woolley, contributor

It has been a tough couple of months for billionaire Phil Falcone. His Harbinger Capital hedge funds have withered to $9 billion from $26 billion three years ago, drained by bets on bum stocks and the departure of fed-up investors. In early November the Securities and Exchange Commission began looking into improper favors Harbinger may have given MORE

Sprint announces HTC EVO Shift 4G

Rumored for weeks, Sprint finally announced its newest Android flagship phone from HTC today.

Wirefly does a great overview of the EVO Shift here (I have yet to lay my hands on one):

For my money, I like the Samsung Epic 4G hardware better (once it gets its Android 2.2 update).  The Sprint Epic 4G has a bigger five row keyboard (with hardware menu keys), bigger better screen and front facing camera and MORE

Today in Tech: News around the Web

A round-up of the companies, deals, and trends that made headlines.

Every day, the Fortune staff spends hours poring over tech stories, posts, and reviews from all over the Web to keep tabs on the companies that matter. We've assembled the day's most newsworthy bits below.

Why T-Mobile is Sprint's best hope

With Clearwire experiencing growing pains, Sprint's best option for 4G expansion might be turning to a rival competitor for cash.

Sometimes the best allies are also the unlikeliest.

This might be the case if T-Mobile invests in Clearwire (CLWR), which is majority-owned by Sprint (S). Currently, Clearwire offers fourth-generation (4G) wireless network coverage to more than 41 million people throughout the U.S., but it plans to expand further to cover 120 MORE

Forget an iPad with 3G. Get a MiFi router instead.

Why buy a 3G radio locked into Apple's sleek iPad when Verizon and Sprint's personal high-speed Internet hotspots can be faster and let you bring five gadgets online?

When Steve Jobs brought out the iPad and leisurely flicked, scrolled and swiped his way through web sites and applications before a captive audience last January, he made clear that his latest brainchild was intended as nothing less than the consummate media consumption MORE

Tech giants that 'get' small business

Tech's top vendors see small companies as a big opportunity.

Software giant Microsoft (MSFT) tops a new ranking of technology companies effectively serving small businesses online by providing a rich, educational web experience for small companies.

Compass Intelligence, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based consulting firm, analyzes the websites of dozens of tech companies - and interviews small business owners and executives - to come up with its rankings, which it publishes twice each year.

Microsoft leaped to the No. 1 ranking from No. 6 in the MORE