ANDROID

Apple has a head start over rival Google when it comes to respective App Store dominance, but research shows that this isn't likely to change anytime soon.

Following success in the United States, Starbucks will introduce its mobile payment app for more than 700 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland beginning next month.

Ice Cream Sandwich will debut before the end of the year, but features like the Android Beam and a zero shutter lag camera may not be enough to get iPhone users to adopt the popular mobile operating system. For starters, the new system will only be available on the Galaxy Nexus when it launches.

Amazon's Kindle Fire might end up being one of the most wanted items of the holiday season, and not just for tablets. It's $200 price tag has people's attention, but Kindle Fire is not like many of the tablets out there now. The Android tablet world has long suffered from comparisons to the iPad because iPad was the first tablet computer.

When the Apple iPad 3 hits the shelves next year, there could be several tablets that severely undercut its $500 price, but, until then, there are really only a few tablets that you would want to pick up to tide you over.

Keyboard lovers can begin their mass exodus from the Motorola Droid 3 with the debut of Samsung's Captivate Glide from AT&T. T-Mobile's MyTouch 4G Slide has been out for a few months, and its keyboard is one of the best, but it goes for $200 with a two year contract.

Droid Bionic preceded the Razr by only a few months, but it's already been out-muscled by its newer, faster, thinner more expensive big brother. Both devices are exclusive to Verizon and they are two of the most expensive devices out there.

Many new Android smartphones have come out in the past two months, and several more will debut this shopping season, but the ten best are right here. From the Droid 3 to Galaxy S2 to the Droid Razr and Rezound, all the major releases are here, but there might be a few surprises too.

The smartphone market is seeing a rapid growth as new devices are being released every now and then. Apart from the advanced specifications, the manufacturers are increasing the screen size of smartphones.

Every year Black Friday brings many limited time offers and so called door-buster deals to shoppers around the U.S., but this year, the best deal is the $100 iPhone 4. Once the iPhone 4S came out, the iPhone 4 price dropped to $100 and it might be the best smartphone deal out there.

Samsung's Galaxy Nexus could go on sale in the U.S. in the next week, and when it does, it will mark the beginning of the Android 4.0 era. Android 4.0, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, is more than just a software update because Google has added many new features and even changed some of the basic functions that run so many smartphones out there.

If you've finished off the last bit of gravy and green beans on Thanksgiving, and you're not ready for a nap or a football game, check out these fun apps. This list of 10 is not complete, but there apps for both Apple and Android devices, including games, cooking apps and, of course, shopping apps.

Barclays Capital said its research still points toward Apple Inc. continuing to innovate in the iPad category with an iPad 3 launching in the March 2012 timeframe with an HD screen, Siri integration and a faster processor.

A few common thoughts to consider before you buy.

Samsung has released a 4G version of their ever expanding line of tablet computers, and the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is now on the AT&T network for just under $500 with a two year contract. Compared to the BlackBerry PlayBook, the Tab 8.9 looks to be superior because it's larger, is 4G enabled and runs the Android system.

Motorola's Droid Razr has been out for a couple weeks now, and if you're still on the fence, here are 10 things you need to know about the device before buying. First, it costs $300 with a new two year contract from Verizon.

Microsoft's mobile operating system, Windows Phone, now has around 40,000 apps as more and more smartphone makers pair with the tech giant to run their new devices. So far, Nokia is perhaps the biggest manufacturer to pair with Microsoft, but Samsung and HTC both have some nice devices running the year old system.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and Spanish telecom Telefonica are teaming up to test a payment system that turns a mobile phone into an electronic wallet and identity card, the companies said on Wednesday.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Prime fans had braced themselves for the leaked Dec.8 release date on the Verizon Wireless networkbut , a new Best Buy ad featuring the phone points to an earlier release date on Sunday.

Black Friday deals are popular because it's the busiest shopping day of the year. You don't have to get up at five in the morning to be a shopping beast this year because your smartphone can help you find the best deals even if you boycott the shopping holiday. Besides, the following Monday is a popular day for Web sites to have their last minute sales.

BlackBerry's PlayBook in on back order from Best Buy because the price has been dropped to just $200, but for this weekend only, another tablet computer is being offered for just $200, the Motorola Xoom. Verizon is selling the 10-inch Xoom tablet at a subsidized price because it comes with a two year data contract. Xoom runs the Android system, has front and rear-facing cameras and is both Wi-Fi and 4G enabled.