One of the surprises of the smartphone forecast released Wednesday by IDC was the bold prediction that Windows Phone 7 will be the No. 2 mobile operating system behind Android by 2015, surging to a nearly 21% share from 5.5% this year. The optimistic outlook for WP7 stems from Microsoft recently forming a long-term alliance with Nokia that will make WP7 the primary platform for Nokia smartphones.

The initial reaction to the high-profile launch of The Daily, News Corp.'s long-awaited newspaper app for the iPad, focused on technical glitches and the lack of rapidly updated content. A conventional news magazine pushed to a tablet, at best. So now that The Daily has had some time to settle since its February launch, including the release of an updated version, what's the broader response? How are real people, not the noisy blogosphere, reacting to it?

Federal regulators and Congress aren't the only government entities preparing to have a closer look at AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Tuesday announced his office would also be undertaking a "thorough review" of the planned merger that would leave AT&T and Verizon Wireless with nearly 80% of the wireless market.

News about a pair of separate mobile payments initiatives Monday suggest they're not just about transactions; marketing and advertising are part of the equation. One is American Express' unveiling its new payment service, dubbed Serve, that will let users make person-to-person payments online (hello, PayPal!) purchases via mobile device or PC.

In the high-stakes battle for tablet sales, what's closed is open and what's open is closed. Research in Motion yesterday announced it would allow users to run Android apps on its forthcoming PlayBook, in a bid to broaden the appeal of its entry in the race to launch tablet computers that challenge the iPad's supremacy.

"Pre-Launch Startup Raises $41 Million For Mobile Photo-Sharing App." That almost sounds like something straight out of "The Onion." But truth can be stranger than satire. By now you may have already noticed the online ruckus around Silicon Valley startup Color raising $41 million in initial funding to back its iPhone and Android app of the same name.

The CTIA today unveiled plans at its annual spring conference to develop a ratings system for mobile applications by the end of 2011. The program would be based on its existing Guidelines for App Content Classification and Ratings, which promulgate voluntary self-certification of apps.

Apparently, there's many app stores -- but only one App Store. That's essentially Apple's claim in its trademark suit against Amazon accusing the online retailer of using its "App Store" trademark to sell mobile applications. Amazon today unveiled its own mobile storefront dubbed "Amazon Appstore for Android," launching with 3,800 titles optimized for Android smartphones.

With shares of AT&T and Deutsche Telekom stock trading up Monday, it's clear the market is already rewarding the telecom giants for AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA. With T-Mobile's 46 million customers, AT&T vaults ahead of Verizon to be the No. 1 U.S. carrier, and Deutsche Telecom unloads its also-ran U.S. unit in return for 8% of AT&T and a seat on the board.

When Apple launched its iTunes subscription service last month, content providers didn't greet the move with open arms. That's because Apple takes a 30% cut of sales, doesn't share customer data for subscriptions sold via the App Store and requires publishers not to sell subscriptions for less on their own sites. Nevertheless, when The New York Times unveiled its long-awaited digital subscription plan Thursday, it revealed it would sell access to its iPhone and iPads through iTunes, under the new terms.